Questions About Hunting & Hunters, Page 2

"We who don’t care for stuff like that have tried politely requesting that they show off their trophy photos just to each other, but polite didn't work and we just trash them as soon as we see them taped up now. Not everyone who dislikes hearing gruesome details in an animal rights activist."

That's a shame. It sounds as if the folks you are dealing with are inconsiderate slobs, rather than true hunters. Again, I don't know them, but that's how your message reads. As I said, real hunters are decent people who don't push others into uncomfortable corners. It's also a shame that they are losing their pictures of memorable hunts, because each successful hunt is a memory to be cherished. Perhaps something less than trashing their photos could be done, and still get the point across in a way they'd understand, which wouldn't cause resentment and make matters worse.

"Why do they kill other peoples’ pets? My German shepherd was shot in my yard by 2 hunters who "thought he was a wolf." My cousins’ flock of tame Peking ducks was shot on her pond by 3 hunters who "wanted to teach our dog to retrieve." Hello? Ever hear of retriever dummies? A dove hunter blasted our black cat and put holes in our barn because he "thought she was a dove." Someone else grazed our red tabby Manx cat because he "thought he was a bobcat" – again, on our property."

Hunters don't kill other peoples' pets - grommets do. If what you say is true, then you have had experience with trespassers who are really shooting themselves in the foot - and if they truly think a cat is a dove then they might do so literally. In a case like that, I heartily recommend calling in the law when you find anyone trespassing on your land, if they won't leave when asked to - and if they return I would call the police for sure.

If they know it's private land where hunting's not allowed and they enter it without permission, that's not right. Another point is that, here in Florida at least, trespass with a firearm is a felony - and a felony conviction means the convict can't own guns. It would behoove everyone to act with consideration and a bit of smarts, and avoid such sticky situations. It's not hard to hunt where it's legal and proper to do so - I've been doing it all my life.

The thing to remember is that when you have a bad experience with some people engaged in a particular activity, it doesn't mean that everyone who shares that activity with them does the same. Some golfers are jerks, as are some painters. As are some people who hunt.

Human nature can be a pain in the butt sometimes, but it's something we all have to live with. Hunters need to police their ranks and intervene when they see others doing stupid and/or unlawful things. And meanwhile I hope others will keep in mind that there are grommets everywhere, and not blame all of us for the sins of a few.

- Russ Chastain