| As I look at my hunting equipment a couple of | | | | any of the meat. I also learned to use just about |
| things occur to me. First, My goodness I am | | | | every part of the animal once I did get it. These |
| spoiled! I have rifles, scopes, rangefinders, | | | | times made me a much better hunter as well as |
| binoculars, shooting sleds and a bunch of other | | | | an ethical hunter. |
| equipment to numerous to mention. Second, at | | | | There is nothing more frustrating to most hunters |
| one point or another I felt I absolutely needed | | | | than shooting an animal and not being able to find |
| every one of these items to become a better | | | | it. Not that this can be avoided completely, but |
| hunter. Do I really? Probably not, but it sure does | | | | that is one of the reasons there is such a huge |
| make me feel better when I use them to fill my | | | | market for all of the equipment I have in my gun |
| tags. | | | | safe. Scopes, rangefinders, tripods, etc. are all |
| As a young boy growing up in the Midwest I can | | | | made to make the job of ethical hunting easier. All |
| still remember getting my first gun and the | | | | of this equipment does not expunge the hunter of |
| responsibility lessons that came along with it. Most | | | | their responsibility though. An ethical hunter will still |
| of it made sense but some of it I had to figure | | | | make sure they practice tirelessly to get good at |
| out. My first gun was at age 7 and it was a BB | | | | using these items and then they will make sure |
| gun. I was only allowed to shoot at cans, flowers, | | | | they have a shot they are comfortable with |
| pieces of wood, or any other non-living things that | | | | before they ever think of pulling the trigger. |
| I could find that did not require too much clean up. | | | | Once an animal is down the responsibility of the |
| I begged my father to let me shoot coots on | | | | clean kill has been accomplished and now the |
| one of our ponds so I could have the feeling of | | | | work begins. Learning how to dress an animal and |
| shooting something that reacted. I was always | | | | make sure it ends up in a freezer is something |
| told no because the BB gun would not kill the bird, | | | | every hunter should know but not every hunter |
| it would only be inflicting pain and besides that we | | | | does. My thoughts on this are not really a secret |
| could not eat it if I were to kill it. Well, being 7 I | | | | to those that I hunt with. I am not a trophy |
| knew I was much smarter than my father so I | | | | hunter by any sense of the imagination; I hunt to |
| snuck down to the pond one day and lined up a | | | | fill the freezer. I do hunt with some guys that are |
| coot in my sites. After checking to make sure | | | | trophy hunters however and this does not have |
| nobody was around I let him have it. That bird | | | | any effects on their ethics. I have helped drag out |
| flew away, after squawking, flailing and making | | | | legal, clean kills and take them directly to a |
| enough noise for everyone to hear within a mile | | | | processor to have them donated to the local |
| radius. Of course, my Dad was only about an | | | | food banks or another family that will use it. This |
| eighth of a mile away. Needless to say I | | | | type of hunting gives all of us a good name and |
| understood what he meant about the inflicting pain | | | | also will teach our future generations to conduct |
| part for a few days after that. | | | | themselves in the same manner. |
| As I grew older I learned many lessons about | | | | Hunting is a sport that thousands of people enjoy |
| hunting and the responsibilities that come with it. | | | | and partake in. Through the education of every |
| As a young man I was not making a huge | | | | hunter that dons their camo and takes to the field |
| amount of money and had 2 kids. I think back | | | | it will be a sport that can be enjoyed for |
| wondering how we would have survived without | | | | generations to come. Only through ignorance and |
| my hunting and fishing. This meant when I hunted | | | | lack of respect will this be foiled. From the |
| I had purpose, not only to get something, but to | | | | experiences I have had and hope to have in the |
| make sure I made a clean shot so as to not ruin | | | | future, hunting ethics is the norm not an anomaly. |