Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Maybe it is better to not say everything that you think


Usually I don't get too excited about what people write in the Dakota Student (aka the Dakota Stupid as we used to call it when I was in school) but I must take issue with this article that was written by Renee Zapf. This is the same moron that insulted college women for wearing sweat pants to class in last years Dakota Student. But I digress; most people that are anti-hunting don't have a clue what they are talking about. It the same logic they use on the Huffington Post or the Daily Kos, say a bunch of outrageous stuff and offer little if any evidence to back it up. The anti- Hunting zealots like Zapf have never walked a mile in our boots, have never fired a firearm or gotten up early to go duck hunting; so basically the Zapf’s of the world have no clue what they are attacking, it just sounds good.

I wouldn’t be surprised that this woman is probably getting her talking points from some left wing fringe group like PETA. Remember none of these people have ever spent a day in the field; experiencing/living our way of life. I doubt this Girl has ever gotten out of the mall or stepped off the paved highway. Anyone want to venture a guess where this woman came from? I am thinking a very well to do suburban city in the Minneapolis area.

So basically what we are talking about big city suburbanites that are ignorant and uninformed about the sport of hunting, she really doesn’t have a clue what she is talking about. I get it she is uninformed about hunting and the issues surrounding the sport yet she has a forum to give us her uninformed half cocked opinions to be read by many. A little research on the subject would be nice before you spout off about something.

First off: I must take offense with this statement: How does a civilized human being get their jollies from murder? First off hunters are not murders, nor are they not the foaming at the mouth like Zapf makes us out to be. Hunters are educated, informed conservationists. If this nit wit actually did some research on hunting she would know that hunting helps cull the herd and keep the various game populations in check. Funny how the informed, high brow anti-hunting crowd is usually the first ones to complain after they experience a deer strike with their vehicle. Oops I guess they don't like having deer run into their Lexus.

Second: Don't boast loudly during class about the deer (bird, buffalo, kitten, baby, whatever.) While most hunters I know take pictures of their hunts while in the field (some of us post their pictures on our personal blogs as well). This is not to be confused with bragging but a way to record their time they spent in the field.

Most veteran hunters that I know do not do a lot of bragging about the amount of ducks, deer, pheasants, or sharpies that they shoot. At least; not the guys that I know, however, we do talk about the great time we had hunting with our family and friends.

Lastly, this is the one that took the cake: If you have just come from an all-night spree of gunfire and beer, change your clothes before you show yourself in public. I do not know of one hunter that drinks while he is out in the field. It doesn't happen all that much. Again being responsible conservationist, hunters do not drink many that hunt have careers in a law enforcement field or respect the state laws written in the proclamation. Maybe you should inform yourself before you sit down at the computer to write another stupid prose.

Read the article for your self:

It's getting to be that time of year again; the leaves are gone, the wind is getting stronger, and the air is getting colder. Fires (or electric base-board heaters) are roaring, and my roommate is starting to drink hot chocolate on a regular basis. Christmas music has even started playing in department stores, though it's a whole other column to go into how it's too soon for that. And, people are heading outdoors to shoot animals.

Hunting is something I can't and won't understand. How can any self-respecting person venture out to the beautiful world of nature to destroy it? How does a civilized human being get their jollies from murder? It's beyond me, really it is. But let's say, for the sake of argument, that killing is something that you do enjoy. I'd like to lay down some "courtesy ground rules," if you will, that will keep this sad season at its most tolerable for those of us who prefer wildlife to be alive.

1. Don't boast loudly during class about the deer (bird, buffalo, kitten, baby, whatever) that you killed at some place that had this many points and weighed that many pounds. And definitely don't boast about how its head is now dripping blood in your garage, or mounted on your living room wall. I don't think that recent, senseless carnage is really a good topic for the classroom.

2. Don't wear your hunting gear to class. Are you going back out to the killing fields so soon that you can't even bother to stop at your house and change after your school day? On a Tuesday afternoon, I highly doubt it. That bright orange color is extremely offensive to the eyes, and wearing shirts that have grass and deer printed all over them is ironic only in a sadistic sense. For those of you who wore that kind of thing all the time to high school, so you keep doing it now, I say: you're in college now. You're supposed to be on your way to being a more educated, ethical person. And Grand Forks is bigger than your hometown of 100-3,000 people, and there are actually people here who'd prefer you keep your brutal habits to yourself.

3. If you have just come from an all-night spree of gunfire and beer, change your clothes before you show yourself in public. Having animal blood all over your pants is neither a fashion statement nor particularly healthy.

4. For those of you who do it for only for food, not sport, and to keep deer "off your car hood," fine; at least your intentions are honest. I don't like the beef industry, either; I'd much rather all animals have a free life before they become dinner. And I get that there are a lot of deer out there causing car accidents. But that's what happens when we destroy all their natural predators, stupid. That said, though, please pick the weakest of the herd, and make it a quick end. You think the deer of future generations are going to be able to get out of the way of your speeding vehicle any faster if you kill off their best genetic lines? You're really shooting yourself in the foot with that one, or rather, shooting your children and grandchildren in the foot. Also, all of the above rules still apply to you.

In conclusion, try to keep your dirty habit to yourself. I don't want to hear about it, and I don't want to see it. You have not gained my respect for "conquering" the wilderness with your down jackets, thermal underwear and heat packs; nor will you ever gain my respect for taking the lives of animals that have no defense from you.


Links to UND Camo Unite

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