I have been on the Bowsite since its inception so many of you know me but I don't post near as much as I used to so I'm sure many of you do not. (I may be best known on this site for a response letter I wrote to an anti hunter many years ago.)
What I am looking for right now is to start narrowing down what part of the unit I want to focus on. The way I would like to hunt the unit is by having a nice camp next to a decent road but then have the ability to spike camp part of the time. I would like to be able to get into bulls around my main camp but am also willing to spike in for a night or two at a time.
I'm 53 now with some feet issues so while I am not opposed to a good hike or even a pack out, I certainly would welcome spots closer to the road. I've killed two P & Y bulls and while I certainly love seeing and chasing the big boys, I'm at a stage of my life where being around screaming bulls is much more important than final score.
So, if you are willing to help me out, please send me a PM and I will send you my email.
Thanks!
So, what I'm looking for is individuals who know 76 who would be willing to visit with me via PM and then email about specific areas. I have plenty of time, but need to start focusing on a smaller area.
One more thing, I do have access to an ATV so I could also set up my main camp on an ATV road if that helped.
BTW, I would be open to sharing a camp with someone also.
Yes, here is the original dialogue. I received the email because I was helping a very web illiterate outfitter friend with a website and email. It was way back in the late 90s.
The E-mail: Hello,
I just wanted to ask how I can get started in the animal killing business. I saw the pictures of you and your friends sitting with your victims and thought that you must be such talented and manly men to be able to kill these unarmed, defenseless creatures with only a shotgun? I was just thinking that something like that would probably take my 4 year old nephew about a week to learn so you must have learned in about 8 days or so. Wow! Anyway, I hope that your power-hungry egos are satisfied and fulfilled with these acts of murder, and that you've found some cheap excuse to justify yourself. I guess you're conscience was just as easy to kill as they were. Bye.
Sonia Bermudez The Response: Sonia,
For your information, we are all "animal killers." This may be difficult for you to accept, but you also are the reason that animals die. Please let me explain: Do you eat any meat? Do you go to McDonalds or have a little pepperoni on your pizza. Sorry to disappoint you, but that meat came from a dead animal. Yes, I kill deer and elk and other game animals, but at least my animals are treated with respect and allowed to live a free and wild life. Your meat is killed in "slaughter houses" after being penned and trapped for months being forced to eat what will make them tender rather than what they choose.
Oh, are you a vegetarian? Guess what, you still are responsible for the deaths of countless animals. Do you realize that the farmers that grow your veggies regularly kill jack rabbits and other "pests" who interfere with the growing process of your veggies. Do you realize that they eliminated animals that once grazed on the land they now farm so that you can eat tofu?
Do you own anything leather? A purse, a belt, a pair of shoes? What about your automobile? Does it have a leather steering wheel or leather seats? Do you think that the animals that provided that leather did so and lived to tell about it? No, they died so that you could have what you want.
Do you live on land that used to be habitat for some wild animal? Do you drive on roads that were paved over the top of rodents and that displaced the animals that once migrated across them? Since you are writing me from an "edu" address, do you live in a dorm or an apartment? If you do, they must certainly spray to kill roaches and other pests as well as poison any mice and rats that find their way into your dwelling area.
As far as where I get my justification, I get it from the ultimate authority, God himself. Genesis 9:2-3 After the flood, God told Noah: "The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything."
In Acts 10, he tells Peter "Rise kill and eat."
As far as skill goes, hunting is a skill that requires much work, experience and insight. Also, for your information, I hunt with a bow and not a shotgun, though I have no problems with my hunting brothers who use a shotgun.
If, in a few years, your 4 year old nephew is interested in learning how to hunt, I will be more than happy to take him with me and show him some of the ways of the wild. I will show him how to read tracks in the sand and in the snow. I will show him the incredible power of the majestic elk. I will teach him how to try and outsmart a bull elk by imitating the calls of the elk. I will show him how to make a clean, humane kill. One that causes the least amount of suffering possible. Then, I will show him how to take care of the meat so that it can be enjoyed by himself and others. It will do him well to learn that he was created at the top of the food chain and doesn't have to live a life destined to tofu and veggie burgers. I will show him how to hunt with honor and how to appreciate the incredible creation that God has for us. I will show him why we need to protect our National Forests and other places where wild animals are allowed to roam free. I will teach him many things, but most important, I will teach him about his creator who loved him so much that he came and died for him.
I apologize if my hunting offends you. I ask, however, that you give some real consideration to the big picture. Yes, I kill animals, but so do you. The difference is only that I do for myself AND YOU HIRE SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT FOR YOU!
Have a great day,
Darrell Brazell