Re: A new hunter, from a friend of mine

2
Thanks for sharing that. As a would-be turkey hunter ("would -be" as in "I've never bagged one yet") I recognized quite a bit of that.

Speaking for myself, my foray into hunting came about via a circuitous route. For most of my life, I've not been at all interested in hunting. But nine years ago, my sister-in-law bought me a smoker because she wanted some barbecue on July 4th. Once I had the smoker, I started a tradition of smoking the family's Thanksgiving turkey. Getting into smoking turkey led me to hear about how wild turkey has such a more interesting flavor than domestic, which led me to wonder, how do I get hold of a wild turkey? The most direct answer is to go out an shoot one myself, and that's why I got into turkey hunting.

I've struck out two spring seasons, alas: in 2011, I limited myself to western Washington state, and there's few birds for a lot of habitat, so I never found any. In 2012, I went to eastern Washington, and though I saw plenty of birds, they were smart enough to be in places where I couldn't shoot them. Logically, they had to be spending some time in places where I could, but before I could identify such a place and set up there, I ran out of weekend.

In the interim, I've found that yes, you do develop respect and admiration for the creatures you're hunting, albeit somewhat grudgingly. ;) Turkeys are smart creatures, with extremely well developed sight and hearing, and a healthy dose of paranoia. It takes effort and cunning to bag one, which is part of what makes hunting them fun. And even if you don't bag one, you've spent a lovely day in the spring woods, which is never a bad thing.
Sergeant Colon had had a broad education. He'd been to the School of My Dad Always Said, the College of It Stands To Reason, and was now a post-graduate student of the University of What Some Bloke In The Pub Told Me. -- Terry Pratchett, Jingo

Re: A new hunter, from a friend of mine

3
Euromutt wrote: As a would-be turkey hunter ("would -be" as in "I've never bagged one yet")
This is all too true for me. Not sure how it's happened as I've hunted a lot over the years but I've never taken a turkey home that way.

Tell your friend "thank you" for me.
Live like you will never die, love like you've never been hurt, dance
like no-one is watching.
Alex White

Re: A new hunter, from a friend of mine

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Just revisiting my post after several months... And you're right, Euromutt. I've been out several times in the last month after grouse and mountain quail, ducks once (I might make it out this afternoon, but migration is not quite on in my neck of the world), and I've gotten one ruffed grouse. Totally fine with me. I like being out there, hiking, looking, getting up before the sun. "There", as in the woods, the lakes, the marshes. It's my church.

Re: A new hunter, from a friend of mine

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JamesH wrote:...I like being out there, hiking, looking, getting up before the sun. "There", as in the woods, the lakes, the marshes. It's my church.
I'm down with that. I can't believe I'm missing the finest fishing of the year in these parts. Too busy with work. To be standing in the river right now.

Ever read Jose Ortega y Gasset's Meditations on Hunting? Great book.
"Only voluntary, inspired self-restraint can raise man above the world stream of materialism. Our lives will have to change if we want to save life from self-destruction." ~ Alexander Solzhenitzyn

Re: A new hunter, from a friend of mine

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I enjoyed this article much better than others that talked about guns in terms of rights and what-not. This was a story with guns that was honest and involved growth. Very human even as it involved hunting and death.

I'm personally interested in getting into hunting rabbits here in the desert; maybe later feral hog. There are plenty of javelinas in town, even in my own back-yard, but I'm not enthusiastic about cleaning those hairy/stinky (musk gland) animals, which I imagine to be a bit harder to clean than pigs. Still, I've heard they taste fine if you do it right.

Gotta bag me a simple rabbit and clean that one first to know if hunting's for me. Have a 10/22 take-down laser rabbit-slayer ready and waiting for a night-time hunt.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: A new hunter, from a friend of mine

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Bisbee wrote:I enjoyed this article much better than others that talked about guns in terms of rights and what-not. This was a story with guns that was honest and involved growth. Very human even as it involved hunting and death.

I'm personally interested in getting into hunting rabbits here in the desert; maybe later feral hog. There are plenty of javelinas in town, even in my own back-yard, but I'm not enthusiastic about cleaning those hairy/stinky (musk gland) animals, which I imagine to be a bit harder to clean than pigs. Still, I've heard they taste fine if you do it right.

Gotta bag me a simple rabbit and clean that one first to know if hunting's for me. Have a 10/22 take-down laser rabbit-slayer ready and waiting for a night-time hunt.
Not sure what kind of rabbits you have down there but check out different game recipes, The snow shoe hares that we have in northern Mn taste good to me when cut up into pieces like chicken and baked in the oven drizzled with olive oil and some simple herbs and spices and then coated with parmesan cheese. My wife hates it but I love it.
"Hillary Clinton is the finest, bravest, kindest, the most wonderful person I've ever known in my whole life" Raymond Shaw

Re: A new hunter, from a friend of mine

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Fukshot wrote:In the desert, the flavor difference between jacks and bunnies is huge. Jacks have to be stewed for a good long while with other strong flavors to balance. Bunnies can be treated like chicken.
Jacks have a reputation for being tough and nasty, we don't have them where I live.
"Hillary Clinton is the finest, bravest, kindest, the most wonderful person I've ever known in my whole life" Raymond Shaw

Re: A new hunter, from a friend of mine

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I'd been curious about the differences between the two rabbits.

Jacks seem larger but gangly lookin' so I wondered if they actually have more meat or just appear that way. There are loads of them toward New Mexico along the border. Surprised the hell out of me one night driving home on a long stretch of lonely desert highway. I had to slow down there were a goddamned convention of them on the road being disoriented by our headlights. Never hit any so they certainly are fast enough.

Around here are mostly cotton-tails, to be treated like game-hen apparently.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: A new hunter, from a friend of mine

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I have to add that only parts of a jackrabbit is tough. The backstraps taste like venison to me, and I've simply pan fried them (or roasted quickly in aluminum foil over a fire) like the backstraps of deer and they come out wonderfully. I've learned that you can't knock it 'til you've tried it.

The legs, though... Yes. Stew them.

Re: A new hunter, from a friend of mine

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If you are out hunting and you are hunting primitive at a camp, anything you pot for camp meat will taste great. Eating it under other circumstances not so much. Tomorrow I drive to camp. The camper is stocked and my rifle has been cleaned of all oils and dry. I plan to spend at least a week in a very pristeen part of Mn. If I get a deer right away this week end I will hunt and help my partner and if he fills his tag he will go back home. I will stay and hunt grouse and rabbits and maybe even fish in the St Louis river. I hope to have interesting photos to post some time next week. Retirement is truly grand.
"Hillary Clinton is the finest, bravest, kindest, the most wonderful person I've ever known in my whole life" Raymond Shaw

Re: A new hunter, from a friend of mine

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eelj wrote:I will stay and hunt grouse and rabbits and maybe even fish in the St Louis river. I hope to have interesting photos to post some time next week.
Love to see pics of that trip!
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

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