from a different perspective

[Kaz Osuchowski]

Hello All,

What makes me share my view on hunting is the tragic event in Wisconsin and reverberation it caused on this forum.
I'm new to crossbow hunting, to this forum and in fact to this continent too , but coming from a family where hunting has been practiced for generation.
Hunting , its ethics , rituals and atmosphere has fascinated me since I could smell a wet dog , gun oil and mallards on a spam table.
Coming to Canada I was astonished by an eseaness of a process of obtaining a gun and a hunting licence , I tought "that's democracy" , but I've had second thoughts since then.
In my Old Country hunting was rather a privilage then a right , a privilage granted through hard work and dedication of a candidate and not an exclusivness of the sport as one may think.
Apprenticeship took a couple of years of voluntary work in the fields and woods preserving game and its habitat. Taking courses and lectures in a stringent process of obtaing your FAC (differen for each type of firearm) and a hunting licence, not to mention having a seasoned hunter to introduce a candidate and mentor him/her.
And the first hunt ,first kill and rituals of accepting you to the bratherhood of hunters..
Of course I met a few hunters whose hunting ethics one could question, but there was an overwhelming pride of being a hunter in tune with nature and with deep respect for a hunted animal and its environment, and for a fellow hunter too!
Through the years (14) I've been here I had gone hunting with a number of other hunters and with a few exceptions I'd rather hunt by myself , which I mostly do, and its a sad conclusion.
I'm sure that most of the forum members adhere to good hunting pactice but some made statements and shared opinions that are troubling and if read by an outsider would add to a negative views shared by public at large ( that we all know has no idea of what hunting is about).
We as hunters should aspire to change that picture but it can be done only if our actions are beyond reproach.
I went through the membership list and found out that only appr. 30 members are signed up with a full name , fraction of membership..
Why so many are hiding behind a pseudonym? , are we ashamed of what we're doing?, of our passion for hunting and what comes with it?
It definitely adds to a suspicion shared by many in society that think of us as "Bambi killers".
I personally believe full name disclosure should be obligatory in this forum, it will make some of the contributors to pause before posting invectives or not well thought-out extreme positions.

Good hunting to all!

Kaz

[Moreland]

Well, some guys have their full names, some guys only have their first or last names, and others use their nicknames, works for me.....

[BUCKSHOT]

Kaz
In my case I do not feel as though I am hiding, I simply do not wish to share personnal information on a public forum, because of the safety implications! There are a lot of none hunter and dangereous people in the world whom I do not choose to trust! Not the fellows on the forum for the most part!
I am quite proud of my ethics and opinions and feel that this is an awesome place to share them with like minded folk!
I haven't noticed any rosters on the PETA posters or whichever, so I think that some opinions are worth a grain of salt and some are not, it's all in the read!
Have a good day!

[GaryM]

Welcome Kaz. I've hunted here in the Midwest US for 40+ yrs. In the old days, I'd say you were right. Grab a gun, and a license,(maybe) and head out to hunt without thinking much about it. Now, here in my state, all youngsters born Jan.1, 1980 or after have to pass a fairly rigid safety course before they are allowed to obtain their first license. As this generation of youngsters becomes the veteran hunters of the day, I think you will see attitudes change more and more in a positive direction.

As far as having pride being a hunter, in certain parts of this country hunters are still looked upon with respect, but in others, the hunter is thought of with disdain by a majority of the people. In that case, the hunters pride must be kept hidden or he'll surely face being ostracized.

I don't have a problem with people using a pseudonym on the forums. A 'troll' is a troll whether he uses his real name or not. I am a moderator on a forum on Yahoo. It is a requirement of our forum that you submit a short bio before being accepted for membership. This keeps the trolls and spammers away. Our bio list is on file, so anyone wanting to know the 'real identity' of a member posting can simply look it up. I admit that on most of the fora I visit I remain anonymous like many chose to do. This forum is one of the few that I feel at home enough to not only use my real name, but to post my pic as well.

[Woodsman]

Kaz, you will find as in any sport, country, people, there are the great, the good, the not so good, and the bums. That's just the way it is. If you have been around the not so good or bums, please don't assume that this is the norm in North America. As Gary and Buckshot have mentionned, we are all proud and law abiding hunters. We keep a low profile from non-hunters who don't care to hear or see about our sport out of respect.

My son will be 12 next year and will have to go through a course before obtaining a license. He will have to be accompanied by and adult until he reaches the age of 16. I suppose you could consider it a form of apprentiship.

As for 'some' members and their statements, I don't know specifically what you are referring to. Surely there has been strife between members sharing different points of view or who just don't like each other. I'm not sure this has anything to do with ethics and morals for the sport.

If you know my full name, so does everybody else on the world wide net. You may not realise this, but the net can be an ugly place. Lots of lowlife scum floating around. I don't care to share my full name with them...or much else.

Some folks proudly show pics of their children on here and that's their right. I will not. Too many nut jobs lurking on here. Call me paranoid, but I 'd rather not give my full name and pics of my kids to these less than ethical people.

'Guests' are arguably those who are hiding their identity, not forum members. But that brings up a whole different can of worms that has been discussed to great lengths in the past.

Keep reading and posting. You will quicky find members sharing similar beliefs, morals, and ethics.

[chris4570]

Hello All,

Coming to Canada I was astonished by an eseaness of a process of obtaining a gun and a hunting licence , I tought "that's democracy" , but I've had second thoughts since then.
In my Old Country hunting was rather a privilage then a right

Hunting in Canada is also a privilage, not a right. If it were a right we would not require a licence. Hunting can be taken away from us, there are no guarantees. We must follow the rules and regulations.

As for disclosing our full names. Absolutely not!!!!!!!!! Maybe if I was John Smith. It is far too easy for someone to track you down, knowing full well that you have firearms at home, break in and steal them. Perhaps having to kill someone in the process. If it ever became mandatory for the use of our full names I will have to say, "See you later."

[Hoss not logged]

Chris4570 wrote---> Hunting can be taken away from us, there are no guarantees.

NEVER---I will be glad to and am abiding by the law at this time, however if it came down to so called big brother taking away my piece of paper. ( liscense) oh well-- I will still harvest Gods bountiful blessings that he gave all of us. -- Guaranteed---what are the gonna do stop me from harvesting outa my back yard woods..NEVER

Chris not knockin you man cause im thinkin you probably come from the same angle---Im sure alot of us do--I understand what you mean thougth.

[DesertRat]

Kaz, I belong to several forums. Some are hunting some have nothing to do with hunting at all. Most forums are visited by people using nicknames. No one is hiding from anything or ashamed, they just want to be able to chat without giving up all their personal information. You have to remember, the internet is not like having a conversation in a coffee shop. In a coffee shop, maybe 5 people could overhear what you are saying. On the net, it is the world. In the communist country of Canada, you don't need to be doing sneaky bad stuff as a hunter to be labeled, you just have to be a hunter.

[Shakky]

Kaz, I think you make some good points. I don't use my full name for the same reason stated by the other members. As far as persenting a good image to the public of what we do and why, I agree with you. There is need for improvement. To many hunters vew the non-hunting public with distane. They drive down the highway with their animal in full view and figure let people look, screw them if they don't like it.

[chrish]

the incident in wisconsin gave me a bad taste because adults would behave this way for some deer meat. were 5 lives worth some deer meat? were these people starving? this incident in my opinion makes all hunters look bad. where i'm from in northern ontario, we've had someones pet donkey shot by supposed hunters one incident, and someone else's pet horse another incident. i cringe every time these things happen, but the only thing i can do is try and behave even more ethically myself.

[GaryM]

Kaz, I think you make some good points. I don't use my full name for the same reason stated by the other members. As far as persenting a good image to the public of what we do and why, I agree with you. There is need for improvement. To many hunters vew the non-hunting public with distane. They drive down the highway with their animal in full view and figure let people look, screw them if they don't like it.

Here where I live, it is the law that the animal must be in view when being transported. I know when you have a deer in the back of a pickup truck, you must leave the tailgate down. No hunters complain about this rule when you've just taken a nice buck! I'm not really sure about the rules if you were to haul one in the trunk of a car. I guess the state is more worried about a game warden not being able to see your deer than they are about a bunch of bleeding hearts seeing a little blood.

[The Butcher]

Kaz,
I'm proud to be a hunter, proud of my name, but also like to create a safe place for my family. You don't see all of the people who support PETA and such leaving names and addresses laying around. Butch is my name, and I live near Pittsburgh Pa. That is all anyone looking needs to know. Too many nuts, freaks, and crooks around. I sure would not post my full name, and then talk about my gun collection on a forum all could see. I just think it's safer, keeping it short and sweet. If I'd like to hook up with someone on this forum or others, then you make arrangements elsewhere. I have nothing to hide, but that doesn't mean I want to showoff either. Just my thoughts. Butcher

[chris4570]

Chris not knockin you man cause im thinkin you probably come from the same angle---Im sure alot of us do--I understand what you mean thougth.

No probs Hoss. I understand what you mean as well. I also follow the rules, but as you say if for some stupid reason(animal rights freaks) got their way and the gov't stopped hunting all together, I might also be found in the woods.

[Sandman]

nick·name [ ník nàym ]


noun (plural nick·names)

1. invented name: an invented name for somebody or something, used humorously or affectionately instead of the real name and usually based on a conspicuous characteristic of the person or thing involved


Regards,
"SANDMAN"

[Sliver]

Hello All,

..
Why so many are hiding behind a pseudonym? , are we ashamed of what we're doing?, of our passion for hunting and what comes with it?
It definitely adds to a suspicion shared by many in society that think of us as "Bambi killers".
I personally believe full name disclosure should be obligatory in this forum, it will make some of the contributors to pause before posting invectives or not well thought-out extreme positions.

Good hunting to all!

Kaz

I am Definatley not ashamed of myself, & I have nothing to hide from either and I consider myself to be a VERY ETHICAL hunter,,, If you want to put your full name on the forum,, Good for you... But I feel it is not necessary for that.. Just need to register and not use guest.
If people want to call me a "Bambi Killer" well,, I guess thats allowed,, It just shows some peoples ignorance and lack of knowledge.. Maybe they will think otherwise when they have a dear sitting in their lap after it goes through their windsheild.. It's not the hunter they should be angry at, but the money hungry land developers that keep clearing land to build another mall or subdivision! and in turn keep pushing more deer into a smaller area.. Makes me sick!

SLIVER