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[at-l] Car mistaken for a deer.
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I am reminded of, November 16, 1969, When my tan colored mustang was shot
as I was driving down a No. Michigan, two track road. The brush hitting the
car ( ting , ting ) made the "hunter" certain it was a deer. He even
suggested I should not have been driving, "that color car in the woods." I
almost went to jail for the conduct I displayed toward the "hunter". There
are stupid folx (felixism) everywhere. He did go to jail for a day or two.
Back in my kill an animal daze, I often hunted trails that were used by game
and people. I never pointed the gun without absolute knowledge of what I
was aiming at and what was in the line of fire, or may behind the animal.
If in doubt, I came home empty.
However after driving I-4, here in Florida, I'll take my chances with moron
hunters anyday.
Ted - blaze orange and singing "Your Cheating Heart"
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Wow - some of y'all have kinda gone off the deep end here, haven't
you?
Let's start with Phil's picture -
Nope - that not a "hunting zone marker" - it's a State Gamelands
border marker. But being on the outside of the Gameland doesn't
necessarily mean there's no hunting and you're "safe". If you're in
State Forest, you're still in "hunting territory". And that covers
a lot of PA.
And then someone said:
>Having the hunting zone so close to the trail just seems a bit ludicrous to
>me.
You have it backwards. The "hunting zone" is NOT too close to the
Trail. It's the Trail that runs THROUGH the previously established
hunting zone (the Gamelands). And at least in PA, it was placed
there by agreement between the State and the Feds.
And someone else wrote:
>Two years ago my hiking partner and I were on a section in northern
>Tennessee, about 25 miles south of Damascus, on the opening day of deer
>rifle season. (Unfortunate timing.)
Not "unfortunate" - just ignorant. The ATC posts hunting season
dates on their website. That may not have been true 2 years ago - I
don't remember. But I DO know that the hunting season dates are
posted in a lot of places - and published in local newspapers - and
can be found at any K-Mart, Walmart, Sports Authority or outdoor
shop. If you didn't know - why not??
IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO KNOW WHEN HUNTING SEASON IS IF YOU'RE
GOING TO BE OUT THERE AT THIS TIME OF YEAR.
Fact is that I learned that the hard way too - so you get "some"
sympathy, but not a lot. I didn't give myself any slack on that one
- there's no reason to give it to anyone else.
Now that was followed by this:
>It was very unpleasant. I really don't know what to do about it,
So - what to do about it? Simple - DON'T HIKE IN THOSE PLACES
DURING HUNTING SEASON. Oh - you say hunting season is 3 or 4 months
long. No - only if YOU make it so. Personally, I don't worry about
bow season - nor about black powder season - nor about small game
season. But I DO NOT generally go into "hunting territory" during
large game season (rifle season) without a hunting license, lots of
orange and a rifle in my hand. If you do so, then why are you
complaining about the risk? It's your decision to go or not.
That's like walking the center line on a busy Interstate and
complaining about all those cars.
A personal exception - Ginny and I walked through Colorado and New
Mexico in the middle of hunting season. We talked to the hunters -
we had dinner with some of them one night - we were friendly - and
so were they. To the point that we essentially had a bodyguard all
the way through hunting season. They watched for us - they watched
out for us - they even supplied some of our friends with water in
places where water was worth more than gold. Why? Because we
weren't afraid of them - because we were friendly - because we
weren't the venomous anti-hunting/anti-hunters that they too often
run into. If, like Roxy, you have a problem with the attitude
hunters take toward you --- then maybe you need to go look in a
mirror, cause it's probably your attitude that's plainly showing.
And it doesn't do anything to make them want to talk to you or help
you - or be friendly.
So - you still want to hike in hunting season? Go for it. But keep
in mind that even during hunting season (at least in most states)
there's no hunting on Sundays. Or as in Colorado and NM - there are
5 days of hunting followed by 2 days of non-hunting. Or even better
- there are places like Shenandoah NP - or the Smokies - or Rocky
Mountain NP - or Yellowstone - where hunting isn't allowed at all.
There are also a lot of State Parks where hunting isn't allowed. So
- what's wrong with YOU that you can't go to those places if you
really want to hike during hunting season? Why do you think we went
where we did last weekend? And why we'll go back there next
weekend?
>It might be nice if hiking trails were set aside for hikers in a similar
>fashion.
Now you're asking the same question that others have today - why
should hikers have to put up with hunters on OUR Trail? And you get
the same answer - because IT'S NOT SOLELY OUR TRAIL. If you want
"hiking trails to be set aside for hikers" then there IS a solution
- buy the land and post it. If you want the AT to be a hunting-free
zone, then talk to the ATC and get them to BUY ANOTHER CORRIDOR. Of
course, you'd see your ATC dues jump to $1000 or more per year, but
maybe that wouldn't bother you?
Now - why are hunters allowed on the AT in the first place? Somehow
some of you missed the fact that the AT was located on State
Gamelands and State/National Forests - which were there BEFORE the
AT was. The AT does NOT have prior claim. Nor do the hikers.
In fact, the Gamelands and most of those Forests were bought with
money that came from those hunters that you're objecting to. In
other words - they bought the land, they allow you to use it --- and
now you want to deny them the use of the land that they bought so
they won't interfere with YOUR pleasure. Run that by me again?
Now -- let's talk about another part of this - as a hiker, you get
roughly 50 weeks per year to walk the Trail and use the land that
the HUNTERS PAID FOR. They paid for that land - and they only get 1
or 2 weeks per year to use it. And now some you want to deny them
the use of it entirely. Really???
Oh - yeah - the latest trigger for the anti-hunting people - the
young lady who got shot. Yes - it saddens me. And YES - Jack's
post is the most logical, most sensitive and absolutely the most
useful thing I've seen here all day. How about y'all do something
about it? And YES - the shooter should be punished. But think
about it - do you REALLY think he hasn't been already? And it's just
starting for him.
But more than one of you has advocated punishing a LOT of hunters
for one careless action by one hunter. Lemme tell ya, guys and gals
- there have been hikers out there who have raped and/or stolen from
other hikers. How many of you want to ban ALL hikers from the Trail
for the actions of those few?
Finally - there's a question to be answered - WHAT THE HELL WAS A
SUPPOSEDLY RESPONSIBLE ADULT SCOUT LEADER DOING WITH THOSE KIDS OUT
THERE DURING HUNTING SEASON?
I'm not about to absolve the hunter of his responsibility. But I'm
not about to absolve the young lady's Scout leader of part of the
responsibility either. Certainly not without more information. And
the mad rush to exclude hunters from the Trail that I've seen here
today is pretty much just plain ridiculous.
Jim
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