magicglock wrote:I know this post will probably offend the majority of "Texas" hunters. I'm not trying to offend anyone, I just find a bit of humor in what "Texans" call hunting. I am not a hunter and grew up with a vegetarian father so I obviously have a different perspective. No, I am not a vegetarian and I am not a PETA representative! I grew up in Colorado and the most common hunting was for mule deer and the term "deer lease" was foreign to me.
Prior to moving to Texas, I took a hunting trip in the texas hill country with my father in law. (We were not off to a great start after this trip) I was shocked to see his elaborate deer lease with corn feeders and blinds. I couldn't believe it was legal to bait deer with corn and sit in a blind waiting for the perfect moment to shoot Bambie. Where is the sport in that? That felt like hunting exotic animals locked in cages at a zoo. After I watched my father in law take a deer I asked why he didn't wait for a larger deer. The size of Texas white tails in comparison to the Colorado mule deers was a shock too! I wasn't sure if we were hunting Peter Cotton Tail or Bambie?
I guess it all boils down to perspective. Colorado hunting was rough back country hiking, ATVs or horseback, and serious thought about if you could get this 300+ pound animal off the mountain after you shot it. Not pick-up trucks on trails, deer blinds, and corn feeders. I always thought hunting was about more than just a good shot, I thought it was about the experience. There was more than just shooting skills involved, you had to be a bit of an outdoorsman to survive the cold snow covered mountain terrain.
So now people want to hang out of a chopper and gun down animals in the name of "hunting" or call themselves "sportsman". What part of this is hunting or sportsman like? Please explain. I am not interested in arguing if shooting from a chopper should or should not be legal. If it can be done safely, the meat is recovered, and you have fun doing it then I say "Do it". I'm just not sure I would call it hunting. Just an opinion.
I understand your point of view. and do agree in part. i grew up hunting in the high country in Colo. Nev and Ca. and yes, when I got here in the mid '70s, hunting practices was a culture shock but I do believe it makes more sense here than in some states. Ca. tells you where to hunt, when to hunt. Here if you are fortunate enuf to get a lease or permission to hunt on someones land, you are lucky.
Me, I love to hunt and I kinda like that way it is here. Heck at almost 66 years young and disabled, walking and stomping thru the woods and over the mountain is a pipe dream.