And, when I say “keep it clean” I don’t mean watch your language. I'm talking about what is probably my #1 pet peeve, people not picking up their trash!
I know that on this web site I'm probably 100% preaching to the choir, at least I would hope so, because I believe all of us here, by the very fact that we bother to come together as an on-line "community" have a little more self responsibility then many.
Anyway, maybe I'll reach a lurker or two and do some good, maybe not, but at least I'll feel better for posting it.
Take a trash bag out to the blind and police up the area of your blind. Pick up every bit of trash you can find, every wrapper, water bottle, soda can and empty shotgun shell you can find. And I don’t mean just the stuff you brought out to the blind. Pick up EVERYTHING you can find. If the previous hunting party that had your blind were a bunch of slobs pick up their trash and empty shells too. I use the word slob because I don’t know any other name to use to describe “hunters” like that – and I use the name “hunters” in quotes because in my opinion they aren’t really hunters if this is how they treat our hunting areas. All it would take to loose our hunting privileges on our wildlife areas and refuges would be for some Sacramento or Washington D.C. big-wig to take a tour of one of the areas and see trash strewn all over, especially if it consists largely of expended shotgun shells. After all, how could anyone deny that the hunting community was responsible for trashing one of these areas if empty shotgun shells are a large percentage of the trash? After seeing such a display the political outsider would probably come to the conclusion that hunters don’t really care about the refuge and could start the process to have the area shut down to hunting. Far fetched you say…well, pay your money, take your chances and is it worth that risk just to not have to carry out a couple pounds of trash?
There's also another thing we hunters can do and that is to keep it legal.
Once again, I'm sure I really don't need to tell the regular crew here this but again, maybe someone from the outside that stumbles across this web site will take it to heart.
Be sure of your regulations regarding seasons, dates, species, limits, shell restrictions and so forth. If an area starts to get a reputation for multiple violations, especially if it’s for hunters shooting protected species, it could lead to sever restrictions on our hunting access.
Please, these two things are very easy to do yet potentially so important to our access to our refuges and wildlife areas. So, keep it clean and keep it legal.
Ok, rant over...
I know that on this web site I'm probably 100% preaching to the choir, at least I would hope so, because I believe all of us here, by the very fact that we bother to come together as an on-line "community" have a little more self responsibility then many.
Anyway, maybe I'll reach a lurker or two and do some good, maybe not, but at least I'll feel better for posting it.
Take a trash bag out to the blind and police up the area of your blind. Pick up every bit of trash you can find, every wrapper, water bottle, soda can and empty shotgun shell you can find. And I don’t mean just the stuff you brought out to the blind. Pick up EVERYTHING you can find. If the previous hunting party that had your blind were a bunch of slobs pick up their trash and empty shells too. I use the word slob because I don’t know any other name to use to describe “hunters” like that – and I use the name “hunters” in quotes because in my opinion they aren’t really hunters if this is how they treat our hunting areas. All it would take to loose our hunting privileges on our wildlife areas and refuges would be for some Sacramento or Washington D.C. big-wig to take a tour of one of the areas and see trash strewn all over, especially if it consists largely of expended shotgun shells. After all, how could anyone deny that the hunting community was responsible for trashing one of these areas if empty shotgun shells are a large percentage of the trash? After seeing such a display the political outsider would probably come to the conclusion that hunters don’t really care about the refuge and could start the process to have the area shut down to hunting. Far fetched you say…well, pay your money, take your chances and is it worth that risk just to not have to carry out a couple pounds of trash?
There's also another thing we hunters can do and that is to keep it legal.
Once again, I'm sure I really don't need to tell the regular crew here this but again, maybe someone from the outside that stumbles across this web site will take it to heart.
Be sure of your regulations regarding seasons, dates, species, limits, shell restrictions and so forth. If an area starts to get a reputation for multiple violations, especially if it’s for hunters shooting protected species, it could lead to sever restrictions on our hunting access.
Please, these two things are very easy to do yet potentially so important to our access to our refuges and wildlife areas. So, keep it clean and keep it legal.
Ok, rant over...
