Every time I think I have beaten this dead horse, somebody gives me a reason to about-face and double-time for my pop whip.

First of all, hunting needs to be enjoyable for the participants. If it is not, there is reason enough to quit. I know several folks that for whatever reason just don’t have the fun they used to and no longer go hunting. When this happens, there are some who with a smirk and hands rubbed together say, “That leaves more for me, and good riddance, too.”

Hunters, we NEED each other if hunting is to have any future. Each person that quits is one less license and tag purchased, one less freezer filled with meat, and one less family legacy handed down. By the time a generation has been skipped, that knowledge which would be handed down is lost.

Hunting is a life skill. Just like knowing how to balance your checkbook or change a flat tire. Everyone should know how, whether or not they enjoy doing it.

We have been blessed with the appearance of endless prosperity in this country, but as many of the old-timers will tell you, that simply is a house built upon sand. Economies fall. It can happen anywhere. How do you plan to eat once the store shelves are empty?

Sure, technology has advanced to the point where each state needs to have a discussion about the definition of fair chase. Utah has banned the use of trail cameras on public property. Due to reprobate snowmobile operators chasing emaciated bucks until their antlers fell off, Wyoming has a shed antler season. Some rules must be in place or the proverbial cookie jar will contain nothing but empty hands.

For me, sneaking in to within 200-300 yards of a big game animal, closer if possible, and making a well-placed shot with any one of my favorite cartridges is the kind of hunting that I enjoy.

To some that is boring, or too limited, or too much work. Maybe you have the money to hunt out of state every year or to purchase private properties for exclusive access. That’s fine, but realize not everyone else does.

If you prefer to stick something with an arrow or shoot it from three-quarters of a mile out, good for you! As long as you’re following the necessary rules, how you hunt doesn’t have to suit me or anyone else.

Unless we adopt an “all are welcome” attitude, playing only to the regulations and fair chase, hunting as we know it will continue to circle the bowl. And it will be because we didn’t stick together to protect something we all love.

Write to us at shootingthebreezebme@gmail.com today!