If you go down to the woods (in the USA) today...

Steve

Member
Found this on a link from the BBC News website. Thank goodness there are only around 15-20,000 active stalkers in the UK.



The first Monday after the Thanksgiving Holiday is a time of great danger in the woodlands of Pennsylvania.

This is because some 800,000 orange-clad hunters take to Penn's Woods in pursuit of the elusive White-tailed Deer, specifically the male of the species.

Sometimes called the 'Pennsylvania Orange Army', these deer hunters take to the woods before dawn to find the most favourable spot for sunrise and the start of Antlered Deer Hunting Season. For some this means climbing a tree and sitting among the limbs until an unsuspecting deer wanders through the rifle scope's crosshairs. For others it means finding tracks and following them in the hope of catching up with the deer. For others, it means going into the woods to the spot where the crafty hunter has been leaving corn feed for weeks before the start of hunting season1.

Hunting is big business in Pennsylvania. Many schools are closed on the first day of Deer Season. The thought process is that a third of the schools' student bodies and staff will skip classes to go hunting anyway so why even bother having the rest come in to school.

Of course, with 800,000 armed people tromping around in the woods, it is a very dangerous time to go into the state's forests without a bright orange suit similar to the ones the hunters wear. And even these safety colours do not prevent a few hunters every year from getting shot as they walk through the dried leaves. It seems that many take the 'shoot first and identify the target later' approach to hunting.

One hunter pulled a white handkerchief out of his pocket to blow his nose while in the woods. Three different hunters saw the white and mistaking it for a deer's tail, shot the man, killing him instantly with three slugs to the face. Every year, someone living near the woodlands reports that their white dog or cat is missing and the body is usually found a short time later riddled with bullets from high-powered rifles.

In some areas of the state, farmers paint their cows orange to help identify them for the hunters.

The rationale behind this 'sport' is purely altruistic, according to the hunters. If they didn't go into the woods and kill a few thousand deer, the deer population would swell beyond the natural balance, resulting in starvation and death for many deer each winter when foodstuffs are scarce.

Others claim to enjoy the taste of venison, going so far as to make 'Deer Sausage' and 'Deer Bologna'. However, for many it is the simple power trip of blasting another carbon-based life form with a high-powered rifle and mounting its head upon the living room wall.

This process is repeated a few weeks later with the start of 'Doe Season' when antlerless deer become the targets. But having an antlerless head mounted upon the wall isn't nearly as macho and subsequently this day isn't treated with the same holiday status as the beginning of 'Buck Season'.
 
I see the BBC usual balanced reporting when it comes to country sports is up to it’s normal standard. :confused: :(

Thar
 
seasons

I think they have really short deer saeson for rifles. So no wonder the woods are so full!

steve
 
more BBC more! unbiased lefty, bunny hugging clapptrap!
I fancy going to stalk in the US of A. But knowing my luck my trip would end up with a run in with some banjo and bum loving red necks like in 'Deliverance'. Squeal little piggy! weeeeee....! :lol:
 
State owned hunting land is open to all residents in most states, I wonder how these people get on with insuring themselves.

Must be quite eye raising reading some of the insurance claims.

" I thought I was about to be charged by a monster White Tail Buck wearing an orange vest and carrying a 30.06 so I shot it"
 
That's typical anti-hunting stuff. We see it all the time over here.

I love the way they make it sound like there are 800,000 "armed and dangerous" people roaming the woods.

The anti's can't help but slant things. Too bad that's the only view some people get of hunting.
 
Hi Gunslinger, the UK and the States seem to have the same problem with Anti's. We are on a hiding to nothing! The media are forever showing hunters in a negative light. Their attacks are very clever and almost subliminal.
We have a 'character' in this country called 'Johnny Kingdom' he is a countryman and is always on TV. Thing is 'Johnny' kept a three legged deer in his small back garden until it died of old age! Vets, tears, poems and a nation feeling his pain!
Unfortunately the British public prefer to see their country folk photographing foxes and giving their pet deer herbal/feng shui/aromatherapy and stuff!
If I hear one more person say to me 'Well Johnny Kingdom, wouldn't do that, he's a real countryman he wouldn't hurt the poor animals'! I will scream!!! :evil:
Johnny has become a weapon in the Anti's arsenal unfortunately.

P.S Guns, I don't think all yanks are banjo playing rednecks, but it would be just my luck to meet some!
 
I've heard that there are a lot of people in the UK who are even more anti hunting than our anti hunting crowd over here.

I'm also glad to hear that you don't think all Americans are banjo playing rednecks. I for one don't know how to play the banjo and, as I'm a fair skinned redhead, don't much like the sun.
 
Gunslinger my early education about Americans came courtesy of the TV. So when I got out to the colonies I was very suprised that no one 'could tell me how to get to Seasame Street' and that 'The Dukes of Hazard were not real'! That was after I had wielded up the doors on my Land Rover and painted it bright orange!
Thank goodness you still have Chuck Norris and the A Team to fight all your criminals for you! :lol: :lol:
 
Oh dear, I shudder to think what your image of Americans was if those television shows were the information which helped you form it.

It would be like me forming my image of Brits from Ab Fab and Monty Python. Although those sorts of people would probably be entertaining to be around.
 
Hi Gunslinger Girl. I have taken American clients hunting in the UK and Africa for about 25 years. This year due to the strong pound it is rather quiet, but I still have over a month with clients in England and Scotland.

In all the years I have been guiding I have only had a handful of people who were problamatic. Generally most return to hunt over here again and again, in fact I have had a group from Maryland who have been 6 times.

I also have a very professional, ethical agent in Rochester New York, who runs a company called Henley and Delamere Adventuring. He used to live over here some years ago, and was involved with the British chapter of SCI.

I for one have no problem with Americans, although it is fair to say that there are more hunting accidents in the States than over here, but then your population is enormous compared to good old blighty ( or mud island as my Africa Ph friend terms it) mind you thats not far off the truth taking into account the recent weather!

And your stuff is so so cheap at the moment for us to buy, look out Bass Pro, Cabelas and Gander Mountain, I coming in with the credit card.
 
Monty Python is how and who we are! 'Alms for an ex leper'! My personal favourite. Oh! and the American dinner guests and the Grim Reaper! :lol: :lol:
 
Sikamalc

I've heard from a lot of people that stuff sold at Cabela's and Bass Pro is much cheaper than what you have to pay across the pond.

I'd also agree there are probably more accidents over here, but then we probably have more hunters too. Plus, some people are just plan stupid over here and do dumb things. It happens. For the most part though, I think both American and British hunters are responsible people who know how to hunt safely. I hope so anyway.

Beowulf,

I love Monty Python. "The Holy Grail" and "Life of Brian" were big favorites while I was at college.

I'm a big fan of British comedy.
 
Hi Guns, What British comedy programs do you get over there?
No offence Gunslinger but guns seem easier to obtain in the States. Over here its like the Spanish Inquisition and no one expects the Spanish Inquisition...blah blah blah.
I was just watching a program about 'Prussian Blue' a couple of far right, fourteen year old twin sisters who sing racists songs. Anyway alot of the people in the program would not be allowed to own the guns they had. In this country they would not be allowed to own a sling shot, never mind a M16 Assault rifle.
In this country we have illegal gun crime, but the way we combat it is to have the Government hassel bona-fide gun owners. Doesn't work though, funny that! :D
 
Yes, you can get a gun over hear with less red tape than you can in the UK, at least that's what I understand. Although there are plenty of people over here trying to change that.

We also, like every other country, have our share of ignorant people who spew hate. Prussian Blue would be an example of that.

We get some British television comedies on PBS over here. I think they're older ones, but still funny.
 
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