Jennifer

I will probably only post on this thread this once more; I have stated where I stand and rehashing it over and over doesn't do anyone any good, and probably just gets annoying. Plus, as many of the threads here go, it is devolving a bit into personal fights which I am not interested in. I will share a quick story. Recently, I have been doing some travel with the FWS/Duck Stamp Office as mandated in my contract as the duck stamp artist. Some of this has been representing the Federal Duck Stamp program at festivals and in the public eye. I never expected to win this contest, so I had been mentally preparing myself for all sorts of questions that the public might ask me. One that made me nervous-- justifiably so, given the existence of this thread and may others-- was about hunting. I am not overly vocal, and am certainly not "in your face" about hunting, but I knew I would be asked about it, given the nature of the program. I was recently at a large festival in Easton. It drew many thousands of waterfowl hunters, but it also drew in a lot of waterfowl and art enthusiasts, birders, and non-hunting family members accompanying the hunters. Though it probably seems strange for non- and even anti-hunters (I am not talking about PETA level antis, just people that do not like hunting but also aren't activists) to attend but again it was a festival for hunters as well as artists, birders, nature lovers, etc. I was set up with the Duck Stamp office, and a lot of people came to talk to me over the period of four days. I am naturally not a chatty person so it was a bit exhausting. I talked to several thousand people. Many asked about hunting. Most of them were other hunters, and most would talk to me about the ducks, and exclaim, "But you don't hunt, right?" I assume this is because my gender-- which doesn't bother me. Most were happy to learn that I did, in fact. One situation stands out in my mind, in relation to our conversation here. A group of older ladies came by to see the duck stamp art, and got into a conversation with me about it. They were birders. We began talking about the stamp program itself, and how it benefits everyone, and they suddenly got very stubborn. They told me that they would not buy them because they felt that it supported hunting, and they couldn't understand shooting a living animal. And, "You don't hunt, of course, do you?" Well, yes, I did hunt. Surprisingly, one of them asked how I could possibly hunt, since it seemed like I loved animals so much. It was hard to answer because there is no real, 100% tangible answer, but I was honest, and earnest. I told them I hunted because I love animals so much. That it was a matter of love and respect. I told them that it was important to me to take responsibility for my meal; be it shooting a deer for venison or supporting a local farmer that does right by their cattle. But it was more than that, it was an entire experience, and that it was something I felt in my heart I could never fully explain. I expected that to be the end of it, but they surprised me by thanking me for explaining, and they each then purchased a duck stamp. One emailed me after the festival and expressed that she'd like to get her entire bird club to buy duck stamps (that is awesome). Will this one anecdote, this one interaction change things for us as hunters? Probably not. There will always be people that will be dead set against hunting, no matter what, period. They won't listen to rationality. They won't listen to science. You can't win them. But the majority of people? The majority of people have the ability to be rational, if approached the right way. This isn't a crusade. I don't think we should go campaigning door to door, talking about shooting animals with respect. I am not that naive. It's just something to think about if you talk about hunting or expose yourself to the public eye. Kind regards to you all.

Doc, based on my understanding, I am also a "foodie"... it is a silly name. I am interested in ecology, sustainability, self-sufficiency (within reason in a modern society)... I have a strong desire to know the origins of the things I consume (this includes non food items too) for many reasons; for health, for ecological reasons, and for ethical ones. Sounds like you and I are on the same page. A number of my peers, as mentioned pages back, are getting into hunting for these sound reasons. I think that for them, as is for me, over time the experience worms it's way into the soul. I may want the meat for the above reasons, but after hunting long enough it becomes an entire experience. To that end, I am equally happy with a buck or a doe- but a big buck does make my heart beat just a bit harder!

Somewhat on topic (straight from the FWS' s mouth): http://www.fws.gov/midwest/InsideR3/December14Story3.htm

Most answers are.

Can you point me in the direction of seeing the results?

While some of these people are undoubtedly coming from an urban background, not all are. I couldn't begin to quote numbers at you (I suspect that this subset of interested hunters haven't been polled) but in my limited experience most have not been from urban areas. Again I can not speak for anything other than my personal experience, but they are not approaching this from an urban mindset. A lot of these same people are starting to get into small-to-mid size farming. One of my peers that started out on this path went from suburban housing-development type living to buying a large parcel of land in MN, she is now starting a farm and already runs several successful apiaries and does butchering without a flinch. Another friend just bought land in CO and is getting into poultry raising and hunting. She can't find a mentor and so hopes to come out to NY soon so I can start her on the basics. Both are very educated and interested in conservation and the outdoors. Those are just two examples. I realize my anecdotes don't count for much. But we can't dismiss these people out of hand.

Nearly everyone that approaches me to ask about hunting are in this group. I am looking mostly at people my age and younger (I am 32). They are well educated people, with a very valid and real concern about food sourcing, ecology, and conservation. They were not raised around hunters but became receptive to it as they educated themselves. Yes-- we still have hunters coming out of hunting families. I did. A lot of the people that use this forum did. But to ignore this new generation of people looking to get back to nature/connect with food/conservation would be completely blind. They are the future of this sport and the future of conservation. Very, very interestingly they also tend to have an overlap with animal welfare advocates. This growing group of people also tend to be more involved in conservation as well. They are reaching a hand out to hunting, and some people are slapping it away. Not wise. Yes and no-- books like these, like them or not, are genuinely causing people to be receptive to hunting. I can name about five people that have gone from on the fence to genuinely curious about the sport. One wants to drive out and visit me and go hunting with me some time in the next few years. So, they are PR in the disguise but they do whittle away at things, too. I don't know if I am right or wrong, but I think as our society evolves (like it or not), we will actually see a large percentage of hunters be the people I am referring to here as the older generations age or pass on. The "back to nature" type people. More people are born outside of hunting families now than ever before, and the only way for them to get into hunting is to be a "back to nature" person. Actually, this makes me wonder. Have there been any studies/polls as to the age structure of American hunters?

Respectfully, that's not quite what I meant. Hunters are much more likely to interact with non-hunters on a daily basis than FWS staff are. in my experience, that is where opinions of non-hunters are swayed. Most non-hunters have very little idea what the FWS is or what they do, sadly. But they do know someone that hunts-- their uncle, a friend-of-a-friend, etc. Those interactions change opinions, for better or worse. I also by no means was suggesting that we tell each other what to do. I only wanted to present the fact that what you, I, and all the hunters do in the public eye does indeed have an impact on hunting in the future. These days, sadly, the public eye includes social media. I actually am completely with you in that we should be more united, not less. Kind regards.

Yes- it does. I have a moderate online following of people from all walks of life and I sometimes discuss hunting. Nearly all of them are non-hunters (which is different from an anti-hunter). They do not hunt but are not against it. But time and time again when contests (where the objective is to shoot the most of ____) come up, they are all pretty universally against contests and find them very off-putting. Including some of the professional biologists and ecologists I know. A few of them (biologists/ecologists) even hunt and live rurally. Leaving it up to the FWS to create and/or maintain an 'image' for hunters is very short-sighted. I am not suggesting that everyone worry about what others think, but taking a moment or two to think about image when doing something hunting-related in the public eye can, in fact, impact the future of hunting for all of us.

Yes, someday I'd love to get into it! I don't know any Santas with the power to make that happen so I will just need to save my pennies.

Well that's it for me. I didn't have a shot all season and I was lucky enough to get a doe tag mailed to me. The only deer I saw all season were a group of four moving around well out of range of my shotgun. Wouldn't have shot if I had a rifle either, it was too thick in the brush for me to be safe about it. Meanwhile I have counted 18 in the woods behind my house, partying it up at all times of the day! No legal shot as I have neighbors within 500' and they are not keen on hunting. That's just the way it goes sometimes! I still had a great time in the woods, and saw a bear for the first time this year.

I share your concerns Mike. I agree with the raise in price, but am concerned about the separation of any of the funds as well. I'd enjoy reading the reasoning on this, given that the Federal Migratory Bird Fund/Duck stamp money is the most effective and appropriate use of funds for conservation not only in the world, but in history as well.

Okay, sorry for the useless comment on my part, but I just laughed way too hard at this.

This is the least expensive way to get very good protection. When using this method or any other permethrin product I do advise people to please use care; while wet/active, it can be very harmful to cats if you have a pet cat. And try to avoid overspray (if using a spray) in your yard or garden as it is very toxic to important wildlife such as our native bees, etc. This is less of an issue if you use it in the winter, of course. http://www.amazon.com/Martins-Permethrin-10%25-Indoor-Outdoor/dp/B001EVKCKM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417195244&sr=8-2&keywords=permethrinJust dilute it and spray it on or soak clothing and then allow it to dry. 19:1 is a good ratio as stillhunter says. I advise using gloves and do not re-use spray bottles or buckets for anything else afterward (make them dedicated items). It has worked very well for us. You'd want to do this somewhat in advance of using your clothing, though, as it takes a while to dry.

Mike, I am with you on this issue. I wish more people were.

Nah, don't do this. The best thing to do is to use a tick removal tool, or loop some thread (fishing line works best) in a slipknot. Loop it over the tick and pull the two ends of the thread closed to tie tightly around the tick, as close to the head as possible. You want it tied between the head and adbomen. If you use this method and pull firmly but slowly, you can get the tick to pop out without any risk of it being able to regurgitate. When you put stuff like nail polish remover or alcohol or flaming spitwads on them, they often regurgitate when they back out, which spells higher risk for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. Based on my research this is very sound. They are tied to the field mouse population. In areas that have booming populations of field mice (due to many factors, including habitat, predation or lack thereof, food such as acorn mast, etc) you will general have a higher cycle of tick populations as well.

Here's some photos: http://www.wkbw.com/homepage-gallery/photos-lake-effect-snow-buries-parts-of-wny

All very good points Mike. I have also noticed that people seem to be actively (intentionally) brewing unrest between deer hunters and small game hunters. In the last 5 years I have had more disgust pointed my way for daring to disrupt the woods via squirrel or fall turkey hunting from archery hunters than ever before. What used to be a pat on the back has turned into often getting sneered at for disrupting someone else's hunt unintentionally. Not all archery hunters are like this, and I enjoy both large and small game hunting-- I have just been surprised by the number of hunters at each other's throats over this sort of thing. I greatly respect archers and hope to join them one day, and would never intentionally disturb someone in this way-- but at the same time, we must learn to respectfully share the ever shrinking areas we may hunt.

A lot of my female peers my age and younger are getting into hunting. People used to hunt primarily for subsistence (putting a meal on the table). As modern agriculture, farming, electric refrigeration, and food transport became available in the last century or so, getting safe and 'easy' meats has become less of a hunting and farming issue and more of a 'go to the store' issue. Of course people do still hunt for the table but a lot of people have come into the sport for other reasons now that it's not so necessary in order to feed a family, and reasons to hunt today vary widely. That's awesome too. But I think we are starting to see a swing back into hunting for the table with the newer generations. People my age and younger are getting fed up with the commercial food supply and want to take direct responsibility for our carnivorous habits. People are wanting to get back to their roots and source food more carefully. It's why a lot of younger people are getting back into farming, gardening, raising poultry, etc. Just in the last five years I have seen a handful of my lady friends (most younger than I am) become very interested and passionate about hunting, and a few of them have taken it up in earnest. More than a dozen friends now farm either a little (or a lot!) and raise chickens, and one has plans to raise yaks and other large herbivores. Interest in being responsible for our own food is slowly growing with some younger people. Will it be enough? I don't know, only time will tell. For every younger person that is becoming more interested in the basics (farming, hunting, etc), there are probably two that are glued to computers or video games and don't get outside much. But hope isn't gone just yet.... Something all of us experienced hunters can do is, if we have time and are able, to try to take someone under our wing if they express interest. A child, a friend, a cousin, a neighbor's friend's cousin; hunting can be very overwhelming and intimidating to get into if you are not raised with it. Mentoring someone can have a much higher 'conversion rate'. It doesn't need to take a lot of time... just helping someone get on the right track, and maybe helping them once to learn butchering. I am not trying to play the 'gender card' but a lot of girls feel especially intimidated about getting into this. Not because they are girls, necessarily, but because there is still a large stigma against female hunting (mostly by non-hunters). We all know the pressure that anti-hunters are putting on us. It's only getting worse as time goes on. Ladies often get the double pressure of antis, but also mockery because we have a different gender. "But you're a girl" or "Nice shot, for a girl" are often said in jest, but they can do real harm to beginners. I was ridiculed often in school and was treated outright cruelly by (ironically) other girls especially-- most notably vegetarians (but I won't get into that here). My point is, if you have the ability and the will to do so, giving someone new a little guidance can change their life!

You bet. We will get it run in the Olean newspaper at a minimum. I'll also announce here on the forum somewhere. Not sure where would be the most appropriate spot, I will ask the admin when the time comes.

Thank you all very much!! EDIT: Got a copy, thanks very much to the generous user here that sent me a PM!! Thank you!

I have never seen these camo papers... mine are all printed on yellow! I wonder why? My walmart must have been supplied old stock? I, too, miss the stamps. Maybe I am biased, but the stamp program is a good one, because collectors also purchased them. Some states still do stamps, and they are often treasured by hunters and collectors alike.

Oh, how cool! I don't have a subscription right now... Do any newstands carry it? If anyone has a copy they don't want after they get done reading it and would ship it to me I'd be delighted.

Thanks for sharing this.

Thanks everyone. For those in southwestern NY, they ran an article in the Olean Times Herald about me in Friday's paper: http://www.oleantimesherald.com/news/local/article_9bf2de1e-458f-11e4-8cb4-63f3b65e645e.html Those that get the Buffalo newspaper should see something in Sunday's outdoor section, too.