Thursday, February 21, 2013

How to Take a Life


I had a really great two hour conversation with a veteran hunter today. It was an amazing learning experience, and definitely gave me more inspiration to start exploring potentially trying to learn to hunt, as well as history lessons on California and Texas. For me, as someone who is terrible with plants it's potentially a way for me to connect with nature. It's also about really understanding what goes into my food, respecting the sacrifice of one animal for another, and the eternal nature of predator and prey. I can pick apples fresh in an orchard, or visit a winery and taste their wines and grapes, why not get my protein from the source?
He opened up my eyes to the ways in which the community of hunters, and those behind them, the biologists, and conservationists etc., help keep the balance of nature in areas where hunting is legal. They work to keep the balance of the animals with the environment so they are a renewable resource, as well as help them flourish. Ethical hunters do not cheat, nor do they poach. They follow all the laws and take care to make the best possible kill with the least amount of animal suffering.They use the whole animal.
To know all the small steps it takes to make a wild animal palatable, is mind boggling. There are so many factors including the sex of the animal, the age, the time of year, what you use to kill with, where you hit the animal, how you field dress/eviscerate it, and how you hang/butcher the meat. If any of these factors are wrong, then you are taking a life for no reason because you will not be able to use the meat for anything but sausage.
I plan on looking into the archery classes through the Long Beach Parks and Recreation department.
That's my spiel for the night. And since it is Thursday I want to let you guys know what's going on this weekend.
The Long Beach Comic Book and Sci Fi Convention is on Sunday, cheap and small with a few cool guests.

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