St. Hubertus and ethical hunting.

A little bit of trivial I found in my surfing while learning about the significance of this symbol, which relates to Saint Hubert of Liège who is the patron saint of, among other things, archers, dogs, forest workers, and hunters:

Sankt Hubertus (German) is honored among sport-hunters as the originator of ethical hunting behavior. During Hubert's religious vision, the Hirsch is said to have lectured Hubertus into holding animals in higher regard and having compassion for them as God's creatures with a value in their own right. For example, the hunter ought to only shoot when a humane, clean and quick kill is assured. He ought shoot only old stags past their prime breeding years and to relinquish a much anticipated shot on a trophy to instead euthanize a sick or injured animal that might appear on the scene. Further, one ought never shoot a female with young in tow to assure the young deer have a mother to guide them to food during the winter. Such is the legacy of Hubert who still today is taught and held in high regard in the extensive and rigorous German and Austrian hunter education courses.

Christian cross seen between the antlers of a stag. This image is a reference to the two Christian patron saints of hunters, Saint Hubertus and Saint Eustace, both of whom converted to Christianity after experiencing a vision in which they saw a Christian cross between the antlers of a stag.

This symbol is also found on the  Jägermeister liquor label also features the following verse from the poem Weidmannsheil, by the forester, hunter, and ornithologist Oskar von Riesenthal (1830–1898).

Das ist des Jägers Ehrenschild,
daß er beschützt und hegt sein Wild,
weidmännisch jagt, wie sich’s gehört,
den Schöpfer im Geschöpfe ehrt.

According to Mast-Jägermeister SE, the translation is:

It is the hunter’s honour
that he Protects and preserves his game,
Hunts sportsmanlike,
honours the Creator in His creatures.

A loose translation which preserves the rhyme and meter is:

This is the hunter’s badge of glory,
That he protect and tend his quarry,
Hunt with honour, as is due,
And through the beast to God is true.

Interesting as all this is, it doesn't answer my question of why this symbol is also found on some German hiking badges.  But, the stuff about ethical hunting was pretty interesting.

R. Lee Ermey, Full Metal Jacket Star, Shoots Lions

The Mirror

R. Lee Ermey has sparked outrage after posting these sickening snaps of him with lions he shot.

The gun-toting actor, voice of little soldier Sarge in the classic children’s movie, proudly poses by the bodies of a male and female gunned down in an African hunt.

Ermey – who found fame as sadistic Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in 1987 Vietnam film Full Metal Jacket – had boasted of killing “Cape Buffalo, lion, lioness and ­wildebeest” on previous trips to Africa.

Animal rights’ group Peta branded the 69-year-old, ­nicknamed Gunny, ­cowardly and cruel after he posted the pictures on Facebook.

A spokesman said: “It takes no courage to stalk and kill animals. Lions are treated as living targets for the arrogant and ignorant with more money that morals.

“Most people are appalled at someone like this man gunning down animals for a thrill, a trophy or a souvenir photograph. ”

Oregon Hunter Severely Wounded by Accident - No Charges for the Bumbling Stupidity

The Republic reports

A northwest Oregon sheriff says a 24-year-old St. Helens woman out hunting with a friend suffered a severe leg wound in an apparently accidental shooting.

Sheriff Jeff Dickerson said Lindsay Roub was wounded Friday afternoon when the rifle she had been carrying discharged as she was handing it to her hunting partner.

The sheriff says Roub and 39-year-old Raymond Ozias of St. Helens had been hunting in a rural area a few miles west of Scappoose.

They reportedly were walking down a steep hill in pursuit of a buck. The sheriff says the rifle discharged as Roub asked her friend to take her weapon so she could climb down.

Ozias called for help. Deputies found Roub barely conscious. After treatment by medics, she was carried out of the woods and taken to a Portland hospital.

Real Hunters Don't Need Guns

Woman Mistaken for a Hog Shot by Boyfriend - Forgives Him

The Examiner

A year ago, Lisa and Steve went hog hunting in Flagler County. At one point, Egan saw a hog from his blind, took aim and fired a shot. While he pursued the injured animal, Simmons, dressed in camouflage pants, darted off to an area she'd seen earlier containing sour oranges. Her intentions were to collect a few for a homemade marinade recipe. 

Suddenly, as she stood on her toes to get the ripe oranges nearly out of reach, she felt a violent pain that knocked her off her feet. The nurse of 18 years looked down and saw blood pouring from a gaping wound. As a nurse, she knew a bullet ripped through her femoral artery. But who shot her? 

Moments later, Eagan found his girlfriend lying in the brush, bleeding heavily from her leg. Even before Lisa said, "Steve, you shot me," the man knew he shot his girlfriend and mistook it for a hog.
The woman instantly ripped off the man's belt and used tied it around the wound to stop the blood loss. Meanwhile, Steve darted off to camp and fetched their cell phone to call 911.

Throughout the stress of the shooting, Steve had a tough time directing first responders to their area. However, a hour after the man mistakenly shot his girlfriend while hog-hunting, a helicopter arrived and airlifted the woman to a nearby hospital. 

There, she went through emergency and required 14 pints of blood. Lisa nearly died on two occasions, but the strong "country girl" never lost her cool. 

The good news is that Lisa never blamed her boyfriend. Despite being on full disability from her nursing job and enduring a long and painful recovery, Simmons thinks life is too precious to place blame on others.

"Take responsibility for your part of what happened. Whatever it is, don't blame the other person because a lot of things go into an accident or problem. It's not just one factor," she says.

This is real gun fanaticism.  It's one thing to not blame the gun, but when you don't even blame the shooter, you're a true gun-nut.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Oregon Hunter Gets Away with Manslaughter

USA Today reports

Eugene Collier admits he was shooting to kill when he fired the .270-caliber bullet that caused Christopher Ochoa's death on Oct 21, 2011.

But he thought he was shooting at a bear.

He was certain, he told a jury Friday, that the dark figure "on all fours" at the edge of his family's property where he was hunting that evening was a bear.

That jury agreed with him, acquitting him of a charge of second-degree manslaughter. The jury returned its verdict after about two hours of deliberations.

The 12-person jury decided that Collier was not reckless in the shooting death of the 20-year-old Ochoa, a marine reservist from California who had traveled to Oregon to help his friend, Raymond Westrom. The two of them set out to see the South Falls at Silver Falls State Park the night Ochoa was shot.

Usually they don't even bother to charge these guys. When they do, this is often the result.

Squirrel Hunting Event in Upstate New York Draws Protests

CBS Local reports

Protesters from New York City headed upstate Saturday to demonstrate against a squirrel-killing contest in the small town of Holley.

The 7th annual Hazzard County Squirrel Slam was sold out Saturday, with all 1,000 tickets spoken for. The contest in Holley – a town of about 1,800 approximately 20 miles from Rochester – will raise money for the volunteer Holley Fire Department, the event sponsor.

Prizes ranging from $50 to $200 were being given out Saturday for the largest squirrel shot and the heaviest group of five squirrels. Five rifles and shotguns are to be raffled off, according to a flier posted on the Holley Fire Department Web site.

“Declaring someone a winner for killing the most animals influences children and the wider community to believe that wildlife is unimportant and killing for a monetary prize is meritorious,” Brian Shapiro, New York state director of the Humane Society of the United States, wrote in a letter to Holley Fire Chief Pete Hendrickson.

Mr. Shapiro speaks very nicely. I would just say it's fucking sick.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Cops Shoot Elk in Boulder

Colorado Daily reports on the cops who shot the elk. Hunting animals is sick behavior and posing with dead animals for pictures is even sicker.

Does the NRA Represent Hunters?

Flash in the Pan

The National Rifle Association claims on its website to be the largest pro-hunting organization in the world. As a hunter, not to mention as a human being, the NRA couldn’t represent me less.

The NRA isn’t for hunters any more than AAA is for bicyclists. Sure, some hunters are NRA members, but first and foremost the NRA serves gun fetishists and the firearms industry. (fetish: 1. An inanimate object worshiped for its supposed magical powers or because it is considered to be inhabited by a spirit. 2. A course of action to which one has an excessive and irrational commitment.)

In 2011, nearly 14 million Americans hunted, while NRA members number about four million–fewer than half of whom actually hunt.

When you consider that there are about 100 million gun owners altogether, it seems the NRA doesn't represent anybody, except as the article said, the true gun nuts and the firearms industry.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Texas 9-Year-old Shot in Hunting Accident

Local news reports

Houston County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a report of an accidental shooting that occurred Dec. 29 or 30 in the Grapeland area. Officials said a 9-year-old boy was shot in the arm.

HCSO deputies went to the East Texas Medical Center Crockett ER to investigate after a boy was brought in with a gunshot wound.

Chief Deputy Gary Shearer of the Houston County Sheriff's Department said two unsupervised boys were hunting in the woods with a .410 shotgun when the incident occurred. Somehow, the 9-year-old boy holding the shotgun fell, and the weapon fired. The other boy, who had been walking in front of him, was shot in the arm.

Shearer said there was no indication of foul play and that the case has been ruled an accidental shooting.

Even many gun rights activists would agree, I think, that 9 years old is a bit young to be hunting unsupervised.

The responsible adults should be held accountable for this. Don't you think so?

Please leave a comment.

Lawful Florida Gun Owners Doing Their Thing

Local news reports

The Pasco County Sheriff's Office reports that 54-year-old Charles Martin Jones and 51-year-old Michael Edward McCord were traveling along a rural road Saturday night when they pulled over to shoot the deer, which they left dead by the road.

The men traveled several more miles before throwing the rifle out the window.

The Tampa Bay Times reports that a deputy caught up to the pair and arrested them.
Jones was charged with taking wildlife on a road.

McCord was charged with willful waste of wildlife, taking wildlife on a road and discharging a firearm in public.

Don't worry. They'll get a slap on the wrist and be right back in business.

Snow Camo

via Suzie Q

Reckless Deer Hunters in Iowa Who Shoot Each Other Face No Charges

Local news reports

Two deer hunters were accidentally shot by fellow hunters in separate incidents Sunday morning in Iowa.

The state Department of Natural Resources says 48-year-old Clint Morgan of Saucier, Mississippi was wounded around noon Sunday. Saucier was struck in the elbow by a slug fired by another member of his seven-person party in Monroe County, southwest of Blakesburg. Saucier was taken to a Des Moines hospital for treatment.

Officials say fog was not a factor in this case, but it was a factor in another accidental shooting west of Indianola where 58-year-old Miles Sagen was wounded around 8:30 a.m. by another member of his nine-person party. Sagen was taken to a hospital in Des Moines for treatment.

Iowa DNR recreational safety officer Allen Crouse said Sagen was hit by a slug fired from 144 yards away. At the time, Crouse says it was impossible to see more than 100 yards because of fog. He urges people not to hunt in dense fog because it's not safe.

Is there any excuse for shooting other hunters in the woods? When visibility is poor you cannot take the shot. When you're not sure of your target and it could be another hunter you simply cannot take the shot. What is so difficult about that?

One of the problems is that irresponsible hunters are not held accountable for their actions.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Indiana Man Shoots White Deer in Residential Area

Local news reports

Officials say on the first day of hunting season, someone drove down Elbe Road in Warrick County near Evansville and shot a white deer between houses after dark.
   
Neighbors tracked the poacher down and held him until officials arrived.
   
Wildlife officers say killing a white deer is legal in Indiana, but it's illegal to shoot the deer from a public roadway.

“We have elementary children that live in the neighborhood, the main concern that someone just pulls on the road and starts shooting between houses,” said neighbor Ginger Wilcox.

Officials say the suspect could face six charges, including charges for shooting after hours and shooting from a roadway.

Six charges, I wonder if that includes "felon in possession of a firearm?"

It doesn't really matter.  The thing is, among criminal gun owners there are some who are responsible and among lawful gun owners there are some who are not.

Gun availability needs to be severely restricted to the irresponsible ones, regardless of their past.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Maine Hunter Shoots his Foot Off

Local news reports

A hunter is recovering after accidentally shooting himself in the foot.

According to the Maine Warden Service 37-year-old Andrew Knight, of Rome, was returning from the woods Saturday when he rested his 12-gauge shotgun on his left foot.

Knight told officials the gun then discharged, firing a shot into his foot.

Gun-rights folks always accuse us of fearing inanimate objects, but when it suits their purposes, they say things like "the gun discharged."  The truth is we don't fear inanimate objects, but they love to blame them instead of the man.

Guns don't discharge by themselves.  So this irresponsible and reckless guy made at least two mistakes.  That's always the case. Whenever someone is hurt in a so-called gun accident, at least two of the 4 Rules of Gun Safety have been violated.

The reason One Strike You're Out must apply to cases like this is in all probability, this was not his very first act of negligence, he's 37-years-old, he's been doing stuff like this his whole life. Placing the muzzle of a loaded weapon on your foot is an unacceptable breach of safety.  Unless a guy like this is disarmed, this will probably not be his last.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Controversial Coyote Hunting in New Mexico

Local news reports

A gun store-sponsored competition in which hunters shoot and kill as many coyotes as they can has sparked outrage among activists in New Mexico who have called it a “heinous killing contest.”

Animal Protection of New Mexico posted a petition on its website, rallying against the contest, which is sponsored by Gunhawk Firearms of Los Lunas.

“The organizers of the contest have consistently claimed that any criticism of this event is an infringement upon gun-ownership rights and hunting privileges,” Animal Protection of New Mexico wrote on its website. “However, on our petition against the contest, over a third of signees have self-identified as gun owners, and a tenth are hunters or anglers.”

In a paroxysm of hypocrisy, the gun shop sponsoring the event had this to say.

“They survive in the wild by killing what they can, including livestock and pets,” Rex Wilson, president of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, told The Associated Press. “The people protesting this contest have obviously never seen a calf chewed up by a coyote, or watched a mama sheep try to revive a dead lamb.”

When they slaughter deer, it's because otherwise the poor animals would starve to death. When they slaughter coyotes or rattlesnakes, it's because they're dangerous pests.

My theory is they just like the slaughter.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Missouri Hunting Accident - 1 Dead

Local news reports

Authorities say a man was killed in a hunting accident Sunday morning in Reynolds County. 

According to Reynolds County Sheriff Tom Volner, Sunday morning around 7:30 , a group of hunters went out to hunt in the Lesterville area.

Volner says as they went out, the hunters spread out on their own.  According to the sheriff, the  50-year-old hunter was shot and killed by another hunter in his group from about 50 to 75 yards away.  

Sheriff Volner says the 50-year-old man was not wearing any orange attire and had a white beard. Volner says the shooting is not being considered suspicious and was purely accidental.

Are they saying it was considered an accident BECAUSE the victim was not wearing orange clothing? Is that why the shooter was excused for his gross negligence?

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Paul Ryan's Sick Hunting Behavior

Emily Miller writing for the Washington Times

Mr. Ryan also likes to challenge himself by shooting with his revolver. “He likes hunting with a handgun,” Mr. Olcott said of his brother-in-law.  “He’ll carry his .357 in the stand -- in a holster -- and wait for a deer comes in range for a handgun, which is more like bow range, 30 yards or closer,” said Mr. Olcott. “He’s shot a lot of deer with his handgun. He really likes that.” 

Did you get that? They're talking about the "challenge" of sitting in a tree stand and waiting for a deer to come into handgun range. Now, to me that's sick behavior.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Utah Hunter Lucky to be Alive

Local news reports

From his bed at McKay-Dee Hospital, Jonathon Pettit issued an emotional written statement Tuesday saying divine intervention saved him after an accidental shooting on the opening day of the state’s rifle deer season. 

“There is no doubt in my mind that I was protected,” Pettit, a 53-year-old Roy resident, said in the statement recounting his harrowing tale of survival. “The gunshot should have killed me. I am so grateful that I found the strength to survive.”

Pettit was hunting Saturday in a remote area near Snowville between Kelton and Locomotive Springs and had just removed his antique .36-caliber Navy muzzleloader pistol from his truck when the gun discharged.

“I had my gun in my hand and lifted my tailgate,” he wrote. “The force of closing the tailgate discharged the pistol. It (the bullet) entered my right side and traveled up my body and lodged on my back bone.”

Divine intervention, was it? Too bad god didn't help him with Rule number 2. That would have been even better.

Here's the really interesting part of the story.

Typically, about one hunter a year accidentally shoots themselves in Box Elder County, said Box Elder Chief Deputy Kevin Potter.

So, that one single county in Utah which allows hunting has one accidental self-inflicted gun shot incident every year. Does that mean they also have some shootings in which one hunter wounds or kills another? Would the same be true of the other counties in Utah and all the other states that have hunting.

And that would be only the hunting accidents.  We see far more domestic gun accidents in the news.

How does all this reconcile with the statistics we keep hearing from the pro-gun crowd which supposedly prove how rare accidental shootings are?  It doesn't.  It doesn't reconcile. Regardless of whether the information comes from the FBI or the CDC or from god himself through divine intervention, when it doesn't make sense, when it doesn't add up, there must be some other explanation.

There are more accidental shootings than anyone on the pro-gun side likes to admit.

Isn't it possible that the most bona fide statistics suffer from improper reporting? 

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

9-Year-old PA Girl Mistaken for a Skunk

Local news reports

A 9-year-old girl was shot accidentally by a shotgun Saturday night in New Sewickley Township in Beaver County, authorities said.

A county police dispatcher said the department received a call at 8:02 p.m. that someone trying to shoot a skunk had accidentally hit a girl in the shoulder. The incident happened in the 300 block of Brewer Road. Police would not identify the victim or the shooter.

The dispatcher said the youngster was taken to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Lawrenceville. A condition report was not available.

Not a word about the shooter other than it was "someone" with a shotgun. No mention of charges or even of an investigation.

People who shoot other people mistaking them for animals should go to jail and lose their gun rights, period.

Why is that so difficult?  Why is there so much discussion about whether it was an accident or negligence, as if that makes a difference?  We need to take gun responsibility more seriously.  There are too many "accidents."

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.