black crow
Well-known member
For the record, I was a marksman in the Air Training Corps with a .303" rifle (R.A.F. WW2 Enfield) requiring 5 hits out of a single clip of 5, on a target the size of an old penny, without the aid of telescopic sights. Subsequently I was in a Rifle Club, and have been clay pigeon shooting, so I'm not without some experience. I was referring to shooting on grouse moors, the birds having been disturbed, so shooters know where they're coming from and when. I can't comprehend how any civilized person would want to kill birds or animals for the "fun" of it. But hey, that's just me...
I grew up hunting. We ate all the meat, we were very lower middle class, almost poor. But we did not need that game. We hunted for fun mostly. It's often not cost effective. What I enjoyed as a kid was the adventure in diving into unknown woods and trails and the discovery that entailed. I loved the honing of my woods skills of tracking and moving slowly and noticing things, of being still and quiet; something my modern world and schooling deemed unimportant but was natural and important to my animal body. Then the trophy from the kill, which proved one had learned the lesson well. It's as old as humanity itself and still has a place if done with some respect.
Our actions in the modern world, driving a car, building a large home, buying multiple pairs of optics etc. have a much more dramatic effect on wildlife populations than any amount of hunting.
My two cents.