The Rhinelander Daily News - Online news and information for the Rhinelander, Wisconsin region

Michael Skubal - Letters From The Bench

The bench in front of Leo’s Sporting Goods is a time machine. Leo’s is long gone, and the bench may never have existed, but I hope it works as a literary device. I like mixing past and present in my stories.

I was going to move on to other subjects but a number of people took turns sitting on the bench, so to speak, and offered their opinions on hunting, the subject of last week’s column. I felt maybe I had a responsibility to offer a few more comments.

A young fellow, born and raised in Rhinelander and a lifelong hunter, said the best year he’s had deer hunting recently was the year that baiting was banned. The deer spread out and resumed their normal patterns in the woods. That meant, if you knew their habits, you could take a stand at the edge of a pothole or watch the intersection of two deer trails under an oak and maybe get a shot.

Another older hunter shook his head sadly while relating a story about neighbors who spread corn from the end of their dock to attract ducks. They also thought it a good idea to paint pea gravel yellow and drop it into the water where they hunted. I can’t think of a thing to say to that without swearing.

Bear with me. I read most every day, everything from mysteries to biographies, and had the pleasure of reading a book about hunting recently, probably one of the most insightful books about the subject since Robert Ruark. The book is called “The Hunter, Developmental Stages and Ethics” by Bob Norton, Ph.D. Reading the book made me examine my own hunting experiences. It will do the same for you, I guarantee it.

Answer the questions posed before each chapter. You’ll end up ashamed or proud or maybe a mixture of both. We all need to reflect on our relationships with the animals we hunt and the land. We’ve got to start thinking seven generations ahead. we owe it to our children and grandchildren.

I’m not going to try and sum up Norton’s book. Suffice to say it is backed up by research and not just a compilation of opinions. You can argue all you want but it’s time to get rid of the deer corn and the baiting with scents and apples and learn about the animals whose lives we take. It’s the honorable thing to do.

Norton puts the case succinctly, “Fair chase is how hunted game ultimately receives the worth and recognition it deserves and needs to become one of the primary objectives of every wildlife management plan. Sixty-five percent of the hunters interviewed stated that fair chase and ethical hunting are synonymous. The majority of hunters stated that the most blatant abuse of fair chase was baiting.”

What have we done when supermarkets sell deer corn by the pallet load? Should we be proud when we shoot bear and deer over a pile of apples? I don’t think so.

Learn the land. Learn patience and the habits of your prey. Learn to walk silently in the woods. Know who you’re hunting with and don’t hunt with them if they don’t care. Leave the booze at home. You’re taking a life out there, make it mean something.

My dad used to say you can’t eat the horns. Stop trophy hunting. Use a single shot 20 gauge and make a sport out of it. I had my best times hunting that way. Forget the tree stand, the big box retailers will think of something else to sell you. Leave the ATV at home. Haul your kill out with friends.

Try hunting for the food bank, many are hungry and you’ll feel better. Support the DNR the next time they want to do away with baiting. Okay, I’ve had my say, I’ll get off my high horse now. Thanks for listening.

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Comments »

Former Rhinelander reident wrote on Oct 12, 2008 6:11 PM:

" Totally agree....Please people stop putting out corn or apples for the deer. That goes for all the backyard feeders too. You don't realize it but baiting is doing more harm than good. You are all disturbing the natural habits of "our" herd of deer. The only reason baiting is still allowed is political and political only. It comes down to greed! MONEY MONEY MONEY.

JUST SAY NO TO BAITING! Call your congressman to let them know! "

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