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Any relation to the
land, the habit of tilling it, or mining it, or even hunting on it,
generates the feeling of patriotism.
--Ralph
Waldo
Emerson
(1803-1882)
How ironic
that I found the above quote between Veteran’s Day and hunting season.
Veterans are loyal to the country, just as farmers and hunters are loyal
to the land.
Being raised
as a city girl, when
Frank and I returned
to the farm, I was not familiar with the traditions and emotions
surrounding hunting season and hunting grounds. I did not understand the
reasons for posting the property lines, or the extreme anger and
resentment when a hunter crossed those property lines.
Eleven years later, I
understand. I now get angry.
When an
automatic weapon rings through the hills when our niece and her
boyfriend are out there somewhere hunting with single shots, I get
angry. When bullets fly past the horses, or our dogs, or our house, I
get angry. When we discover that the new fence has been cut, I get
angry.
Once, there was a hunter
who, without permission, put up his tree stand on the property. We
didn’t even know it was there until he came to us, screaming accusations
that the tree stand was gone. He, a trespasser, put up the stand, and
obviously another trespasser stole it, but all we knew is that we were
being accused. This man came, knowing he had illegally placed the stand,
screaming at us, who didn’t even know it was ever there.
What’s wrong with this
picture?
Another
time, a family member shot up the hill at a deer, only to climb the hill
to find an 11-year-old girl nearby. Her father had placed her there to
hunt, and she wasn’t even wearing orange.
I cringe to
think what could have happened.
The most recent incident
just compiles the emotions involved with trespassing hunters. About a
month ago, Frank
was driving to work, fourth in a line of cars. When the car first in
line stopped for a yard sale without using a turn signal, car two
stopped, car three stopped, but Frank, last in line, didn’t stop in
time. The front of the truck was smashed.
Needless to
say, he was in a mood.
The next
day, we watched two young family members head up the hill to hunt. While
they were gone, we heard an automatic weapon, which our family members
did not have, fire repeatedly atop the hill.
Concerned,
Frank
jumped into the truck he wrecked the day before, and headed up the hill
until he came to a downed tree. He got out of the truck to check on the
family members, not knowing the parking brake had been damaged in the
wreck. He could do nothing after that but watch the truck roll backwards
down the hill and ram into the only tree in the field.
I thought my husband,
not the truck, would blow a gasket.
We can laugh about it
now, but had Frank
found the person firing the automatic weapon that day, I can promise it
would likely not have been a laughing matter.
It seems to
me, just as veterans stand up to defend our county against invaders,
during hunting season, property owners also are forced to defend their
land against invaders.
Landowners shouldn’t
have to spend money on fence and no trespassing signs and game cameras
to protect themselves against liabilities of trespassers.
There is no good reason
why the rear bumper of our truck now matches the dented one in the
front.
Not only is
it illegal, rude, and disrespectful to hunt on someone else’s property
without permission, it is dangerous. If you are one of those who hunts
on someone else’s property, you should be ashamed of yourself. I think
it is as unpatriotic as burning the flag.
There are so many
hunting safety tips that are issued each year to prevent hunting
accidents, but I offer what I think is the main one to remember: hunt
only where you have permission. Do this for the safety of those who have
the right to hunt on their own property, and for the safety of yourself.
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