Sometimes, a ray of hope
For the last several years I have been in the habit, whenever hunting, or hiking, or just being outdoors, of stuffing plastic shopping bags in my pockets and carrying them with me. I use them to pick up the detritus of those who have gone before me, and carry it back out. Today I got a couple of beer bottles, several soda cans, a bunch of candy/food wrappers, and the.. ahem.. condom left over from a deepwoods assignation. Thank god I carry surgical gloves with me when hunting. And to the adventurous couple, nobody enjoys a bit of outdoor nookie more than me, but pick up your leavings and throw them away. To the guys drinking Bud around a campfire in the woods? Drinking Bud is it’s own punishment.
Know what happened next? I took my bags to the nearest parking area garbage can, and there were two guys doing the exact same thing. I was impressed. And pleased. Nice guys, we shared stories, showed one another what we were hunting with, got some quality time in between walks. It’s a damned fine thing to see people who give a shit, and damned rare as well. Anyone calling me an environmentalist is subject to a swift kick in the nads- but there’s no reason to leave shit lying around. I want those woods just as clean as they are now when my grandschildren hunt them.
14 comments Og | Uncategorized
Started my kids doing that when they were very small. They aren’t small anymore but they have it ingrained in them. Just annoys them and me to see trash in the woods and fields.
I live in pheasant country. Every season, I see several piles of beer cans and assorted fast food wrappers dumped in a ditch. I’ll see where successful hunters cleaned all their birds and left the mess. However it does seem that the littering is less than it was in the seventies and eighties.
I’ve always given permission to hunt my ground to those that ask, but far too many don’t. There is a lot of walk in hunting close to me – so I’ll have all sorts of tracks across my ground from those who drive across it. Trespassing is just rude and inconsiderate.
Every year, I read about how much less acreage is available to hunt freely. Lots of it is leased out and if you don’t pay, you don’t hunt. I don’t believe in that, but the trend is pretty clear.
It’s good to see someone who gives a rat’s ass.
You guys have a good heart, that’s all.
Pure and simple. :)
Jeffro, depending on the birds, I’ll leave offal on the ground- deer too. Long as it’s off the beaten path. If there’s no good place I’ll bury it. It’s part of the natural order of things for that stuff to be eaten by carrion animals. I certainly wouldn’t leave a gut pile in a field or on the edge of a path.
I cleaned my last deer right where I shot her. My bitch is when someone cleans a whole mess of birds right on the edge of the road, with assorted other trash to add to the effect.
But, it does seem to be getting better as time goes by. I’m thinking there are two reasons – one is that a lot of hunters have realized that being trashy isn’t cool. The other is there is a lot less drinking and hunting these days. When I was a kid, my Dad and I wouldn’t hunt with large groups, because there were always a few who were there just to get smashed, and Dad didn’t think it was safe.
Jeffro, that is just wrong. Glad your dad taught you well, mine did too.
Pity you don’t live closer- I could use some private property hunting.
There is a world of difference between a conservationist and an environmentalist.
Like Og, when I’ve cleaned my birds I routinely toss the offal out into bushed of woods for the other beasties to feed on. Leaving it in the field or on a trail is just rude.
You are always welcome out here, Og, but I only have a half section anymore, and that ain’t much for pheasants. I do have neighbors with lots of ground (I have permission) and walk in hunting all around. I even have buddies with dogs.
I always pack out more than I bring in.
I’ve known some folks that I thought were good people until I saw them ignorantly fling trash into the wilderness.
Kicked their asses of course…
Its amazing what kind of ignorant fools are being turned out into the world these days.
Thanks for being one of the exceptions.
Good work Og! I am more than willing to bet that the condom litterbugs voted for John Kerry. On the other hand- you, the “arch-conservative”, were much more interested in protecting the environment than any pretentious left wing jerkkk
Thanks for doing what’s right and setting an example for our hypocritical left wing brethren!
Grau summed up what I was going to say.
Og, tree hugger. Heheheh…
Seriously, I was brought up the same way. Pisses me off to no end to find someone’s trash out there.
Yep, I’m with you and have a scar to prove it. Even as a kid I would pick up trash in the woods. One time there was a punch of beer bottles and broken glass around. I was 11 at the time and I was so mad, I picked up a piece of glass and threw it to the pile I was making. I cut my finger. I huge gash. I’m more careful now as an adult. ;-)
Used to do that with the kids at the range they learned to shoot at. Always took a trash bag, because there was always a bunch of crap left by people too damn lazy to pick up their mess.