"Don't Hunt Bear!"

Guy Miner

Guy Miner

Master Loader
Apr 6, 2006
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Oh good grief. Another ill-informed but intelligent person chewed me out about bear hunting. This also happened about five or six years ago.

A woman who knows me casually opens up the conversation with "I hope you don't get your bear! All you want to do is enjoy killing it! You can't eat it, and they're endangered!"

Almost exactly what the other gal had told me five or six years ago.... Good grief.

I gently explained that I was absolutely going to eat the bear if I got one, and that they could be quite delicious. Also that there is absolutely no shortage of bears here in Washington. Also mentioned that if I got one, the state would let me get another bear tag and go hunt a second bear, because we have so MANY bears here...

I did ask her, "If you have questions about hunting, just ask me. Please don't start the conversation by accusing me of just killing to kill."

She is a true-blue nature lover, and animal lover. A wonderful person. But wow... So terribly mis-informed. Oh, she didn't believe me about the numbers of bears or that the meat is edible. We should invite them (He's a good guy too, really smart, but not a hunter) over for bear if I get one... ;)

Only reason I haven't been out is because this bum left leg makes hiking difficult.

Sigh... How to combat such ignorance? I try doing so gently and with facts. Dang...

Here's a bear. Shot only with my camera. Maybe that would be okay? ;)

L71IlYBh.jpg


Regards, Guy
 
It is interesting, even here in the Great White North, to hear people argue that bears are endangered. I have shared more bear hams (and summer sausage and brats) than I care to count with people that had no idea bear was edible. For a number of years we hosted a wild game dinner in January or February. All the dishes are labelled so there are no surprises. One year, an OB/GYN was visiting from Vancouver. I had taken some special meatloaf made with bear. I spice my meatloaf up pretty well. He saw what it was, made a face indicating his disgust, but took a small serving in any case. I observed that he made three additional trips back for that meatloaf. Gifting those who object is often one of the best things that can be done.

At one point I was pastoring in Jasper, one of Canada's premier national parks. I had a joint ministry travelling across the border into British Columbia where I still held hunting privileges. My congregation was heavily populated with anti-hunters. One Sunday evening I announced that following the service I was inviting anyone who was interested to join me in the kitchen. I had a black bear which, if they helped me cut it, they could take home a nice cut of the meat. That evening, all I had left were some ribs and a few roasts. Every bit of that meat went home. I instructed the people how to treat it. For weeks afterward I heard from people who were previously utterly opposed to hunting bears how delicious the meat was.

Guy, I feel for you. As Reagan said, "The trouble with our liberal friends is not ignorance, it's just that they know so much that is not so." Perhaps part of our responsibility is to gently educate those who can be educated.

Great picture, by the way. I do love watching bears, and I'm certainly not opposed to inviting them to join me in a meal.
 
I hear you Guy.
When my youngest daughter got married, we had the in-laws in for a after wedding practice snack and when they came into the house, they saw my trophies hanging on the walls and the one young lady said good grief he's one of those. My reply was yes, I am, and everyone tasted delicious. The lady's husband struck up a conversation about hunting with me and wanted to see my rifles, it seems he was a hunter also but was constantly being brawl beaten by his big city in-laws and wife. City dwellers just don't understand people who hunt and fish for their meat.
 
Guy,
The world is full of these kind of people.
I have a neighbor that is an anti hunting tree hugger. She came over to introduce herself when we moved in. She wanted to know if I trapped and I said no. Several hears back she got her finger mangled in a trap on what is now our property. Of course she was trespassing.
She doesn't see many deer since we moved in. Of course we have a thriving herd on our property.

Power company came through over the summer to trim trees in the right of way. I fed and watered the crew and they did a little extra for us. Good men who are doing their job.
The neighbor lady and her husband all but threatened the crew so they had to back off. The neighbor put their boat, camper and trailer end to end in the right of way to prevent the crew from trimming. Total BS. I have become rather blunt with them as they try to push their agenda.

I'm looking forward to chatting with them when they whine to me about the mean power company cutting down their prize trees and Russian Olive.

I'm going to remind them of how self centered they are with no concerns towards the neighbors down stream of them, and the possibility of someone needing medical equipment running with out power.

Call me a Honey Badger.

BTW, the power company is waiting on a court order. They are going to nuke the easement to the maximum allowable distance. LOL.

JD338
 
We went for years and you were lucky if you saw a few bears in your lifetime, now you cant toss a dead cat in the bushes without hitting one. In fact you get a bear tag with your regular deer and turkey license, for both resident and nonresident. They even opened up bear hunting during the 2 weeks of deer-rifle season. And they are coming into towns and neighborhoods that have never seen a bear and tearing things up, but still there's a few (a very rare few) that stamp their feet and have a hissy when you talk about bear hunting because "they are so rare here". They really come unglued over hunting them with hounds. I've been a few times following the hounds to a treed bear and shooting it out, and it just wasn't my thing, but I'm certainly not going to knock somebody for using legal means and methods.
 
You are more tolerant than I am.
My woke sister in law was visiting one day. We were sitting in the back yard when the neighbor (out of sight from us) decided to do some target shooting in his yard.
The sister in law freaked out and wanted me to put a stop to it. She said she didn’t feel safe.
I told her I would be the last one to complain about it as I do more shooting than anybody around. I’ve got two shooting ranges on the property. She hasn’t been back for a visit since.
Some time later the Sheriff showed up at the door one evening concerning a noise complaint about another neighbor shooting a gun. I told him the same thing, i would be the last one to complain.
I don’t really mind people having their own opinions on things, but I don’t like them thinking that gives them the right to control what others believe and do.
 
Many years ago when I was still living in S an Francisco, 1978 IIRC, I was working at the post office workinf the APO/FPO mail. The place was called the Postal Concentration Center. We called it the Postal Concentration Camp. One day they ha a new batch of temporary help come in for the Christmas rush.The was one very pretty girl in the group and I made it a point to get to know her. Well, we became friends and I got to drive her home and pick her up on the way to work. When the Christmas rush was over and done she got laid off along with the rest of the temps which was PK because she was going to a college down im Montery. We made arrangements for me to drive down and bring her home for summer vacation. On the way home I told her we were going to stop in Santa Clara for bar b que with some friends of mine. Didn't tell her the steak were off a deer I shot as she wasn't to fond of hunters and our ilk. Well, long story short we waited until after we'd eaten and I asked her if she liked her steak? She thought it a very good and then I told her is came from a deer I shot last year. I'd been saving those steaks for a special occasion. I was kind of worried she might get angry about the fact it was a deer. I would have driver her back to school when summer was over butI couldn't get off work. For the record, she looked an awful lot like Susan Hayward. Really a first class looker. It wasn't too long after that that I met the woman that was to be my wife for 52 years. Probably was for the best but I do sometimes wonder how we might have worked out? FWIW, my late wife was also of model type class.
Paul B.
 
"I don’t really mind people having their own opinions on things, but I don’t like them thinking that gives them the right to control what others believe and do."

I agree.When I was living in Winnemucca Nevada we bought our first hoase on a small plot of land, triangular in shape just on the inside of the city limits and the county road. There were two other houses on the plot. the one just south of my house was the family of one of my co-workers. To the left as I faced my house had husband and wife and no kids. She did have one a years later. Anyway, the young woman was a full time western type gal and real pleasure. Why she ever married a dude from New York City is well beyond me. I will give him credit for not entirely being the normal brash roude NYC types I usually run into.
The problem all started when our country gal brought her horse onto the property. Te neighbors all started complaining about the smell. I really wasn't all that bad but they raised hell with the city council and they decided to do something about it. As our three houses were in quite close proximity, we were given the right to decide on the horse staying or going. The neighbor across the street literally were given no choice in the matter. My co-worker neighbor and I voted to let the horse stay. I was gifted the horse droppings for use in the garden we had. They worked quite nicely in the strawberry patch.
Paul B.
 
Best weed out the problems when they are small before they have a chance blossom.
now back to to not harvesting bears or any other animals for that matter, remember those were the fastest swimmers in that race. Foolish thoughts and remarks are in full supply. I was working a sportsman show one year and had an activist stop by the booth. She found out we harvested animals for food, was appalled. Then I explained disease, traffic fatalities, other predators and why it was beneficial to support hunting and conservation organizations as many of the funds raised went to habitat restoration. She understood our passion and actually bought a $5 raffle ticket for a rifle. Some people are really uneducated about the real world outside the cities and pavement.
 
She wouldn't like my neighbors! :ROFLMAO:

Heck I don't even have to tell stories on neighbors, but I'd have plenty.

Got an uncle who's dead now, that ran himself low on bullets because the guy that was with him kept saying, bet you can't hit that, ok, bet you can't hit that.......so he proved he could numerous times. A deer walked out far out in the field they were watching, and he dropped her with his 270. They were both admiring his shot and the deer got up and started moving off. He dug around in his coat and realized he was out of shells. Panicking and scrambling around digging through his truck tossing stuff out looking for shells and came up with an old cast iron frying pan. He ran across the field and ran the deer down and you know the rest. The guy that was with him is dead now also, but he'd tell me that story many times and laugh till the tears ran.
 
I have been criticized by a few activists in the past. They scolded me for shooting deer and accused me for shooting defenseless animals. I explained that I do not shoot to kill for fun but to feed my family and put food on the table. Even informed that we rarely bought beef, since deer is more leaner and healthier.
Another another topic, I have tried to get my sister in laws to try my deer burgers for about 20 years, but they would not have any of it. So one day my sister in law comes by on Sunday to play poker and sees me outside grilling and says ,,,,mmmm, that smells good and I said Yup. She says what are those? And I say I'm making hamburgers, do you want some? She says please. So I cook the rest of the burgers and they were 1/3 to half pound burgers, lol. I prep up the buns toasted and mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and onions. That burger was stacked and we sat down to eat. Those burgers may need to be pressed down a bit to get your mouth over it, lol. She chomped down on her burger and I hear a long mmmmmmm and she says , It's so delicious. I said Thank you and we ate our burgers, and I mentioned that I'll whip up another burger, and asked my sister in law if she wanted to go half and half, she says, wow, I'm stuffed, but I'll go for it. So I sliced a burger and gave her my half, after eating and washing dishes we sat down to play poker. After a few games, I chuckled to myself when I had my cards in my hand, and my sister in law gives me the eye and says " You got 4 Aces or some? " And I said no, but do you see that 14 point buck on that far wall? She says yes, he is so beautiful,,,then my words was " He is what you just ate" :ROFLMAO:
My children was 2 and 3 years old when they first ate bacon wrapped deer backstraps, leaving me 1 piece that day, lol. . They have been eating deer and wild game since.
 
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