Animal rights folks down under are trying to make sure this duck season that’s wrapping up is their last. I used to think that shooters were under a much greater threat from extinction than hunters were, but I think that’s changed a lot in the last decade. I would now say hunters are in far more danger.
For the shooting community, the 1994 assault weapons ban was a huge wake up call. We saw further attempts to get more and more firearms, including commonly owned firearms like the M1 Carbine, M1 Garand, and even Ruger 10/22 added to the ban. It became pretty hard to deny there was an active effort to ban guns slowly, until they could get all or most. Divide and conquer.
Hunters haven’t had that awakening yet, and their numbers are dwindling. If anything, I’ve noticed hunters are far more willing to side with the animal rights whakos when it comes to forms of hunting that they don’t engage in or approve of. Witness dove hunting in Michigan.
You’re right about the divide and conquer dimension of this–I run bird dogs, and I’m fully cognizant of the slippery slope that outlaws lion and bear hounds first, setters and pointers second. Yet I’ve met any number of bird hunters who would eagerly, even arrogantly throw those embarrassing coon-dog ownin’ rednecks under the first available bus. Don’t even bring up trapping. First they came for the gypsies, and I wasn’t a gypsy so I said nothing…
You know the rest.
Best,
malco
If I were to go out into the bush (or the back paddock for that matter), and shoot a brace of ducks for dinner – who would know?
The proposed ban on duck hunting here in Oz is unenforceable – just like most of the other malum prohibitum laws on the books.
It will only affect those who CHOOSE to obey it. It’s no more than law by honour system .
they don’t like aussies to kill ducks. but why would someone do that or obey that? ducks were an easy target and more fun than shooting deers :)