Gun owners?

[Redalgo]

Air pump, Model 880 Daisy .177 - mine has no scope and no purpose now that killing vermin seems brutish to me.



Bolt action, Model 34 Remington .22 with a tubular magazine, manufactured sometime between 1932 and 1935.

I haven't bothered to get anything heavier since there are four or five other guns in the family that at some point or another will come into my care. I probably will not keep all of them though, seeing as I strongly dislike the more solid kick of the 7mm and 20-gauge, do not hunt anymore, and have no need for a pistol. The bolt action, Model 700 CDL Remington .243 is probably worth hanging onto though since it's got more nostalgic value for me and the other guns could not slow down - much less fell - a bear or mountain lion if my life depended on it while out in the back country.

[Redalgo]

What kind of game do y'all got down there in Texas, jmfcst? I've taken antelope before but never had much luck with elk or deer in these parts - though there are certainly plenty of them around. The whitetails keep down low in the valleys whereas the mulies seem to prefer staying up high with the mountain goats and such. I never really went after the moose, wolves, or black bears around here but anyway, I'm curious because I'd never spent enough time down there to know what kind of critters are around. By the hogs I'm guessing you mean javelinas, but are they any good eating? Also, what about pheasants? You've got a perfectly good shotgun! If you're going to hunt, don't reserve that for people!

[Redalgo]

Has anyone of you ever taken part in a MMPI test ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Multiphasic_Personality_Inventory

Because that's what you need to pass at the psychologist here in Austria (together with another stress-management-test), after which you can apply for the 2 gun licenses needed to posess and carry a weapon. You need be 21 years of age though.

I have never taken any parts of that test and had been using guns for at least five years prior to what would have been legal in Austria. It wouldn't surprise me if I'd fail to pass it though! xD

[Redalgo]

While I was still hunting the meat was always consumed and the hides usually tanned.

[Redalgo]

I would add, incidentally, that a lot of the hunters are also conservationists who understand that over-harvesting would cheat future generations of having the same opportunities they've had in the outdoors. My feelings on the matter are rather mixed at this point. The killing is unnecessary and deeply offends me in some respects yet at the same time human beings have become a part of the natural balance struck between predators and prey in many environments. Populations of some species can explode until there is not enough food to go around and/or diseases begin to easily spread. Whether it is true I cannot really say for certain but the prevailing attitude in these parts is that, if it is allowed in moderation, hunting benefits both the hunters and helps keep the populations of game animals healthy. I can't bring myself to kill anymore but maybe others should.

[Redalgo]

Most people hunt because they enjoy it. If they donate the meat or whatever, I guess that makes it slightly better. But don't deny it's a sport or hobby or whatever you want to call it.

I am not denying it, and regret not having gotten myself away from hunting and fishing until about four years ago. In my case it was an odd break from family tradition but nobody minds.