PRE-HUNT SCENES FROM THE TURTLE MOUNTAINS - 10 MILES NORTH OF THE DUK SHAK:
Beaver lodge closeup
Beaver lodge on one of hundreds of ponds like this scattered throughout the small, low level mountain range known as The Turtle Mountains which border
North Dakota and Manitoba, Canada.
Bale fields and woodlands are prime-time for us camera bugs…especially in the fall. By dusk, these hay meadows are commonly peppered with whitetail
deer and moose.
BY DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT
Sunrise and incoming mallards thru the cornstalks. Ah..what could be better than to have coffee in a cornfield blind at sunrise…watching the
mallards swing round and round…before setting their wings and gliding down into the decoys. Doesn’t get much better.
I let that first flock swing a few times until they circled over Munga and Gary in the deeks…they scored on 2 greenheads. The scattering flock came
my way…and one mallard came within excellent range.
I now have my limit of hen mallards for the day…ONE. (Which will be costing me a fine of a round of drinks at our local pub.)
Gary and Munga gather their downed birds from the decoy set…and make ready for the next flight.
'Flying Duck' decoys
These battery-operated flying duck decoys are VERY productive. Rechargeable 9 volts batts will run them for many hours. The wings rotate very fast,
a flashing wing action that imitates a duck landing in the feed, literally attracting ducks from a mile away. I, and my buds, started using these
about 10 years ago..and I’d never consider hunting ducks again without them. I’ve compared with and without…I’m sold.
My day’s limit of 4 ducks…all young mallards in this case….3 drakes and 1 hen. A fine day afield for this hunter….except for that suicidal
hen.
We all scored on great ducks today! Gary, Munga, and I with our birds.
Ducks in the air and on water….we spotted these camera ops on our afternoon scouting for tomorrow’s honker hunt.
Ducks in sloughs…during the scouting mission.
Sam retrieving Munga and Gary’s downed ducks in a sl
ough.
Atta boy, Sam!
Lots of these picturesque Pioneer prairie houses scattered through this area. Some like these, were deserted when the folks moved to the towns that
formed along the railway.
Our casual afternoon scouting trips entail a good supply of goose and duck jerky, a few cold colas…
….. and ice water.
Nature always provides something to focus the binoculars….in this case a coyote.
Coyote spotted…and Hunter is spotted. Wiley makes tracks quickly. As coyotes always seem to do.
Whew! We got caught in the middle of a Shetland Pony Stampede!
Our ex-Navy officer tries a sneak approach on this pond for a nice drake widgeon….mission scrubbed.
Pit stop at a once-closed, now open pub…the Depot bar…for old times sake we have a cold brew. Once home to The Testicle Festival. You do
what you can to bring in the tourist trade.
Back in camp….Munga cooks his specialty dinner at the Duk Shak…. “duck spaghetti”.
NEXT MORNING HONKER HUNT: OCT. 3, 2011
Sunrise in the decoys west of the refuge about 2 miles sees us in this feed we spotted on yesterday afternoon’s scouting trip.
Decoy-set scenes at dawn…geese are incoming!
Wing-shooting from coffin blind…score!
1 shell…I goose. I like the economy.
Deek pick-up scene with 3 honkers….a limit.
Picking up deeks and gear…end of a fine morning’s hunt. Unfortunately, it’s Time to Travel for Munga and Gary. They have over 400 miles to do today.
Bon voyage, amigos.
GROUP PICS FOR THE ALBUMS:
Some pics from our hunts in the last three weeks. Fine times with fine friends…Bravo and Good Hunters! See ya next trip.
What’s next? Ahh…something very interesting. You’ll see.
With my camo hat and duck calls hanging from my neck reading your story and looking at the photos. I closed my eyes and saw Simon the Wonderdog
fetching up a big 'ol honker as we toasted with our hershey bars! The wife says I can't blow the calls in the house anymore...
I'll have to try to make some coot jerkey this year.
Esteboom, boom, boom.
We are lucky today…this is an old Indian recipe….shown here for our dining pleasure by a not-so-average aboriginal named,
Sakakayuwanna. She told us parts of her heart-ripping and tragic past.
She belongs to this tribe: Portage la Poop Fug-arewee nation of native Americans, Chapter 8.
Her story: When just a young… but already drop-dead gorgeous child… she was kidnapped by kidnappers from her family’s teepee while her
parents were busy selling Manhattan, and hence she would be kept as a love-slave for many moons. She confides that the handsome and
persuasive Many Moons eventually taught her all the Moon phases over the course of her stay and/or imprisonment.
Rescued from her captors at no great risk to himself, a gnarly & lonely old duck hunter now currently engages her as a highly-applauded, non-paid
Head chef and joke consultant of the Duk Shak.
.
.
Sakakayuwanna’s ‘Roasted & Really Wild Duck’. (This recipe is using Teal, but corn-fed Mallards are muy sabroso, too.)
What follows is Sakakayuwanna’s recipe in her native tongue…..Translated by yours truly.
“Welcome to my cooking fire, white-eyes. Did you know that the only way you can get a hold of wild duck in this country is by shooting it
yourself, or having extraordinarily generous hunter friends who share their bounty? It's the law. Certain migratory birds can be hunted in season, but
not sold.
We were the lucky recipients of some teal ducks recently from our hunting friends Munga, Jeff, Gary, and Gavin. If you have never eaten, let alone
cooked wild duck, let me tell you, it is an entirely different experience than working with ducks from your local trading post.
What follows is a loose recipe and several notes on cooking wild duck, for my own benefit so I remember the next time, as well as for anyone else out
there who may have the opportunity to cook wild duck. And for any of you who happened to be seasoned duck hunters like Chief Pompano Thunderpants,
please feel free to offer cooking suggestions in the comments.
The first thing to note is that wild ducks aren't like chickens or turkey that you have to cook until 170°F. Like many other things I like, wild duck
is best eaten rare. The juices run red, not clear, more like a beautiful juicy red steak. The meat itself is a deep garnet red. It is easy to overcook
the meat, like overcooking a pork tenderloin or a good chateau briand. Except when you overcook duck, the meat tastes game-y, like liver. Yucky-poo.
The taste of wild duck is highly dependent on where that duck has been feeding. According to the Joy of Cooking Chief, shallow water ducks
feeding on local grains, like mallards, widgeons, and teal, can be very succulent, while diving ducks feed on fish, affecting their flavor. Wild ducks
are much more flavorful than domesticated ducks, as their muscles are getting a constant work-out, which is also why their flesh is so red.
Kowabunga, I know that feeling. The taste is closer to steak than to chicken. No, you goose, not me…the duck.
I experimented with two recipes, one with rosemary in the cavity and a sherry cream sauce, and the other with orange rind in the cavity and an orange
juice reduction sauce. We at the Duk Shak all agreed that the rosemary recipe was great and the orange recipe wasn't worth repeating. So, here is the
recipe we liked, note that there are no set amounts, this recipe is more of a loose guideline than anything else.
Roast Wild Duck (Teal) Recipe
Ingredients
Wild (not domesticated) whole duck(s), prepped (gutted, head and feet removed, plucked clean of feathers, shot and any bruised areas removed by
Pompano)
Olive oil
Coarse salt
Rosemary
Onion
Apple
Whole Cloves
Dry Sherry
Cream
I’ve been taught what plants to gather for all the spices in the kitchen by that devilish Many Moons…sigh….my, we sure spent some
times in those meadows….
Method
1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Inspect duck to see if there are any remaining pin feathers, if so, remove them. Rinse the duck with water. Thoroughly pat
dry with paper towels. Lightly stuff duck with a sprig of rosemary, an apple slice with a few cloves poked in them to hold them in place, and a small
wedge of onion.
2. Slather the duck inside and out with olive oil. Generously sprinkle all sides of the duck with coarse salt. Lay, breast up, on a roast rack in a
roasting pan. Place in the middle rack of the oven. Immediately lower the heat to 425°F.
Cooking times depend on the variety of the duck. Teal ducks typically weigh less than a pound and cook in 10-15 minutes. According to the head shaman
a mallard can take up to 25 minutes. Our duck was perfectly done at 13 minutes. Another duck we cooked for 17 minutes was slightly overdone. Meat
thermometers are hardly useful with the small fowl because there isn't enough flesh to put the thermometer into. But if you have an instant read
thermometer and can get a good read, my pal Munga suggests cooking until the duck reaches an internal temp of 135°F. If you error on the rare and
underdone side, you can always put the bird back in the oven for a few more minutes if it isn't done enough.
If you aren't using a meat thermometer, to test for doneness you can take the bird out of the oven and cut a part of it with the tip of a sharp knife.
Note that the juices will run red, and the meat will be quite red. You want the meat to be rare (wild duck only); it should look like a rare (not raw)
steak. The more the meat is cooked beyond the rare stage, the more "livery" or gamey it will taste. Again, that’s a yucky-poo.
3. Remove the duck from the oven and remove to a separate rack or plate to rest, breast side down, for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the stuffing in the
cavity before serving.
4. While the duck is resting, if there are drippings in the roasting pan, pour off the excess fat (save this wonderful fat for another recipe). Place
the roasting pan on the stovetop, heat to medium, and deglaze with a little dry sherry, white wine or other firewater. Scrape up the browned bits
with a metal spatula. Use a metal whisk to break up the bits even further into the wine. Reduce and then add a little cream, (and a few wild juniper
berries if you want an extra touch). Pour off into a gravy serving dish or little bowl.
Serve ducks with wild rice and gravy. Teal ducks are single serving ducks…except in Pompano’s case…sheesh, he can eat a lot of duck.
Note that you can get excellent stock from the duck carcass. Put the duck carcasses in a saucepan, cover with an inch of cold water, bring to a
simmer, lower the heat to barely-a-bubble-simmer covered, and cook for 3 hours. Then strain the stock to a glass jar, let cool to room temperature and
refrigerate. Use the duck stock in place of chicken stock for recipes.
Well, that’s it. Hope you like it as much as Many Moons did…. No, the roast duck, silly.
A pair of Canada geese flew into my decoy set one cold dawn a few years back. As they approached from a very long ways away, I could clearly hear
them honking in the crisp air . When they came close enough to distinguish size, shape and color I was surprised to see the two geese
close-up..…one dark and one white.
“How odd that a snow goose is flying with that Canada goose?, I thought.
But now they were circling my decoy set and I could see that the geese were the same size and could even see the white one’s beak moving with it’s
Honking call.
FYI Note: A snow goose is noticeably smaller than a Canada goose...about 6-8 lbs. compared to 10-12lbs, plus the snow goose call
sounds more like children laughing in a schoolyard compared to the Canada's strong, throaty...Ker-Honk!
As they circled one last time before cupping their wings on a committed landing into the deek set, I knew that the big white goose out in front was
indeed a white Canada goose…a honker...and definitely NOT a snow goose. I got a little excited at this rare event. While
I realized the possibility of albinos happening in any species, this was the FIRST…and so far ONLY…big albino Canada I had ever seen.
This was a very unique event.
I dropped it dead as a mackerel with 3” magnum steel BB’s and had it mounted.
.
Had I known of the following Legend…would I have done things differently?
LEGEND OF THE WHITE GOOSE:
“The Old Sky Woman and The White Goose”
When winter brought the cold north wind, Up North children were always told that the Old Woman was up in the sky plucking her
White Goose.
The children were very interested in the Old Sky Woman and her great White Goose, and they said, as they lifted their soft little faces to the grey of
the cloud and watched the feathers of the big Sky Goose come whirling down, that she was a wonderful woman and her Goose a very big Goose.
'I want to climb up to the sky to see the Old Woman plucking her Goose,' cried a tiny boy; and he asked his mother to show him the great Sky Stairs.
But his mother could not, for she did not know where the Sky Stairs were; so the poor little boy could not go up to see the Old Sky Woman plucking the
beautiful feathers out of her big White Goose.
'Where does the Old Woman keep her great White Goose?' asked another child, with eyes and hair as dark as a raven's wing, as he watched the snow-white
feathers come dancing down.
'In the beautiful Sky Meadows behind the clouds,' his mother said.
Then, just as large, fluffy snowflakes began to fall, the little girl asked,
'What is the Old Sky Woman going to do with her great big Goose when she has picked her bare?' queried a little maid with sweet, anxious eyes.
'Stuff it with onions and sage,'her hunter-Grandfather
said.
Postscript :
Again...Had I known of the Legend…would I have done things any differently?
"Yes...I would have used less sage...don't really care for the stuff."
Everything you've always wanted to know about Albinos.
Hi again, folks and welcome back to this Hunting Thread.
A slight detour begins here. We're going out on a limb from Hunting. But why not? Isn't that where the fruit is? Not to worry, you will not be
too far out.
At the time of that albino Canada goose hunt, I was prompted to do some studying on the facts of albinism…and it proved to be very interesting,
indeed. At least to me, hence this post:
Come on folks, if I can’t get you interested in Hunting… at least I KNOW you’re interested in albinos!
Obviously, Hunting seems to be a non-interest topic among the frequent-writer Nomads, although the total number of views suggests a much
larger readership on the subject. I've received a few U2U's & emails from various states and places around the globe so I know there's lots of
hunters..or an interest in hunting..out there reading. But generally hunters are not great communicators and so seldom post their views. As you
know, I'm a bit different, being way-too-garralous for my own good. Just be thankful I don't talk with my hands like some piasano windmills I
know....she's worse than a labrador's tail!
I realize most forum contributors are probably not reading and/or not commenting one way or the other…being most likely bored to death with this
subject.....but it's a passion with me and I have always written about what I liked. I also realize this might be a case where the most contentous
controversies are those for which there is no good evidence either way...just our personal views. I respect those views and will try to avoid making
this a long monologue.
Anyway, hunting season is almost over… for me. Soon Baja will be my subject heading again. Looking forward to that return
and the change of interest.
Now...on with the subject at hand:
ALBINOS – ALBINISM
(Note on some of this info:
" If you steal from one author, it’s plagiarism; if you steal from many, it’s ’research’.".)
This is my 'research':
Sometimes nature's color palette comes in very neutral hues. See these white wonders of the animal kingdom.
Upper two pics: A pair of extremely rare white otter cubs have been born at the Blue Planet Aquarium in the UK. The duo are part of a litter of three
baby Asian short claw otters born at the aquarium at the end of March. Their siblings are a coffee brown, but these baby otters were born a snowy
white.
Lower left pic: An albino mountain goat with its mother pictured Sunday, June 24, 2007, by Forest rangers in the Les Laures valley in the Val d'Aosta
region, in the northwestern Italian Alps.
Bottom middle and far-right pics: In this photo provided by the National Buffalo Museum, a second white bison calf has been born in a herd on the
edge of Jamestown, N.D. A small town I know very well. The albino baby's name is White Cloud, an albino buffalo born on a farm east of Devils Lake,
N.D
Two left pics: Upper: This image released by Dolphin Safari.com shows an albino dolphin off Dana Point, Calif. Lower: An albino dolphin calf follows
an adult, in the Calcasieu Ship Channel in La. The dolphin is still often seen in the channel south of Lake Charles, near the western edge of
Louisiana.
Top right pic: Above, an albino baby kangaroo and its mother in a park in Denmark – the baby, whose sex is still unknown, has been outside of its
mothers pouch for about two weeks
Bottom right pic: A white alligator is seen resting on an island of the Vista Plantation golf course in Vero Beach, Fla
Two albino raccoons, named Snowball and Nell, lay low with another raccoon, Chance. These raccoons reside in a zoo in Charleston, SC because their
lack of pigment makes them an easy target for predators in the wild.
This little albino squirrel fattens up for winter and the Christmas season. While squirrels don't hibernate, they do bulk up in bodyweight to help
them get through the winter. This albino is a real animal oddity, albinism only affects 1 in 100,000 squirrels.
This photo provided by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources shows John Kubisiak holding a 33-inch albino muskellunge captured during a
population survey in April 2005.
*My albino Canada goose above is uncommon, not really RARE, but still VERY uncommon.
The wildlife biologists at nearby Clark Salyer Game Refuge told my amigos and me the other day that my albino Canada was 1 in about 25,000 for that
species, although amongst the refuge's songbirds, upland game, etc..the percentage is much higher...one in 5000, and sometimes less depending on
genetics present. The biologists were very interested in getting all my info about this albino goose...and were quite glad when I told them I plan to
donate the mount to their headquarter waterfowl display.
*Well..... we know that at least ONE albino Canada is no longer rare or uncommon……it’s dead and stuffed! (See there? It's that damn humor
again..getting me into trouble all over again...sigh..)
MORE INFORMATION ON ALBINOS:
(Yes, I can hear you saying...'Jesus! Will it never end?')
Animals that are white instead of their normal color quickly capture our attention and imagination. Albinos are rare, but common enough that almost
everyone has seen one, or knows someone that has.
Albinos have the characteristics of other members of their species, except that their cells are unable to produce melanin, a dark pigment that results
in normal coloration in the skin, scales, eyes or hair. A lack of melanin usually causes an animal—or parts of an animal—to appear white or pink, or
to have a bleached look.
Animals can be pure or partial albinos. Pure albinos usually have pink eyes, nails, scales and skin. They're pink because, without coloration, the
blood vessels show through. In humans and some other animals, the eyes of an albino are light blue or green because of the way light passes through
the iris.
Partial albinos have some of the coloration typical of their species, but parts of their body appear white. Piebald deer, which have splotches of
white on their fur as adults, are a good example. Many red-winged blackbirds have a partially white wing, and partial albino raccoons will have a
white patch on their fur.
Being white doesn't make an animal an albino. The true test is whether it has pink or light blue eyes.
Leucistic animals have mostly white skin, hair or scales, but will have some dark pigmentation in their eyes and nails.
Though leucistic animals are not as rare as true albino animals, many are displayed at zoos.
An Inherited Trait
Albinism is passed genetically from parents to offspring. Each cell contains numerous pairs of genes, one from each parent. These genes transmit
traits through generations. An albino offspring results from a specific combination of genes.
Albinos are infrequent because the genes for that trait are recessive, while the genes for normal pigmentation are dominant. If both are present,
normal pigmentation occurs. If only recessive genes occur, albinism may result. Only a small percentage of animals carry the recessive gene, so the
chance of the pairing of recessive genes in an individual animal is slight.
In humans, for example, about one in 70 people carry a recessive gene for albinism, and about one in 20,000 humans are albinos.
Warning...Humor ahead!
Some Hollywood albinos....most always the Bad Guys!
This dog and master are sooo close to being Albino-look-a-likes I thought I’d include them…from the Tillamook Air Museum RV park on the Oregon Coast.
They were our campsite neighbors...and What a great pair!! Together they put some proof to the theory that pet and master eventually start to
resemble each other.
At least 300 species of animals in North America have albino individuals. In Missouri, people have photographed or witnessed albinism in turtles,
catfish, salamanders, deer, frogs, snakes, bluebirds and raccoons.
The degree of albinism varies among animal groups. Some researchers working with mammals estimate that true albinos occur in about one in 10,000
births. Some of our Conservation Department hatcheries have seen albino catfish produced as frequently as one in 20,000 fish. Yet some researchers
working with birds found that albinism occurs in 17 of 30,000 individuals, or one of 1,764 birds.
Normal- or random-breeding usually decreases the chance for albino offspring. Inbreeding among small isolated populations, or among closely related
individuals, can increase the chances for albinism. Even among humans, albinism rates vary with geographic location.
Animals in some areas have extremely high rates of albinism. In Marionville, for example, white squirrels dominate the population. The number of these
partial albinos remains high because people living there feed and pamper their white squirrels and have passed ordinances to protect them from hunters
and motorists.
Perils of Albinism
Lacking protective coloration, albino animals are more likely to be seen by predators, prey and pompanos. It's easy, for example, to spot
Marionville's albino squirrels against the dark trunks of the trees they climb.
Although it seems logical that albinos would have a survival disadvantage, some studies suggest that albino animals may not be as conspicuous to other
predators as they are to us.
Predators such as hawks, for example, may rely on a search image for prey that primarily involves shape and movement. The color of the prey may make
little difference, as long as the prey looks and acts like a food item.
A lack of pigmentation can, however, affect the vision of albino animals, making it hard for them to find food and avoid danger.
Types of Albinism
Feature - Albino, Leucistic, Partial Albino
Albino: Hair, skin, scales White or pink all over. Little or no ability to produce color.
Leucistic: White or pink all over. Small portions or patches of white. Little ability to produce color.
Partial Albino: Pink Usually blue Normal colors. Ability to produce most normal colors.
Dark pigments like melanin also help to protect skin and eyes from overexposure to sunlight. Many albino animals face a higher risk of melanomas and
retinal damage. In the case of some albino reptile species that bask in the sun to warm themselves, sunlight may quickly prove fatal.
Albinism also may make life more difficult for some birds and other animals that use color to attract mates. Several of our songbird females select
males based on their courtship displays. Having a display missing a crucial splash of color may put the animal at a competitive disadvantage.
Appreciating Albinos
Because they are rare, albino animals have often been given mythical status. Many American Indians, for example, considered white bison to be sources
of immense power and good fortune. To do harm to them would bring misfortune. On the other hand, shooting an albino Canada goose is thought to bring
great good luck with the opposite sex. This reseach is still in question.
Animals that are legal to be bought or sold can bring a higher price if they are albinos. Breeders of amphibians and reptiles for captive animal
markets often test and select for albino offspring. Several zoos proudly keep albino specimens.
Modern-day hunters like pompano sometimes see albino animals. They can harvest them during legal hunting seasons, except, as in Marionville, where the
albino animals are protected by local regulations. Pompano is always ultra-legal since CBS showed it's disgraceful "The Guns Of Autumn".
Because they lack color, albino animals have a ghostly beauty. Many people count themselves lucky to see one. You can increase your chance of
discovering one of these rare oddities of nature by spending more time outdoors...maybe set out a few decoys?
A full (or true, or complete) albino is recognizable by the lack of pigment in the eyes, making them appear pink.
Partially leucistic Canada Geese can be found in most large flocks but wholly white birds are far more uncommon.
The presence of white feathers on a normally dark bird is the most frequently seen color abnormality. Every birder can expect to encounter white or
partly-white birds with some regularity, and the more striking examples will stand out even to novices.
Terminology
A true albino is a very specific genetic mutation, rarely seen in the wild, and can easily be referred to by calling it a “full”, “true” or “complete”
albino. The other terms mentioned below (leucistic, dilute, etc.), and others, can be used for specific cases, but consider all of the possibilities
and be wary of false precision.
The term leucistic has a confused history. In the introductions of the Sibley Guides I said the term leucistic is synonymous with dilute plumage. That
usage was fairly common among birders at the time, and I was unaware that it contradicted several scholarly publications (e.g. Buckley 1982, van Grouw
2006) which define leucistic as the total lack of melanin from some or all feathers (what I called partial albino in the guides). It does make sense
to distinguish birds that are unable to deposit melanin (my partial albino, their leucistic) from birds that are able to deposit melanin but only in
low concentrations (my leucistic, their dilute). Below I’ve used the term leucistic (not partial albino) for birds which cannot deposit melanin, which
helps to distinguish these birds from the narrowly-defined true albino, and allows use of the term “partial albino” as a general category for any bird
showing any form of reduced melanin. These terms should be corrected in the introduction of the Sibley Guides.
The True Albino
A full or true albino is a very specific mutation with a well known genetic cause similar across all vertebrates. All of the plumage is white and the
skin is unpigmented. Even the eye is unpigmented, and appears pink or red as we see the blood vessels in the retina. Melanin serves some critical
functions in vision and in protecting the eye from UV radiation, so full albino birds can’t see well and for that and other reasons don’t survive long
in the wild. Adult full albino birds are essentially never seen in the wild. Note that the inability to produce melanin does not affect the red
carotenoid pigments, so the red color appears more or less as usual on this bird’s feathers and bill.
And THAT is the end of THAT...almost..
An albino bird is not necessarily all white. Nor is a Pompano at Halloween..
"And that's ALL, FOLKS! Sorry about the lenght of this post, but I'm late getting to the Hunt and lack the time/skills to make it shorter.
Many Thanks for that rendition of 'The Swan', Igor...always a treat to watch a masterful performance. Inspiring enough that I'll make a tape
and play it for my hunting pals in next years goose blinds.
I agree on the choreography being less than perfect.
The darkened, silhouetted ballerina en pointe was very dynamic & truly highlighted my love of ballet....
... but that full-imaged and colored second half ...just made my toes hurt ...
....and then my tutu fell off.
We'll call this 'Swan' a 'trumpeter' and give her some
company to ease her lonely sadness.
And..like 'The Sleeping Beauty'...a kiss to awaken her from her 100-year coma.
Thanks again, Igor....you brightened up my morning....and...Always glad to have some swans added to the game bag.
Moved your post over here, George. This thread's more fitting to actual hunting.
Pomp, what's a hunting thread without some pics of you know what? Still no snow here the south state, that is to change Saturday.
Contrary to popular belief there are places which remain the same or perhaps even get better. In that respect both Baja and North Dakota enjoy just
such places. In the center of Baja and North Dakota, off the beaten path, on the roads less traveled, not much has changed.
Sorry about the too-big size of some of my photos, folks....I'm working on it, but in the meantime just use the FN key (bottom left on my keyboard)
with the - and it will reduce the page size.
Well, Dennis certainly did a fine job of stirring things a little and firing up the troops. I find it interesting to note that he used the same type
approach as PETA and the radicals, and while that gets a few people to follow along, it is very devisive and really accomplishes nothing at all. It
is a value judgement, nothing more, and you can easily see from a lot of the responses, that their value system is somewhat different from what Dennis
proposes. (If he really believes that to be the case and is not simply baiting). But, since it is a simple value judgement and is based on one's life
experiences then it all goes out the window when something in the equation changes. For example, world holocaust and Dennis is starving and the only
thing to eat is an "innocent deer or goose or whatever" and suddenly the whole thing gets changed.
Roger obviously grew up in a culture and group that not only advocated the life style, but it became a very strong part of his belief and character.
Any need to attack that in an openly hostile and destructive way is to do the same type of destructive practice that PETA does when they throw Ketchup
and Dye on women who choose to wear fur coats when dressed up for a night on the town.
I have no problem with the difference of opinion but I strongly react to the notion that my way of thinking is any less right or important.
But, even though I was raised in a non-rural, non-hunting life, I read all of Pompano's posts and understood them as respectful of the rules and laws.
He posts about a heritage of hunting to survive and respecting that. The animals he hunts are taken lawfully and then he prepares/preserves what he
brings to the table.
This is not willful kill/slaughter for trophies.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
"If it were lush and rich, one could understand the pull, but it is fierce and hostile and sullen.
The stone mountains pile up to the sky and there is little fresh water. But we know we must go back
if we live, and we don't know why." - Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
"People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." - Theodore Roosevelt
"You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them or to them." - Malcolm Forbes
"Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others
cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else's hands, but not you." - Jim Rohn
"The best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the wrong answer." - Cunningham's Law
Thankyou to Baja Bound
Mexico InsuranceServices for your long-term support of the BajaNomad.com Forums site.
Emergency Baja Contacts Include:
Desert Hawks;
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