Trophy Hunt

I love to read and during this isolation time I have even more time to get to the end of the great books by my bed.

Three books going at once fills my need for variety as well as continued enjoyment of great literature.

Last night I approached the end of one of my favorites “The Wilderness Warrior ” by Douglas Brinkley. “Yes!” I cried in my head. There on pages 704 and 705 were, in plain black type, those feelings I had often ruminated on myself.

January 2009, Professor Chris Darimount (google him) stated in an issue of “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ” ; “Modern day hunters, by aiming for the ‘mightiest’ and the ‘lordliest’ big game had left surviving generations with a slimmer, less sturdy gene pool.”

Mark Twain believed that “…selective hunting causes the decline of the very species that __ outdoorsmen want saved.”

My husband has hunted trophy deer and I apologize to them daily.

The meat was not wasted. But, what of the gene pool? Is it not better to leave such an impressive animal free to beget more impressive bucks? That big bull moose, large black bear, should they not be allowed to pass on their impressive genes instead of hanging on someone’s wall?

I am not against hunting for meat and hunters are largely responsible for most of the land conservation in this country, but perhaps we should change our ways a little so future generations can marvel at the magnificence of these animals.

These are ramblings that I am sure will gall many of my readers across the country, but please, think about the survival of the fittest. Perhaps hold off pulling that trigger to get your trophy. After all, most antlers are not eaten.