I don’t usually pay much attention to news or emails about “trophy” bucks.  Sure, I’ll spend a few seconds in awe of a really great specimen, but I find them most impressive alive.  Once they’re dead, they’re meat as far as I’m concerned.  Not to take away from anyone’s sense of accomplishment or anything, and a big set of antlers is nice enough… congrats to the hunter if it made him happy… but I don’t really care all that much about pictures of a big deer that someone I don’t even know has killed. 

So when the news came out about this 24-point buck killed in Michigan, I kinda blinked through it.  Big deal…another big deer.  I wasn’t really interested.  But when I read the follow-up to that story at the Outdoor Pressroom, I got a little interested… and then I got mad. 

Turns out, this jerk shot the deer and THEN went to buy his license afterward!  So this “Great White Hunter” is actually just another sorry-assed poacher!  From the Outdoor Pressroom, I followed the link to an online article from the Jackson Citizen Patriot.  The article explains that the Department of Natural Resources agents were skeptical  about Mr. James’s story.  A brief investigation turned up the fact that he went to a local marina and bought his hunting license THE DAY AFTER HE SHOT THE DEER!

Now when anyone is alleged to have committed a crime like this, I tend to hold off my own judgement until they have their day in court.  But Mr. James has already confessed to the act. 

“I turned myself in and told the truth on my own,” James said. “Like I told the conservation officer, it was an honest mistake. I always bought my deer licenses, but this time I forgot.”

I’m sorry.  Did he say he “forgot” to buy his deer license?  Really?  That’s the best he’s got?  An honest mistake…?

No.  You don’t FORGET to buy your deer license before you go shoot the deer of a lifetime.  You may forget your binoculars.  You could forget your release.  You might even forget to bring your license with you when you left the house that morning. 

But you DON’T FORGET TO BUY A LICENSE BEFORE YOU SHOOT A MONSTER BUCK! 

There is nothing honest or mistaken in this thing at all.  I’d say Mr James’s real plan was to save himself $15 until he found a deer he wanted to shoot.  That way, he could hunt all season for free, and then he’d only have to pay if he actually killed something.  He saw this monster buck, and out of pure selfishness and trophy-lust, he killed it.  Then he went and bought a license. 

That’s not how it works, folks.  I hope the judge and prosecutors see through his ridiculous claim as well. 

The misdemeanor charge of unlawfully taking game carries a mandatory jail term of 5-93 days, a $1,000 fine, loss of hunting privileges for three years and forfeiture of the antlers.

I hope he gets the full penalty with both barrels, in addition to the scorn and contempt of real sportsmen around the country.  It’s people like Mr. James here who make it so bloody hard to defend the sport and tradition of hunting.  Every time we’re able to generate the scantest amount of positive press, someone like Mr. James has to come along and erase it all with one stupid, selfish motion. 

So for his greedy and stupid acts, and the irreparable harm he has done to the image of hunters and sportsmen throughout the land, I hereby name Mr. Christopher James as the first recipient of the Hog Blog’s Adam Henry Award.

Congratulations, Mr. James.

Adam Henry (A. H.) – Commonly used police radio code for Asshole.

Anybody wonder where folks get the negative stereotypes of hunters?  I don’t.  Sometimes there are things that just really make it hard to defend our sport… like the series of videos I found on Youtube the other day.

This guy has a whole string of clips from the Missouri Department of Conservation “robo-deer” stings.  Idiots spot the decoy from the road, then these “sportsmen” stop and open fire.  Some don’t even bother to get out of the car or truck! 

Anyway, here are a couple of them.  There are about 12 or 14 on YouTube.  Do a search for “Deer Decoy” and “Missouri”, or you can look them up by user name, “MOHunting”.

Warning, the following video may incite judicious fury in the mind of ethical, law-abiding hunters.

It’s a trend that’s been going on, quietly it seems, for quite some time.  Lead ammunition is becoming an issue, and will likely be phased out on a very large scale.  

Waterfowlers were probably some of the first to see it, when lead shot for ducks and geese was banned over 20 years ago.  Despite the uproar caused by the proposal, and pessimistic predictions that waterfowling participation would dry up due to the excessive cost of non-lead ammo, the ban passed and duck hunters bucked up and kept on hunting. 

Shooting ranges have also been under the microscope, since lead ammo creates several toxicity risks…from the accumulation of lead in the ground downrange, to lead particulates and toxic gases released whenever a firearm is discharged.  Manufacturers have been racing to come up with acceptable replacements for lead.  The U.S. military and several law enforcement agencies have adopted “green” ammunition for range firing, and the trend is moving into the sport shooters.  Sweden is anticipated to have completely banned lead ammunition by 2008, and much of Europe is not far behind. 

The issue is coming to a head in California, as state lawmakers are poised to make a decision on the future of lead ammunition for the state’s big game hunters.  On the table are essentially four possibilities: ban lead ammunition statewide, ban lead ammo in the current condor range, ban lead in the historic condor range (much larger area), or not to ban lead at all.

While the majority of hunters would support that fourth option, many environmentalists, some biologists, and even some hunters are arguing for the total ban of lead.  From the way things are shaping up in the issue, it’s much more likely that we’ll see something in the middle. 

As I reported here earlier, Tejon Ranch announced earlier this year that hunters there would have to use completely lead-free ammunition beginning with the 2008 hunting season.  The restriction there goes beyond the CA Fish and Game Commission’s recommendations by also including all shotshells and rimfire ammunition. 

Deedy Bryson is a hunting guide and operator of the Bryson Hesperia Resort, and does a good bit of hunting in and around Fort Hunter Liggett (a military base that is often open to the public for hunting).  Deedy said her sources are indicating that Fort Hunter Ligget is also considering a ban on lead ammunition, at least for big game hunting. 

From where I’m sitting, it looks like the lead ban is coming, in one form or another.  Odds are that once it’s put into place, it’s not going away either.  In fact, there’s a strong likelihood that this is the beginning of a national trend.

What does it mean to hunters? 

Well, it means that we won’t be able to hunt with much of the ammunition we’ve become so familiar with.  The Core-Lokt, PowerPoint, and other basic stuff will become history, much as lead shotshells did for waterfowl hunters.  The big question mark for most hunters then, is what will replace lead ammo, and will we be able to afford it? 

Replacements are a little scarce right now.  Unlike shot manufacture, where tolerances are a little more flexible, rifle bullets require fairly precise balance and mass.  This is why lead was such a great material for making bullets.  Materials like Bismuth and “Hevi-shot” work fine for casting small pellets, but are much more difficult to work with in making bullets.  Tungsten has been used by the military, but they are now finding that tungsten bullets have their own pollution issues. 

Barnes, a bullet manufacturer out of Utah has been making all-copper bullets for several years now.  Despite some early issues with barrel fouling, they have created several new bullets that meet the lead-free designation and offer superior performance for big game hunting.  Unfortunately for many hunters who are on a budget, the Barnes bullets aren’t cheap.  For handloaders, a box of TSX bullets will run close to the cost of a box of factory loaded lead ammunition.  Factory ammunition with the Barnes bullets is as much as two to four times the cost of basic lead ammo ($19.99 for 30-06 Remington Core-lokt vs. $37.99 for Federal’s “Vital-Shok” loaded with Barnes TSX bullets on Cabelas website). 

Until recently, Barnes has been the only real player in the non-lead field.  However, based on a press release I got yesterday, Winchester ammunition has partnered with well known bullet manufacturer, Nosler, to release their new “ETipT”, non-lead bullet.  Currently only available in .30 caliber loadings (.308, 30-06, 300WinMag, and .300WSM), this entry should herald the offerings from other makers as the lead ammo ban goes from distant rumor to imminent fact. 

No word yet on the price range for the Winchester/Nosler ammo.

Personally, while I’m got a lot of issues with the argument that this is all about saving the condors, I do agree that getting rid of lead is probably a good idea.  It’s hard on the groundwater at shooting ranges and even in some major hunting areas.  It’s a threat to anyone who breathes the fumes along any shooting range, especially indoor ranges. 

It’s also tough on any animal that eats it, including us.  And anyone who eats any amount of game is ingesting a share of lead.  It’s been removed from almost every other aspect of our lives, at least in ingestible/inhalable forms.  Maybe it is about time that we remove it from our game and wild lands. 

I believe that every law enforcement officer is a hero.  It’s a tough and under-appreciated job, dealing daily with the lowest elements of our society so that you and I don’t have to.  Every morning, these men and women pin a target on their uniforms and go out to face another day that could be their last. 

Friday was that day for Texas Game Warden, Justin Hurst. 

Capital murder charges have been filed against a Wharton County man in connection with the murder of Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Warden outside of East Bernard. Game Warden Justin Hurst, 34, of El Campo was killed early Saturday morning after a pursuit involving the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), Wharton County Sheriff Deputies and Department of Public Safety troopers. A warrant was expected to be served to James Freeman, 26, reportedly of Lissie.  

Read the entire article and related stories here.

I offer a salute to Warden Hurst, to his survivors, and to all the men and women out there who put their lives on the line each day to uphold the law and keep our society whole.