Poll -Should we allow hunting related posts on this forum

[brihacharan]

by Bruno22 » Tue Apr 13, 2010 10:25 pm

Great story sir, every generation does something that was acceptable in their times. Times change. Looking back you may say that you enjoyed the hunt and why not, but you may think twice in the present day and age about bagging the stag again.

> Bruno you are absolutely right.
> I gave up hunting a long time ago - but my love for GUNS still prevail!
> Since then I began shooting with a camera and "the thrill of stalking & shooting" (on a 35mm frame) still remains the same, may be even more.
> I have had the good fortune of having some of my pictures published in the Sanctuary Magazine.
> In my next birth I want to be born as a 'Stag' and roam the wild.
Cheers
Brihacharan

[hvj1]

> I gave up hunting a long time ago - but my love for GUNS still prevail!

Very interesting parallels, Gave up hunting some time ago, and switched to target shooting, I sometimes dream about guns.

> Since then I began shooting with a camera and "the thrill of stalking & shooting" (on a 35mm frame) still remains the same, may be even more.

Precisely the same experience, but not in the same class as yours.

> I have had the good fortune of having some of my pictures published in the Sanctuary Magazine.

>
I have downloaded Bruce Whittaker's Wildlife Safari Photography and decided on purchasing the Nikon, digital camera with Zoom lenses. Any advice on this matter and photographs would be most welcome.

In my next birth I want to be born as a 'Stag' and roam the wild.

And risk being admired dead, skinned, quartered?

I hold you in high esteem, Sir, hopefully, I would like to retain the same zest for life as you have displayed.
Best Regards

[kanwar76]

And risk being admired dead, skinned, quartered?

You forgot to add grilled and eaten

[hvj1]

And yes, Grilled and eaten
Thanks Kanwar

[kanwar76]

And yes, Grilled and eaten
Thanks Kanwar

Anytime buddy anytime.

-Inder

[hvj1]

[brihacharan]

In my next birth I want to be born as a 'Stag' and roam the wild.

Hey Guys!
> Getting shot, skinned, quartered and barbecued to be eaten while downing the finest of single malts was not part of my 'Wishful' thinking!!!
> It was born out of a true life experience my hunting guru (he is 92 and still kicking) once told me.
> He had gone to Kashmir to hunt 'Hangul', one of the finest stags in the world. The weather was cold and misty in the valley. Hours of waiting and no stag in sight, he called it a day and was returning to the hunting lodge when he suddenly heard the unmistable bellow. With shivers of excitement running down his spine he back tracked and to his utter surprise saw this magnificent stag with trophy class antlers about 100 - 150 yds away. He was totally oblivious to his surroundings and kept bellowing (may be calling his harem)!!! My friend told me that the sight was so 'ethereal' that he did not have the heart to put the cross-hairs of his 30-06 to the stag's shoulder and squeeze away. He stood still till the stag turned and disappeared into the mist - rearing to sire many like him to roam the valley!
> Well now you know where I got my inspiration - for my future incarnation!!!
Cheers
Brihacharan

[hvj1]

Ah! You speak in pictures and not words, I could well imagine your experience and you are indeed fortunate. May you have many more of the same in this lifetime and the next.
BR

[shooter]

Hangul or the indian red stag is the only variety of red stag to be found on the subcontinent. Cervus elaphus hanguli.
As majestic as its european cousin, now found in the hills of himalayas particularly Kashmir.
Hunting a hangul will always remain an unfulfilled wish but i do hope some members here will share more of their stories.

Dear Brihacharan, please share your stories with us and if possible please ask your guruji to do the same.

[Sakobav]

> Well out in the jungles, where survival of the fittest prevail - Peaceful co-existance between animals - even helping one another survive is an exemplary code of conduct. We humans could learn a lesson from it.
Cheers
Brihacharan
.

Its the way we think, if one is open to other people's point of view, opinion and expriences, bridges can be built. But where the ego is so huge the vision blinkered, then you are confronted with bigotry accompanied by a sneering attitude and doubts on other peoples abilities. This hold true for both sides.

+1

[hvj1]

Hangul or the indian red stag is the only variety of red stag to be found on the subcontinent. Cervus elaphus hanguli.
As majestic as its european cousin, now found in the hills of himalayas particularly Kashmir.

Shooter,
For a long time I am seeing that you come up with the species name, habitat, behaviour of various animals,etc. Now tell me mate, is this information at the tip of your fingers ? If so, then it s bloody AMAZING! A veritable fountainhead, could explain how you managed to acquire this knowledge, so that other mortals (like me) can also follow your footsteps.
BR

[kanwar76]

Hangul, another almost lost animal, only around 180 left in wild. According to an article I was reading some days ago, Main culprit is lack of hunting or poaching of carnivores like Leopards and Bears.

Edit: Here is the article
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Ear ... 025289.cms

Now don’t blame me, blame the reporter.

-Inder

[hvj1]

Thanks Kanwar, very interesting article, a bit weird too, in the sense, that the population of bears and leopards have increased due to lack of poaching. Makes an extremely strong case for shooting permits. But then, who would like to go hunting in those forests? Lest they be mistaken by either side and shot!
The captive breeding programme is a great step, sometimes I wish, I could drop everything and go for a coupla months.
I also sometimes wonder, whether , hunters, poachers, conservationists, the endangered animals, predators and other myriad natural factors are all a part of gigantic scheme of things. A kaliedoscope where all of us contribute to the constantly changing motif? Is Mother Nature in control or is Man disturbing the delicate balancing act? Perhaps we will get to know, only in the fullness of time.

[shooter]

Dear HVJ thanks for the compliment. Well ive always been interested in wildlife since i was a kid.

all the posts i write here are what i know not what i google and cut and paste. Im not saying googling is bad; in fact even ive learnt a lot this way.

But i dont write googled stuff till im sure its verified and in my memory. Then its part of what i know.

Also recently did the deer hunting course so was reading up a lot about red deer. But in general if youre interested, READ READ READ. Also watch animal planet, nat geo, discovery. Try to go to wildlife parks and observe not look but observe.

Look at the most characteristic features of different species (and you will be surprised its not the coat). Though the most easily visible and the biggest part of what we see, coat can be most miisleading as it camoflages esp in bad daylight.

Even antlers dont do much justice since females dont have any.

Always notice the rump, tail and the overall shape of the body. All deer have different rumps/tails/absence of tails.
If you see a stag, notice the antlers count the number of points/spread/ shape etc.

Notice where you see the animals. In magazines when you see pics of animals see, what countries they are native to then look up those countries on the globe, try to see if they are tropicial, temperate or medeterranean etc. Then see the plants in the background.

Basically its a lot of observation. As i kid i didnt know the diff between a cheetah and a leopard (both are spotted cats). Then i observed the difference in size. But what about a small leopard? Then i noticed the 'tear lines' (didnt know this is what they were called back then) on the face. Now of course i can tell the difference by looking at the siluhette but so can anybody else who has observed. Next time you are in a national park, rather than just looking and being mesmerised by the beauty, try to look at some body characteristics. Anything. Even something like its gait (does it walk with alternate front and opposite rear limb moving together or right/left at a time) can be fascinating. Anything that you can notice that you didnt know earlier will be a building block of knowledge.
All the best.

I feel hunting is much more than pulling the trigger.

If one cant appreciate the whole ecology, biology of the prey and its habitat, its killing.
Love for nature, respect and admiration for the quarry, knowledge of its habits habitat, knowledge of its behaviour, tracking, spoor, knowing breeding cycles, biology; thats what hunting is; not pulling the trigger, doing high five and posing for a picture.
And it doesnt finish there: grolloching, quartering, skinning, butchering, preferably cooking it and then eating it is what completes the full circle.

Theres nothing wrong and shameful in doing all this even if one is a millionaire and has lots of people to do this for you.

Also since like it or not, we are killing for our 'pleasure' /hobby, its our duty to ensure the animal suffers as less as possible and even if this comes at the cost of that 'great' long shot.

I think there are two things wrong with those 'macho' shots:
more chances of the placement not being right and hence the animal suffering more
2 your stalking abilities not being tested to the fullest.

Do you know in the UN international convention or treaties (dont know the technical name) of war, it is unethical and illegal to use rifles in war that havent been properly zeroed and thats because it might result in a badly placed shot resulting in more pain and suffering than necessary.

Shouldnt we extend the same courtsey to the quarry that is giving us somuch by giving up its life?

well these are my thoughts and i have always maintained that 'the kill' is the most minor and less important part of the hunt.

Dunno if the others agree.

[prashantsingh]

Another one of your "very well written posts" shooters. There are two things which came to mind after I went through your post.
"1. Shouldnt we extend the same courtesy to the quarry that is giving us so much by giving up it's life". This is very important. We all have seen snaps of old time shikaris standing with one hand holding their rifle and one foot placed perfectly on a dead animal (in many cases a beautiful tiger). It is sad and unfortunate.Were they not treating those majestic animals with disrespect after they had died.
"2. It is unethical and illegal to use a rifle which has not been properly zeroed....." I agree with you completely. But there is another aspect to it. In WAR an injured soldier is more of a liabilty to it's Govt. (and more of a drain to the economy) than a dead one......and todays wars are not just about loss of human life but also loss to the nations economy.

-- Fri Apr 16, 2010 12:23 am --

Just finished reading the article you had posted Kanwar. The Hangul is a big deer. I doubt if a leopard can bring down a big fellow easily. I have seen ranges where the absence of tigers has lead to an increase in the Sambhar population , inspite of the presence of leopards. I do not say that a leopard can not kill a Hangul. But I do say that the Hangul can not be the only animal on the menu of a leopard or a bear. Deforestation and Poaching are surely more responsible for the plight of this deer ......specially in a state (Riyasat of Jammu and Kashmir) where even the forest dept. laws are different from those in the rest of the country.
Interestingly the Wildlife (Protection) Act,1972 , extends to the whole nation, except for Jammu and Kashmir.