Some awfully good comments and points made. With most people's hectic schedules, and the politics and litigiousness of the times, there are fewer and fewer places TO shoot, even when the desire is there, and less and less time to do it anyway. This is a real problem, of course, when we consider the future of our beloved sports.
I have a strong sense that the upcoming election is going to be a very large determinant of that, and I'm honestly not very optimistic about it, based on what all I can see and project forward to where it tends to be leading us, collectively speaking, as a nation.
Every anti-liberal factor I see seems to be self-destructing, and thus, allowing liberalism and its inanities reign. It seems few of us really think more than just superficially these days, maybe because we're too dang busy to really consider things very thoughtfully and seriously, and there seems to be little motivation about for real introspectives. Thus, maybe it's understandable that we're forming our own un-doing, but that kind'a thing is more appropriate for the political forum, so I'll leave it at that, but it really IS affecting where we're going and what we're going to be able to do in the future.
I was just concerned, and need to thank MD again for his very thorough and thoughtful reply. Things don't happen for no reason, and we as a nation are not in decline for no reason, and that the stuff in our beloved shooting magazines isn't what it once was is probably more of a reflection of the readership than it is of the authors, or even the managers/owners/editors, so .... as Sonny and Cher said, "The beat goes on."
I really do miss some of the old stuff and authors, though, and just thought it might be functional to let that be known. It now looks like the forces affecting that are bigger than all of us, and that's actually good news, at least of a sort, anyway.
Most new "hunters" don't really know how to hunt, but just want to know where to go and sit, and see a good animal, and many can't even hit the thing when they DO get a chance because they have nowhere to shoot or practice. And that's not their fault at all!
You'd think that here in SE Ga. where I am, that there'd be plenty of places to shoot, but that's getting harder and harder to find simply because more and more people complain about the noise disturbing their delicate little sensibilities. The "Big Woods" have been broken up, and likely as not, there's houses sprinkled through the whole space, making for a very difficult time to find a place where one can shoot without any attendant problems.
I guess some of us were just born a little too late to really think much of the times we're living in, but as one who nearly died 2 yrs. ago, I appreciate each day and its challenges MUCH more than I used to! Mostly now, it's my son and grandsons that I am concerned about, and what they'll be facing, and what opportunities they'll have ahead of them.
Again, thanks for the reply MD and others who made excellent points and comments. This is the first time I've seen this subject broached quite as honestly and forthrightly as it has been, so I guess that's at least a portion of why I like the internet the way I do today? Lots of good folks here, and lots of knowledge and understanding that many of us do not have. That's no small thing these days, too!
It's not necessarily the medium used, though that can be a factor in what we read (like having to wade through a lot of low level stuff to find the good), bu the contributors that make it what it is. This is one of the few forums I frequent, and that's a complement. Enough people here with good knowledge to keep the less knowledgeable on guard, and relatively controlled, and a fertile ground for some really good info and interesting stories from those who have them to contribute.
Thanks again for the thoughts and replies, all.
