Hi Guys,
Everithing must be taken with a grain of salt. In Europe too, not only in the southern countries, we have some bad habits and disrespectful attitudes. I think most of the ameican hunters who hunt their deer every year for meat (that's important) and then the trophy, are as respectful as the best tradition minded euro hunters. Taking care of meat, using it to feed or complement the feeding of his relatives is game respect. "First Nations" before the end of the frontier, reserves, alcohol, lost of their identity, were among the most game and wild life respectful peoples.
Our modern societies are based on mercantilism, media flashes, one must be the first, money at all price (no pun intended),show up, artefacts and fake reality and that reflects in our hunting small world: having the biggest trophy (no matter how i get it) shooting the more game i can (no matter i succeed in) be seen on the TV and so on. We need to piss the farthest like school boys of old times.
May be in the New World it's more visible than in our, cause of your more TV and media powerful society but we have here too.
In the south of France were i live we did'nt had the traditionnal ceremony " honors to the game and hunters" we speak about here, but hunting being most of time collective, driven hunt, we used to share game between each other. No one is forgotten, the ederly people, former hunters or not, from the village always get a peace of meat during the season. Trophy is just the cherry on the pie. For wealthy people who hunt for "sports" or go hunting to relieve stress from their busy week, we are " just meat hunters", in their mouth it resound like an insult. We are not hunters, they are. Because they shoot wild boars by the tenth and have "ceremony" with nice clothes hats and last meal in the mouth of the dead animals. Most of them almost never gut, skin, or cut game. "You know my Dear, we shot 40 boars today, very nice hunt but i can stand the blood and guts". We pay people for that...
Trophy and what i call "social or business contract hunts" are killing hunting spirit. For exemple some guys, generaly with good money in their pockets, come to hunt mountain game, sorry not hunting, they just want to kill one big "chamois, isard or mouflon", because it's trendy, their friend has one, you must do that and so on. Most of time they leave the meat where it fell, just taking horns or antlers, but and that's a big but, after pictures taken, smiling, with " the last meal" in game mouth. Respect!!
I know in Alaska you must take back the meat first, then the trophy. That's a great form of respect.
One must always look farther than the screen. It's why i like to travel, meet other guys, visit other countries. there's always something REAL to learn about.
Except for sure(most of time) on TV programs, reality shows, hunting or not, with peoples too nice, too clean, too much smiling, generaly escorted by almost naked bimbos who explain me how the new product they hold is better than the one they had a week before. And, i must admit, in the US of A you're way better than euros at such game. But, sadly, we try hard to close in!
Dom
