Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting pro-hunting article in backpacker

Anyone read it and have any opinions? Kind of dramatic the way it was laid out but that is to be expected considering the publication. Despite the drama I think we were portrayed in a positive way, especially to the non-hunter fence rider crowd.

I read it. I thought it was a good read. Perhaps dramatic, but good points and some interesting statistics.

I thought it was a good read.

It wasn't too bad. I'm not big on the fact that the author's wife will not allow him to keep his own rifle in his home and he has to store it at someone else's place. He didn't seem to put up much of a fight.

My wife is from a non-outdoors family, but she knew that my guns and I were a package deal.

Ya that storing the gun at a friends house was pretty lame. Maybe his real reason to go hunting was just to have another excuse to get away from the wife.

Have not seen it but Im suprised it made it in, will have to see if it was a one time move and what the overall reader responses will be. So does he not keep it in the house because he does not have safe storage or because because his wife is scared of it and he has not spine?

Actually, I think he had to keep his testicles over there, and storing the gun there too just gave him a chance to visit his nuts once in a while...

Seriously though, I never thought I'd hear of a hunting-friendly story in Backpacker. Good news.

John

I'm sorry, but my wife is from the biggest liberal anti-hunting, anti-gun family going. Even so, there is no way she is ever going to tell me I would have to do that. Would any of you tolerate that from your spouse?

"She" wouldnt be my spouse...

+1 on that. The guy should have insisted that her kitchen knifes go to the neighbors with his guns.

That is great! While he is at it, so should go the car, baseball bats, etc.

I thought the article was well done. I have seen what I perceive to be a coming together of the hook and bullet and fleece and granola crowds over the past 20 years. They aren't together yet, but there has been movement in that direction, since the two crowds often share the same places and members.

Regarding the offsite storage, remember this is the guy�s first rifle. He has a (presumable) loving and otherwise fine spouse. It may take time for a) him to come around and be comfortable with a rifle and b) to educate the spouse on the safety of a firearm. Not everyone was born into the hunting and shooting life, and for those people who are new and getting their feet wet, there are many real and imagined fears to overcome. It is a process, and I applaud the author on his willingness to try it.

Over the years in the forum I have seen several people mention that they were hunters and no one gave them grief there was even a couple of articles a few years ago about packing a gun while hiking. Glad to hear that they published the story that is a step in the right direction and maybe a bit of chance on their part publishing that.

Only during that special week of the month

I felt it was a much, much better treatment than it could have been. There was one cheap shot at hunters late in the article. The author's buddy was on his very first hunt, and he passed on a poor (south end) shot; author said most hunters would have taken it. To infer that his beginner buddy somehow had better ethics/judgment than "most hunters" was unjustified.

But with that as one of few deficiencies, it was a good article. After all, they showed close up butchering/skinning photos. Whoda thunk?

The groups aren't that far apart. I'm a peakbagger, ultra runner, backpacker, and a hunter. I have a buddy across the street that is an ultra runner, river runner, bike rider, and a bow hunter. IMO and I believe the author sort of touched on this, but if you like to eat meat, then you should be fine with hunting. To many people don't want to know the in's and out's of where their meal came from. And if you eat meat, you would be much smarter getting it from the woods than the food system

Similarly, a few years back they had a short article on wildlife viewing that was done by a bowhunter. Though there will probably never be a hunting column in the mag, I definitely can see more of the same. Hunting is quite "green"...