Willowmist's Wanderings

Just so everyone knows:  it is illegal to shoot ducks with a rifle from the window of your car.

I know it sounds like it should just go without saying, but apparently, not.

Three guys have been arrested after they posted a video on Youtube showing themselves having a grand ol’ time shooting ducks (and baby ducks) on a little pond in a small town in Saskatchewan.  I’m not talking about teenage boys who are inherently stupid and cruel.  The oldest was 30 years old - along with his 23-year-old brother and their brother-in-law.  They were caught after a maelstrom of pissed off hunters and animal lovers reported them to the wildlife authorities upon viewing their video. 

It turns out, according to the one guy who has evolved enough to speak anyway, that, although they laugh like fools on the video, such apparent bloodlust is not characteristic of them.  They have pets and children and of course orphaned ducklings are not funny at all, and they are very sorry, but they are from a big city so they didn’t know it was illegal to just shoot ducks out of season whilst hanging out their car window and they are very sorry…

So, I hate these guys on so many levels that it’s hard to know where to start.

First of all, the good people of Saskatchewan already have a low opinion of city people in general and Toronto people in particular.  We don’t need idiots blaming their stupidity on their city-ness.  The guy said that the only birds they’ve ever seen up close are seagulls and pigeons.  Really?  Because I grew up near Toronto and I happen to know that there are ducks there too.  It’s right on Lake Ontario for crissakes! 

But, setting that aside, I still have to ask — so what?  I’ve never seen a duck up close so my first instinct is to start shooting them and laugh?  What sort of explanation is that?

And secondly, what sort of person shoots unsuspecting mothers and children and laughs about it?  I admit that I don’t understand hunting as a sport anyway.  I’m not sure what is fun about taking a life that you don’t have to take after stacking the odds heavily in your own favour.  Even hunting advocates are mad at these guys because, one, hunting out of season is called poaching and it’s very illegal, and, two, they do not exactly advance the cause for hunters, do they?  In fact, secretly, they personify what hypocritical meat-eaters, such as myself, who do not like hunting believe that all hunters are really like.  You can almost be impressed by how three guys managed to offend two diametrically opposed parties with a single stupid act!

Happy August 10 everyone.