I Am Not Ashamed To Be Called A Hunter!

I just read an article about record Alligators being killed in Mississippi. The comments following the article made me want to scream. So many people are either just plain stupid or they are complete hypocrites. They whine and cry about big, bad hunters who enjoy killing for the sport of killing. "Why do these animals have to be killed?" "Why don't we just leave these animals alone?" "Why don't we kill fat people and eat them instead?"

I have a hard time understanding why humans hate humans so much. There seems to be an element of people who hate their own species but love all other species. I hope these people aren't prejudice and love only certain species more than their own. I mean, if you love Alligators then you also have to love snakes, lizards, scorpions, mice, rats, wasps and flies, right?

Maybe it's just hunting that they hate or hunters. These alligator hunters don't just kill gators for sport, it's how they feed their families, it's how they earn a living. I am a hunter myself although I have never killed with a gun. I am a trapper type of hunter. I set traps in just the right locations to have the best chance of catching my prey. I do not skin or eat my catch, so I guess you could call me more of a sport hunter. I do not, however, waist my prey. I donate my catches to feed the hungry. Both of my cats enjoy my hunting hobby. It is worth all my efforts of scouting, baiting and checking my traps, when I see how much my cats love to eat those mice.

I am also a vicious hunter and killer when it comes to flies, mosquitoes, fleas, ants, roaches, wasps, wood bees, bumble bees, hornets and spiders. I use many different methods to eliminate these prey, I smash, squash, swat, poison and burn alive.

It is not that I would be opposed to killing with a gun if I had to, the sad truth is that I tried several times to shoot a fox who was quickly ridding me of all of my chickens but never could hit him. If times and resources required it, I could hunt for my food without any guilt. I could shoot an animal that was causing me continued problems, like the fox did. I could also shoot a pet, livestock or wildlife animal if I thought it was suffering and there was no one else to do it.

The truth is that the same people who whine about hunting are the same people who would be whining about all the deer in their gardens and in the roads. They would want some kind of protection for their kids from the over-population of alligators in their neighborhoods. They wouldn't like it if 15 bears were in their backyard going through their trash cans.

Let's just talk about life and the circle of life. I could use scripture here and talk about God, creation, stewardship, husbandry and dominion. But that would offend the non-believers, so we will talk about nature, conservation and common sense.

The DNR monitors and sets up rules and regulations about hunting. They know that without hunting seasons, animal populations will explode and natural resources will be depleted and everything will suffer. They keep an eye on all areas and animal numbers and adjust hunting seasons and limits accordingly.

Why, you might ask, do humans think that they know more than nature about how to handle these things? Why don't we just let nature balance its own self. The answer is so simple that I am surprised that you didn't think of it yourself. We humans are a part of nature!!! Amazingly, we are part of the food chain, we have canine teeth and are omnivores. It is up to us to play a role in the circle of life.

Actually, if you think about loving the environment and being all natural, that would include eating meat with your canine teeth. Whether you like it or not, man is the dominate species. Nature (or God), whichever you prefer, designed us this way. We have the abilities that we need to manage the earth's resources and that includes managing animal populations.

One more thing that always disturbs me is when some supposed expert out there says, "Humans are the only animal that kills for sport or for the fun of it.". That is not true. Neighborhood dogs are the best sport killers of all time. They will kill a whole herd of goats or flock of chickens and not take one with them when they go. My cat tortures and kills for the fun of it too, not for food, out of fear or because he is teaching his young. Horses will even kill small animals like cats, kittens, rabbits and even chickens, not by accident, not for fear, not for food and not to teach their young. Just because they are feeling frisky and want to stomp something.

One commenter said that he hated humans and wished they would all become extinct. That's a pretty intelligent way of thinking. I was surprised at the number of people who called for the killing of the hunters who killed the alligators. That in itself seems a little hypocritical since they despise killing living creatures. They must hate this earth and nature in general since they would like to see the balance of all things upset. Humans are a natural being, we are what we are.

As to the comments about hunting making these rednecks feel like real "men", one of the alligator hunters who broke a record and got a trophy gator that same day was a woman. Someone also mentioned that he hoped that the people complaining about the kills didn't eat hamburger, to which someone actually replied that it was different eating beef because those animals are raised for food. I wonder how all those beef calves feel about this distinction? Probably about the same way all of those young deer, fish, racoons, birds, turtles, cats and dogs feel when they get eaten by an alligator

Do Not Be Afraid Of Fear

What is fear? It is a natural defense mechanism. It is an emotional response to danger. It was given to man and animals to preserve life.

Multitudes live in overinflated fear. What used to be called Nervous Breakdowns are now called Panic Attacks or Anxiety. These disorders are uncontrolled fear, fear on steroids, I am not advocating this type of fear. But maybe if people understood fear a little more they could learn to control their fears instead of being ruled by their fears.

Fear itself is a good thing, it is a necessary evil. Why do we want to pretend that we don't need it anymore? Humans have become so arrogant that they don't want to deal with anything that makes them uncomfortable and fear is uncomfortable.

Fear can most certainly save your life. It can save you torment and trouble too. It can keep you from making bad decisions and bad choices. What some people call intuition or premonition may in fact be a type of fear, a warning signal.

We can try to rid ourselves of our fears by desensitization. Dwelling on things that cause you fear or imagining how things could possibly go wrong in your life will not desensitize you. You will only imagine things much worse than they might actually be and you will end up having a severe case of anxiety.

So what is the best way to overcome your fears? Don't. Learn to deal with your fears and find answers for your fears instead of trying to overcome them. There are reasons why you are fearful, figure out what those reasons are and deal with them.

If you fear losing your job then come up with a Plan B, start working on a resume. If you fear spending the rest of your life alone, start looking for someone to share your life. If you can't make relationships work then start looking at yourself and asking the hard questions. Make the needed adjustments and try again.

If you fear death then you need to look at your spiritual life. Study, don't take a person's opinion or teachings. Learn for yourself, until you are fully persuaded that you are ready for your journey. Don't be lazy in this aspect of your life.

The worst thing that you can do is to deny your fear, to push your fears away and stop listening to them. Fear is a human emotion and very necessary. If you stop fearing then you place yourself at great risk.

The Wonders of the Internet!

Jiller left a comment on yesterday's post that really hit home. Since I am feeling particularly thankful for the information that will hopefully help our mare. It is hard to imagine what it was like without the internet.

Her comment was this: "The wonders of the internet! Just think 20 years ago we had to drive to a library to find information and most of that was from out of date books! So glad you found something that will help Trouble!"

It truly is a marvel. I know sometimes it seems like a negative thing and certainly can be a dangerous thing but overall it has made us smarter and simplified life overall.

Sharing information that will help others or encourage others is important to me. I love finding things that work and posting them on my blog. I am anxious to get my herbal remedy order for more than one reason, not only did I order the Chaste Tree Berries for Trouble but also for me. Plus I ordered a few other things that I will be trying for pain, inflammation and some other nagging ailments that I have.

Cushings Disease

Our first experience with Equine Cushings Disease has arrived. Our best foundation Appaloosa broodmare has Cushings.

We rescued Trouble many years ago along with her yearling daughter after she had just lost a foal, she was in horrible shape, running with a stallion and pregnant again. She also was unsound in a front leg, she has always had a slight limp that gets no worse or better. She lost the foal that she was pregnant with when we got her and we nearly lost her. A kind Vet spent a lot of time with her that night through the early morning hours. The foal was a gorgeous black and white leopard filly.

Trouble has given us some of our best foals and we never have a problem selling her babies. She has produced a black filly with large spots on her rump, a black colt with blanket, a palomino leopard, a palomino few spot (Ranger, my gelding), a blanketed Buckskin colt, a sorrel blanketed filly (when bred to a sorrel AQHA stallion), and her last foal was a blanketed Buckskin filly. In addition to the beautiful babies that she gives us, some of them are Indian Shufflers like my gelding Ranger.

We bred her back last year after a year's rest and this winter she has started showing all of the signs of serious Cushing's Disease. She has a long wavy coat that will not shed this spring, has lost muscle tone and stands at the water trough most of the day. She is drinking tons of water. She has not gotten laminitis (founder) yet, but from what I have read about horses with Cushings, it is just a matter of time.

There is no cure, it is a tumor that grows on the pituitary gland. However, you can treat the symptoms, give them back a normal life and extend they lives with treatment. In researching the disease, I found that normal Veterinarian treatment is very expensive on a monthly basis. But I found many good reports on a natural treatment that works just as well without any complications.

The treatment I found is Chaste Tree Berries, I could buy a liquid form that is as expensive as the other chemical medicines that I have researched. So I thought surely there must be a cheaper way to go. Then I found this rescue site: Eye of the Storm. I am thankful for the information that I found there.

I began my search for whole Chaste Tree Berries in bulk that I could grind myself. I would also have to buy a coffee grinder since I don't have one. Then I looked on eBay and found a powdered form of Chaste Tree Berries from as seller who sells natural remedies. I purchased 3 lbs. for $9.40 per lb. I think she will only have to have 1 Tb. once or twice per day, so this will be a very cheap alternative treatment.

According to what I have read, we should start seeing results very quickly, so I will report how she is doing, along with pictures, here on my blog from time to time.