Some guys make it really difficult

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Newfoundlandrover

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This is my first post on the hunting forum....I don't hunt anymore, but appreciate and respect the sport and lifestyle. I've always been a gun enthusiast and have always owned both non restricted,restricted firearms and always try to educate the nay Sayers when it comes to responsible gun ownership and firearms safety. My wife has always been on the fence when it come to firearms in our home and exercises the "out of site out of mind" rule when it comes to my hobby. It can be an uphill battle being a firearms owner here in Ottawa on the best of days, but when irresponsible gun owners join the ranks of the gang bangers and drug pushers in making life even more difficult.....it really makes my blood boil.....Guess you're wondering where this is leading huh?.....well, my wife and daughter are huge animal lovers and make it a point to visit the local Zoo's and animal sanctuaries around the region on a regular basis. They returned from such an outing this afternoon, and my 9 year old girl marched right up to me and said; " Daddy.....guns are bad...they hurt innocent animals"....apparently they encountered a recovering Bald Eagle today who had been shot by someone in the Charleston Lake Ont. area, and was brought to a sanctuary by a citizen. The bird was missing a leg and part of its wing, and is now confined to living in a outdoor enclosure. This wasn't a duck or a goose.....a Bald Eagle! I can defend hunting because I was a hunter, and I can defend my firearms because I'm a responsible owner and shooter......but.....I couldn't defend this. Who in their right mind would open up on an endangered species? What kind of stupid human being does this? I've seen Bald Eagles in the wild on several occasions and they look nothing like a duck or goose. This is the sort of thing that hurts all of us....hunters and sport shooters alike. No, this wasn't Sandy Hook....this person was likely not mentally deranged....this person was disrespectful irresponsible and stupid....which is worse. Next time it could be your blaze orange hat or my family going for a hike. Thanks for letting me rant....I kinda feel better now
 
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It's always bad when gun owners do this kind of thing, but what makes you think it wasn't a gangbanger that did it? Those guys go out into the woods to test new guns and go nuts using FA machine pistols etc. And FYI the bald eagle is NOT on the endangered or threatened species list any more. There's hundreds, no probably thousands of em in the dumps around here.
 
It's a simple answer. You need to explain to your daughter that there are bad people in this world. It's not the gun that did this to the eagle, it's the person using it. Do you blame cars for impaired driver?
Being a gun enthusiast and hunter, I'm kind of surprised you couldn't come up with this relatively basic answer. Keep it simple and short when explaining things to kids and don't go on rants.

And just to add, zoo's aren't really a place for true animal lovers. There's not much worse than seeing a big cat walking the perimeter of a 500 square ft. pen for the rest of his life.
 
Bald eagles are hardly endangered but still no excuse to shoot one. Idiotic act but an idiot...nothing to defend as a hunter or shooter....something to condemn though. Likely best to explain to your daughter that the gun is not to blame....just the idiot pulling the trigger.
 
all good points fella's. This kinda caught me by surprise today....and yes, I did explain things pretty clearly to both my wife and daughter when it comes to responsible hunting and gun ownership. Just wish I didn't have to do it so often ya know? ....I had no idea the Bald Eagle was no longer endangered...good to know
 
Sounds like your little ones heart is in the right place & that's what counts!

What I would say, when you have the opportunity, is that no hunter would ever shoot an eagle because they are not a game species. Hunters try their best to cleanly harvest game species which are free of hormones, antibiotics and are organic. It is the healthiest meat available to us & helps manage the game numbers. Deer are a good example of this...

Again, your little one is trying hard to understand how things work... It's your job to ensure she doesn't confuse hunters who follow the rules & criminals who poach animals...

Good Luck! I hope you slowly turn her into a hunter & sport shooter!!! If you need a PINK 22 for her to try, my wife has a bright PINK Ruger 10-22 that she lets lots of new shooters try out...

Cheers
Jay
 
It's a poacher who wanted the feathers. or a pissed off dog owner that if flew away with fluffy.

I had 2 egales sizing up my dog he was trying to bite at them so they went hmm this thing is 2 big and to pissed off to try and catch.
 
Theres disrespectful, irresponsible idiots in every group, even hunters and gun owners. You should use yourself as an example of what the average hunter and gun owner is, not some outlier.

Im trying not to rant, and this isnt really aimed at you so much as everyone in your situation, but it would deeply hurt me if my own family didnt trust me, or thought I became some mindless lunatic just because I own guns and hunt. One of my co-workers is going through this right now. His fiancee is throwing a fit because he got his gun and hunting license. I told him he should issue her the ultimatum; Its a trust issue. If you cant trust me to own guns responsibly, then why are we getting married?
 
In another direction.....besides the obvious injury, is there any evidence that a firearm was even used? Just sayin' it's not always the "usual suspects". Bald eagles battle each other ferociously.
 
I have an 11 year old son who will go with me to the range and shoot, but has
absolutely zero interest in hunting any animal. [Very soft hearted]

However, he is fully cognizant of the fact that the meat we eat at home is there because I hunt.
He has no issues with that.

He is also able to distinguish clearly the difference between a gun and the guy who pulls the trigger.
We have bad people in our midst, they use guns to commit various crimes, against humans and animals.

My older son was an avid hunter, and we partnered on many hunts. [He is on the other end of the country now, drat!]

Regards, Eagleye.
 
Jay said:
Sounds like your little ones heart is in the right place & that's what counts!

What I would say, when you have the opportunity, is that no hunter would ever shoot an eagle because they are not a game species. Hunters try their best to cleanly harvest game species which are free of hormones, antibiotics and are organic. It is the healthiest meat available to us & helps manage the game numbers. Deer are a good example of this...

Again, your little one is trying hard to understand how things work... It's your job to ensure she doesn't confuse hunters who follow the rules & criminals who poach animals...

Good Luck! I hope you slowly turn her into a hunter & sport shooter!!! If you need a PINK 22 for her to try, my wife has a bright PINK Ruger 10-22 that she lets lots of new shooters try out...

Cheers
Jay
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Couldn't have said it any better, hopefully the child will learn over time that there are some bad people doing bad things.
 
Gunusr said:
It's always bad when gun owners do this kind of thing, but what makes you think it wasn't a gangbanger that did it? Those guys go out into the woods to test new guns and go nuts using FA machine pistols etc. And FYI the bald eagle is NOT on the endangered or threatened species list any more. There's hundreds, no probably thousands of em in the dumps around here.
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"gangbangers" don't target practice in the woods. criminals with guns do that stuff.
 
bearkilr said:
It's a simple answer. You need to explain to your daughter that there are bad people in this world. It's not the gun that did this to the eagle, it's the person using it. Do you blame cars for impaired driver?
Being a gun enthusiast and hunter, I'm kind of surprised you couldn't come up with this relatively basic answer. Keep it simple and short when explaining things to kids and don't go on rants.

And just to add, zoo's aren't really a place for true animal lovers. There's not much worse than seeing a big cat walking the perimeter of a 500 square ft. pen for the rest of his life.
Click to expand...

Good post..
 
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