The 100th Meridian

BIGREDD

BIGREDD

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Have you ever wondered what divides us as hunters. This imaginary line called the 100th meridian that bisects North-America is not just a line on a map.
There are a lot of differences between east and west as far as hunting goes, and I'm not just talking about the types of game.
Our styles of hunting, our choice of firearms, our attitude towards the sport and our opinions in general are sometimes completely different.
I wonder if we are growning apart or coming together in recent history... the birth of the gun registry has definitely galvanized us as Canadian Gun Owners, this board is proof of that!:)
But are we more tolerant of those we consider different from us or less accepting of those on our right or left hand?
The east west thing comes up in these pages quite often and I am surprised each and every time. I don't know why or who is to blame and really that is not the issue. The issue should be that we should remain solidly behind each other as hunters and shooters, regardless of a difference of opinion.
I believe we should save our fight for the antis and the politico's who threaten us at every turn.:confused:
 
I think the bickering and finger pointing and prejudice that goes on on these forums is a product of the convenient and instant communication we have at our disposal. Most of us who have hunted our whole lives have an idea in their head set by local practices of what hunting is. Maybe it's been passed down for generations. Its easy stuff to get passionate about. Reading about the ways of others in different regions, without an introduction to local traditions, environment and values is going to bring up judgement issues whether you want it to or not.

I moved from Vancouver Island to Edmonton ten years ago. This year will be the first in about six that I have bought a hunting license. I never liked the idea of "farm hunting." I go out of my way to find places that remind me of the place I came from. Slowly, I am warming up to local customs and finding new joy in completely different methods, be it hunting or fishing. When I read the forums here like your thread on food plots, my first reaction is, "What? Thats not hunting!" I don't have the benefit of exposure to the whole picture and my mind makes an uninformed judgement call.

This instant exposure to foriegn practices mixed with the convenient anonymity of the internet is a recipe for arguments and soap-boxing.

I think the good part of all this, is it sparks debate. Through debate we can all learn a little more about the background behind practices and values. Even if the folks who are arguing on the board never see eye to eye, there are plenty of spectators who will pick up on the messages, and come away with a better attitude towards our neighbors.
 
Me debunk an American myth?
And take my life in my hands?
Where the Great Plains begin at the hundredth meridian
At the hundredth meridian where the Great Plains begin

Driving down a corduroy road,
Weeds standing shoulder high
Ferris wheel is rusting off in the distance

[Chorus]

At the hundredth meridian
At the hundredth meridian
At the hundredth meridian where the great plains begin

Left alone to get gigantic
Hard, huge, and haunted
A generation so much dumber than it's parents
Came crashing through the window

A raven strains along the line of the road
Carrying a muddy, old skull the wires show their approval
Off down the distance

[Chorus]

I remember, I remember buffalo And I remember Hengelo
It would seem to me
I remember every single ####ing thing I know
[
If I die of Vanity, promise me, promise me
That if they bury me some place I don't want to be
That you'll dig me up and transport me
Unceremoniously away from the swollen city breeze, garbage bag trees
Whispers of disease, and acts of enormity
And lower me slowly, sadly, and properly
Get Ry Cooder to sing my eulogy

[Chorus]
Where the Great Plains begin at
The hundredth meridian
At the hundredth meridian where the Great Plains begin

Driving down a corduroy road,
Weeds standing shoulder high
Ferris wheel is rusting off in the distance

[Chorus]

At the hundredth meridian
At the hundredth meridian
At the hundredth meridian where the great plains begin

Left alone to get gigantic
Hard, huge, and haunted
A generation so much dumber than it's parents
Came crashing through the window

A raven strains along the line of the road
Carrying a muddy, old skull the wires show their approval
Off down the distance

[Chorus]

I remember, I remember buffalo And I remember Hengelo
It would seem to me
I remember every single ####ing thing I know

If I die of Vanity, promise me, promise me
That if they bury me some place I don't want to be
That you'll dig me up and transport me
Unceremoniously away from the swollen city breeze, garbage bag trees
Whispers of disease, and acts of enormity
And lower me slowly, sadly, and properly
Get Ry Cooder to sing my eulogy
 
BIGREDD said:
The issue should be that we should remain solidly behind each other as hunters and shooters, regardless of a difference of opinion.
I believe we should save our fight for the antis and the politico's who threaten us at every turn.:confused:
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BIGREDD, I couldn't agree more. Some of the threads make me wonder how we, as a group, have lasted this long. We seem at times to be 'a house divided'.

Our opponents are not................
 
Figures Westicle would be a closet member of the Hip!:D

I like your style Arlo... your writing is succinct and your perspective is refreshing.:cool:
Arlo Dog said:
This instant exposure to foriegn practices mixed with the convenient anonymity of the internet is a recipe for arguments and soap-boxing.

I think the good part of all this, is it sparks debate. Through debate we can all learn a little more about the background behind practices and values. Even if the folks who are arguing on the board never see eye to eye, there are plenty of spectators who will pick up on the messages, and come away with a better attitude towards our neighbors.
Click to expand...
 
But are we more tolerant of those we consider different from us or less accepting of those on our right or left hand?
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I suspect that in years gone by the differences simply never came to light. I"m sure most people in bc assumed people in ontario hunted bear pretty much the same way we did for example, and really didn't give it much thought.

Now - with the joys of the internet - some of the differences wind up in your face. Causal statements like "what do you use for bear bait" generate responses of "What?!?" without meaning to. I'm sure there's some western techniques which have eastern boys scratching their heads. And i daresay a lot of manitobans raised 'old school' would utterly fail to apprecate headshooting a game bird with a 22 on the ground.

I think places like this help dispell a lot of that kind of thinking. But - it takes time. Al gore only invented the internet a few years ago after all :) takes a while for people to shift mental gears and start looking at stuff different.
 
BIGREDD said:
Figures Westicle would be a closet member of the Hip!:D
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When I bounced at the forge in Victoria I watched and partied with the HIP for two concerts..... also saw them at western speedway when they played there.

one of my favorite bands....
 
John Y Cannuck said:
We need some eastern gun rags. So us Easterners can show them dudes from out west how to hunt civilized. :D

Good Thread Red!
(Hey that rhymed!)
And well put too.
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John
Civilized is shooting Mule Deer off the back porch when they try to sneak in to raid the garden.
Rich
 
well i have hunted black bear in the foot hills and logging roads of van isle,
hunted white tails in anapolis valley, been stalked by a couger in the rockies,
bedded down beside bull moose *long story for details pm me*.
i think that for this rift to be cleared between east and west hunting methods. there needs to be a sort of knowladge i guess you could call it passed between us not the kind found in books, but the kind gained by actually expierienceing the oppisite style of hunting. this generation like the ones prior will probebly never see the rift get sealed but that doesnt mean we cant start the path to it for the next generation by teaching the youngest and newest ones to be open minded of the many forms and traditions.

the differnces in hunting are slight and few but passionate hunters we are.
we we spend a great many hours in research and preperation,for a hunt like no other. one for which an end shall never be found. we must gather our neighbors and townsmen, for the hunt must be shared with our kin. this hunt is one of a spirtual kind for which every father passes to his son. in that passing smile upon reaching our first victory is an eon's worth of skill.
 
I have a good hunting partner that was raised in Ontario. He tells some cool stories about "hunt camps" back east. I'd love to go and experience some hunting with you boys from the East :D I'd also be honored to host some of you fine gents to come West and try your hand out here. I thought it was cool for Gatehouse to go East and sample some hunting and for Doug to come to B.C. and bag his muley buck. Eastern vs Western hunting methods will always bring lighthearted debate among us. As long as we respect each others methods and traditions, I see no harm in poking fun at each other ;) :D
 
As long as we respect each others methods and traditions, I see no harm in poking fun at each other
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And therein lies the problem (how ever big that might be). People that fly off the handle and refuse to consider a hunting method that is popular eleswhere are, well they're just prople that fly off the handle about all sorts of things I would think...:rolleyes:

The truth is however that some of the best 'regional' bickering can be found right here in good old BC.:)

I mean take the Peace Country where BC Bigbore hails. Boring. I mean you can fricking nears see Winnipeg from there so how the hell's that supposed to be a challanging hunt. But not to worry. Guys from the lower mainland and the island get all the LEH draws anyway so the guys in the Peace are stuck with scrawney Whitetail and wheat fields. :(

And then there's the Okanagan. Those pompas pricks think they know it all. Rolling arid country with some big slough they call a lake at the bottom. Those guys are just a bunch of water ski bums and snipe mule deer from housboats :rolleyes:

Then there's the island, more black bears than fleas. I mean even Riley can get one :eek: But, it takes a real hunter to get skunked on blacktails last year out here I'll tell ya.....
 
Yeah Salty.... Maybe it is not even a regional thing, maybe its just the nature of hunters, satisfying one of the most primal urges of man, kill to survive.
Hunters are not all A-type personalities but consider this phsycological type combined with the hunter mentality and you get some seriously single minded behaviour.
I recommend massive doses of Alcohol or Ritalin or maybe Zoloft.:confused:
One of them is bound to work....;)
 
I recommend massive doses of Alcohol or Ritalin or maybe Zoloft.
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Hmmm - maybe there's a new product idea there just waiting to happen... Ritalbrouw lager? Zoloft lite? (tastes great - less depressing) Uncle mike's hard Prozac? The mind boggles...
 
Foxer said:
Hmmm - maybe there's a new product idea there just waiting to happen... Ritalbrouw lager? Zoloft lite? (tastes great - less depressing) Uncle mike's hard Prozac? The mind boggles...
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(tastes great - less depressing) LMAO :D I guess your mind would boggle with any combination of those three drugs...:)
 
I think that hunters, by their nature, are very individualistic folks. Getting agreement, sometimes on the most trifling of issues, is often impossible. Coupled with the anonymity of the internet, this leads to grandstanding at it's best.

For example, look at hunting bear over a bait. I often will read a post about someone who hunted over a bait, and someone will chirp in that baiting should be illegal, it is lazy, blah blah, blah. Throw in hindsight, which we all know is perfect, and you will get disagreement on just about anything.

I think we all just need some respect. It is fine to disagree with someone, but I think we should all do it respectfully. No need for childishness. If you want to debate someone, do it respectfully. We are all supposed to be fairly mature adults here, aren't we?
 
You hit the nail Deano... I think that egos get in the way of common sense sometimes.
This may come as a shock to many of you but I like to debate and I really like controversy:rolleyes: ... when I feel I have been attacked unfairly... the gloves come off... I try and avoid personal attacks but sarcasm and ridicule are powerful weapons in a heated debate.
Lets face it the anonymity of the internet only allows for the power of the written word to establish your position on any subject.
Some people can write and explain very well and others take the special bus... was that sarcastic:confused:
Anyway my point is that some people resort to insults and personal attacks as a way to deflect from diminished capacity and lack of comprehension.
I am not talking about anyone in particular here... no east west thing... just a generalization.:cool:
 
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