[Guyon]

Hey Micheal...

I understand your viewpoint even though I don't necessarily share it. You're right; there is more immediacy to an animal's death when you pull the trigger. And in this world of highly compartmentalized specialization, that immediacy is something that few meat-eaters have to face. Many of them don't really want to. And they subtly repress the fact that they support deaths to animals far more cruel than a well-placed hunting round.

We live in an age that has gotten away from basic traditional skills. Many people in this country, left to their own devices, wouldn't know how to grow food, hunt, build shelter, start a fire from scratch, etc. And while science and technology march us toward increasing specialization, it's a shame that people don't get to connect to the world in a more basic, honest manner. I'm not talking about the world of cocktail parties, Christmas bonuses, and politics. I mean the more important world where trees move rhythmically, the wind blows its message through the leaves, and all God's creatures participate in nature's cycles.

Micheal, it isn't so much about sport for me, and I really think that most hunters don't kill out of some sort of bloodlust. It's about the total experience of engaging in nature in a way that harkens back to a more primitive, simple way of life. We live too fast in this world. And hunting is one way of slowing down to nature's pace. Along the way, you begin to see the wonder of nature's patterns, you respect the skills of the animals you hunt, and you have the satisfaction of knowing self sufficiency.

I don't have to hunt either. There's a corner market just down the street. But if I ever do HAVE to hunt, I know that I have those skills--from scouting, to stalking, to making the shot.

I am much the same in other aspects of my life. I am a "do it yourself" kind of person. Rather than bow to a society that says you call a specialist for a given job, I roll up my sleeves and learn to do it myself. Hunting is part of this attitude for me. Because I've done it, I know the skills are there if I need them. And that brings me peace of mind.

Well, this reply got long. Anyway, it's a decision you have to make for yourself. And I wish you the best in making it.