In America, everyone does have the same opportunity. There are no guarantees however where that opportunity will lead. And, of course, how you husband that opportunity will determine greatly where it does lead. I think also there is a phrase about the PURSUIT of happiness. Again there is no guarantee that you will CATCH happiness. Or even recognize it if you do.
The stamp lickers in America have become like a bunch of willful, spoilt children. Putting ever greater DEMANDS on the providers of what they preceive as their "birthrights" to free food, free clothing, free money, a free ride. And the pols have bought into this -hell, its not their money- as long as the free riders vote the right way and keep the pols themselves at the trough.
There is no way I'm gonna buy into a philosophy that sez if I work hard and save my money -any hunt I've ever made or gun I've bought, etc has had a real cost value. I had to take money away from something else- and make an elk hunt, I have to take along some free rider 'cause its his "birthright" and he'll feel bad about himself if I don't and he just might burn down Chicago.

My list includes:
1. Pass on the tradition of hunting and various other outdoor activities.
2. Never confuse a privilege and a right. I carry my .45 ACP Kimber to protect my place as a citizen, but it works on deer and coyotes too.
3. S&W 4" N frames, any .40+ caliber for precision hand gunning from the holster on your hip, 6" in shoulder holster for deer at longer ranges. Other flavors may work better for bigger game, but deer sized and below, good trigger, good sights, good double action for self defense.
4. Medium bore efficient calibers for most hunting, .35 Whelen, 9.3x62mm, .376 Steyr, all work great for most everything I've hunted.
5. Far away from home hand gunning. I'm beginning to lean toward 5 �" Ruger Blackhawk or Redhawk in .45 Colt. Not far in performance from a stainless steel hammer, works every time. Maybe not very refined but very reliable.
6. Bullets: Hard cast, large caliber for handguns and big game at any reasonable angle. JHPs for lung shots on deer. Barnes X bullets and Nosler Partitions for big game rifles. Premium placement works better than premium bullets, but both are good insurance.
7. Learn to try new things. I just started using a compound bow. I look forward to whitetail hunting with it. There may also be a fall turkey, if the good Lord is willing.
8. Pray before I act. It makes the results much more appropriate and satisfying.

Blue is a lawyer that hopes to become a politician so he's trying to ride that pro bono shit into a turn at the public trough.

I am glad this thread got back on track. If I want to read political crap, I will go to the appropriate forums. I like the various opinions here. To add a few:



a) Hunt with your kids, they probably won't get a better chance to experience this magic.



b) If your spouse is interested, don't burn them out before the seed is truly planted.



c) 3x-9x is okay, but lower power is MUCH better in the lodgepoles.



d) A well directed shot from a .243 kills better than a flinched/ yanked .338 bullet.



e) Know how to build a fire!

I believe in the joy and admiration I see in my grandfather's eyes when I take him out for a day afield.The same way he must have believed in that same look in my eyes when he was taking me afield when I young.Therefore I believe in introducing our children to the outdoors while not forgeting about those who introduced us.Papershredder

1. Only hits count.
2. Training is more important than practice.
3. Good gear is cheaper than bad.
4. It's OK to come home empty-handed now and then.
5. Swimming and rifle PT help you to carry a rifle all day.
6. 4x is plenty of scope.
7. There is a lot to be said for the full-size, steel-framed 1911.
8. Any game I kill with a handgun was going to get hit by lightning soon anyway.
9. The best way to learn from your mistakes is to write them down.
10. Medium-bore rifles are grossly underrated.
11. Finn Aagaard and Jeff Cooper are right 90% of the time.
12. In Heaven it is always autumn.

Okie John

I've come to believe that a sunrise in the woods, a marsh, or a mountain ridge beats sitting in an office any day. All the better if it is shared with a good friend or a child.
I've come to believe that the effort expended on a day in the field is mirrored in how good a cold beer tastes when you get back to camp.
I've come to believe that there is no more magcal time than just before dawn on opening day. All things are possible.
I've come to believe that hunting camp shows the true charachter of a person. A man is defined by his woodsmanship, his work ethic, his comraderie, and his humbleness. What he does for a living is irrelevent. Unless he is a gourmet cook
I believe quality equpment is a good investment. I'll take one good rifle, scope, pair of bino's over a truckload of crap.
I believe a good hunter finds as much joy in the success of others as they do for themselves.

Jeff

I don�t think you said so in so many words, but just to be clear, please don�t use the Bible in an effort to justify Socialism; the two are incompatible. In the book of James we are called to perform good works, a.k.a. charity. But charity is necessarily performed with one�s own resources (money, time, talent, etc.) Performing �good� deeds with others� resources, taken from them involuntarily (taxes), is not charity; it is theft.

People mistakenly claim that the early church was a Socialist entity because its followers shared their resources. However, what these leftist �theologians� invariable conveniently ignore is the fact that this resource-sharing was done voluntarily. That is not Socialism; it is Libertarianism. This should not surprise anyone as God is the very creator of liberty.

Remember, Ananias and Saphira (sp?) were not punished for withholding their money; they were punished (struck dead by God) for lying about it. Peter even asked them, why they lied about it as it was THEIRS TO DO WITH AS THEY CHOOSE. That�s a paraphrase with the emphasis added, but you can find the exact wording in Acts 5:4.

There are only three freedoms:

(1) The freedom to think/believe what you want. (2) The freedom to express those thoughts/beliefs. (3) The freedom to own property. No one can take that first freedom from you; however, the latter two are very vulnerable. In fact, it could be argued that human history is nothing but a study in mankind�s effort to deny his fellow man those latter two freedoms.

And if you think that the freedom to own property does not belong with the first two then let me ask you what you call someone who is not allowed to do so. They go by one of two names: prisoner or slave. Which, of course, are simply two different names for the same thing.

Oh yeah....



It may not be pretty on either end, but a 30-06 with a 3-9 on top is all a person needs, though I bite my own tongue as I write this! Actually I think a 2-7 is a better choice but I believe you will get a better scope for your dollar if you do the 3-9 approach.



Of course, what I have come to believe in is that to be a conscientious and ethical hunter you need to have each game animal matched to a particular caliber, and environment is a factor too.



So maybe what I should say I've come to believe in is that no matter what the game, there is a caliber based on an '06 case to hunt it with!

Wow, talk about being quick on the trigger!

Blue posts that " all socioeconomic levels should have the same opportunities at wild game" and a bunch of people think that means giving opportunity away to the masses that are less devoted or dedicated than they are! Like Blue, I've worked with a lot of less fortunate people and a big thing I've learned is that a lot of them work hard to better themselves but they either don't know how, or aren't in a place where there is opportunity to do so. If you don't believe that go to a poor neighborhood about 6 AM and drive by the temporary labor building and see how big a line has formed already.

However, all Blue is saying is that money should not be a barrier to hunting, and I don't see any problem with that either.

I've come to believe Skibumn is a man I could share an elk camp with...!