We were out scouting a new spot when we stumbled across three deer carcasses right near the main dirt road. I knew it could not have been lying there for more than a day. The meat was still red, the bones still solid white, and only the eyes had lost their roundness. This was a hunting crime.
The disappointment was overwhelming; how could a fellow hunter do this? I realized of course that there were coyotes and turkey vultures perfectly willing to ensure this meat would not go to waste, however, was this display of carelessness really necessary?
As hunters, we are indeed the stronger force. Our weapons do not compare to that of our prey, yet even though we are stronger, must we exhibit this barbaric pomp?
I have so many questions to ask these remorseless hunters who left behind three dead bodies, taking only the hind quarters and back straps. An animal gives its life to feed you and your family, an act which simply defines the food chain, yet you leave nearly half to rot.
Plainly stated, it is disrespectful. Perhaps you do not feel that you have use for the entire animal, in which case, perhaps you should reconsider the goals of your next hunt. You may not need the bones or the skin, but at least have the decency to dispose of the remains properly.
Certainly, a deer may die of natural causes, leaving its body to wither and thus return to the earth. But a deer that dies of natural causes does not get dragged to the side of an open road to display its hide.
A hunter, by nature, is not a sloppy creature. A hunter is precise and calculated, stealthy and neat. How is it then that these hunters left evidence of their passing? It seems we are no longer talking about hunting, but questioning the human condition.
Photo credit: Dreamstime
