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I know a lot of you do not like hunting. But you might enjoy this story about two locked up antelope that my brothe Joe came across this past labor day weekend. I just missed all the exicitment because I had to get back to Abq.
The pics are not that good but Joe did manage to get about 20 mins. of good footage on video camera.
The story was written by Tom Turner from Boulder CO who got to be part of the experiance.
Hunters as Conservationists?
Not if you ask PETA. As much as PETA hates to admit it, it’s a fact. Not only does hunting license $’s go towards habitat development and game management activities, but hunters contribute personal effort too. The majority of poachers "turned in" were turned in by other hunters. Sportsmen have a low tolerance for game law abuse. I think it’s called “Integrity”.
Consider animal rescues for example. An elk mired in the mud. A group of hunters find him and pull him out. An eagle with a broken wing is found by quail hunters. They take him to a re-hab center for treatment. It happens all the time, but is rarely publicized. The above were cameoed on Animal Planet. This past weekend there was another example of hunter conservation in action, but you won’t hear about it on Animal Planet.
Out in the middle of the NM plains, two buck antelope battled each other for breeding rights to the small herd. At some point their horns became entangled. Normally, this is not a big deal. A twist of the head and they’re loose. But not this time. The prongs on one had a deep curve, like a fish hook. One prong was hooked behind the second buck’s right horn. But his other prong went down the side of the second bucks head and had hooked under the side of his jaw! The hook on the prong had him snagged like a trout. The two pushed, pulled, twisted and kicked, and rolled on the ground, but to no avail. They were hopelessly joined at the forehead.
They were spotted about 100 yds. off a dirt road by a sharp eyed hunter, who happens to be NMCards brother, Joe. There is no telling how long they were like this before Joe came on to them around 5 pm. Joe shot some quick video to prove he saw it, just in case they separated and ran off. But he quickly realized the deadly seriousness of the situation. Then he went to looking for some help. Phone calls to G & F, local PD, and Sheriff’s got no results. It was up to the sportsmen of this little town to go do the right thing. A small posse formed in the desert twilight. Six men encircled the still frantically kicking, cartwheeling, and flailing antelope. At the nod of a head, they pounced on the struggling animals, pinning them to the ground. Ever heard an antelope in distress call? Awesome! The horns were solidly locked. The prong under the jawbone penetrated the skin and protruded into the animal’s mouth. It took real muscle to force that prong down and out from under the jawbone, and it made a loud POP as it came free.
Both bucks just layed there, exhausted and in shock. One man pulled one up by the horns. It stood on wobbly legs, but it was standing. A whack on the rump and off he went kicking and bucking. The second, and smaller buck was very weak. It was also lifted by the horns, but could barely stand. After a minute or so, it staggered, walked, and then bolted for the horizon. After more than 2 hours after they were discovered, they were freed. There is no way they would have lived thru the night with the local coyote population eager for just such an opportunity. They will live to see another day thanks to the intervention of these hunters. By the way, one buck had about 10” horns, and the other sported about 14”.
How's that for conserving wildlife?
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since we have driven the natural predators to near extinction, human hunting is VITAL to control wild ruminant populations.
Hell yes - hunters and fishermen have a vested interest in habitat for the animals they hunt.
I know this, though I am no "fan" of hunting.
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"Seachicken - it's what's for dinner" - me (until the 'Hawks sweep the Cards)
Every man has at least a bit of womanizer in him.
Check out Dephinger and Stoutpounder on our respective MySpace pages.
I've never hunted anything larger than a Canadian goose and haven't done that for some time, but I do know that geese and duck hunters through Ducks Unlimited and license fees to the states, helped bring the population of these animals back from the brink of extinction.
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“So I became a newspaperman. I hated to do it but I couldn’t find honest employment.” —Mark Twain
__________________
"Seachicken - it's what's for dinner" - me (until the 'Hawks sweep the Cards)
Every man has at least a bit of womanizer in him.
Check out Dephinger and Stoutpounder on our respective MySpace pages.
and tell your bro and his posse of horn untanglers good job 
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