by Ted Nugent
Editor’s Note: This is only an excerpt of Ted Nugent’s article, which ran in the March 2011 issue.
Never has any word been more bastardized than the hyper-politically correct fear mongering of ethics in our hunting lifestyle.
You can’t watch a hunting show, read a hunting publication or hunting article, or listen to a so-called hunting industry leader without hearing “ethics this” and “ethics that” repeated ad nauseam as if we were the most unethical element of society and had some serious explaining to do.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Nobody is questioning our ethics — except the lunatic fringe within our ranks who are afraid of their own shadows, or the all-out loonies who think venison is unethical. Ignore them.
When was the last time you heard ethics mentioned in NASCAR? NFL? Hollywood? NHL? MLB? Golf? Banking? Boating? Grocery industry? Auto industry?
None of them ever mention it because there is no need to mention it. They are not afraid of their own shadows and have leadership and sophisticated representatives who know that they are ethical, are looked upon as ethical and have absolutely no reason to ever bother defending their ethics.
Our world is so out of control with imbecilic, illogical, nonsensical rules, regulations and laws as to be laughable. America has more laws, regulations, rules and guidelines for every imaginable function and process than anywhere else in the world.
My governor shoots coyotes. What does yours do? I am certain it is illegal to discharge a firearm in the Austin, Texas, city limits, but when a dangerous vermin confronts a jogger and his dog, the right thing to do is shoot the coyote dead. I’d love to hear the brain-dead, feeble argument against that. And then do a drug test on the arguer. Funny stupid.
I have broken numerous laws in my life, and I am damn proud I did so, and during thoughtful, demanding conditions, I will do so again, I assure you.
For example, witnessing a tragic shooting accident many years ago, I broke the speed limits while transporting the injured individual to the nearest hospital. Was that unethical? Of course not. Life-and-death emergencies supersede arbitrary laws. Unless, of course, you are a clueless, irresponsible sheep and don’t know the difference. My responsible, ethical decision saved the man’s life. I did good.
An honest review of game laws and regulations is long overdue, and until we eliminate all such absurdity from our books, there is no way we can possibly accomplish the goal of retention and recruitment into our beloved hunting lifestyle. The land-mine field of confusing, arbitrary, unreasonable and counterproductive laws that have nothing to do with wildlife management or safety must be gutted and cleaned out, and the outdoors community, if honestly committed to recruitment and conservation, should be leading the charge and demanding it.