tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732486.post3182976908725120442..comments2023-10-26T03:19:41.569-07:00Comments on Stephen Bodio's Querencia: Just us chickensSteve Bodiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14434597061701369867noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732486.post-16722639090914192172010-07-29T13:11:16.682-07:002010-07-29T13:11:16.682-07:00Cat, I agree with you about "renewable resour...Cat, I agree with you about "renewable resources", especially in ecosystems that however unfairly are not appreciated by the general public. Who speaks against the destruction of the sage by extractive industry and water- mining center- pivot farming? Grouse hawkers and grazers, hunters and pastoralists.<br /><br />John, I DO understand the need for sensitivity (and though big Gyrs are good grouse hawks, the danger to them from eagles would make me consider a male eagle if I lived there-- and didn't Charles Browning do just that years ago?)<br /><br />But without such people as grouse hawkers who would speak for the grouse? They even founded the Grouse Society (is that the correct name?)<br /><br />Conservation has need of intimacy and passion-- it can't all be virtual, as some urban Greens seem to think.Steve Bodiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14434597061701369867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732486.post-70209461594769126382010-07-29T08:50:06.572-07:002010-07-29T08:50:06.572-07:00John, thanks for your thoughtful response.John, thanks for your thoughtful response.Cat Urbigkithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12649103651692682453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732486.post-63424421649914217192010-07-29T08:44:49.760-07:002010-07-29T08:44:49.760-07:00Cat - I have not made my point clear: my concern i...Cat - I have not made my point clear: my concern in hunting is not for the grouse, it's for the falcon. <br /><br />My interest also starts at a higher level: the ecology comprising fauna and flora but it does extend down to the level of individuals that I encounter. <br /><br />Being the oldest in my family, with no surviving parents, siblings or spouse, I am aware of the passing of life and in fact a lot of deaths, both human and animal, are, as it was intended, of old age.<br /><br />Further, I fear unrestricted consumption more than restriction of consumption and am wary of the definition of "renewable resource".<br /><br />Finally, I apologize if I intruded on your sensitivities, my intention was certainly the opposite.jnbszabohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01628338425192157265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732486.post-76775576292765974622010-07-28T19:36:38.846-07:002010-07-28T19:36:38.846-07:00Bryce, I have no doubt that you'll soon be giv...Bryce, I have no doubt that you'll soon be giving me a run for the money with that nice new Nikon I saw you toting around a few weeks ago! Just keep it by your hand at all times.Cat Urbigkithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12649103651692682453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732486.post-14531518166667109092010-07-28T19:07:42.978-07:002010-07-28T19:07:42.978-07:00Sage grouse and antelope----THE Wyoming icons that...Sage grouse and antelope----THE Wyoming icons that say and show, without words, what Wyoming is all about---as usual, AMAZING photos----can you teach me how to take photos like that?!?!?!?!?!Bryce Reecenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732486.post-7014891110518966582010-07-28T18:03:17.323-07:002010-07-28T18:03:17.323-07:00I am not a bird hunter, but I have gone out with a...I am not a bird hunter, but I have gone out with a falconer to hunt grouse, really enjoyed the experience, and hope to be invited out to do it again. I love falconry and all that it brings to my falconry friends, and to my life as well.<br /><br />While I have enjoyed the individual grouse I have encountered this year, my real interest and concern is not for the individual birds, but on the population and species level.<br /><br />The reality for these birds is that as the year proceeds, so do their chances of mortality. An eagle’s talon, a hunter’s bullet, or freezing cold winter, life in the wild – just as all life – ends. None will die of old age.<br /><br />What I fear is what I see as a constant desire to limit or restrict consumptive use of what I see as renewable resources - be it forage on the range, or hunted species. If we prohibit the hunting of grouse, we erode support for this wild bird species. The result is we have more of our human population becoming further removed from the land and all its creatures. We all need more of nature, not less.<br /><br />I would hate to think that my sharing my very enjoyable encounters with wild creatures would be used to restrict others from their encounters – or define those encounters as acceptable only if they met a certain criteria (as in no hunting).Cat Urbigkithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12649103651692682453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732486.post-43060678198153118192010-07-28T15:47:55.314-07:002010-07-28T15:47:55.314-07:00Having just posted a question about flying Sage Gr...Having just posted a question about flying Sage Grouse with a Golden Eagle on the <b>Longwingers</b> list, I feel humbled by your wonderful account. I'm not an avid grouse hunter, in fact I am saddened by falconers' obsession with catching and killing these birds. <br />I suggested that Sage grouse were "too big" for even the biggest Gyr and that perhaps an Eagle was the right bird to use. As there are at least 20 falconers for every Eagle flyer, a switch like this would benefit not only the grouse but also the falcons, as a number of these, sitting on captured grouse, are killed every year by Eagles.<br /><br />I don't know if anyone detected my ruse, but it's gratifying to read of your non "anthropocentric" approach to these birds. I wish I had been in your passaneger's seatjnbszabohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01628338425192157265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732486.post-43200112879269274292010-07-28T04:25:57.828-07:002010-07-28T04:25:57.828-07:00Just about blew my coffee out of my mouth over tha...Just about blew my coffee out of my mouth over that one - very funny Matt!Cat Urbigkithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12649103651692682453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8732486.post-22893586546982414362010-07-28T03:24:26.300-07:002010-07-28T03:24:26.300-07:00>>and apparently it’s been enough to gain ac...>>and apparently it’s been enough to gain acceptance.<br /><br />I am tempted to suggest that as you gain their trust, learn their language and their strange ways, that you gain the confidence of their leader and see if she will lead you to the mythical fall gathering grounds. That's where I'll be camped. :-)Matt Mullenixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11198069782508775543noreply@blogger.com