An absolutely wonderful piece in the NY Times today about bowhunting Tule elk and bowhunting in general. This is precisely the image people should get in their head when they think of bowhunters, as opposed to some rich schmuck shooting a tame elk in a pen. Read the whole thing here.

This is an interesting piece on a park just a few miles from my house. An adjacent landowner is organizing a trial bowhunt for this weekend. Hopefully he will show that controlled bowhunting is a great solution to the population control as well as providing a source of food and recreation. I’ll keep you updated on the results.

I took an old friend on his first hunt today.  He passed his hunter’s safety class last winter at my urging.  We’d had trouble getting our schedules worked out but today he cut work and I took him on a late season dove hunt.  For a guy who has only fired a gun a few times in his life he did great.  Now we’ll see what a professional cook can do with doves!

I’ve always suggested that dove hunting was a good way to introduce a new hunter to the sport.  Today was no exception.  The weather was good, there were lots of birds, and the shooting was fast and furious.  I think he had a great time, without being too stressed or overwhelmed.