I was flipping through my Dish Network channels the other night – debating whether to give up and go to bed, or get really angry about the fact that, despite the amount of money I pay for TV, there is never anything on – when I stumbled across Current TV – a channel I hadn’t noticed before.

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Hunting Experience No. 1:  The sun was just breaking over the horizon, casting its orange glow upon the masses and highlighting the visible moisture clinging to the oak leaves.  The natural lines of the ridge I was hunting on were just becoming visible, and the birds had started their morning song.  I was in heaven.

Hunting Experience No. 2:  The morning snow shower was beginning to accumulate on my hunting clothes; watching it gently makes its way between the trees, and eventually to the ground, was one of the most tranquil experiences I’ve ever had.  And with nature’s silent show happening right in front of me, it was just a bonus to see the three deer sneak their way across the cut corn field a few hundred yards away.

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On many blogs, and in many conversations with fellow hunters, I have discussed the topic of hunter “ethics”.  People have wondered if we need to establish a set of hunter ethics – a hunter code if you will – or if hunting “ethics” cannot be established at all.  I personally think, and many people I’ve seen comment and/or discuss the topic would agree, that defining hunting ethics is an impossible task.

How can one define the “right” way to hunt?  Who decides the “right” way?  And who decides what the “wrong” way to hunt is?  And, if, let’s say, hunting “ethics” were defined by a particular group of hunters, wouldn’t it then be possible that those hunters, who do not agree with the defined “ethics”, could be discriminated against because their choice of hunting tactics, methods, etc. are deemed “wrong”?

It’s a vicious circle, and it constantly revolves and evolves, but it results in a simple point: just because you don’t agree with my way of hunting, doesn’t mean that it isn’t the “right” way – or the correct way – or the desired way for everyone to hunt.  To each is own I always say.

And while hunting “ethics” have been a topic I’ve come across quite a few times, I have yet to see this issue be brought up when it comes to fishing.  A recent article I came across, however, brought it to the forefront for me.

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For as long as I can remember, music has been a huge part of my life, with hunting, of course, being right up there as well.  In fact, I used to dream of being a songwriter – a melodic poet of words – and hoped that one day I could move people with those words – allow them to escape, to dream, and to understand.

As dreams go, though, that dream has stayed just that – a dream.  Granted, it’s a dream I wouldn’t mind to have happen one day on accident, but not one I would be willing to give up my current life to pursue; having a family is way more important than any song writing gig could ever be, and I much prefer to live that life than hang out in some shady Nashville hotel room, trying to “make it big”.

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A few months back, I wrote a little ditty about our porker friends here in Michigan, and how some of our local biologists want to have feral swine listed as an invasive species – which would pretty much put an end to any fenced pig hunts currently happening in the Great Lakes State.

I knew the gloves were just starting to get put on, or – if you’re a hockey fan – just starting to come off – and it didn’t take long before my premonition came true.

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