Duck !

Duck season started today in the Pacific Northwest, so it’s a good thing these two were practicing their getaway yesterday:

And, starting today the best parts of Nisqually Wildlife Refuge will be closed from now through January due to hunting season . Visitors to the refuge seem to subscribe to two different theories on why the best parts of the refuge are off limits for the next three months depending on their particular biases.

The first theory is that you have to walk dangerously close to the hunters on both sides of the refuge, and they’re worried about someone getting shot. If this is the main worry, why don’t they just make it illegal to fire into the refuge?

The second theory seems to be that they’re trying to provide a safe place for ducks and other birds, and they don’t want people walking through the refuge and disturbing birds already traumatized by hunters. I’d like to think this is the primary reason they’re closing it, but I wouldn’t bet on that since most wildlife refuges in the United States are open to hunting, which seem like a rather strange definition of “refuge”?

I know you can’t even walk the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge during hunting season without a shotgun and hunting licence because hunting always trumps the mere enjoyment of nature.

Sadly, it seems to be a fact that much, if not most, of the money for bird preservation comes from hunting tags. Virtually all increases in refuge funding during the Bush administration have been derived from hunting licenses

3 thoughts on “Duck !”

  1. I am not sure how I stumbled on “In a Dark Time,” but I am glad I did. Thanks for exposing the tragic truth behind the lie of “refuge.” Not only are birds killed leagally in Montana “refuges,” but mammals are tortured to death in steel traps during trapping season.

  2. I find nothing wrong with hunting on the refuge. i personally am involved with conservation, preservation and also enjoy the recreation of hunting as a tradition of long. All can be accomplished with balance. This is not a dark time but a time of life that should be enjoyed by all since we are all only visiting for a short time and the future is everyons venue. I wish you the best and hope you can broaden the understanding base beyond that of what is known.

  3. David, here are my dictionary’s synonyms for “refuge:”
    sanctuary, shelter, place of safety, haven, safe haven, sanctum; retreat, hiding place, hideaway, hideout.

    Which of these words do you think would imply “hunting” as a main purpose of a “Refuge?”

    I suppose you also think Bush’s “Healthy Forests” initiative really had something to do with healthy forests rather than logging the forests.

    I don’t object to hunting per se, but, rather, the misuse of words to deceive people.

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