I know a group of hunters and fishermen who are getting flak from PETA because of course PETA doesn't believe in killing animals. PETA does a lot of their protestations for publicity, and some are downright ridiculous.

Here in the Bible belt, hunters have have seasons for deer, turkey, duck etc. and hunt for squirrel and rabbits.
When I was growing up, daddy wasn't a hunter. I guess he had seen all the killing he could stomach during WWII. His brother who hadn't been in the war loved to hunt.

Even though we never ate wild game like squirrel and rabbit and deer, one fall we were really poor and desperate enough for daddy to go hunting. I went with him. He would aim at a squirrel, then slowly lower the rifle. He couldn't shoot. I took the rifle, and aimed at a bird singing on a tree limb and shot it dead. I knew I had done a terrible thing as soon as it happened. The bird fell to the ground, blood on its chest feathers.

Back home, mama took a picture of me with the rifle in the crook of one arm, holding the dead bird by its feet with the other hand. I was uncomfortable and unhappy about posing with the bird. It's feathers were soft and downy on the underside, smooth and shiny on the outside. I had no right to end its life. I've never shot another firearm since. Not that I'm a fan or supporter of PETA. It is a personal choice never to kill something for "sport."

susil