>I am always amazed, amused, and concerned with the fears of
>nonhunters about being in the same locale as hunters. I assume
>it has to do with the stereotype of hunters that is so common
>in nonhunters.

Perhaps it's because there are just about enough ignorant and possibly
drunken gun-nuts (as opposed to responsible hunters) to make it foolish to
just ignore the situation? In the area where I grew up (near St. Louis),
people kept their horses inside throughout hunting seasons, or they'd
likely end up as targets. Friends of mine lost two in one day after they
moved to a no-hunting posted area and thought it would be safe to leave
them out because of the absolutely unmissable signs everywhere. And then
there was the novice 'hunter' a few years before that who not only shot at
two kids on a motor scooter, but after hitting the biggest kid who was
driving, finished off his little brother as well. ("I didn't notice they
were people".) This was decades ago and far away, but somehow I kind of
doubt that today's average local gun-nut is any more likely to look or care
very much where s/he's shooting, rather than using a hunting season/area as
free license to get away with 'having a good time' and shooting at random.


"I went and shot the maximum the game laws would allow:
Two game wardens, seven hunters, and a cow." The Hunting Song--Tom Lehrer




Allyn Weaks allyn at u.washington.edu
allyn at cornetto.chem.washington.edu
Pacific Northwest Native Plant Gardening:
http://chemwww.chem.washington.edu/natives/