Thursday, January 7, 2010

Thought-provoking blogs worth reading

I was on my way home from a duck hunt yesterday when Boyfriend told me he'd found a new blog that was really cool: People. Animals. Nature. Thoughts and stories from a vegan-turned-hunter, by Tovar Cerulli.

Obviously, the title alone got my attention - I am fascinated by the polar opposites of veganism and hunting. And I feel kinship with anyone who, like me, is the last person you'd expect to have become a hunter.

I'm happy to report that the content I found there - it's so new there are only two posts - lived up the my expectations. I especially liked the first post about meat eaters who refuse to eat wild game.

I rarely write about brand new blogs because you just can't tell if the blogger is going to be committed enough to continue producing great content after the initial rush has worn off. But this one is so intriguing I'm willing to gamble on it.

Another blog worth your attention today: Galen Geer at The Thinking Hunter has a new post raising some questions about whether the great thinkers of hunting should get together and start rethinking whether the concept of Fair Chase is still fair.

I love this topic, though my views can be pretty contrarian. I blame Phillip Loughlin at The Hog Blog for challenging me to rethink some of my assumptions during some pretty vigorous debates we had in my first year of blogging. No matter how you feel about the subject, though, if you like discussing Fair Chase, you should head over to Galen's blog and weigh in.

(And thanks, Phillip, in case I haven't said it enough. In addition to challenging me to think, you taught me how incredibly important disagreement can be in the context of a blog discussion.)

Postscript: Turns out Phillip was cooking up another interesting discussion on his blog today. Check out what he's got to say on the topic of baiting wild hogs.

© Holly A. Heyser 2010

11 comments:

Tovar Cerulli said...

Hey Holly -

Thanks for the plugs for my new blog! I owe you one.

If folks are curious to know a bit more about where I'm coming from, on my Essays page there are a couple pieces I've written on the subject.

Thanks again. I look forward to many future conversations!

Tovar

Holly Heyser said...

Thanks, Tovar. I saw those essays and wanted to dig into that too, but I had some work I really needed to get to this morning first. But I was definitely intrigued by some of the topics. Looking forward to it!

gary said...

Whew Holly, can some of this stuff be over thought? I understand that people are coming at this from every which angle so we have to give room to one another as we seek acceptance from ourselves, what we feel comfortable with. But if I'm going to continually follow others thought processes in my hunting, to put it frankly, its going to take a lot out of the hunt that I enjoy now.

I grew up on a farm where we fed animals one day and the next day they were feeding us. Hunting then was second nature and was a neccesity. Since then I've come to embrace and enjoy all aspects of the hunt, more so than I ever have. I've thought about it enough to except every part of the hunt in clear conscience.

Seems to me a lot of the problems arise if we have a tendency to elevate an animals status or degrade a humans life. The closer we allow these to become, the more confusing the issues become. Right now I'm letting this run close to the next step of thought which can be real controversial so I'll let it stop here.

Hunt - enjoy it. Care for it - enjoy it. Eat it and enjoy it. I love it all.

Holly Heyser said...

But Gary, overthinking is my bread and butter! What would I blog about if I didn't think everything to death? ;-)

Seriously, I think you and I are probably on the same pages about some of these issues, but from a very different perspective. I actually do put myself on the same plane as animals in many respects (which pretty much falls in the category of elevating animals AND degrading humans' status). But it's a plane in which hunting is part of the natural order of things.

I could probably go on an on, but I'll save that for Galen's blog - looking forward to that discussion!

SimplyOutdoors said...

I found both of these blogs to be very entertaining and thought-provoking. I ventured over and left a comment on each one.

Thanks for pointing them out.

Kahlilia said...

I search and recently came across your blog and have been reading along. It was wonderful blog.

Kelsi

http://bestonlinetimes.com

Greg Damitz said...

Great blogs. Great to see people coming to realize what the circle of life is about and that as humans we aren't too advanced to participate.

Greg Damitz
http://rosevillevegetable.blogspot.com/

gary said...

Sorry Holly, I should have recognized that, beings your livelyhood is in Jounalism, and background in reporting. For myself I deal with the murky waters of insurance contracts for a living so in my time off I'm looking for relief from questionable wording and feelings. This is what I find in my outdoor activities. I've sought out the simplistic side of it on purpose, its where I can relax.

It does amaze me that people can come from so many different angles and still come up with the same conclusions. Keep trucking!!

Anonymous said...

Well, nice to meet you fellow hunter (-tress?) via Turvali blog! You may enjoy the stories of my first moose hunt (See: Walk softly and carry a big gun, Getting cold feet, and Searching for that 1%).

cheers,

Kristeva Dowling
Howling Duck Ranch

native said...

I had all but forgotten about Galen's wonderful blog Holly, thanks for the reminder.
I will also drop in on Tovar as well, very good and thoughtful post's over there.

Gretchen Steele said...

Thanks fro bring these to my atention! Looks like great reading and thought provacation ahead!