ASK UNCLE JOE – Fall 2018
Dear Uncle Joe,
The weather up here has been terribly cold and my wife and I are concerned about wildlife not being able to find shelter. There is a solitary raccoon who began visiting us earlier in the year and now we’re worried about him. Is there anything we can do to help him survive the winter, or should we just let him figure things out for himself?Chris
Cadillac, MI
Dear Chris,
Thank you for your concern for your furry friend. In general, feeding wildlife can make them dependent upon human hand-outs and is not a very good idea. While you might not mind a raccoon coming to your yard, your neighbors might not feel the same way. A raccoon strolling around where he’s not wanted could be putting his life in danger if the property owner believes the myth that a racoon seen during the daytime must be sick or rabid. Yes, winters in Michigan can be brutal, but the native wildlife is accustomed to the conditions and unless the weather is more harsh than usual, wildlife should make it through ok.
Sincerely, Uncle Joe
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Dear Uncle Joe,
I want to let you know about a situation I had with a hunter recently that left me upset and wondering whether or not I’m going to be in trouble with the game wardens. Just yesterday a hunter rang my doorbell and told my that a deer he had shot ran across my property and he said he had to track it down. I told him that I did not want him on my property and I told him to leave. He said that a new law passed that allows hunters to follow animals across private property in order to retrieve them. I said I never heard of such a law and I would not grant him access to my property. I have 7 acres that is mostly wooded and it is only 200 feet from a state park where there is hunting and I don’t want them driving their atv’s across my land or stomping through it to get an animal. And yes, my property is posted with NO TRESPASSING signs. The hunter said he’d return with a game warden to explain the law but he hasn’t been here yet. Is this true? Can they come onto my property without permission to drag off a deer they had shot?Luanne,
Johnstown, NY
Dear Luanne,
I don’t know of any law that allows hunters to enter private property without permission to track a wounded animal. I’m guessing he was trying to intimidate you into allowing him access and I am glad you stood your ground. Hunters often have an arrogance about them that makes them believe they can do whatever they like while they are hunting, though that’s definitely not true. If a game warden does show up, it will likely to be to ask you to cooperate with local hunters, but there’s nothing he can do to force your compliance. In fact, he cannot be on your property either without legitimate cause to be there, so feel free to tell him to leave too. Most game wardens are hunters themselves and while they are supposed to be enforcing the law and remaining neutral, they all too often protect hunters’ interests and advocate on their behalf. You did a good job – don’t let them bully you.
Sincerely, Uncle Joe
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Dear Uncle Joe,
I’m an avid reader of your Facebook page and I need to ask you about something. I see a lot of hunting accidents being posted, and I want to know if you guys are making light of the situation or just reporting the news. I definitely have my opinion on the subject but I want to hear yours.Lauro,
Henderson, NV
Dear Lauro,
Thanks for asking the question and allowing us to set the record straight. Let me be unambiguous – we do not share those articles because we’re making fun of the injured/dead hunters. The reason we post these articles is because we need to show the public that hunting accidents are not rare and they are often quite serious. Hunting interests will tell you that hunting is the safest sport there is, but what they won’t say is how the fatality rate for hunting far exceeds the fatality rate for all other sports combined. We want people to see that not only is hunting a death sentence for wildlife, but that thousands of people every year are injured and killed by hunters, and not all of the human causalities are participants. Hunting is a dangerous sport and we’re not going to allow hunters to dictate the narrative on the issue. The truth is definitely different than what they want us to believe.
Sincerely, Uncle Joe
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Could you please explain in a little more detail what you stand for. Are you against all hunting period? Would you still allow hunting as a means of providing food for family? Would you want legislation banning all hunting? More in depth would be much appreciated.
Mr. Lacroix
(no city given)
Dear Mr. LaCroix,There may be some people who see our name – Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting – and think this implies that we support some forms of hunting while opposing others, so thank you for asking us to clarify our position. Simply stated, C.A.S.H. opposes hunting in all forms. We do not see a difference between killing an animal and eating her body and killing her and putting her head on a wall as both are the result of extreme, unneeded violence. Every vegetarian (and there are hundreds of millions around the world) is living proof that eating meat is unnecessary, and since it is unnecessary everything done in the process of putting meat on the table is unnecessary. We find unnecessary violence and killing to be obscene and abhorrent and without question we would support legislation banning all hunting. Just as no one can deny that the world would be a better place with no unnecessary violence, there is no rational way to justify recreational activity (hunting, fishing, and trapping) where injuring and killing is the goal. Hunting, fishing, and trapping should be banned globally. I’m sure I’ve made our position clear. Thanks.
Sincerely, Uncle Joe
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Dear Uncle Joe,
If you could be a snake, a bear, or a frog, which would you be?Richie (age 6),Denver, CO
Dear Richie,
What a great question – I don’t think anyone has asked me that before. Hmmm – a snake, a bear, or a frog? Well, I wouldn’t want to be a frog because I would have to live I the water, and I don’t like getting wet! I don’t know how to swim so the water is not for me. A snake? Hmmm. I don’t think that’s for me because I don’t want to eat mice or have to swallow eggs whole! It might be cool to shed my skin and reveal a nice shiny coat, but that mouse-eating thing gives me the heebie-jeebies.So I guess I’d want to be a bear. The black bears that are most common are vegetarian animals who don’t hunt. I’d also get to sleep away the winter – something I would love to do. So I guess that’s it – I would be a bear??
Sincerely, Uncle Joe