December Deer Hunting Class

We still have spots open for the December deer class -- which will probably be the last one before the deer farm closes and we can't get any more fresh deer for students to work on.

The December deer hunting class will take place on the weekend of December 10th. This two-day class covers everything that a complete beginner needs to know to learn how to hunt deer for food. From natural history to anatomy to a trip to a rifle range, culminating with the hands-on skinning, gutting, and butchering of a freshly-killed deer.

As covered by the New York Times and reviewed in depth by We Love DC.

The cost is $380, which includes several meals and all materials including rifles, ammunition, etc. No experience is necessary and all types of people are welcome. The class is held in Charlottesville, Virginia. Amtrak can take you straight into the center of Charlottesville without changing trains from DC, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, etc.

Interested persons should email me at Jack.Landers@gmail.com.

[Photo copyright 2011 by Jackson Landers]

Hunting Pigs on Foot with a Knife

When hunting with projectiles there are a few standard things that one learns to keep in mind at all times. The distance between the hunter and the prey; the direction of the wind; and the concealment of the hunter (not getting skylined, etc.). When I was hunting pigs on foot with a knife I found that an additional element became very important. Hills.

The slope of the land is a major factor in hunting with only a knife. The hot pursuit of the pig will usually only last about 30 seconds at the most. The herd will be heading straight for thick cover where they will lose you quickly. During that very short chase the hunter needs every possible advantage in order to close the deal and using the slope of the terrain is essential.

I learned the hard way, repeatedly, that it is nigh impossible to gain ground on a pig while sprinting up a hill. The pig is simply more efficient at running uphill than a human is, at least over short distances. A better runner than I might be able to gain ground on level terrain. Bounding downhill, I found that I could really use my long legs as an advantage over the pig's short legs.

The ideal set-up would be to find a food source in an open field (baiting would be a smart idea) and set yourself up in ambush along the shortest route between the food source and the nearest cover or the edge of the woods, up-hill from the food source. Alternatively, it is possible to spot-and-stalk to such a position.

Spot-and-stalk works best on smaller groups of pigs. The larger the herd, the more eyes and ears are keeping watch and the less likely it is that you will succeed in approaching unnoticed. Keeping down-wind of the pigs throughout the approach is absolutely critical. If the wind is favorable for this, it is good to creep along the edge of a meadow at dusk with the woods behind you to hide your silhouette. When you reach the point where you are closest to the pigs, begin to move in. If the pigs are looking the other way and the wind is in your favor then you might be able to walk very close before they notice you. Move silently. Ideally, you want to sneak in within no more than about 25 yards before they start running. Every step that you can take unseen is one less step that the pigs can run away from you once the chase begins.

A variation on this could work very well when hunting in a two person team. One hunter positions himself at the edge of the woods at the point nearest to the pigs in the open field. The other hunter circles around and deliberately makes some noise to frighten the pigs into trotting off into the woods. The first hunter pounces on a pig as they move past him, placing a long, sharp knife into the heart.

The knife should be longer than a typical hunting knife used for quartering a deer. You will need a blade that can reach well into the vitals of a hog. Use a sheath knife and don't even consider a folder for this job. I used this Buck knife with a six inch blade because it was what I had that seemed to fit the bill. Something with a longer blade would probably be a better idea, such as this Buck Hoodlum survival knife. Carry an extra knife as well, since a blade can be accidentally dropped during the chase.

Do not choose the largest pig among the herd as your target. Look for a smaller pig of less than 100 pounds. Wild boar can grow to over 300 pounds and they have sharp, dangerous tusks. When cornered (which is what you are trying to do here), a wild boar can do some very serious, possibly life-threatening, damage to you. Stay away from the big ones. Look for a smaller pig at the back of the pack. Also stay away from the really small piglets. They have large mothers that will protect them at all costs.

Don't try to fight the pig. Just kill it immediately when you get close enough. If the pig is cornered then do not hesitate. Do not give it the time or opportunity to turn around into a position where it can use its teeth. A plunging stab from above and behind, through the lower shoulder, into the heart.

Practicing on armadillos is a good way of developing the instinct to kill instantly right up close. This isn't like hunting with a rifle, where you can take a few seconds to collect yourself before pulling the trigger. Hesitating for a second at the moment when the kill needs to happen will result in your prey either escaping or doing something nasty to you with its teeth. You've got to be absolutely ruthless and quick at the culmination of the chase. It is best to acquire that trait while practicing with something that doesn't bite back.

To summarize, here is what you need to remember: Mind the wind, never chase uphill, use a long knife, and stick with medium to small pigs. And just in case, maybe you'd better keep something handy for a tourniquet.


[Photo copyright 2011 by Jackson Landers]

Invasive Species as Bioterror Agents?

There is a little thing going around the internet today about the danger of invasive species being used as bio-terror agents.

Um, no. This makes no sense at all. While invasive species could be introduced as a form of ecological vandalism, none of the examples offered would even remotely meet the definition of 'terrorism.'

Terrorism is the commission of acts of violence against civilian targets for the purpose of promoting an atmosphere of fear among civilians, in order to achieve other political aims. Nobody is going to be hiding in their closets because of wheat rust.

This gentleman who is trying to sound the alarm, Lawrence Roberge, said the following:

"In the hands of a rogue nation, terrorists, or an individual bent on destruction, an invasive species could have an affect similar to better known potential biological weapons such as smallpox or anthrax."

No. None of the examples given would do this. There is a world of difference between a fatal or potentially fatal disease killing human beings when people can clearly see that this was imposed on them by an enemy through something like the anthrax mailings of 2001, versus some virus that is killing deer or a parasite that reduces the wheat crop over a period of successive years. Invasive species can produce substantial economic damage but that is not the same thing as terrorism.

What Roberge is describing is a form of asymmetrical warfare. But its not really terrorism. Terrorism is a form of asymmetrical warfare, but all asymmetrical warfare is not terrorism.

Roberge recently completed a study on invasive species and naturally his conclusion here is that we need to spend more money on studies. Frankly, I'm fed up with studies on invasive species (although I have not looked at the specifics of Roberge's research and am not prepared to say that it isn't worthwhile). Usually the studies go on and on for years and the conclusion always seems to be that we need more studies. Personally, I think that at least half of every public dollar spent on dealing with invasive species should be spent specifically on eradication instead of year after year of research while the problem gets worse. Research is good but it seems to have often come at the cost of real action.

All of that said, invasive species could very easily be used for asymmetrical warfare. The trouble is that many applications could eventually backfire on the saboteur. It would be very easy to go tit for tat with something like this, and even without it being done deliberately, the species in question could end up being accidentally introduced to crops or habitat of the saboteur's country or allies.

Frankly, I think that so many species are being constantly introduced and moved around the United States on their own already that the deliberate introduction of harmful invasives might just be a drop in the bucket.

[Photo copyright 2011 by Jackson Landers]

December Class Spots Available

What looks to be the last deer hunting class on the weekend of December 10th still has plenty of spots open. More sign-ups would be very welcome.

Meanwhile, the fully-booked November class for this coming weekend just had one spot open back up unexpectedly due to a cancellation. If anyone wants to get in on that at the last minute, the class will be here in Charlottesville, Virginia for the price of $380. All materials, use of rifles, ammunition for the class rifles and a few meals are included.

You will learn the natural history, ecology, anatomy and evolutionary history of deer. You will learn from a staff of expert instructors how to safely and accurately shoot a rifle and have the opportunity to test out a variety of weapons to see what is a good fit for you. While working with a freshly killed deer, you will learn how to gut, skin, quarter, butcher and cook a deer using only a knife. You will go home with knowledge and skills that enable you to feed yourself and your family on free-range wild food.

To register for a class or to inquire about details, please send me an email at Jack.Landers@gmail.com

[Photo copyright 2011 by Jackson Landers.]

Why I Hunt Pigs Dangerously

A thoughtful commenter on one of my recent blog entries asked why exactly I have been setting about packs of wild boar on foot with nothing more than a knife in hand. This is a reasonable question.

There are two reasons.

First, I have become very much interested in very primitive hunting methods. Persistence hunting has been one of those primitive methods that I've blogged about before, but I'm not really cut out for long-distance running at the moment. I'm in decent shape but I haven't been training for marathon-type distances and with several old injuries to my feet and knees (broken bones which were not properly dealt with at the time) I doubt that I am physically capable of running for that long.

Yet persistence hunting is only the first of humankind's early hunting techniques. Ambushing prey on foot with a simple blade must surely have followed closely on the heels of persistence hunting.

This is what I have been attempting with these wild pigs. Indeed, I do not think that it would be possible to use persistence hunting methods to take a wild pig. Swine tend to head straight for very thick cover that they know very well and a runner would be lost quickly in it. Pigs create a maze of tunnels roughly three feet high through thorns and scrub which they can run through but which a human pursuer would have to drop to hands and knees to pass through. Trust me, I have tried.

Taking wild pigs on foot requires either something that holds the pig in place (as when hunting with trained dogs) or closing with the animal very rapidly and either overtaking or cornering it in order to kill it with a knife or spear.

I have made a habit of hunting armadillos this way, which has been good practice for running down pigs. Only a few days ago I used a steep cliff to corner an armadillo and took it on foot alone, butchering it for food. The idea is to scale up these tactics against more dangerous prey. Eventually I would like to amass enough experience hunting a variety of prey this way to be able to produce a book or a documentary film about it. As a survival tactic, it would be a valuable skill. All that you need is a sharp thing and good health. Nobody else seems to be researching this so it seems like something I ought to be doing.

I think that actually attempting these primitive techniques can help me to understand some very old aspects of being human in a way that mere research cannot.

The other reason, which I find difficult to explain, is that once I had the idea I cannot bear the thought of failing to follow through with it.

I realize that what I am doing is extremely dangerous and arguably stupid. If I keep it up then eventually I am going to find myself up against a large, aggressive boar and I will be badly injured. I know this. A subsistence hunter 20,000 years ago had the advantage of growing up in a society where these things were taught from a young age and he or she learned tactics from stories and examples that I have to learn for myself, the hard way.

Yet I live in an age of penicillin, plaster casts and expert stitching. The odds of me actually being killed by a wild boar are very low. Worst case scenario, I get torn up and bitten and lose some blood and maybe suffer some nerve damage and broken bones. I can deal with that. The real problem is that I have had the idea and now that I have been presented with the opportunity to follow through with it, I would never be able to forgive myself for not making the attempt. At heart, I suspect that this is the same thought process that goes through the mind of any American football quarterback. He knows that its only a matter of time until he receives the big injury, but he goes back into the game again and again because he must.

My whole approach to the way that I live my life has changed very much over the last few years. I have a philosophy of living -- which I apply only to myself and hold up as a standard for nobody else -- which demands that I constantly seek out and choose a better story to live. This is approximately what Teddy Roosevelt referred to as "choosing the strenuous life." I am well aware of the fact that I am burning the candle at both ends and that sooner or later there will be a toll to pay.

[Photo copyright 2011 by Jackson Landers and Helenah Svedberg.]

On Holy Cows

It has been necessary for our society to create holy cows. When an animal becomes critically endangered, we usually need to transform the way that we think about that animal in order to muster enough support to save it.

Grey wolves, American alligators and bison are all animals that were once either despised or taken for granted. They were all brought back from immediate danger of extinction in part because of citizen action and people's changing attitudes toward them. People need to think of an animal as being special or iconic or lovable in order to rally behind the idea of saving the species.

I support the creation of holy cows insofar as it is necessary to save something from extinction. My own rock-bottom ecological value, which forms the basis for all of my judgments about land management and conservation policy, is the prevention of extinctions. If we need to crank out some plush toys to get boaters to stop slicing up manatees, then so be it.

However, our love of holy cows must eventually become the victim of our own successes. When alligators bounced back enough to become nearly as ubiquitous as squirrels, they needed to be kept in check to prevent quite so many people and dogs from being eaten. The magnificent giant Canada goose, once thought extinct, is now being culled by the hundreds of thousands at the request of the same federal government that formerly protected it.

None of these holy cows are really, in their own nature, what we pretend that they are. Grey wolves are not gentle souls that always cooperate and feed only on field mice (Farley Mowatt lied). It is doubtful that alligators have any personal sense of their prehistoric charm and dinosaur-like appearance. And the only sense in which bison are iconic images of a tough, wild America full of history and adventure is in our minds.

There is a proposal being considered by the management of Yellowstone National Park to start hunting bison from the park. A lot of people are really upset about this and understandably so. They've been taught for a long time that bison are holy cows and its not easy to switch gears. Yet this will almost always be the result of success at restoring a population. We have as many bison as can possibly survive in Yellowstone without seasonal starvation. Unless more habitat is secured for them, bison need to be removed. Hunting them for meat is the most effective means of doing this.

Bison are special animals in many ways. But all animals are. A rat or a pig wants to live just as much as a bison does. Every mammal probably experiences pain, joy and wonder in a similar way. We don't think of the Norwegian rat as special because we take it for granted and because it is a pest that can be a problem even in urban or suburban habitats. To the lovers of holy cows, bison are distant emblems of abstract ideas and their love of the animals probably has very little to do with the animal's real nature.

I spent much of the last two weeks on a bison ranch in the hill country of Texas. The animals were pretty much wild. They get fed a little snack now and then in order to maintain the ability to lure them back onto the ranch when they wander off, but for the most part the bison are completely independent and unmanageable. As the herd's numbers have gradually increased on this ranch they require more food. They have started to break out into two separate groups under the charge of two different bulls much of the time. If they keep reproducing then they will have to move farther and farther for food and pretty soon the amount of habitat that they require will be beyond what is available.

Nothing out there is regularly eating the bison except for humans. Remember that North America lost most of its megafauna and large predators around 11,000 years ago. Smilodon, the short-faced bear, the American cheetah, and the dire wolf are all gone. This situation we had a few hundred years ago of herds of bison numbering in the millions was probably not part of a very good or sustainable ecology. Grey wolves will hunt bison, but in order to specialize in hunting bison the wolves need the bison numbers to hit a critical population level of around 10,000 bison in the area. Otherwise there aren't enough young, old, sick and weak animals regularly available to justify the very dangerous task of even learning how to hunt such big and dangerous prey.

So long as those wild places like Yellowstone (or Ted Turner's ranch) are as limited as they are, we're going to have to hunt animals like bison when our efforts to restore them are successful.

Holy cows must eventually become victims of their own success. Perhaps some of the Yellowstone bison can be moved to Native American reservations that want them, but this doesn't dodge the issue of needing to hunt them. It only delays it.

[Photo copyright 2011 by Jackson Landers.]

Cool Hand Jack

Last night I stepped outside of my cottage here in the Texas Hill Country and saw the unmistakable black outlines of a group of around half dozen or so wild hogs. Right there in the front yard, grazing on the grass. Instinctively I ran straight at them.

After about a week of hunting wild boar on foot and armed only with a knife I have learned a few tricks. Among them is the fact that hesitation means defeat. Many other things can also easily result in defeat, but hesitation is right up there.

This time, as I rocketed across the grass and over mounds of bison dung, the sensation of thorns cutting into my bare feet prompted the reflection that perhaps hesitation sufficient at least to notice that I'd forgotten my shoes might have been wise.

A smallish pig lagged towards the back of the terrified pack of surprised swine. I chose this pig as my target and summoned the reserves for a final push. As I closed to within a few paces of my prey I reached to my hip for the familiar shape of my knife and realized that it was not there.

The absurdity of the situation suddenly dawned on me. I was running barefoot and completely unarmed straight for a pack of pissed-off wild boar, the largest of which was something over 200 pounds. I had forgotten shoes, knife and common sense.

I laughed out loud at my situation and continued to chase the pigs a little farther. I didn't close the deal, lacking a weapon. But nor did the pigs realize that they had the upper hand in every sense, so I escaped unharmed.

Sometimes nothing is a pretty cool hand.

Meanwhile, the November deer class is fully booked. We have a winner for the scholarship spot and then another applicant who was just so darn good that we've given him a scholarship spot for the December class. There are plenty of spots still open for the December deer class, so please sign up! As always, it is a two day class. This will be on December 10th and 11th in Charlottesville, Virginia. The cost is $380. In order to sign up, send me an email at Jack.Landers@gmail.com. A 25% deposit ($95) is due in order to reserve a space and that deposit can be paid via Paypal to the same email address.

[Photo copyright 2011 by Jackson Landers. Yeah, I know this is a buck whitetail, not a pig. But every time I see a wild pig I start running after it and forget to take pictures. I really like this photo of a buck that I took yesterday, so here you go.]

Hill Country Hogs, the Hard Way

The black shapes looked out of place on the grassy slope in the Texas Hill Country. Smaller than the bushes, too dark to be deer. They had to be pigs for sure.

I brought the car to a stop and snapped a few photos from the car window. A pair of llamas stood staring at me in the same field. The typical sort of random misfit animals that seem to pop up on ranches around here. A band of whitetails flicked their tails farther away.

The ranch owners who had invited me out for a few weeks had insisted that I wait until after an upcoming hunting class was over before shooting any hogs. They didn't want the noise to spook them. But there is more than one way to kill a pig.

I opened the car door. After a few steps I checked the wind and found it in my favor, blowing slightly crosswise but more or less from the pigs toward me. They were about three hundred yards out.

Mounds of bison dung dotted the field. I stepped around them and kept an eye out for the herd, which fortunately was somewhere else on the ranch right then.

The llamas took a few steps towards me and looked suspicious. A few sentinels among the whitetails looked troubled.

Two hundred yards. I turned my camera on and snapped a picture in the fading light. The pigs oinked and snorted but none had seen me. I kept walking, silently, legs apart and stepping high.

The whitetails bolted for the woods all together. The llamas continued to disapprove.

One hundred yards. I looked for the smallest of the pigs that wasn't too close to a big one. The herd numbered no more than about eight. The biggest of them looked to be about three hundred pounds. I didn't want to end up in a fight with him.

At seventy yards the first of the pigs looked right at me. It did nothing at first. Here was a man, sure. But a man who did not carry a long black stick in his hands. No gun. A man with nothing but his empty hands, and yet walking closer.

Fifty yards. The whole herd was staring at me. It was now or never.

I drew my long steel knife from the sheath on my belt and ran hard and fast for the pig I'd picked out. Blade in hand, I came straight at the herd. For a moment they stood stupidly looking at me and I thought that I might make it all the way in among them. They saw that this strange man did not carry a gun, yet it rapidly become very clear that the strange man was completely out of his mind.

The herd suddenly bolted. I ran hard and chased them across the grass while the disapproving llamas took a few steps back. Yet I fell short. With the nearest pig only a few dozen yards away the herd made it into the thick brush and melted into the shadows and out of sight.

I walked back to my idling car with the knife still in my hand.

Next time.

[Photo copyright 2011 by Jackson Landers.]

Deer Class Scholarship Deadline

Fergus Clare pointed out to me yesterday that we need to establish a clear deadline for applications for the scholarship spot for the November deer class.

Oops.

So the deadline is this coming Wednesday, November 9th. Anyone who wants to apply for the free spot in the deer hunting class happening on the weekend of November 26th needs to send Fergus an email before the 9th. That email should explain who you are and why you would like to take the class. Fergus, who blogs as The Anthohemian and co-teaches skinning and primitive skills for our deer hunting classes, will be reviewing the emails and choosing the winner. His email address is fergusclare@gmail.com.

We'll probably do this again for the December class, but I'm not making any promises right now.

Meanwhile, I'm on the road headed to Texas where I'll be working on my next book (Beginner's Guide to Hunting Canada Geese) at the Madrono ranch in Medina. Tonight I'm holed up in the Saint Vincent Guest House in New Orleans, Louisiana. I'm spending tomorrow wandering around NOLA and seeing the sights and then after one more night at the St. Vincent I'll hit the road again and drive the rest of the way to Medina. If any readers in NOLA want to say hi on Saturday night, shoot me an email at jack.landers@gmail.com.

[Photo copyright 2011 by Jackson Landers. Ok, actually I took this photo in Florida a few months ago but I'm in Louisiana and the blog entry needed a photo so an alligator just seemed logical.]

November Deer Hunting Scholarship

Ok, I know that $380 is a lot of money for most people to pay to come and take one of my two-day deer hunting classes. I certainly couldn't afford to pay for one of my own classes. I know that there are a lot of people who would really benefit from this course but cannot possible afford it.

That is why I'm giving away one place in the November class for free.

To apply, write a brief email explaining why you want to take the class. Tell us a little bit about yourself. One applicant will be chosen for a free spot in the class happening the weekend of November 26th.

The winner will be chosen not by me but by Fergus Clare. Fergus is a primitive skills expert and is one of the co-instructors whom I regularly bring in for the class. Fergus teaches skinning and hide preparation during the deer classes and has also recently started blogging as The Anthrohemian. Email him at fergusclare@gmail.com to apply for the scholarship.

Meanwhile, we still have a bunch of other spots open in the November class. I also intend to offer another class on the second weekend of December if the interest is there. Whatever classes we offer this weekend will almost certainly be the last of the deer hunting classes in Virginia because the deer farm is closing. I've reserved a few deer to use for field dressing and butchering demonstrations and then that is the end of them.

To sign up for the November class without applying for the scholarship, send me an email at jack.landers@gmail.com.

[Photos copyright 2010 by John Athayde]

A Response to Kelly Oliver

Yesterday I read a bizarre op-ed piece in the New York Times, written by Kelly Oliver. The op-ed, entitled, 'Pet Lovers. Pathologized,' posits that loving an animal is socially unacceptable. Oliver builds her case in part by saying that politicians go hunting primarily in order to project a macho image.

I disagree with much of what Oliver writes in this piece (I don't really sense or encounter much discrimination against people who really love their cats and dogs, but perhaps I don't travel in the same circles as Ms. Oliver). Naturally the item I want to start off with is her characterization of why political candidates are seen hunting.

The political value is not in "channeling Joe Six-Pack," or in demonstrating 'bloodlust.' The value is communicating to the millions of American hunters the idea that this candidate understands you. The act sends a message to hunters that the candidate is one of us. For decades, American hunters have felt derided and attacked and constantly threatened with rules and legislation that seemed to be trying to end hunting one step at a time. When a life-long hunter sees someone running for office, he or she naturally wonders if this is going to be one of the people who puts up more literal and figurative 'no hunting' signs. A photo op during a hunt is a good way for a candidate to send a very clear message to the millions of American hunters and their families that he or she is on their side.

Whether or not the candidate really is much of a hunter or truly intends to be a friend to hunters is another question entirely.

As for Oliver's statement about bloodlust, I really don't think that she understands the psychology or culture of mainstream American hunters at all. A hunter who demonstrates a real bloodlust is an odd duck, usually mistrusted by other hunters in the US. The attitude may be tolerated for a time in a new hunter who is still learning their way, but when an experienced hunter seems to take real joy in the act of killing for its own sake or craves the pain of a living animal then we tend to find that just as creepy as she does.

Oliver's lead-off statement about Presidential candidates eating meat is also a little bit suspect, in my opinion. She asks whether a head of state "could gain office by declaring himself or herself a vegetarian." Could a candidate win by declaring him or herself to be a vegetarian? Of course not. Only about 1% of Americans are vegetarians at any given time. You might as well ask whether a candidate could win office by declaring herself to be a model train collector or a fan of Robert Browning. These aren't things that you can really run on.

Could a candidate who happens to be a vegetarian become President? Yes, I think so. But not by being a vegetarian. There is no one thing that a candidate can declare about him or herself that will cinch the election.

Oliver says that the legal landscape only approves of dependence on non-food animals in cases of "illness, handicap or severe need." Really? Because I'm pretty sure that I can walk into the County Office building and get a dog license without a prescription from my doctor. There are many government-funded shelters for abandoned pets, some of them being no-kill shelters. Many cities and towns have government-maintained parks set up for people to take their pets to. We have laws on the books against some types of cruelty to animals.

The service animal category that she leans her arguments on so heavily is a weak argument for her point. The service animal designation is mostly something that prevents a business from preventing an animal (usually, though not necessarily, a dog) from accompanying a human. Most dogs are not especially well-trained and if a grocery store had to allow every dog in the neighborhood to wander the aisles then there would be feces and urine everywhere, not to mention a lot of eaten food.

This very practical designation given only to animals that are helping humans with disabilities is not the sole or even the primary recognition of animals in our legal landscape. It is one of many ways in which law and government address non-food animals. Oliver is cherry-picking this one role of animals in order to try to prove the specious point that society finds the love of animals to be inherently a sickness.

All of that said, I admire the fact that Oliver is trying to go to bat for people who love animals. I think that her motives are good even if her argument is unconvincing to me.

[Photo copyright 2011 by Jackson Landers. All rights reserved.]