Author Topic: THEODORE ROOSEVELT  (Read 472 times)

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Offline IOWA DON

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THEODORE ROOSEVELT
« on: November 09, 2008, 01:07:40 PM »
I recently finished two books by the subject author, African Game Trails and the other one about his North Dakota and western USA hunting. He frequently gave his opinions on what were good sporting methods of hunting and what was not. He liked still hunting but thought sitting in a blind waiting for game was boring and not much sport. He really like running down game with horse and hounds, or just horse and gun. That to me seems like an old time version of running down game with a truck and shooting out the window. Also, he took many shots at game at long distances (over 200 yards and sometimes much over) using iron sights and often from a standing possition. He was very modest and did not claim to be better than an average shot and his theory was that if he did a lot of shooting he would be more likely to connect than if he only shot when he was sure of his shot. He openly stated that on many days he did a lot of shooting for each animal he got, often wounding them with the first shot. However, he generally recovered the animals he shot with good trailing or running them down over great distances with horses. Anyway, these books were very good reading but I was a little surprised.

Offline mcwoodduck

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Re: THEODORE ROOSEVELT
« Reply #1 on: November 10, 2008, 07:48:09 AM »
I too was surprised at his comments.
But his hunting was first done as susistance hunting and if you didn't hit it you didn't eat.  And who and how, you are first taught to hunt tends to stay with you. 
I was first taught to hunt by using deer drives.  When we started to hunt in NC and they use deer to drive the deer it did not seem sporting to me.  After watching what the deer do to loose the dogs in the woods it will never be my method but I can see how the deer have a chance.
I guess chasing down the animals on horse back I guess seemed sporting to TR as it was his skill mounted on a horse to catch the prey.
Just a different time and thinking.