I found this picture today and it really sums up my views on hunting.  I love to duck hunt and it is one of my favorite hobbies to participate in.  However, not every time I go out to the lake, do I get any ducks.  Nonetheless, I still enjoy it even when I do not see a single bird.  Duck hunting takes a lot of preparation and you have to learn where the ducks are flying.  You will have hunts that are just about watching were the ducks are flying and you may not even get a chance to get a shot off.  For me duck hunting is more than just shooting birds, it is about being out in nature and appreciating the God's creation.  Watching the sun rise over a lake at seven in the morning is the most beautiful and relaxing thing I have ever seen.  Hunting is a great activity for me to relax and take a break from my crazy, stressful life as a college student.  Therefore, even if I do not get a single shot off, I still enjoy being out on the lake and hunting.  However, I have truly never experienced an adrenalin rush like the one I receive when I hit a duck flying overhead.  Nonetheless, duck hunting is one my favorite hobbies even when I do not bring any ducks home from the lake.

Lead Shot

It is pretty well known around the hunting community that lead shot bullets are not legal for waterfowl hunting, such as duck and geese hunting.  This is because fish and other waterfowl eat the lead bullets while feeding in the bottom of lakes and ponds and this can be fatal for them.  However, lead shot is still legal for hunting other animals.  This is also a problem because other animals can still digest these lead shots and get poisoned by them.  The issues seems to have an easy solution of banning all lead shots and only allowing steel shots to be used.  However, many hunters are set on their ways and believe that the lead shots work better than the steel shot.  The steel bullets are not toxic like the lead bullets are; therefore, it would not harm animals and birds that eat them by mistake while feeding.  Therefore, I believe that even if a hunter prefers the lead shot, they should realize that they are bad for the environment.  Hunters should care enough about the environment to sacrifice the lead bullets to protect the wildlife.  I believe that hunters need to realize that the wildlife management is what allows them to participate in the sport of hunting in the first place; therefore, they should respect and protect it.