Liberte Austin’s Hunting Digest: Hunter Crushed By Elephant, Balloon Hunting, Super Redhawk Alaskan FTW

Big game hunters in Africa are making headlines again this month, as the hunters themselves became the hunted.

Last month I wrote about Scott Van Zyl, a big game hunter hunting elephants in Zimbabwe who encountered two crocodiles — that consequently, ate him.  In a very strange coincidence, last week his good friend Theunis Botha was crushed by an elephant shot by his own hunting party.

Both men were very well respected hunting guides in Africa and while the hunting community mourns their loss the antis are taking to social media to call their deaths karma.

Theunis Botha: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know – “Big game hunter Theunis Botha was out to kill animals in South Africa but got a taste of his own medicine when he was crushed to death by an elephant. Netwerk 24 in the Rainbow Nation reports that Botha had taken a group of hunters into the bush in Gwai, Zimbabwe, on May 19. The station says that the a group of female elephants charged at the group in an area known as Good Luck Farm.”

The antis simply don’t understand the “law of the jungle” in this case Africa . . .

Arguments in Favor of Hunting – “By removing a small amount of hunters from Africa you are essentially sentencing all the animals to death. By comparison, hunters kill a small amount of animals while unrestrained poaching can lead to the extinction of these majestic creatures. A few animals must be killed in order to sustain the rest of the population.” Interesting how the animal kingdom mimics human nature. In light of Memorial Day, I wonder if these antis complain when soldiers give their lives for their freedom to bitch and complain about hunting animals in Africa.

Yes!!!!!! OMG sign me up for this ASAP. Texas Lawmakers Legalize Hunting Hogs From Hot Air Balloons – “As state lawmakers gut major bills in the last days of the 85th legislative session, it’s become clear where many of their priorities lie. Child welfare. Religious freedom. Women’s health. Oh, and hunting feral hogs from hot air balloons. That last one, oddly enough, is one of the few issues that have managed to float through both chambers unscathed. Thanks to a Wednesday vote by the Texas Senate, a bill allowing landowners to shoot wild hogs and coyotes from the safety of a hot air balloon basket has now landed on Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.”

Sadly, we often hear about teenagers mishandling firearms and accidentally causing the death of another.  As parents and gun owners, we must be dedicated to teaching our kids firearms safety.

In this case we aren’t dealing with kids that got into mom or dads gun safe.  These kids apparently knew enough about guns to go out and hunt for themselves, so I’m sure mom and dad taught them the basics.  Unfortunately, in most cases with teenagers you can teach them safety but you can’t teach them temperance.

Teen accidentally killed by friend during hunting outing – “Authorities say a 17-year-old boy has died after he was accidentally shot by a friend while hunting in Vernon County. Sheriff’s officials say the boy and his 15-year-old friend were going turkey hunting on private land in the Town of Whitestown Sunday. When the two got out of the vehicle, a pistol held by the younger boy discharged, striking the older boy in the side and chest area. He was pronounced dead at the scene.”

FYI- In many states it is legal to allow minors to hunt unaccompanied by an adult.  In Texas you can let your kids hunt alone as early as 9 years of age.

There is hope for teenage boys still. While hunting with dad this teenage boy had a great idea for safety . . .

Vermont Boy Invents New Camouflage for Hunting, Launches KickStarter Campaign – “Vermont Boy Invents New Camouflage for Hunting, Launches KickStarter CampaignThe See3D Camo suit is an orange leafy suit that incorporates safety orange and “3D leaf” technology to greatly improve how the hunter’s outline blends into their surroundings. The new suit makes them invisible to deer, yet highly visible to other hunters. Patented this year, the new hunting suit achieves two contradictory goals: improved camouflage to remain hidden from deer while increasing visibility to other hunters for safety.

“I was sitting in a tree stand with my Dad and we were both wearing bright orange for safety. I thought to myself, ‘We can’t be very hidden from deer, we have too much solid color, there has to be a better way to do this,’” says Peter, aged 13. According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife, of the over 13 million hunters who take to the woods each year, more than one thousand are accidentally shot, many of them fatally.”

Very, very cool story! This one gave me chills and “je ne sais quoi” just made me feel proud for women everywhere. Girl power!

Japanese women are entering the male-dominated world of hunting — at the government’s request – “In Japan, it was once considered taboo for a woman to speak with a man before he went on a hunt. But a rising number of female hunters are taking up arms, at their government’s behest. Over the last decade, Japanese farmers have lost up to $170 million annually because of a booming deer and boar population, among other animals that nosh on vegetable crops.

“The Ministry of Agriculture enlists hunters to help control the pest problem and protect the farms. At the same time, there are fewer male hunters in Japan due to age and rural depopulation. Hunting groups and local governments are now recruiting women to get the job done.”

Bear season is in full swing, and this brave soul was hunting bears with a recurve bow!

Hunter attacked by black bear captures terrifying incident on video – “Richard Wesley has an unbelievable story to tell, but at least he’s got proof. Wesley, a hunter in Ontario, Canada, walked away after getting attacked by a black bear, and even managed to capture the incident on video, TMZ reports. The video shows the black bear just seconds before it started charging at Wesley. In it, the bear can be seen walking slowly toward the hunter before charging and knocking the camera out of his hand.”

With all these recent animal attacks while hunting, I’m thinking I need a new field pistol. Designed for self-defense against large predators this Ruger might be my next purchase.

Super Redhawk Alaskan – “Providing the confidence of a six-shot cylinder in a size and weight that is practical enough to conveniently carry afield where personal protection may be needed. Alaskan models feature a 2-1/2″ frame-integral barrel for fast draw-and-aim capability. Available in hard-hitting .44 Magnum and .454 Casull calibers.”

Big changes in Alabama you need to know for this upcoming hunting season. Baiting deer is not a great way of hunting y’all but if you have a deer lease and your neighbor baits then, you must bait. Otherwise, you are going to frustrate yourself.  If you don’t want to do that type of hunting then go somewhere baiting isn’t allowed, or high fence your property. However, for some of us, we need to eat.  Venison jerky specifically.

Hey, hunters: What you don’t know about baiting will cost you big– “The state passed a “supplemental feeding” law, most folks call it baiting, in 2016 and it went into effect this past hunting season. The current law allows use of bait if is at least 100 yards away from the hunter, and out of direct line of sight, no matter the distance. That’s the law in effect now.Williams’ proposal would have done away with the distance and line of sight restrictions, if hunters bought a yearly $15 baiting license. Of the money raised, $14 would go back to operate the conservation department and $1 would be an issuance fee. The bill would also allow bait to be used to hunt feral hogs. At the time Williams said his bill would clear up any confusion about distance, and raise money for the conservation department.”

Snake boots, hunters. Snake boots! . . . Scientist observes packs of snakes engaged in ‘coordinated hunting’ – “In case the mental image of snakes hunting in a pack weren’t reason enough to stay inside, the snakes did this group hunting while dangling from the top of the cave. ‘After sunset and before dawn, some of the boas entered the passage that connected the roosting chamber with the entrance chamber, and hunted by suspending themselves from the ceiling and grabbing passing bats,’ the study said.

“This isn’t the first time a group hunting effort among snakes has been observed, though it remains unclear if this is actually a widespread serpentine phenomenon or if there’s really any purposeful coordination between the snakes. ‘It is possible that coordinated hunting is not uncommon among snakes, but it will take a lot of very patient field research to find out,’ Dinets said.”