Back to Basics: Wildlife Management 101

Ixe2x80x99m just a guitarplayer and I never went to college. I was too busy learning stuff; really important stuff!

You know, all of that radical stuff like self-evident truths, logic, commonsense, reality, earning your own way, living within your means, saving for a rainy day, self-sufficiency, accountability, frugality, utilitarian pragmatism, independence, work ethic productivity, responsible conservation, honesty, resource stewardship, giving instead of taking, leaving things better than I found them, hands-on down-to-earth natural-world stuff that remains to this day the basics of quality of life, liberty, pursuit of happiness and all things American Dream.

Oh, radical, radical me!

It is my 70 years of clean and sober ultra-aliveness that has taught me to believe that no other lifestyle available to mankind will teach these things better than the life of a hunter, especially the life of a bowhunter.

The higher level of awareness and demanding stealth discipline of bowhunting eliminates the failures of stumbling and bumbling along in hopes that luck will win the day.

Nugent: Kids Kids and More Kids!

Luck is critically important, of course, but we all know that successful, happy people make our own luck happen.

Discipline, calculated risk and genuine sacrifice prepares us to maneuver, identify, grasp and take advantage of those fleeting moments of luck. The jury is not still out!

I also realize that the hunting lifestyle comes in as many degrees of dedication as there are humans, and I respect each and every level of sporting enthusiasm and participation.

My fear, though, is that the dumbing down of America, as painfully apparent in the runaway scourge of political correctness, fake news, government and academic dishonesty and corruption, and the rise of socialism insanity as manifested in the most dangerous of concept of the animal rights gangs, is chipping away at those basics described above.

When we have to go to such great lengths in 2019 to explain the eternal truisms and proven science of habitat carrying capacity, speciesxe2x80x99 population dynamics, the essentiality of annual harvests and the inescapable environment catastrophes that result in the abandonment thereof, we know that something, somewhere has gone terribly wrong.

There are many ills plaguing our conservation lifestyle these days, but none more threatening than the self-inflicted apathy and disconnect in our own sporting ranks.

When a doe needs to hit the ground, it’s more backstraps and meat for the grill!

When I hear of state game departments proposing doe-only deer hunting seasons, I recoil in shock that my fellow hunters are not up to the task of adequately killing enough deer to bring proper balance to the herds.

I keep hearing how trophy hunting has chipped away at our grand hunting heritage, but I had no idea it was so entrenched as to represent a liability to our deer management responsibilities.

In Buffalo County, Wisconsin, the worldxe2x80x99s top trophy buck-producing zone on earth, it appears that there is such a far-reaching failure to kill enough does each season as to actually jeopardize the future of deer hunting there.

First off, I am well aware that not many of my fellow deer hunters have the luxury of hunting everyday of the season like I do, so are therefore reluctant to give up a possible crack at a great buck to shoot does.

I am also aware that the dream of killing a huge, mature stag is highly desirable, if not downright intoxicating to the average hunter that may just want to kill one deer per season.

On the properties that I hunt in Michigan and Texas, it is critically mandatory to kill many, many deer. Add to that the wonderment of sharing much appreciated nutritious venison with soup kitchens, homeless shelters and various charities brings, killing lots of does brings me more satisfaction than any measurement of antler ever could.

The earn-a-buck regulation was a dismal failure for all of the obvious reasons, but I would implore my fellow hunters around the country to work close with their game departments, start stepping up to the plate for effective herd balance, and start whackinxe2x80x99 and stackinxe2x80x99 some more she-deer for all of the right reasons.

xe2x80x9cXxe2x80x9d ground will only support xe2x80x9cXxe2x80x9d life, and with the increasing agriculture depredation, highway slaughter and danger, habitat marginalization and other environmental considerations, I would hope that Americaxe2x80x99s hunting families would better participate in the win-win quality control of deer populations, instead of the inevitable lose-lose after-the-fact damage control.

As summertime looms ahead and we drool over our sacred upcoming season-O-harvest, now is the time to plan ahead for better hunting timing and strategies to keep our beloved sport in the asset column, instead of the liability column.

Shooting does is fun, sport, meat, trophy, conservation perfection. Letxe2x80x99s show them we can get the job done.

Multi-platinum guitar legend TED NUGENT announces a new full-length album THE MUSIC MADE ME DO ITdue out Friday, November 9, on Round Hill Records. The album is available now for preorder everywhere, and the title track xe2x80x9cThe Music Made Me Do Itxe2x80x9d is available to download and stream wherever music is sold.

Ted Nugent xe2x80x93 xe2x80x9cThe Music Made Me Do Itxe2x80x9d (Official Video)

With more than 40 million albums sold, rock legend Ted Nugent is equally well known as the nationxe2x80x99s most outspoken proponent of our 1st and 2nd Amendment rights, conducting thousands of pro-gun, pro-freedom, pro-American interviews in major media worldwide. Nugent is a New York Times best-selling author whose works include Ted, White & Blue xe2x80x94The Nugent Manifesto; God, Guns & Rock xe2x80x98nxe2x80x99 Roll and Kill It & Grill It.This year, his award-winning Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild TV show celebrates its 500th episode! For all things Nuge, visit www.tednugent.com

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