Hunting to RELAX?

In U.S., Women Go Wild for Hunting (by Sarah Mahoney, Reuters) tells us that increasing numbers of women are hunting, and have become "one of the most enthusiastic segments of the hunting world." More than 3 million women hunt, and my favorite stat is that the number of bow-hunters has grown 176% to 786,000.

Wow, I can just feel the consciousness of humanity spiraling into the abyss of devolution.

Let’s deconstruct:

• Laura Beth Fowler, 18, of McKenzie, Tennessee said: "It’s a bunch of fun. And it’s just so beautiful, being in the woods." Is the killing part fun and beautiful?
• Mahoney, the reporter, notes that many women are hunting to relax. "It’s a way to relax with friends, get closer to nature and develop a new skill." I know that when I’m having a tough week and I want to relax, there’s nothing I find more appealing than sneaking up on an unsuspecting animal and slaughtering her.
• Stephanie Mallory, of Birmingham, Alabama said: "I just love anything that gives me a chance to be outdoors. . . . This weekend, I was up in a deer stand and I got to watch three otter playing in a pond right next t o me. I feel very lucky. Not many people get to experience wildlife so close."  And then kill said wildlife. How fortunate.
• Helga Cotta, 57, of South China, Maine said: "Hunting season is like my vacation. . . you can leave all your problems at home and just go out and watch the woods come alive." You can leave all your problems at home, and then create terminal ones for other creatures. You just go out, watch the woods come alive, then watch it suffer and die at your hands.

Am I the only one stultified by the appalling lack of logic, to say nothing of the lack of compassion, of these women?

Because I’m a woman, I take it personally when members of my team drag us all through the muck of ignorance and darkness. I sort of expect men to say nonsensical things in the hope of justifying their obscene behavior. But I expect more from women.

And I am not proud of my team today.