HUNTING, SHOOTING, FISHING - ALL AT ONCE

As I have mentioned before the Attila the Gun is rather partial to a bit of death and destruction of an afternoon under the guise of "sport". He is part of what would be described in the UK as the "hunting, shooting, fishing set" , preferring to spend his wekeends up to his knees in mud, blood, empty shell cases and bit's of fishing kit.

I never quite have understood the passion for the kill that some people display. Don't get me wrong. I have no problem with a bit of fishing and shooting as long as the catch is eaten, not just killed for fun, and have been known to dabble in both pass-times occasionally myself (no danger to any wildlife from my shooting skills though!). Attila however seems to display an insatiable appetite for the destruction of wildlife. I always put this down to the fact that he hails from Vermont - a rural state where there is plenty of wildlife to kill and not much else to do. Now however it seems that people in Vermont have decided that they can't be bothered to carry both fishing and shooting kit, and their love of weaponry means only one type of death dispenser was ever going to win in a straight choice.

I therefore bring you "fish shooting"


MONTPELIER, Vt., May 11 (UPI) -- Fishermen in Vermont have resumed the state's spring ritual of going fishing with .357 Magnums, shotguns and AK-47s, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
Fish shooting is a legal sport in Vermont, although Vermont's fish and wildlife regulators have repeatedly tried to ban it. They call it unsportsmanlike and dangerous and warn a bullet can ricochet across the water like a skipping stone.
The goal is not to hit the fish with a bullet, as the prey disintegrates. Rather, the goal is to shoot just ahead of the fish in shallow water. The concussive force of the bullet hitting the bottom shatters the fish's air bladder and it floats to the top.
Often the target is a female fish come to spawn in shallow water, accompanied by several male acolytes who might also be stunned by the concussion.
"If you shoot a high-powered rifle, you can get a big mare and six or seven little bucks," said 66-year-old fish-shooter Dean Paquette.
Permitted from March 25 to May 25 only on Lake Champlain, fish shooting has existed for about a century. It is no longer legal in New York, which borders the huge apostrophe-shaped lake. Virginia is the only other state where fish
shooting is still legal.

Perhaps another new sport for the Olympics?