Slow week on the Hog Blog

I know, it’s been pretty slack around here… and just as readership was starting to climb again.  Oh well, I’ll be back to normal sooner or later, but I’ve been a little busy this week.

Let’s just push the day job aside for a moment, even though I’ve logged a bunch of hours for one week.  That would be the same here or in CA, so it’s no excuse.

But then there’s the Hill Country work, here at Hillside Manor.  I’ve got juniper growing through my fenceline, and the fence crew is coming next week to put in my new fences.  I’ve got a dozen brush piles to burn, and most of them need to be cleared before I light them up.  Good thing I got a new Kubota tractor!  And then there’s the pumphouse that I absolutely have to build before we get a hard freeze… or I’ll be real sorry (and out several hundred dollars).

But what’s really occupied my mind and my time this week?  It’s keeping up with this guy right here!

Anyway, back on track next week.  I just put new batteries in the game cams, and spread out a little more golden enticement to see what comes out of the woods.  I should have some more general pictures of the Hill Country too.  Awful pretty here in the Nueces Canyon!

From The WTF Files – Tejon Suspending Hunting Activities?

Color me shocked, dismayed, and a little bit disappointed. I just saw the news this morning that the Tejon Ranch will be suspending all hunting activitivies for the immediate future. They’ve even gone so far as to cancel memberships and return member fees.

According to the article I just read from KGET.com, the ranch is doing this in order to review their hunting practices and wildlife management approach.

Tejon Ranch Company will work closely with the DFG in examining every aspect of the Ranch’s hunting program. The Ranch’s goal will be to institute best hunting management standards and practices, including a full examination of whether allowing unsupervised access to the Company’s 422 square miles of Ranch property may have contributed to this unfortunate series of events.

“While it’s in the long term best interests of conservation for hunting to continue on the Ranch,” said Stine, “we believe a short-term suspension of our normal operations are necessary to determine the best way to operate the hunting program to ensure that these actions never again occur on Tejon Ranch, even if that means severely restricting hunting access to the Ranch.”

Of course, this is little more than a euphemistic way of saying that they’ve caught so much heat over last May’s allegations of illegal mountain lion hunting that they’re scrambling to appease a handful of detractors.  It’s become fairly typical of Tejon Ranch to overreact this way, whether it’s banning lead ammunition or giving away control over a huge part of the property for “conservation”.

It’s no secret that, at the heart of all of this are the Ranch’s efforts to develop a large sector of the property for housing, golf courses, and a resort.  They’ve bent over backwards with efforts to get the environmental organizations to stop fighting their development plans.  And the problem with this is that they don’t seem to realize that, the more they give, the more these organizations will take.  This is not compromise.  Tejon is never going to make it “OK” to develop pristine wild lands.  All they’re succeeding at doing is drawing the noose tighter around their own necks, and in so doing, they’re stringing up their customers as well.

A key goal of the “investigation” is to determine if unsupervised access to the ranch by hunters and members presents an unacceptable risk of poaching and other illegal activity.  I’m not sure what this means in the long run, but for now I’m hearing a lot of disgust and anger from members and hunters, and I can’t blame them.  Even though the alleged mountain lion poaching was supposedly carried out by employees and friends of the Ranch staff, the finger appears to be pointing at the hunters and members who pay to hunt there… folks like myself, and the hundreds of people like me who’ve enjoyed hunting on that beautiful place.

Seriously, anytime the ranch gets heat for anything, whether it’s lead ammo, illicit mountain lion hunts, or some idiot killing a condor, the rest of us bear the burden of increased regulation and restrictions.   I believe a company should stand up for its customers, rather than allowing them to bear the blame for this sort of foolishness.

I love hunting the Tejon Ranch, and even though I’m leaving California, I’d looked forward to coming back to hunt there with my friends on a regular basis (I still have a lifetime license in this state).  But in light of this action and the apparent reflection on all of us who’ve hunted there over the years, I’m beginning to think I’m done with the place.  Just maybe, when the ranch decides to implement whatever new program it has in mind, folks should tell them, “no, thank you.”

A Brief Moment of Protest And Politics

We interrupt this SHOT Show coverage for a brief message about censorship and the bills pending here in the US that will weaken the freedoms that we, as bloggers, forum members, and social networkers have really taken for granted.

There are, as I understand it (and I’m, sadly, not as up on this as I probably should be), two key bills up for consideration in Congress.  These are SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act).  On the surface, both seem not only benign, but valuable tools to fight online piracy of music and video.  But on a deeper look (which I have taken), the bills present significant risks to the many small voices on the Web.

In essence, both of these bills would be aimed at stopping the major search engines and social networking sites from providing links to sites that have been accused of piracy.  There’s a key word there…. “accused”.  The wording of the bills, particularly PIPA, is vague, and leaves a lot of room for abuse.  This potential for abuse is significant, because the drivers behind the bill are big media companies, such as the music and movie industry, as well as big movers in the world of gaming.  If allowed to carry that level of sway, all they have to do is accuse a website or network of violations and that website will be shutdown.  No proof of guilt is required.  The burden of proof is on the accused, rather than the accuser… a direct conflict with our traditional model of justice.

As you might imagine, this legislation opens the doors to the shut down and harassment of small sites and networks.  It’s a stifling force on the freedom of speech and expression that drive the Internet.

Anyway, I invite any of you to read up on the issue.  This morning, President Obama effectively shelved the SOPA legislation, but the PIPA bill is still under consideration.  Educate yourselves, and then speak out!  Send emails and phone calls to congress to tell them you oppose this censorship.  And then, hope for the best.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled SHOT Show posts.