Crossbow hunting isn't that common here. This will be the first year that many of the crossbow vendors are aggressively marketing to the Texas Public. So far, the bow store I have been going to aren't selling them and the gun stores aren't seling them. Unless you go to one of the big stores like Academy, they are not easy to buy from what I have seen.

great story - any way to share a photo?

the best deal out there for a father/child first hunt, considering safety, opportunity to harvest, and budget, is the Texas Youth Hunting Program, www.tyhp.org in my opinion

I took my first shot with a recurve at a whitetail doe standing 22 yards away and missed. I am not sure if it was because of excitement, the wind was blowing pretty good, or that I haven't practiced shooting from a tree at a target. Regardless I missed. I will keep on trying.

Two very interesting points you bring up.

1. Unethical is a complex word.

Is it more ethical to harvest a deer with a long bow or shoot it in the ear with a rifle? Assuming equally good shot placement, it is hard to argue that the long bow is NOT more painful to the animal and a bloodier, slower death. If I were choosing how I was going to die in battle, I vote for the bullet in my left ear rather than an arrow through my lungs.

For the niche of people who hunt with spears (I have only met one person who has actually harvested a whitetail with a spear), how would you react to him telling you that you are unethical because you use a mechanical instrument to launch a projectile instead of your own body strength? Where is the line of what you call unethical?

Or, is it unethical to hunt for sport in general? Should you only be allowed to "harvest" a deer if you are in NEED of food? The word "harvest" does sound a lot like farming.

If you are hunting for food, young does taste better than old bucks. So we should harvest yearlings, like we butcher cattle at a young age. Which is more unethical, to kill yearling does for the best meat or old bucks for the best trophy antlers?

My grandmother shot the first whitetail she saw – male or female – because was not hunting for sport. She was “harvesting” meat. There were no early mornings, deer stands or deer blinds. In fact, you could argue that her vegetable garden doubled as a “food plot.” Was she unethical with her open sight 30-30 shooting from the door of her mobile home?

Why is hunting the mott of oak trees ok, but hunting the waterhole unethical as I mentioned above?

2. Private Property Rights vs. Public Property Rights

I don't think you mean that you would trespass on someone's land to shoot a wild animal? If you do, then how do you rationalize the ethics of that action? PS: You do realize that if you trespass on private land with a weapon you will either go to jail, get a big fine, or be killed by the landowner.

Texas, unlike many other states, is 95%+ private lands. However, the sun, wind, water (not always), and wildlife (not always) are property of the State.

If I choose to raise cows, can you come and harvest my cow - of course not. If I choose to raise quail, turkey, whitetail, pigs, or any other animal - just because that animal also exists in the wild somewhere - does that mean you have a right to harvest it on my land? Of course not. What if I have a natural grove of apple trees and wild berries, are you allowed to trespass and "harvest" the wild fruit on my land? No.

Your comments should serve as a wake up call for those who do not realize the perils facing the future of hunting as a sport, as a food source, and as a symbol of the rugged individualism that has defined America's past. Whether you believe your comments, or are just enjoying stirring the pot, I for one appreciate your posts (as long as there are not personal attacks involved.)

In the first post above from the National Park Service, I feel like it is written with a political agenda, not with Truth as the priority. But then again, I have never been to the property and probably should keep my mouth shut.

1. The dove/quail comment is the same for anywhere.

2. The "deer" comment doesn't mention that we are talking about "Desert Mule Deer" which are pretty use to the local environment.

3. I am not aware of a wild hog in this area, but could be wrong. I would have thought when they mentioned "exotic species" that they would have mentioned Aoudad.

4. Are there any Aoudad, Big Horn, or other types of Rams?

5. How about hunting mountain lion, bobcat, and coyote?

6. The "extra info" about Javelina has nothing to do with the local javelina population, and only the last sentence is about the specific rules/regulations in the local county.

7. On one hand they mention that the neighboring ranches are a source of concern if they were to allow high-powered rifles for hunting; then they also express concern that the hunting on neighboring ranches and of course, the poaching, "may" effect the wildlife on the Christmas Mountains. Since when does one landowner have a say over another landowner hunting? Are there not already laws in place regarding neighbor property, shooting across property lines, and tracking animals across property lines? All the NPS anti-hunting arguments seem to be inflated and the pro-hunting arguments seem to be minimized.

I am not an expert of this property by any means, but after reading about the current hunting season on the NEIGHBORING property, it seems someone at the National Park Service is not doing a good job at reporting the simple facts. We don't need opinions, we need the simple facts.