Guns Are Needed On A Homestead

A secluded homestead needs protection!

Guns are an important tool of the homestead. Listen to me before you say, "no guns for me!" A gun is not only for protection. What do you do when one of your animals needs to be put down" due to illness or injury? A gun is the fastest and most humane way to do that. What about a raccoon in your driveway, rabid in the daytime and ready to bite someone? A gun will take care of him in an instant. Or maybe you have some critter killing your chickens during the night and need to put a stop to it fast. A gun will put an end to that too! See, there are a large amount of other instances when a gun is needed.

My brother, Mickey

Gun control has become a big issue right now. On Facebook, some of the posts and comments are causing outright wars among friends. The thing is that there will always be people for them as well as the people against them. I am for guns myself, but I grew up with guns in our house. My brother was shooting guns at a very young age, even though he once shot out the television screen with his pellet gun!

Daddy was an outstanding hunter!

One particular friend of my husband's on Facebook argues for gun control based on the fact that he was almost killed by a gun which was most likely a Mafia type attack on him due to a business he ran. That is a completely different thing! Most of us will not be concerned with a Mafia hit upon us or our families. The other thing he often recites is having a local teenager break into your house and you shoot him or he steals your gun and shoots you. Well in my house, that would not happen. Nobody could break into my house right now, because we are always here. At night it would be pretty near impossible to sneak up on our house.

Snakes can be shot with a gun!

Just because you are armed and can defend yourself does not mean you take shooting another person lightly. Not at all! Most times the people who go on shooting rampages are not the gun owner. They have stolen the gun from someone or got it illegally and are feeling the power of it. Most children who are taught to use a gun, will know how to safely handle it and don't play with them.

My brother, Mickey

I find that the people against guns are usually the ones who have never handled one. They are people who only think of guns as a weapon to kill or steal from someone. My father was an avid hunter and he knew how to handle guns. I remember him working on making his own reloads in the evenings. My brother builds long rifles for himself and others. He uses black powder exclusively.

Carrying a gun, either for hunting or protection.

So for me, guns are no big deal. But gun control is a whole other issue! Read this article for a little more insight on what it is like not to have a gun when you need one: Jew Without A Gun. Excellent, excellent article!

Copyright © 2013 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2012  Kathleen G. Lupole

Hunting Season Again In New York

It's hunting season here in New York. I do not mind hunters usually, as I did grow up in a family of hunters. But these hunters drive round and round with their loud diesel trucks making so much noise they announce their presence way in advance. My three horses know they are coming at least five minutes before they appear. So I imagine the deer do too.

Animals have awesome hearing and smelling abilities! And speaking of smelling abilities, that is another thing they do, smoke cigars and what have you, plus their own human smells announcing to the wild life "here I am! I have come to kill you!" The thing to do is to not take a shower just before heading out in the woods. You should also wash your hunting clothes with lye unscented soap only and then let it hang out in your barn or outside for the week till you have to wear it. Don't use shampoos or deodorant or anything that will tip the animals off to you being out in the woods.

My brother hunts with blackpowder guns only and he will sit for hours in one spot and not talk or move around. He usually always gets his buck. It takes patience. He is a very experienced hunter though having hunted from the time he was very young with our father. He now has his own Wild West Show and puts on western re-enactments in Cooperstown among other places. He also sews leather garments, holsters, etc. all sorts of things working right from the hide. I guess it sounds like I'm kinda proud of my brother and maybe I am. But he does so many things that are not done that much these days. Like he build beautiful blackpowder muskets and rifles. That though is not what I planned to write about exactly. I don't mean to tell you how to hunt if you've been doing it for years. Everybody has their own methods.

I wanted to say that I think that more hunters are out this year due to the high cost of food this year. The grocery stores are charging us some hefty prices for a little package of meat. And then there's the question of it's safety. I have cut down on it and have stocked up lentils, beans, dried peas, etc. Found other sources of protein and have to say they make me feel better health wise. So maybe meat isn't that big of deal after all. Given my choice I'd much rather have fruits and vegetables than meat anyhow. It's just that my husband likes his meat in his meals.

Well if you are a hunter, stay safe and remember those deer have awesome noses!