[redwitch]

JJ -- Montana has places to drop off the carcasses to be dressed and given to local shelters all for a whoipping $20 fee. The problem, of course, is that if you're hunting out of season or without a license you don't dare drop off the carcass since you then face a hefty fine and possible conviction for that dead animal.

I'm not going to get into pros and cons of hunting. My father was a hunter. So was my brother. As a kid, I happily joined them. I quit hunting when I gutshot a deer and had to chase it down to finish the job. I quit eating meat for several years after that but ultimately developed a severe case of anemia and had a choice -- eat red meat or die. I chose the red meat (which I honestly love, anyway). Back to the point, my father and brother loved the challenge of the hunt but never hunted unless they knew they could use every part of the animal. In Kentucky, that meant giving the meat to those less fortunate to enjoy during the winter. The hides were tanned and turned into clothing for those same families. The fat was rendered to make candles and soap. Even the bones were carved into utensils. We never had a head on the wall except my father's when mom was mad at him or a skin on the floor. That would have been a waste and an obscenity in our household. However, trophy hunting is beyond obscene and downright inexcusable. I can think of no reason for it except ego and it is the ego of a person I personally don't ever want to know.