Aug 8, 2015 4 min read

The story about the dentist who shot the half-tame lion in Zimbabwe is everywhere.

While I, like others, am appalled at such an action, you have to remember there are always those who think they are above the law.

I wasn’t there, so I really don’t know what actually went on, but I do place the majority of the blame on the guide or outfitter.

I took part in guided hunts and always depended on the guide to set the rules of the hunt. After all, I am from a different state and rules of the hunt are different from state to state.

An example is Ohio allows for baiting of deer while Pennsylvania does not.

Part of the guides’ job is to ensure the hunter doesn’t break laws of the area he is hunting.

I am not condoning the actions of the hunter. There are those who would go to any extreme to get what they want.

In baseball, it is steroids. In hunting, it is ignoring rules of fair chase. Even here at home, there are those who shoot deer at night using a spotlight.

Unfortunately, there are greedy souls in all walks of life. They might be doctors, mill workers or even policeman, but they are dirtballs.

You don’t have to be a hunter to fit into this category.

One thing that is all but sure is the hunter didn’t lure that lion from its sanctuary by himself. However, the outfitter could have performed the act without the hunter’s knowledge.

I am not, as I mentioned, defending the hunter. He probably knew or at least suspected such a thing was happening. But the outfitter, if proven guilty, should at the minimum lose his license.

Why hunt these critters? For one thing, if the hunting were banned, it wouldn’t take long for the animal to become endangered. It is the hunting dollars that protects the habitat required.

One who is really interested in the future of wildlife needs only to look at the Bengal tiger in India as an example.

At one time, the Bengal tiger was a valuable asset as the well-heeled spent big bucks to hunt these animals.

This was not back in the 1800s or even the early 1900s but after World War II.

Tigers flourished as the habitat they required was protected from development. After all, the Bengal tiger was worth big money.

Then came along those, who in their ignorance, saw hunting as a threat to the future of the Bengal tiger, and after much controversy tiger hunting became illegal.

Now worthless as a fundraiser, the tiger was looked at differently by the government and the habitat was developed into farms and housing.

With this act, the animal became more of a pest and a threat to farmers. Today, Bengal tiger numbers are but a fraction of what they were when they were hunted.

Sometimes things aren’t as simple as they seem on the surface. When any animal loses habitat, it loses the battle to survive and usually it is the hunter who pays the bill to support that animals’ survival.

Incidentally, believe it or not, hunting money also supports nongame animals.

• I don’t know how many re-loaders noticed how components have risen in price. I just inquired about the availability of Varget and was shocked to find it was hard to find on store shelves, and when it could be found, it cost more than $30 per pound.

This got me to worrying because I use Varget in my 22-250 and .220 Swift. It also is a top performer in my 6mm and 243 caliber rifles. Both are used in groundhog fields and, therefore, are shot more often than big-game-only rifles.

I know I can turn to another powder but hate changing a load when I have found one that shoots well. I can’t help but wonder when this price spiral will slow down.

I also noted an increase in the price of bullets. Remember I said bullets not ammunition. Nosler ballistic tips, Hornady V-Max and Sierra Blitz Kings also are getting pricey, even in the smaller .224 diameter. I guess it’s nothing more than inflation but it could cut into my experimenting or just shooting from the bench.

George H. Block writes a Sunday Outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter.