PB+J's description is hunting as I understand it. Mr.Gumby's is not: At the risk of raising hackles, perhaps hooliganism is a better word?Mr.Gumby wrote:I can imagine what you mean but it's not an image I recognise, being used to seeing small groups of men barging around muddy fields at weekends, with a few dogs, shouting, making a racket, shooting continuously at everything that moves and slaughtering foxes just for the sake of it.There's a certain romance about the cold dawn, food for the winter, the crunch of the frosty ground, the stillness of waiting etc etc. Only take a clear shot, patience, the whole deal is very different than "surf the web for political outrage."
Even when hunting in groups - pheasant season's a good example - in the US you don't shout. It's not only bad etiquette, it's counterproductive. Simple talking itself is kept low and to a minimum, if you absolutely must. If you want to bag quarry, why warn it in advance?
Not that we don't have our own wrongheaded hunters in the States, but it's not the norm I know. And I'm not a hunter, but these things are hardly arcane. While hunting is a form of recreation for most, the culture of legitimate hunting in the States is nevertheless more one of purpose rather than mere entertainment. And legal permissions are a must. Here, the general rule is that every year you have to renew your hunting licenses (note the plural). There is no one-size-fits-all licence; each quarry has its mandated window of time - its "season" - and you have to have the specific license to hand for whichever it is you're after. Some game have only a limited number of licenses available, and most come with bagging limits. Hunting without the right license and outside of proper season is considered poaching, and the consequences can be stiff.
There are exceptions with invasive species such as feral pigs, which are open season (meaning they may be hunted all year 'round). I imagine one still has to get a license for that, but it's not a part of my locale's fabric, so I must rely on those who know for better details. One's own private property and exotic game farms might also be different situations; those I don't know about, either, and the laws are likely to vary from state to state.