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But if a man increases his kills through the use of gizmos, are they not diminished?<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>
I think it all depends on the kind of gizmos one uses. It is good to know and use the old skills and I use them wherever it is feasible. But unfortunately we live in an age where the old skills are not as workable as they used to be. For example, there was a time when a hunter could in almost every place walk into the wilderness and take a drink from a nearby stream when he grew thirsty. That time is gone. So, I use a gizmo (camelback, for example) that helps me carry lots of water comfortably so that I can stay in the woods longer. Gizmos that help you sit comfortably for 14 hours are gizmos I also think can have a respectable place in a hunter's arsenal. The same applies to gizmos (boots) that can help you walk 10 miles comfortably without wet feet and blisters. I really like gizmos that help you stay warm in subzero temps (It's just no longer that efficient to kill a sheep or bear and wear the skin <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>).
But I certainly understand the point against a lot of gizmos (perhaps most of them). Many products simply exist to allow hunters the pleasure of never having to learn good wood and hunting skills. I gotta tell you I experience a little vicarious embarrassment whenever I look in a catalog and see electronic deer and duck calling systems with loud speakers and stuff like that. Eeeeeew! There are also some things that hunters commonly use that I won't use because they are designed too much for "deer attracting" and not enough for "deer hunting." The gadgets I enjoy are virtually all of them made to help me stay longer in the woods so that I can do there what I like to do - live in, enjoy and hunt in the woods.