ARTICLES
The Whitetail Boaribou
The Ultimate Expression of Genetic Tinkering and Supplemental Feeding --- And Other Thoughts!
By Mark Thomas, RF, CF, AWB, ACF
Certified Forester, Certified Wildlife Biologist

Hunting enthusiasts across the United States have been busy producing Boone & Crocket record bucks through biotechnological advancements such as cloning, cross-species gene insertion, and supplemental feeding. This has largely been fueled by hunter demands coupled with financial considerations pertaining to revenue generation.

Many “canned hunts” for trophy ungulates (deer, elk, etc.) inside pens go for as much as $25,000 each. I’ve watched some of these “hunts” on TV and you can sometimes actually hear the stock trailer gate slam open just before the shot. What a thrilling “hunting” experience that must be. And, of course, in many states hunters are allowed to hunt over buckets of corn or hog troughs filled with high-energy pellets. I understand that the more discerning hunters actually wait until the animal raises his head out of the hog trough before shooting just to make it more “sporting”. In many advertisements describing these facilities, two phrases usually stand out; “100% Success Guaranteed!” and “No Hunter Skill Required”.

The Great North American Wildlife Conservation Model is the most successful wildlife reintroduction program in the world, funded virtually exclusively by hunters. This Model succeeded in reestablishing game and non-game wildlife populations through the cooperative efforts of wildlife conversation organizations like SCI - First For Hunters, National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Quality Deer Management Association, Quail Unlimited, and Izaak Walton League, and State and Federal wildlife professional and agencies. Private forest landowners and industrial forestry companies were also instrumental in this successful effort. This success occurred despite radical anti-hunting and anti-wildlife management groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

Animal rights activists are directly responsible for the senseless slaughter and mass starvation of many wildlife species across much of America, especially on Federal land and in may State Parks. Animal rights activists, through ignorance and litigation, now comprise the greatest single threat to the future of our wildlife resource.

Wildlife habitat on private land ranks as some of the most productive in the world while the majority of State and Federal lands are being destroyed, loved and litigated to death by environmental extremists and radical preservationists. Radical environmental organizations like Earth First!, Greenpeace, The Sierra Club, and the Earth Liberation Front are responsible for destroying tens of millions of acres of forestland and hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage. The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) brags on their web site that they are responsible for destroying over $45 million in buildings alone, including a research lab working on a cure for human cancer, setting the program back decades. Entire ecosystems, like Yellowstone, in which 1.4 million acres were lost not to recover for centuries, are being destroyed by environmental groups as they litigate to prevent management activities that would enhance forest health, increase biodiversity, and ensure sustainability.

Currently, the greatest threat to our environment is coming from misguided “environmentalists”. These groups will not rest until we are all driving a Geo Metro, eating bean sprouts three meals a day, and living an alternative lifestyle in an earth-contact home made from hemp. One positive aspect of this tend is that we can all stand around and get high on the smoke as we watch our homes burn down due to poor forest management that is a direct result of environmental litigation. The freedom to hunt and the private ownership of firearms are constantly under attack by these groups. Environmental groups and their lawyers have become filthy rich filing senseless lawsuits that are paid for with our tax money, all the while watching the very environment and wildlife they say they are “protecting” being catastrophically destroyed - a direct result of their actions.

Where is the liberal media? Where is Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, or Peter Jennings? Where is the $100 million dollar woman - perky little Katie Couric? Why do they constantly lie to us concerning the environment? Have you EVER heard ONE positive story about an SUV? In truth, these ecoterrorists groups have destroyed more of America than al-Quida could ever dream of, and they are still doing it today.

But what about my whitetail boaribou hunt? Well, I was fortunate to photograph the animal during a recent camera census. I hunted him for almost three months and finally harvested him the last week of the season. Obviously a cross between a Russian wild boar, whitetail deer, and mountain caribou, this genetic mutant sported a massive rack with over 144 points, a rack height of just over 60” and a 38” spread. The Boone & Crocket score is 3,748 7/8 making him the new world record in his category. I also have a collection of beaverocerous mounts and a unicorn skull (see photos) that I found along the roadside. I heard he had been hit by a bus, the last in a herd of seven trying to cross the road. Does the whitetail boaribou represent the future of deer hunting in America? Or, as some believe, are we already there?

The hunting community should not support groups whose members include environmental extremists, radical preservations, or animal rights activists nor support businesses that fund or promote these organizations. Hunters should be especially mindful of guides, outfitters, and hunting properties that do not adhere to the highest ethical standards and insist on fair chase hunts at all times. Wildlife conservation organizations like SCI - First For Hunters have been among the leaders in maintaining hunting ethics and integrity. Let’s continue to ensure that we stick to the moral high ground and maintain a defensible position.