Don’t confuse these folks with hunters
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Jason Patterson Editor & PublisherThis time of year I’m always as excited as a kid looking forward to Christmas because deer season has finally arrived.
I have also come to dread some things about this time of year because as a hunter I know that I’ll be associated with people who do stupid things like dumping carcasses in front of Dumpsters, trespassing and shooting from the roads.
These people aren’t hunters of course, but many people don’t understand the difference.
Many hunters, at their own risk, often forget that the majority of the population doesn’t hunt. Most don’t care if others do, but that could change if they begin associating the actions of those who refuse to follow the rules.
One individual has already raised the bar this week by shooting a young deer right in someone’s front yard in Yazoo County.
The action was dumb on several levels:
1. It’s not gun season to begin with.
2. Even during gun season, only someone who isn’t smart enough to be given a firearm or a true psychopath would shoot in the direction of someone’s home.
3. The deer was so small it wasn’t even a legal deer.
4. There was apparently no effort to recover the deer. Even poachers and road hunters usually take the meat.
Archery season has barely gotten started and we already have a new low. Hopefully that’s going to be the worst of it, but nothing surprises me anymore.
What hunters can do to improve this situation is refuse to tolerate unacceptable behavior.
If you see someone dumping carcasses in a public place like at the Dumpsters or on the roadside, explain to them how their actions can have a negative impact on us all.
You will probably have to explain very carefully. Anyone who doesn’t realize it’s a bad idea to leave a stinking and rotting carcass where someone has to step over it to throw away their garbage probably isn’t a deep thinker.
If you catch someone trespassing, have them prosecuted. People work too hard and spend too much money preparing and maintaining their land for trespassers to reap the benefits. It’s also a safety issue. You need to know where others are when you’re hunting.
The same thing goes for road hunting. Report them.
The recent incident where someone shot a deer right in front of a house, shows how dangerous this is. Like many Yazoo County residents in rural communities, I often have deer in my front yard, and I don’t want some fool taking potshots at them while my family is in harm’s way.
If more people would become less tolerant of these things, the problem would be reduced significantly. There’s nothing better anyone can do to protect hunting rights.
Dear Editor,
The decision by the present school board not to renew the teaching and coaching contract of Mr. Archie Carlyle was a planned and calculated act of politics. This kind of thing has been happening for years.
They didn’t follow policies or procedures in this matter. The state’s report on the district asked the board to stop interfering in this kind of situation, but it seems they didn’t get the memo.
My mother always put her 11 children first in making decisions for their futures. It is clear this board did not do that.
Mr. Carlyle’s only crime was putting his students first. I feel like Jesus, when he told the people at the well, “He who is without sin cast the first stone.”
I and the 800 people who have signed the petition calling for Carlyle’s return can find no fault in his dedication to our community. We are being laughed at across the state, and on Facebook and Twitter.
Our community is losing faith in our ability to work in a productive and successful district. The Yazoo Herald’s sports editor called it a “travesty.” I ask the question, where are all those Christian folks, his co-workers, his pastor and his fellow church members?
Where are the athletes, past and present, and most of all where are the parents? He has mothered and fathered when you were unable to make it to a game or on the road, giving your children heart-to-heart talks of motivation and encouragement both in the halls of our schools and on the streets of this community. Now he deserves your support in this critical matter.
This affects us all, black and white, because the future of our community is at stake. I am asking everyone to show as much concern about this matter as they do during election time.
Mr. Clifton Jones, I sat on the school board when you and your wife in a 3 to 2 vote were denied what you rightfully deserved. When you first ran for alderman you were the only politician I ever spent an entire day with, walking the streets because I believed in you. When I ran for mayor as an independent, I endorsed McArthur Straughter in the primary. Many people thought I was crazy, but I was exercising my rights.
Mr. Aubry Brent Jr., I followed you from Vicksburg to Belzoni and saw people commit perjury to defeat you. When citizens support a candidate, they want something in return. As a citizen with the 800 petitioners, we are calling in our wager. Just get the record of the board of that decision, which is public record. Check the timeline of the action, and you will be amazed. Next month you will appoint or reappoint a board member, but before you do we deserve answers.
If you find me wrong I will come back and sit before you and the school board and give a public apology. Everyone deserves their day in court, and Mr. Carlyle certainly does.
What you do or don’t do will determine the caliber of teachers and coaches willing to come into our community and work with our children.
Johnny Staples
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