Tag Archives: Pheasant

Hunting & Fishing

​I thought it might be fun to include some photos from a variety of hunting and fishing adventures to the web site. In doing so, I realize there are many people who oppose hunting. If that’s your position that’s fine, you are welcome to do as you wish with your life… and I will do as I wish with mine.

Wild Boar Hunting
Mark Marchetti & The Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), also known as the wild swine or Eurasian wild pig.

​Hunting has been a part of the history of this country since the beginning. There have been times in the past when the approach to hunting was wrong. Hunting the buffalo to near extinction… hunters just shooting from moving trains was unethical and just wrong, even when looked at from the context of the times they lived. Today, hunters payfor the privilege to hunt and support a thriving outdoor industry by paying license fees and buying expensive equipment. Just go into a Cabela’s or Bass Pro Shop outlet and see the crowds of people spending money or go down to your local harbor. Think about the cost of those boats, the upkeep and maintenance, the fishing equipment, the permits and fees… all so they can go out on the water and catch a few fish. I’m not talking about commercial fishing; I’m talking about the guy who is allowed to catch two salmon.

Mark Marchetti with a pair of Chinook Salmon
Mark Marchetti with a pair of Chinook Salmon caught off Half Moon Bay, California

Hunters and fisherman are conservationists involved in a recreational activity. They support laws to protect the wilderness and want to see the animals they hunt managed so they can thrive. Hunting and fishing should be viewed as the harvest of animals for consumption. In other words, if you shoot it you should eat it. Obey the rules and take only what is allowed.

Suisun Marsh Pheasant Club
W. D. Andrews, Mark Marchetti, Rob Scott and Don Mah enjoyed some Suisun Marsh Pheasant Club hunting in Fairfield. Tosa the Brittany and Skyler the German Shorthair Pointer pointed, while Taffy and Oakie the Labs did the flushing. The white pheasant was an unexpected treat. Photo by Tom Mattusch

​There are unethical hunters out there… poachers, who give hunting a bad name. They break the rules, hunt out of season, take more game than allowed, don’t purchase their hunting/fishing license, etc. These are the people who should be reported and prosecuted because they are destroying a valuable natural resource.

​My relatives owned ranches where deer and other animals were a supplemental food source. They were not always available and they were not to be wasted. That philosophy was handed down to me and so I don’t hunt animals that don’t end up on the dinner table. This is an ethical view of hunting in my opinion because the animal is not being wasted. Many people view hunting as killing and that it’s cruel. I don’t believe there is any way to take any animal’s life that doesn’t involve some level of cruelty. Just go to a slaughter house to see how cows or pigs are killed and butchered if you don’t believe me. Yet the very people who might turn down a deer burger based on misplaced moral objections will gladly eat a steak or pork rib. Maybe it’s easier when you’re removed from the process. Meat comes from animals. It’s not just an item packaged in cellophane at the local grocery store.

Brace of Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
Ted Creed, of Pleasant Hill and Mark Marchetti, of Montara, went down to Gilroy in search of some spring birds. This pair of jakes came for lunch and stayed for dinner. Mark was using his new Beretta shotgun, Ted was using his 30 year old Remington Model 1100. Both used Federal 3 inch copper plate #4 to complete their harvest. Once the birds were spotted, Tom Mattusch called the birds into range with an H. S. Strut World Champion Triple Glass Slate Call.

While the end product is a dead animal, the majority of time hunting does not result in the taking of game. It’s not as simple as just walking out into the woods and shooting something. It takes a great deal of skill, training, and practice to become a successful hunter. Most hunts are just that… a hunt to find something to shoot, often without a shot even being fired. The same philosophy applies to fishing. If you’re not going to eat it, let it go. There is nothing wrong with catch and release. I have been on fishing trips where I have caught several trout and released all but a few that were cooked for dinner.

Enjoy hunting and fishing responsibly.