There are wildlife photographers and then there are National Geographic wildlife photographers. Even in today's real-time, caught-on-tape video-dominated culture the photographers of NG just keep capturing still images and stories with the power to awe. Images and stories like this

Besides highlighting the exceptional clankers one needs to be a NG photographer, it shows - in dramatic fashion - how little we really know about animal behavior: how they process information, what they feel, how they think, what emotions they are or aren't capable of.
Hunters and wildlife photographers both spend large amounts of time hidden or undetected while observing the natural world around them, and I'm sure we've all watched animals do things or act in ways that challenged our fundamental assumptions, what we thought we knew about those animals.

Granted, it might not be as amazing (and amazingly terrifying) as having a monstrous-big leopard seal try to adopt you, but have you ever witnessed something that made you think "What the hell?"

From a Pennsylvania Game Commision press release:
Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officers today announced that, on Oct. 29, [Andrew Moore, 46, of Tannersville] pled guilty to 30 counts of illegal possession of various species ranging from blue jays to raccoons, from chipping sparrows to gray squirrels, from groundhogs to purple finches. . . .

As part of the plea agreement, charges against Moore for cruelty to animals were withdrawn. District Judge Thomas E. Olsen, of Tannersville, ordered Moore to pay $2,250 in fines, and $750 in reimbursement to the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation Center for expenses incurred treating the wildlife that survived.

Check out the full, strange story.

From the Minnesota AP News:
Gov. Tim Pawlenty shot a buck during the Governor's Deer Opener [on November 7], but he and his hunting companions were unable to find the wounded animal. . . .

"We gave her the old college try two days in a row," said Mark Johnson, executive director of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association and an organizer of Pawlenty's annual outing. . . .

[T]he governor was unable to keep up the search because he had to leave for Iowa . . . [to speak] at a Republican Party fundraiser. . . Saturday night.

Johnson said the rest of the hunting party — 10 people with close to 200 years of cumulative hunting experience among them — went looking for the governor's deer but determined that it wasn't all that seriously hurt.

This report broke while I was away bowhunting in Iowa—but like the governor’s buck, the story is still kicking, with the potential GOP presidential candidate taking heat from nonhunters and hunters alike. For example, from the Star Tribune:

Gov. Tim Pawlenty has taken a drubbing from hunters for not tracking down a deer he shot on opening day of Minnesota's firearm deer season.

A [contributor] on deerhuntingchat.com wrote: . . . "What kind of slob hunter goes out opening morning and shoots a deer knowing full well you won't have time to retrieve it or tend to it? One whose presidential ambitions override his hunting ethics, that's what kind."

Check out both articles, then tell us what you think. Was the governor wrong to leave the search to his companions? Or has the whole thing been blow out of proportion?

OK, waterfowl hunters, here's a question for you: if you had a chance to hand over one of your ducks to a world-class chef and have him turn it into a meal fit for the most discriminating of gourmands, what species of duck would you choose?
 
Believe it or not, this isn't a hypothetical question, at least for California duck hunters.
 
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – With fall duck hunting season about to take flight, Sacramento’s own Grange Restaurant & Bar is giving area hunters the chance to bring their (dearly departed) feathered friends into the restaurant and pay respects in delicious style as part of an exclusive four-course meal prepared by acclaimed Executive Chef Michael Tuohy. As the ducks make their fall pilgrimages across ...

... the Pacific Flyaway, a select few will have a “shot” at becoming part of this memorable dining experience. Beginning October and continuing through January, hunters are able to bring their bounty into Grange 48 hours prior to dinner reservations. Not one to take the birds’ sacrifice lightly, Chef Tuohy will meet with each hunter and then create an amazing dinner menu, ensuring that the birds do not meet their delicious fates in vain. With a final ”bill” of only $75 per person, local hunters would be “quacks” to miss out on the repast.

A leader in California’s Slow Food movement, Chef Tuohy selects from seasonal and locally grown ingredients, nearly all of which are found within 100 miles of Sacramento. “This is the perfect opportunity to provide guests with a unique dining experience that celebrates the bounty of California and lives up to our mission of providing the best this region has to offer,” said Tuohy.  “We take great pride in being on the forefront of this Slow Food movement in Northern California, and our American Brasserie inspired menu options change daily to reflect this commitment.”

How cool is that? You make your reservations, go shoot a duck (hopefully), take it straight to the restaurant, kick back in your waders, have a drink and before you know it you're being served a four-star epicurean delight. You kill it. We cook it, but with style and panache. I think it's a brilliant idea and I'd gladly pay $75 for the opportunity to sit amongst a crowd of upscale diners, smug in the knowledge I was the only one gnoshing on something that I'd personally killed that morning.

But what duck to take? It would have to be something special. I've eaten pretty much everything, and if you asked me what my favorite-eating duck is, I'd say teal, but that's not what I'd hand over. Oh, no. Why? Too easy. Anyone can make a teal delicious. Real chefs like a challenge, so when I walked through the door I'd have a common merganser on my duck strap. OK, Chef Tuohy, let's see what you can do with that...