Some ideas come along that make you stop and shake your head.

This is one of them.

A new form of so-called “hunting”—conducted over the Internet using remote-controlled firearms—is beginning to surface, and it raises serious questions about what hunting really means.

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A Proposal on the Table

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will soon consider a regulatory proposal addressing this practice at its January 26, 2005 meeting.

Following that, public comment will be accepted online from March 1 through April 6, with final regulations scheduled for adoption on April 7.

In other words, the window to be heard is coming—and it won’t stay open long.

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Hunting… or Something Else?

Let’s call it what it is.

This isn’t hunting in any traditional sense.

It removes the hunter from the field—physically, mentally, and spiritually. There’s no wind in your face, no reading of tracks, no understanding of terrain, no respect for distance, weather, or the animal itself.

Just a screen, a mouse, and a trigger somewhere far away.

At that point, it’s no longer a pursuit.

It’s a simulation.

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The Bigger Concern

The consequences go beyond the act itself.

Practices like this risk reshaping public perception of hunting in a way that does no favors to those who value it as a legitimate outdoor tradition. It gives critics easy ammunition and may push those on the fence firmly into opposition.

And then there’s the ethical side.

Without firsthand knowledge of the equipment, conditions, or animal behavior, the likelihood of poor shot placement increases. That means more wounded game—something no responsible hunter wants to see.

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A Call to Speak Up

Like it or not, this type of activity could spread quickly if left unchecked.

That’s the nature of anything tied to the Internet.

If you care about the future of hunting—and how it’s viewed by the next generation—now is the time to pay attention and make your voice heard when the public comment period opens.

Because once something like this takes hold, it’s a lot harder to reel it back in.

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Final Word

Hunting has always been about more than pulling a trigger.

It’s about being there—reading the land, respecting the game, and accepting both success and failure on nature’s terms.

Take that away, and what’s left isn’t hunting.

It’s just a game.

And that’s a line worth drawing—while we still can.