MORE THAN FOOD, FRIENDS & FOOTBALL A TURKEY DAY MESSAGE FROM DON DUBUC
On the 4th Thursday this month most Americans will gather in family groups to celebrate a truly American Thanksgiving holiday. Headlining the feast will be a bird stuffed, basted and roasted to a golden brown. Of course as with most holidays, south Louisianans do things a little different. In addition to the traditional turkey, there might be poule’deau gumbo, post roasted wild duck, venison or any number of local seafood favorites. No matter the bounty it’s no wonder the American hunting and outdoor heritage remains strong when you consider it was hunter’s guns that provided the pilgrims with the first Thanksgiving birds in a cold, strange new world.
Thousands of hunters are in our state and country’s woodlands and wetlands will relive history as they use their outdoor skills to put a Thanksgiving meal on their families’ tables. Some will be fortunate enough to dine on last season’s wild turkey or this year’s duck, quail, rabbit, squirrel, deer or other game. They’re very fortunate when you consider that after 300 years this tradition is still replayed year after year. Our hunting heritage is a treasure for which we should certainly be thankful.
Ironically, in this country hunting opportunities still exist for everyone while in Europe from where the pilgrims fled, it is reserved only for gentry. Restrictions on gun ownership combined with private land ownership make it virtually impossible for the common man to even consider a trip. Recently the wild turkey has come to symbolize something more than a traditional Thanksgiving feast. Wild turkeys and turkey hunters have increased over the last several years; in fact there are more wild turkeys in Louisiana and other states this Thanksgiving Day than ever in the country’s history. Similar situations apply in the case of white-tailed deer and many other species a credit to hunters and other conservationists who have provided the dollars to support our wildlife resources.
In addition to putting food on the table, Americans take their rifles and shotguns into the outdoors because it is one true way to remember who we are and from whence we came. The urge to hunt and enjoy the land is strong, in some areas schools still close for the openings of deer and squirrel seasons. In others guiding, recreational facilities and land leasing for hunting rights have become industries.
Hopefully, we as a nation will continue to progress and prosper but not become so “civilized” or “sophisticated” that we ever lose our love for the land and the freedoms wild lands symbolize. We should never forget that there’s much more to Thanksgiving than food, friends and football.
Thanksgiving Day when those of you sit down to a wild game feast I congratulate your hunting skills. I also invite you to join me in giving thanks to our forefathers who were wise enough to make the feast as well as the hunting experience possible. Open seasons for the Thanksgiving weekend include deer, ducks, geese, mergansers, coots (poule’ deau), snipe, gallinule, quail, rabbit and squirrel so there’s no shortage of game from which to choose.
Lastly, I hope you will continue the efforts of our predecessors to preserve our precious hunting freedoms through involvement in the political process. Becoming a member and volunteering through state and local chapters of organizations like The National Wildlife Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl, Quail Unlimited, Wild Turkey Federation and the National Rifle Association and other conservation groups. Happy Thanksgiving!