Big Game Trophy Hunter running for president

[robert]

Forwarded to me by Anthony Marr:

 

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070607/ap_on_el_pr/richardson_the_hunter_2

 

Richardson adept as recreational hunter

By BARRY MASSEY, Associated Press Writer

June 7, 2007

 

SANTA FE, N.M. - Bill Richardson governor,

presidential candidate, hunter is a good shot, and he

has the prey to prove it.

 

"I would call myself a recreational hunter. I am not

an avid hunter or an expert hunter," Richardson said

in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

 

The New Mexico governor says hunting is just a hobby

and he's still a novice since he took it up in earnest

only about four years ago, when he became governor of

New Mexico. Fellow hunters praise his skills.

 

Richardson has bagged traditional game such as elk and

turkey and stalked the exotic. He shot an oryx, a

long-horned antelope native to Africa, during a guided

outing in 2005 on a New Mexico ranch owned by media

mogul Ted Turner.

 

He owns a 12-gauge Browning over-and-under shotgun,

which he's used for hunting birds, including quail and

dove. Richardson also owns a 9 mm semiautomatic

pistol, which is not for hunting, but he has a state

permit to carry it concealed. He's borrowed rifles to

hunt big game such as elk, deer and the oryx.

 

Richardson has purchased hunting licenses each year

since he took office in 2003, according to state Game

and Fish Department records.

 

In campaign appearances, Richardson cites his Western

political roots to explain his positions on issues

such as gun control and an endorsement by the National

Rifle Association during his gubernatorial re-election

last year.

 

While a congressman, the Democrat voted against a ban

on assault weapons and opposed a seven-day waiting

period for handgun purchases. As governor, he backed

and signed legislation allowing New Mexicans to carry

concealed weapons.

 

The Western images fill a new television ad,

introduced last week and airing in Iowa and New

Hampshire that focuses on Richardson's energy

policies. The ad opens with New Mexico landscapes and

includes scenes of Richardson hunting with two other

people and riding horses with his wife, Barbara.

 

Dennis Goldford, a political science professor at

Drake University, said Richardson's attempt to portray

himself as a Westerner may help distinguish the

governor from other Democratic candidates.

 

"This is not an image that Democrats normally run

with," said Goldford, who added that the governor's

pro-gun positions may not win over liberal voters.

 

In the Republican field, Mitt Romney has been

criticized for calling himself a lifelong hunter

although he never had hunting licenses in any of the

four states where he has lived. Romney says he's

hunted rabbits and varmints, and didn't need a license

to hunt for certain small animals.

 

Richardson relaxed in his Capitol office and dressed

in blue jeans, cowboy boots and a silver bolo tie with

turquoise - said he began hunting because he "wanted

to go one step beyond" the skeet shooting he'd done in

the past. With skeet, clay targets are flung into the

air at different angles.

 

"When I became governor ... I was looking for hobbies.

And I basically took up horseback riding, which I knew

how to do. I had horses before. And hunting," said

Richardson.

 

"My true recreational loves are riding my horse and

hunting because there are no cell phones, no beepers,

no BlackBerries."

 

The governor says he prefers hunting birds.

 

"You know I'm a little impatient and when you're doing

oryx and elk, you tend to get one or two shots. You've

got to find them. But with dove, you have a lot of

opportunities," he said.

 

Friends describe Richardson as a good shot.

 

Jamie Koch of Santa Fe recalls Richardson shooting a

grouse as it flew through a narrow gap in trees during

a horseback trip into the Pecos Wilderness near Santa

Fe.

 

"Man he just nailed it," said Koch. "I said to myself,

'He's never going to hit that damn grouse.' It was a

heckuva shot."

 

Turner gave permission for Richardson's hunt but he

wasn't at the 360,000-acre Armendaris Ranch when

Richardson killed the oryx in September 2005,

according to Tom Waddell, the ranch manager. The

governor also didn't have to pay the $2,500 fee that's

normally charged for an individual to hunt trophy oryx

- one with at least 36-inch horns. Guides gutted and

skinned the animal that Richardson shot.

 

Richardson said it was his most memorable hunt. He

downed the oryx with one shot from at least 100 yards.

 

 

He had the oryx head mounted and keeps it in a

downstairs room at the governor's mansion. His other

hunting trophies also are displayed there: a set of

bull elk antlers and a stuffed wild turkey.

 

And what happened to the elk meat?

 

"We ate it at the mansion," said Richardson.

[Guest]

He's the NRA's favorite candidate for things like this. I'm surprised he wouldn't admit to be an avid hunter since it probably wouldn't bother most people.

[xveganjoshx]

There's a difference between a recreational hunter and an avid hunter? It's all the same to me. Oh well, hunters are losers, and he's not going to get elected anyway.

[Wobbly Lifter]

Really if you want to be president you're willing to do worse things then hunt...

[Odidnetne]

Really if you want to be president you're willing to do worse things then hunt...

 

Like sell your preverbial soul?

[loveliberate]

The main issue here is Richardsons stance on guns in general. As he notes, he took up hunting after he became governor. Many folks in New Mexico & the US in general are gun-owners so Richardson & many other politico's try to broaden their appeal.

 

Unfortunately they misunderstand and/or purposely twist the issue and instead of focusing on supporting people's right to armed self-defense (as the saying goes: "The 2nd Amendment is not about duck hunting!") - they murder animals...

[finbarrio]

The main issue here is Richardsons stance on guns in general. As he notes, he took up hunting after he became governor. Many folks in New Mexico & the US in general are gun-owners so Richardson & many other politico's try to broaden their appeal.

 

Unfortunately they misunderstand and/or purposely twist the issue and instead of focusing on supporting people's right to armed self-defense (as the saying goes: "The 2nd Amendment is not about duck hunting!") - they murder animals...

 

Which speaks to the root of the problem with most politicians - they don't speak the truth about anything - they just say what they think will get you to vote for them. Period. I've had the displeasure of watching Mitt Romney pander votes from everyone from the religious right to the liberal left and anyone else in between that will listen to him distort his position on anything in order to get votes. He's a f-ing liar, blindly ambitious for power. They all are.

[CollegeB]

The only two people running for president than I think are honest are Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich.

[Guest]

Grabel is good too but he's crazy. I also think Huckabee is honest but that doesn't mean I like him.