Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. (NIV)
Thoughts
While scouting for elk a few years ago I encountered an ATV on the trail headed toward me at what seemed a high rate of speed. I stopped and watched him approach and the closer he got I saw he was a "successful" deer hunter as was apparent by the barely-secure, dangling buck on the rear rack of his quad.
The rider seemed in a hurry and the deer was flopping about either side of the quad and I was sure it was about to fly off. Perhaps the hunter felt the same and was in a hurry to return to camp before it did? Regardless, although the deer appeared legally "tagged" I felt bad for the dead animal as one of God's creatures so graciously given, was being disrespected in death.
(Ruben C)
Action Point
Game animals in my home state of Arizona belong to the State. Hunting is a privilege and you must obviously pay a fee for licenses, tags, and sometimes special access stamps. After you've paid your fees, successfully drawn a tag and harvested your game, it's yours. But, even then there are special rules that regulate the carcass of a game animal, one of those is prohibiting the waste of meat. So even though you paid a price, it's still not totally up to you what you can do with it.
As Christians, we were bought at a price. God gave His son as sacrifice so that we would not disrespect ourselves, or God's gift of salvation by acting in a manner that disregards the grace so freely given to us. Like a slob hunter leaves a poor impression on non-hunters by their lack of ethics, we can do the same to those who have not been saved. Remember whoever claims to live in Jesus must walk as He did.
Sportsmen's Tip of the Day
Rope and nylon lashing straps are worth their weight in gold on your ATV. When transporting your game animal, whether a deer or elk, lash it down secure. A loose carcass on your quad can cause you to lose your balance on a rough trail possibly cause an accident. If your animal won't fit, consider quartering it up, and making more than one trip. An over weighted ATV is also dangerous to operate.
