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Worlds Largest Army


Brother King, SASS #69031

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The world's largest army? America's hunters!

 

I spend many of my fall weeks and weekends tramping around the woods in pursuit of

wild game. A lot of my friends and neighbors do, too.

 

This blogger adds up all the hunters in just a handful of states, and

comes to a striking conclusion:

 

The state of Wisconsin has gone an entire deer hunting season without

someone getting killed. That's great. There were over 600,000 hunters.

 

Allow me to restate that number. Over the last two months, the eighth

largest army in the world - more men under arms than Iran ; more than

France and Germany combined - deployed to the woods of a single

American state to help keep the deer menace at bay.

 

But that pales in comparison to the 750,000 who are in the woods of

Pennsylvania this week. Michigan 's 700,000 hunters have now returned

home. Toss in a quarter million hunters in West Virginia , and it is

literally the case that the hunters of those four states alone would

comprise the largest army in the world.

 

His point? America will forever be safe from foreign invasion with

that kind of home-grown firepower.

 

Hunting -- it's not just a way to fill the freezer. It's a matter of

national security.

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The world's largest army? America's hunters!

 

I spend many of my fall weeks and weekends tramping around the woods in pursuit of

wild game. A lot of my friends and neighbors do, too.

 

This blogger adds up all the hunters in just a handful of states, and

comes to a striking conclusion:

 

The state of Wisconsin has gone an entire deer hunting season without

someone getting killed. That's great. There were over 600,000 hunters.

 

Allow me to restate that number. Over the last two months, the eighth

largest army in the world - more men under arms than Iran ; more than

France and Germany combined - deployed to the woods of a single

American state to help keep the deer menace at bay.

 

But that pales in comparison to the 750,000 who are in the woods of

Pennsylvania this week. Michigan 's 700,000 hunters have now returned

home. Toss in a quarter million hunters in West Virginia , and it is

literally the case that the hunters of those four states alone would

comprise the largest army in the world.

 

His point? America will forever be safe from foreign invasion with

that kind of home-grown firepower.

 

Hunting -- it's not just a way to fill the freezer. It's a matter of

national security.

And we opened up our squirrel guns and really gave em.....

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It's not a "foreign" invasion I'm concerned about.

 

"How then shall we perform it?--At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it?-- Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never!--All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years.

 

At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."

 

Abraham Lincoln

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Owning a rifle does not make one a Soldier.

 

Folks who wear the uniform and call themselves Soldier (or Marine, Sailor, or Airman) would agree. You need Soldiers to have an effective Army.

 

Soldiers have training, martial discipline, and respect for a chain of command to give them organization.

 

Most of these hunters will need about nine weeks of basic training before they could be called a Soldier. Shooting a deer is one thing. Shooting a human being while bombs, bullets, and blood explode around you is another skill all together.

 

I do think our armed civilian population would be major trouble for any occupying force. Most of this trouble would be in the form of guerrilla groups (as in "Red Dawn"). Organizing an untrained, armed civilian force into an effective battlefield militia would be a challenge during war time.

 

The Swiss really have the right idea here: Every able bodied man gets mandatory military training at age 18. You get a rifle and stay in the reserves until age 34. No question, no deferrals. If you want to live in Switzerland, that's the way they do it.

 

I personally would love to see the U.S. have that same plan. Everybody who is able bodied goes to basic training between high school and college or their chosen vocation. If you did that, then that giant group of hunters could be at the ready if the need came.

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Owning a rifle does not make one a Soldier.

 

Folks who wear the uniform and call themselves Soldier (or Marine, Sailor, or Airman) would agree. You need Soldiers to have an effective Army.

 

Soldiers have training, martial discipline, and respect for a chain of command to give them organization.

 

Most of these hunters will need about nine weeks of basic training before they could be called a Soldier. Shooting a deer is one thing. Shooting a human being while bombs, bullets, and blood explode around you is another skill all together.

 

I do think our armed civilian population would be major trouble for any occupying force. Most of this trouble would be in the form of guerrilla groups (as in "Red Dawn"). Organizing an untrained, armed civilian force into an effective battlefield militia would be a challenge during war time.

 

The Swiss really have the right idea here: Every able bodied man gets mandatory military training at age 18. You get a rifle and stay in the reserves until age 34. No question, no deferrals. If you want to live in Switzerland, that's the way they do it.

 

I personally would love to see the U.S. have that same plan. Everybody who is able bodied goes to basic training between high school and college or their chosen vocation. If you did that, then that giant group of hunters could be at the ready if the need came.

 

 

Don't forget a great part of these UNTRAINED hunters are Reserve & National Guard, Active duty & pryer mil, LEO's and tha like! I expect a great amount. All three of tha hunting lis. in my family have served.

 

 

RRR

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Don't forget a great part of these UNTRAINED hunters are Reserve & National Guard, Active duty & pryer mil, LEO's and tha like! I expect a great amount. All three of tha hunting lis. in my family have served.

 

 

RRR

__________________

Bingo.

I carried a rifle.

Then I went in the Army.

Now I carry a rifle.

I am not inept at my skills, nor do I choose to avoid orders and comands.

Your Obediant Servant -- Cobb

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Owning a rifle does not make one a Soldier.

 

To the contrary, what you are describing is a militia.

 

"I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials."

— George Mason, in Debates in Virginia Convention on

Ratification of the Constitution, Elliot, Vol. 3, June 16, 1788

 

 

The citizen soldier is a basic priniciple of our founding fathers. A group of 7th century Afgans did a good job kicking the Ruskies out of their country and will probably do the same thing to our 21st century one. I do not need nine weeks of basic training (you have not done it have you?) to have a steady eye and smooth trigger pull.

 

http://www.constitution.org/mil/cs_milit.htm

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I really think most of SASS is or could be at the core of a good milita; if we could get along and follow orders in the hour of need. Having said that we are too well dispersed to be of any local value. There is just too many geological gaps to create a working network. With that said I'm refering to a total blackout of electronic communication. So without rambling on, I'd sure like to get a like-minded group here organized. Good post, spawns many thoughts.

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At the onset of World War II, wasn't it Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto who warned that any land invasion of the United States would be met with a gun behind every blade of grass?

 

At the Army War College, we studied the concept of unorganized militias within the United States forming after some kind of National disaster or land invasion, with a breakdown in the Federal Government. We all came to the conclusion that there would be all kinds of heavily armed localized militias forming with no central command & control and confusion for at least for at least six months or more. After that....who knows.

 

As a member of the San Miguel County Sheriff's Mounted Posse, we already have plans for natural disasters and weather events using horses to get into areas not passable by motorized vehicles. This could be expanded to other activities if the unthinkable ever happened.

 

T.H. O'Sullivan

Black Mesa Ranch

New Mexico

:rolleyes:

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America will forever be safe from foreign invasion with that kind of home-grown firepower.

Gents, raw numbers from license sales by State doesn't mean there are armed sportsmen who know their firearm, hunt and are home-grown firepower.

PA for example, from multiple years hunting there:

* Hunters wandering the woods aimlessly with no idea how to hunt deer

* Hunters that never leave the motel, either drinkers or shacked up with their girl friend

* Hunters the week before season, at the gun club, sighting in their in-line @ 100yds and the bullets are impacting the berm - feet over the target. Then ask you, 'How do I adjust my scope?'

* Hunters that sight in their rifle 'in the field'. Here's an example:

I tracked a 10 point buck for 2 days before season. Opening morning in a tree stand. Pickup truck stops at the top of the field. Hunter exits and walks into the wooded field. Hear a shot. The 10 pointer high tailed down into the creek bed where I couldn't see him but heard him. Eleven does cross under my tree stand. Then the hunter comes out of the field towards me. I ask, "Did you get a shot at the buck?" No was his reply ... "I was just testing my rifle, didn't see any deer"

On the flip side, I have shooter friends that can hit a wood chuck at 1000 yds. They are the types that will forever keep us safe from foreign invasion with 'that kind of home-grown firepower'

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I certainly don't mean any disrespect to our wonderful military force, but don't discount what a determined rag-tag bunch of farmers, hunters and target shooters might contribute in dire need. Wasn't that how this country got it's start?

 

If communications were disrupted, it would be much the same as in our history, the local milita would pick it's own leaders and do the best they could, assisting the "regulars" if any were in the area and defending their homes and towns on their own if that was the only option.

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This has always been a very interesting subject to me.

It all hinges upon the value of the militia.

 

During the US Revolutionary War the regular army was of frustration as a force since it was not trained enough to met

expectations of the European armies represented by some that came to help our fledgling nation. For example it was expected that

the men needed to be trained to load on a cadence (sp?) to shoulder arms and fire on command in a line abrest.

(Of course this is a useless technique today.)

 

Most militia had no real training to speak of and typically would not stand their ground against the regulars that they faced.

Again par of a massive training issue.

 

The Founding Fathers however still did not like the idea of a standing army.

Of course as warmaking has evolved in leaps and bounds this is a sort of obsolete thought.

But for the cause of keeping the US out of adventures such as the current one in IRAQ.

If we had only militia the US might not have gone to IRAQ (the 2nd time).

To me it is obvious that this was a desired side effect of not having a standing army, yet it

necessitated the creation of the "war powers act" to limit the President in the use of the US Armed Forces.

 

<<< My comments here are not intended to offend ANY member past or present of our current Armed Forces !...>>>

 

The 2nd ammendment to the US Constitution addresses the major issue in the first clause...

".. a well regulated militia..." he regulated part refers to the training and structure of the militia.

 

Assuming that much of the thread topics "army of hunters" would wind up in some form of militia

do they (the militia) have enough training to make them useful in fighting a modern war or even a local war post

some form of decay of national leadership, structure, infrastructure ?

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