I goofed up! A recent posting about a black rat snake, which was originally thought to be a Massasauga rattlesnake, was not a rat snake, as I have learned. It was an Eastern milk snake.
Eastern milk snake
An internet adviser alerted me of my mistake, and because of the education, I apologize for any confusion. And, that brings me to the point of this piece: the internet provides instant access to information, but it’s up to the web surfer to separate facts from falsehoods.
In my seventh decade on this planet, no advancements in technology compare to having myriad sources of information at our fingertips. We now have virtual hand-held libraries at our disposal. But, like any tool, the key is how it is used that makes the difference between fact and fiction.
Another example of this came when I posted a story on my blog about a professional hunter, Steve West, of Steve’s Outdoor Adventure TV and then copied it to a popular online hunting forum. Steve had taken what should be a new muzzleloader world record grizzly bear with his CVA Accura V2 muzzleloading rifle in British Columbia on June 1st. However, a long-time resident of British Columbia and forum member commented that it is illegal to hunt with muzzleloaders in the province. The forum member went on to say, “It’s been like that since I started hunting and just picked up the new regulations today and it hasn’t changed .”
Oh, oh!
The wheels were now set into motion, as I began the process to uncover the truth. The forum member even posted the hunting regulations, and there was no mention of muzzleloaders, although rifles, shotguns, and archery were listed as legal means for various game animals.
With a professional hunter’s reputation on the line, I contacted CVA, the maker of the firearm used on the hunt. The representative began searching through the same information available to us all, but was not able to definitively conclude anything.
Within the hour my phone rang. It was the “culprit” in question, Steve West. He explained how he had researched all the rules, including what types of powder and bullets were legal to use. In addition, after the hunt, he met with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the law of the land, and was thoroughly checked
out. They went on to discuss muzzleloaders and loads, because one of the game-law officials used one himself.
As it turns out, muzzleloaders are legal to use in British Columbia for hunting purposes, but it took some digging to learn the truth. So, when I finally got to the bottom of the matter, I posted the results on the forum.
Here is the response from the individual that had brought the issue into question: “The game warden was actually pulling into the same store as I was. I was going to call the warden, as this has been bugging me also. So everywhere that you have been looking into…you won’t find anything in the wildlife act that says they are illegal. You are allowed to hunt with muzzleloaders and have been for years. This came right out of the warden’s mouth. I was quite flabbergasted. He said you can read the whole act and you won’t find it in there. WOW!”
It was a learning experience for us all. Fortunately, as quick as bad information can be disseminated, it can be debunked. However, at the same time, confusion may be floating around, because not everyone will see the corrections or retractions.
As good as the internet has become, it can become better if we use wisely and I promise to do just that.
