08/03/06 Don`t mess with Duck Hunters

Mad Cow Mania is out, Bird Flu phobia is in! and the press is intent on lapping up every story without any attempt at rational reporting . The latest bird flue bogy to hit mainstream press is designed to scare duck hunters out of their blinds. Now it will take a lot more than some weak study, to keep the hunters I know out of camo. While Reuters is reporting the first known cases of direct transmission of virus from wild game bird to humans a closer look reveals that out of the 39 duck hunters studied, only three had evidence of the virus H11N9. Now the bird flu virus happens to be H5N1 so it's a press stretch to suggest that that the hunters are in danger from a virus that is not known to harm humans. These lifelong duck hunters were never asked if they felt sick out in those duck blinds year after year, they obviously weren't sick enough to stop hunting. On the bright side, sensationalized bird flu stories might clear the blinds of the L..L.. Bean hunters, leaving more ducks for the diehards