Shooting Magazine

[derek_webster]

Yeah I know, I know rifle shooting is different to bow hunting but I wrote a story, mainly featuring my mate who is a rifle hunter, on a recent trip we did. He got a shot away at a boar but only winged it, I went into the bush looking for it but no joy. So anyway, cause I only had a shot with the bow at some Tilapia fish that were in a creek, when i wrote the story I thought that it would be acceptable for a well known shooting mag.

Thought wrong. When I got the knock back the editor stated that in his opinion shooting for fish is a dangerous sport with a bow and that as we had not collected the boar, he couldn't have the wrong readers seeing that there was a wounded boar in the bush.

My reply to him referred him to the sport of bowhunting for fish and bowfishing. I understood the part about the boar not being collected (sort of) but it got up my nose a bit to have an uninformed person making assumptions on our sport. Especially someone who uses firearms and may be a hunter. We should all be sticking together, united so that we dont lose our beloved pastime to the vocal minority who are intent on taking it away from us.

I heard that when the ban on rifles were being discussed, the pistol federation didn't make a fuss as they thought that if they kept quiet they would fly under the radar. Maybe if we all banned together the pollies would listen, especially now with Mr Rudd at the helm, he has a background with firearms and a sympathetic ear to the sport.

[hawkeye]

mayeb he just thought an article mainly revolving around BOWfishing would be better in a bowhunting mag than one where the market if primarily shooters. he does have to sell mag's?

[baconbuster007]

go out with your bow, shoot some hogs and get some good photo's. then send that story into them? maybe he might change his mind mate;).
then again i would like to read one of your stories in cashy's mag. And try to leave out the rare cases where ya can't find a wounded animal for a kill shot........that is the reason i have problems with some of the people i know, they say " oh you run around the bush like a mad man covered in leaves shooting poor little pigs!" All i say in return is "they are feral, they do damage to our beautiful country and cause they station owner grief". then if they continue to insult me and my beloved sport i walk away before i get to wild:mad:. anyway keep tryin with your stories mate, look forward to reading one or three of em

[Bowpig]

Derek, sometimes they use that as an excuse also. I have been buying the same hunting/shooting/bowhunting mags for years and the same writers appear in the same mag for most of the time. Trying to "break in" to the purple circle can be difficult to say the least.

Maybe try and submit another story through to the same mag and see what happens. Don't get me wrong I love reading about hunting and the sensational articles of some contributors, but I also get sick of reading substandard articles by the same "mates of mates of the editor" type.

It lets down the reputation of some reputable mags.

Anyway, thats my 2 cents worth, goodluck mate and get amongst them.

bowpig

[baconbuster007]

Derek, sometimes they use that as an excuse also. I have been buying the same hunting/shooting/bowhunting mags for years and the same writers appear in the same mag for most of the time. Trying to "break in" to the purple circle can be difficult to say the least.

Maybe try and submit another story through to the same mag and see what happens. Don't get me wrong I love reading about hunting and the sensational articles of some contributors, but I also get sick of reading substandard articles by the same "mates of mates of the editor" type.

It lets down the reputation of some reputable mags.

Anyway, thats my 2 cents worth, goodluck mate and get amongst them.

bowpig


well said mate.

[howie]

There is an old saying that what happens on the boat - stays on the boat and IMO should be the same in the bush, if you get my drift.

[derek_webster]

Howie, do you mean that nobody should write about bush trips? I'm sorry but that's the impression I'm getting.

I've written 4 stories for magazines so far and three have been accepted, the fourth is being assessed at the moment.

The point I was trying to make, and it may be getting lost, is not so much the fact that the story was not accepted for being poor, but it was rejected because of one persons opinion and bowing to the whim of the vocal minority. As hunters, we should stand as one and make our feelings known that our rights should be respected.

[Ben Kleinig]

Writing stories is quite similar to hunting... you win some, you lose some! I think that I have about a 2:1 accept to reject ratio with the stories I've submitted. I say to myself, "Oh well, better luck next time!" and get back into the bush to make some more adventures! Keep up the hard work! Cheers, Ben

[Bowfly]

Bad luck on loosing your pig mate, maybe next time. But it sounds like you had a good fun trip out in the bush all the same.
I am thinking that Howie is talking about the fact that you lost your animal in the bush,as much of a reality that it is sometimes, probably not the best story to put in a magazine..
Also bow fishing in fresh water is not legal in QLD( im assuming you were shooting Talapia in the fresh ) so that probably contributed to old mates decision to cut the story
Better luck with your stories in the future
Rod