Way to go Erica!
Oakfield-Alabama student won youth category at Squirrel Slam in Holley
Submitted by Howard Owens on February 20, 2013 - 7:30pm
Genesee County has at least one champion squirrel hunter.
Erica Kotarski, 13, in eighth grade at Oakfield-Alabama Central School, won the youth division in the Holly Fire Department Squirrel Slam on Saturday.
To earn the $50 prize and plaque, Erica bagged five squirrels with a total weight of 7 pounds 1.8 ounces.
As near I as I can find, HFD has not announced the other winners, but Erica's parents, Dale and Molly, are proud of their daughter and sent along the phone and information.
Erica has her lifetime hunting license and has taken all required safety courses, Molly said.
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February 20, 2013 - 9:05pm
#3
February 20, 2013 - 9:43pm
#4
Congrats Erica!
February 20, 2013 - 9:56pm
#5
Good job Erica!
February 20, 2013 - 10:11pm
#6
GREAT JOB, Erica !!!!! Congratulations !!!!!
February 21, 2013 - 4:54am
#7
This is newsworthy? Killing for fun and prizes? Okay then...some sport...sad what parents will teach their children
February 21, 2013 - 6:30am
#8
Mary, yeah,it's a sport allright, but no one told the squirrels they were playing.
It's about as sane as the squirrels challenging a human to a tree climbing contest.
Makes me wonder which is the real "animal".
February 21, 2013 - 7:46am
#9
Congratulations Erica!
And to all of you non vegetarians: did someone tell those cows that they would be sacrificing their life for your dinner plate? How about that poor bird that was part of your last chicken barbeque? It's ok if someone else kills it for you. And yes, I have cooked squirrel.
February 21, 2013 - 9:28am
#10
Mary,
At least the squirrels have a sporting chance.
How much chance do cows and pigs have? You, the source of your hamburgers, steaks, hams, and bacon?
February 21, 2013 - 10:49am
#11
Mary....you need to look around you a lil bit more. Several rabid animal rights groups tried to bully the Village of Holley and the Fire Dept there with death threats and lies to get them to stop this event. Yes it was very newsworthy and had coverage from all over the country and world. People like you oversimplifying how hard it is to shoot a squirrel always use these tactics to force your morals onto others. Which is an immoral act itself. There was no slaughter, these arent city squirrels that are fed and semi tame. This is a sport regulated by the DEC which people get liscenses for. Youths like Erica not only have to go thru hunter saftey courses but they are taught conservation, and respect for our natural resources, as well as our place in helping maintain the balance in nature.
Those that love to throw God into the equation saying that it is against God's will to kill animals needs to go back to the beginning of the Bible...
Genesis 1:26. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
Thats a pretty clear mandate from the Creator Himself charging us with stewardship. One that even science agrees with. Imagine that science and religion agreeing on something. No matter what just our civilization exsisting requires us to do what we can to help balance it out. Without the season for squirrel hunting imagine the overpopulation just from the environment they live in here in the cities and towns and villages where you can't hunt them
February 21, 2013 - 11:37am
#12
I grew up in Greece, moved to Batavia many years ago, have several friends that live in Holley and until these protesters had never heard of this event! I hear the entries tripled the norm this year, resulting in many more squirrell deaths then if they had left this little town to its annual fundraiser! So thank you to the protesters for helping the Holley FD raise more funds then it could have hoped for!
February 21, 2013 - 2:38pm
#13
Here is a link to an interesting site explaining the use of animals in things I was not aware of. Of course animals must be killed, or murdered depending on one's perspective.
http://www.happycow.net/health-animal-ingredients.html
Good job, Erica. You make any father proud.
February 21, 2013 - 4:49pm
#14
Growing up, my dad was a squirrel hunter, they were good in pasta sauce. I just hope all the squirrels killed are used for food, otherwise I would have to agree with the protesters.
Maybe next year they could get a play by play announcer, as well as a color commentator. It would sound something like this, well Jim, it seems the squirrels weren't ready to play today, they're getting killed out there.
February 21, 2013 - 8:37pm
#15
Great job Erica!!!!! It's nice to see a young girl wanting to hunt!!! There is not one thing wrong with that. For those of you who know nothing about what people hunt for, it is food on the table for their family. Look at the price of meat at the supermarket. Do you know what they do to those animals before they are put there. Somebody had to kill them. A lot of people who hunt will also donate the meat to food pantries to feed the people who cannot afford a meal. There is nothing wrong with that. I really only wish I would have learned to hunt. It's pretty sad nowadays to look around and not see our children playing outside anymore. I'm not saying all children either. So many children our into all the video games and such. I am sure Ericas parents are very proud of her, and they should be!!! Not a thing wrong with putting food on the table!!!
February 22, 2013 - 2:38pm
#16
hi there kyle, "as well as our place in helping maintain the balance in nature"
interesting....you ever think there are too many people ?
February 22, 2013 - 2:55pm
#17
Thats a whole different topic isnt it David, has nothing to do with the discussion here. But nice try at deflecting from the squirrels and children hunting issues discussed here.
Congrats Erica, great job!