humane ways to, let me think
of the right word, kill an ani-
mal," Mr. Ross observed.
But rarely if ever are their
prey killed by the kosher
method of slaughter, which in-
volves a swift and painless rit-
ual of throat-slitting and
blood-letting, among other
things. Observing kashrut is
virtually impossible in the field,
these hunters concede.
Of course, sport hunting in
any form generally has been
viewed with disdain by Jewish
scholars, who frown upon the
killing of animals for other than
utilitarian or safety reasons.
On the other hand, deer —
which, as split-hooved cud
chewers, are kosher — are the
prey of choice for most of these
men. As one hunter put it, "I
don't strafe treife."
And the men are all quick to
note they were not "trophy
hunters." They eat what they
kill.
"I've only mounted one thing
in my life," said Chuck Schiff of
the 10-point buck he "harvest-
ed" three years ago.
It was Mr. Schiff, 49, of
Birmingham, who first intro-
duced Bob Bodack to deer
hunting. The pair have grown
resigned to the barbs of their
suburban neighbors, which
they suggest may say as much
about their social class as their
religion.
Mr. Bodack recalled return-
ing from a hunting trip one
year with the carcasses of three
deer strapped to his Jeep.
"When I dropped off Chuck,
we had to pass through Birm-
ingham and West Bloomfield."
Mr. Bodack said he won't soon
forget the sneers on the faces
of passers-by. "Clearly, they
were not looking approvingly,"
he said.
But as Mr. Bodack drove to-
ward Howell, where the deer
were to be processed, "it all
changed to looks of admiration
and thumbs up and waves."
Such episodes force these
men to look inward for con-
tentment. -
"Have you ever heard that
expression, 'Whoever dies with
the most toys wins?' " Mr.
Kendler asked. "Well, my phi-
losophy is, whoever dies with
the most experiences wins.
"I don't plan on dying with a
lot of money in the bank. But I
will die with a lot of Px peri-
ence."