Are we our own worst enemies?

[MuleyFever]

I strongly disagree. There are 3 categories of people when it comes to hunting perception and as much as we love to make everything in this day and age political, none of them fall into a political category.

1. hunters (small population)
2. Anti-hunters (tree huggers) (small population)
3. Non-hunters (vast majority of the population)

Non-hunters aren’t an issue, many of them support what we do, but what we have to worry about is the percentage of anti-hunters. Idiot hunters that do things like this move non-hunters into the anti-hunter category. That’s what we must fear.

Its amazing how many people don't understand this.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Its amazing how many people don't understand this.

Here’s a question everyone on here should ask themselves often. What have a done lately to put myself in a favorable light in the eyes of a non-hunter. Yesterday I shared the picture below of my kids antelope hunting with a bunch of friends. One guy asked me if it was a big “elk”! Then he said, that’s a great picture, good job getting the girls outdoors. I’ve also given him elk meat. I promise he’s on our side, we just need to win a couple more hundred million voters!

 

[5MilesBack]

I strongly disagree. There are 3 categories of people when it comes to hunting perception and as much as we love to make everything in this day and age political, none of them fall into a political category.

1. hunters (small population)
2. Anti-hunters (tree huggers) (small population)
3. Non-hunters (vast majority of the population)

You asked if "we" are our own worst enemies. I'm my own worst enemy when I'm hunting, because I lack patience. In your list, "hunters" are only an enemy to me when/if they get in the way. Anti-hunters generally fall into one of the groups Trophyhill listed but I've never even seen an anti-hunter when I've been hunting, so they don't concern me then and quite frankly don't concern me a lot otherwise as strictly anti-hunters. My sister is an adament anti-hunter, and we get along fine. Non-hunters can fall into any other group on the spectrum, but again.......just as non-hunters I don't even give them a second look. The list Trophyhill presented creates a more immediate and pressing danger to all areas of society and our way of life, so he is correct.......those are the real enemies to us and our nation. There are a heck of a lot more important issues at the moment in our country than hunting or hunter perception at this point.

 

[Ucsdryder]

You asked if "we" are our own worst enemies. I'm my own worst enemy when I'm hunting, because I lack patience. In your list, "hunters" are only an enemy to me when/if they get in the way. Anti-hunters generally fall into one of the groups Trophyhill listed but I've never even seen an anti-hunter when I've been hunting, so they don't concern me then and quite frankly don't concern me a lot otherwise as strictly anti-hunters. My sister is an adament anti-hunter, and we get along fine. Non-hunters can fall into any other group on the spectrum, but again.......just as non-hunters I don't even give them a second look. The list Trophyhill presented creates a more immediate and pressing danger to all areas of society and our way of life, so he is correct.......those are the real enemies to us and our nation. There are a heck of a lot more important issues at the moment in our country than hunting or hunter perception at this point.

Sorry I thought I posted a hunting thread on a hunting website. . If we want to talk about world hunger, genocide, politics, and all the other the sky is falling and our country is going into the shitter topics that’s fine, but this isn’t the thread for it.

 

[5MilesBack]

Just putting it into perspective. Just from a hunting season perspective..........yes.......other hunters are my worst enemy. But when you start talking about hunter perception and those other groups.........you are smack dab in the middle of politics. Otherwise no one would care about their perceptions.

 

[trophyhill]

Every hunter out here could be angels and the antis would still go after hunting.

 

[Gerbdog]

Thank god conserving the outdoors polls well across all political standings, no matter what people decide to do in it, tossing a line in the water, hugging a tree, camping, hiking, rock climbing, cycling, skiing, hunting.... something for everyone.... i hope it remains a bridge across the political spectrum as well, means my grandchildren someday will still be able to go hunt elk without paying a trespassing fee or paying a land owner's lease fee on top of whatever astronomical tag fee the states tacked onto it (goes to conservation... i hope).

on topic with the thread.... our own worst enemies? Probably not, because every time a story comes up of passing on an unethical shot, sharing elk steaks with your elderly neighbors, helping some college kid whos lost drunk in the woods, misplaced his clothes, and on the doorstep of hypothermia (its a funny story), etc. we get a good name also. Yea, a few boneheads are gonna scuff the paint for sure, but that happens in everything. Boneheads gonna bonehead. Do people judge an entire group based off of a few bad eggs? Absolutely. Cant change that. Thank goodness for the larger group of more reasonable people deciding not to judge us based on our hobbies and a few bad eggs. The article points that out as well, they had plenty of people compliment them on their elk kills, and good for them. Do i personally wish they had looked at the river before taking the shot? Sure do. Bonehead move for sure.

I think hunters talking about conservation, preservation, dedication, responsibilities and ethics involved in hunting go a long way to off setting the bad moves some hunters make. I'm also an eternal optimist and this could all be a completely wrong opinion haha.

The biggest issue is they dont make laws and ban people from doing things for all the people doing the right things... they make laws and ban people from doing things for the few knuckleheads who do things the wrong way. Heck if i know how to fix that problem, but its probably worth it to call out the bad players when we see it or we will be left holding the bag.

Putting this soap box away now. What a rant.

 

[sneaky]

Good point. Hard to believe there isn’t a place that sells or rents rafts there with the snake going right through it.

Hoback junction has multiple rafting outfits, not to mention ones in Jackson, plus a multitude of drift boat guides who never say no to money

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[sneaky]

Yes we are our own worst enemy. regardless of others at times erroneous perceptions of us we still have an obligation to our wildlife and our community to make choices that’s show us as conscientious and moral.
Despite the the popular mantra of hunters equaling conservation we have a too large segment of the hunting community that quite frankly couldn’t give two shits about wildlife or our Environment and our place in it, except for what it’s gains them personally. There are hunters among us that wouldn’t bat an eye at shooting the last deer in the forest if they had tag for it.

You've met my boss? Lol

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[AaronMColeman]

In Jackson I'd love to shoot an elk that dies on a popular jogging trail. I'd love to freak out the billionaires there and show them what Wyoming is really about.

But, in general I think kind, empathetic conversation is all that changes anyone's mind (on any topic). I have a vegan friend who now wants to hunt after our conversations. He sees that hunting is the most ethical way to get your meat, it can be respectful to the animals, it's nutritious, and at the end of the day game meat has nothing to do with industrial farmed meat.

Good conversation is what changes the world (not to get political, but this applies to hunting and any other controversial topic). Hunters need to work on that and stop thinking of us versus them and realize we are all in this together and it's better if we have open conversations rather than arguments. Never gonna happen, but I'm a dreamer...every time I hit the woods, that 7x7 monster is "just over the next ridge".

 

[VinoVino]

I agree that being a conscientious hunter and showing respect for the land we use does benefit all hunters in the perception of the general public. The bad apples tend to dominate conversation, but we can all do our part in helping teach others to be ethical hunters, give fair chase, respectful to other users of public land, and realize not everyone is on board with hunting as a way of life. A lot of us are fortunate to have someone in our family who showed us how to hunt, but there are a majority of people who didn’t. I believe most of those who oppose hunting just don’t understand that what we are primarily doing is helping balance wildlife populations, contributing to land conservancy, and trying to feed our families the healthiest meat that we can. Keeping that dialog open and not shoving down people’s throats will help make us more our own best advocates.

 

[Overdrive]

I think we are our own worst enemy, hunters don't come together very often for the greater good. I see it all the time on forum platforms and social media, you always have groups claiming they're better because they hunt with this or that weapon and blame the other group for lost or injured animals. I hunt with any and all legal methods because I'm a hunter, I enjoy all methods and times of the year to be out hunting. I'm also the last person you'll see posting pictures or leaving my harvested animal visible while transporting it.