Hunting Misconceptions and Ethics

[7-Pointers]

As a silicon valley biotech executive that spends most of his free time hunting (well, training and practicing for hunting anyway), 99% of time when I bring up hunting, the people listening have never met a hunter in their entire life. I'm literally their first real life impression of a hunter. I had 10 of my sons friends parents over for dinner last weekend, cooked up venison from last fall on the grill, and it was the first time 90% of them ever had any wild game at all. Three of them showed up thinking that it was a joke that the invite said dinner would be a deer I shot! I take that pretty seriously, given the default to be anti-hunting here in the more densely populated parts of CA. When they learn about all I do to prepare for the hunt and to prepare and care for the meat if I'm successful, from practicing all year around, butchering myself, the attention and detail I put into preserving the meat in the field and in the freezer, and how I actually age and cook it, you can see their minds being blown relative to the stereotypes. So I'd say the the biggest misconception I've noticed is around the "type of person" that enjoys, or even obsesses about, hunting.

The second biggest might be what "hunting" actually means for most hunters like us, namely that "hunting isn't an activity we go do one day, it's a lifestyle commitment to ethical food gathering, enjoying and preserving the natural world, and for some of us the best way we know how to commune with nature or God. Ironically, we share that ultimate goal with many who might not appreciate hunting yet, but our investment (time and energy, actual actions) goes far beyond the time and energy many talkers put into supporting similar ambitions. Most of us are definitely practicing what we preach at level not found in many other communities.

Finally, and third on my own arbitrary list, I think people mis-understand the ambition erroneously labelled "trophy hunting". We need a new "catchy" term to describe the hunter whose skill has advanced to the point that they want to challenge themselves by choosing to only pursue the smartest and most physically capable animals in the environment. Make no mistake about it, this is sport. If it were sustenance, we'd shoot whatever provided the most energy gained for the least energy expended, and it wouldn't involve training all year, passing on antlers that weren't quite there, etc. But just because it's done for enjoyment and not exclusively for need, doesn't make it wrong in my book, and I think most people books. Everyone who's ever challenged themselves against some standard (e.g. competed) did so in a contrived way that was designed to provide just the right amount of challenge so that it wasn't ridiculously easy to succeed, or nearly impossible to succeed. Kids generally don't compete against adults in sport because it wouldn't be enjoyable for either one. Adults sign up for "Open", "A", or "B" levels in all sports leagues, specifically so that we can test our skills against others of similar skill, because that's what makes it enjoyable. There are some hunters who only pursue the largest animals because those are the ones that provide the right level of challenge for their skill level. Not me, but I have no problem with those like that. In fact, I took a totally novice fisherwoman out surf fishing a couple weeks ago, the first fish she cause was on the small side, and without any input whatsoever from me, she decide the fish was too "immature" to have it have been caught "fairly", and she threw it back. There's clearly some inherent sense of wanting it to be "fair" for the animal we're harvesting as well, the same way you wouldn't feel great about beating some totally inexperienced person in a challenge.

Anyway, good luck with your ambition. Like I said at the start, not being an ignorant jerk is probably the #1 thing I can do to change misconceptions about hunters in the area where I currently reside!

-Tim

 

[Pony Soldier]

When I was young and adventurous I had the opportunity to have anti-hunting friends. I hosted a few for dinner and the featured item was fried young cow elk. After dinner I told them casually what they just ate. This was preceeded by how good that it was from all of them.

The reaction ranged from wow to some starting to puke. The mess is largely psycologic and defies any logic. In my advanced age, I have no anti hunting friends anymore. The horns on my walls are not as much trophies but pleasant reminders of exceptional success from my past.

I'm not sure it is possible to gain acceptance from a died-in-the- wool antihunting ding dong. Some will just hate you while others will take it as a challenge to convert you.

I'm just too old to worry about it. For you young ones- give it your best shot, I just don't care anymore.

 

[NickKreutz]

One thing that i run into repeatedly when talking to non hunters or those that maybe hunt occasionally, is when i tell a story about a hunt, they question the legality of what I'm doing. They quiz me whether the hunting season is actually open (like when im hunting early archery elk in August) or whether its legal to shoot certain animals, like when i took my first wolf.

I pride myself in reading the regs every year and diligently keeping up with the changing laws. It irks me when people that don't necessarily care as much about hunting assume they know the rules around hunting better than i do. I think there is a big misconception that hunters are rule breakers, poachers, or necessarily just doing something wrong. Probably something about someone sneaking around the bush with a weapon.

 

[bozeman]

One of the good things about the south and rural setting, many participate in hunting.....the main issue is those that poach, spot light, trespass..........the ethics far outweigh the misconceptions in my neck of the woods.....

 

[MNGrouser]

Most of the push-back I've received about hunting has more to do with method of hunting than the fact that I hunt. When the opposing side decides, often without sufficient information, that your style of hunting does not meet their definition of fair chase, they lose their minds. I've hunted behind hounds which everyone assumes means walking up to a treed bear and shooting it. Or hunting over bait. If you can provide some context for the difficulty of hunting these "easy" ways, it goes a long ways.

 

[peewee]

One of the good things about the south and rural setting, many participate in hunting.....the main issue is those that poach, spot light, trespass..........the ethics far outweigh the misconceptions in my neck of the woods.....

I am from MS and concur. Most everyone down here has a hunter somewhere in the family. Our main issues are with poachers and it is rampant.