Non hunters

[Marble]

I see hunting in two ways, probably both equally.

First for the challenge

Second for the meat.

People who have not gone through the process to work for and kill an animal generally don't value anything about the experience.

Success is when hard work and opportunity meet each other. Just because someone kills something, doesn't mean they have worked hard. Ive taken tons of people hunting that kill elk, deer, turkeys and fowl. Very few of them understand I'm in the field 100 to 150 days a year and have put in the work.

My favorite thing to ask an antihunter is if they eat meat. If they do, then I tell them wild animals don't die in a hospital bed surrounded by their loved ones. They look at me puzzled each time. Then as I explain how animals in the wild die, they typically have an understanding of the cruel world they live in. Not always though.

Most antihunter people have an idealistic view of what and how a typical hunter does during his hunt. And I've never met one that has had an experience like how I hunt, or most of us.

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[JFK]

If someone asks me about it and is genuinely curious I’ll explain what it means to me. The challenge, the food and also the things you see that very few other people nowadays see. I explain that even people who hike or backpack are unlikely to see what a hunter sees because they aren’t looking. All of the encounters you have with wildlife because you are out there at dawn and dusk, looking at a hillside or valley through binos picking it apart. It’s just stuff most people miss unless they are hunting. Along with the food, this is what I value the most about hunting. Most people understand this and the conversation goes well even if they don’t hunt or even object to it.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I think most comments have focused on the meat aspect of it, which is a great angle to help them see how by going to the grocery store, they have blood on their hands as well and support cruelty to animals through their purchases of mass farmed animals who never really lived compared to a wild animal that was free from its first breath.

One thing I often hear after having the meat conversation is "well, I don't like trophy hunting." Then I ask what they mean by that, and they say, "when they cut off the antlers and leave the rest there to rot." Then I ask them who they know who has ever done that, and they say, they don't know anyone, but "I have heard of people doing that." Uh-huh....

I go on to inform them that I don't know a single person who has ever done that, and that if I did I would call the law on them. Further more, I explain to them how trophy hunting is actually the best kind of hunting when it comes to helping a species flourish, because only the oldest males (who have already contributed their genes and lived a full life) are taken. Whereas meat hunters kill males, females, young, and old. I hunt for meat AND for trophies without apology, but when having this conversation with a non hunter who is borderline criticizing me for something I have been doing my whole life that has meaning deeper than anything I could ever convey to them, I find that educating them on the trophy hunting angle really throws them for a loop because it turns their worst perception upside down and demonstrates how ignorant they are on the topic. Nevermind the sight of an old bull elk getting torn to shreds by a grizzly or pack of wolves. They don't understand that animals dying in nature are not surrounded by their family and friends....it's no Disney movie, and involves much more suffering than a well placed bullet or arrow.

 

[JRMiller]

I think one that most people dont realize and that i point out to them is that the normal end of your average deer, elk, is not pretty.
If they dont freeze to death from winterkill, they age to an point a point they can no longer escape bears, wolves, coyotes etc.
For most, without any human intervention, their last moments are being torn apart and eaten alive.
In other words, they rarely if ever die peacefully from old age in their sleep.

When put in that context, a quick clean killshot then lights out not a bad way to go...

 

[peterk123]

I'm from Massachusetts, I am in the epicenter of non-hunters. I love to talk to people about hunting and fishing. I meet a lot of new people because I am in sales and I never hesitate to talk about my love for hunting and fishing. Once people hear my enthusiasm and everything that comes along with the experience of being outdoors hunting and fishing; well let's just say I have never had an issue. Usually, when I see the person again, they ask how the hunting and fishing has been

It's all about the delivery. Granted there are some lunatics out there, but most reasonable people will understand why we love it, even if they could never get themselves to do it.

 

[Marmots]

Most of the non-hunters I know think that hunting is a lot more expensive and a lot less work than it really is. I went to a wedding in Florida where most of the attendees were programmers and engineers. It was the most non-hunter interaction I've had in a long time and I felt like kind of a zoo animal. The groom opened a whole can of worms when he congratulated me on a bear I had shot before coming.

When people asked me how much that hunt cost, they were pretty shocked that it was just a $12 tag and gas to drive 60 miles from home.

When they asked how, folks seemed generally impressed that I postholed around the slushy mountains for two weeks.

When they asked why, I can nerd out about bear biology and bear recipes with sincerity for however long people are willing to listen.

It sucks, but when a lot of people think of hunting, they imagine rich guys executing livestock in a high-fence operation. I think it's good to double check people's assumptions before arguing with them. Chances are, if they knew the real-life circumstances they would respect the hard work and passion we put into this pursuit, even if it's not for them.