Thoughts on the anti-hunting movement

[kmott]

Things we could be doing to protect our hunting heritage:
-venison diplomacy
-educating non hunters about hunting practices
-consider giving up inhumane, deeply unpopular, or overwhelmingly offensive legal hunting methods
-elect pro hunting and pro public access candidates. Republicans are overwhelmingly pro
gun but are usually also anti public access As a consequence of being pro business and pro economy.

what we are doing that works against our hunting heritage:
-thinking hunting is a right instead of a privilege. Gun ownership is a right, but we confuse the two.
-thinking we don't rely on public endorsement to be able to hunt
-Blindly supporting one political party instead of looking at the issues
-irresponsible, offensive, and insensitive flaunting of 2nd amendment rights. Hunting has long been a victim of anti gun movement, and this is not the liberal elite's fault. It's mainly our fault for acting like a bunch of foolish, arrogant a-holes.

you do have a point on the being foolish part, however we have already compromised much , much more then we ever should have . anyone who thinks the antis will ever be happy with anything short of bondage is a fool at best.


as to blindly supporting one party...…. I can't speak for others but when I support the repubs it is not blindly. there is an awefull lot I hate about repubs but there is also much I approve of .

I can honestly say there is nothing about the democrat platform I LIKE and I have never in my lifetime seen a democrat candidate whose existence I approve of. that may be a "foolish thing to say but it is the Gods honest truth also.

 

[Straight Arrow]

the constitution, which is the supreme law of our nation guarantees that right, wether others agree with it or not.

The Constitution does not usurp a grandfather's right, responsibility, and inclination to provide guidance to his offspring.

 

[onpoint]

seems like our friends have very similar occupations just different choice of guns but I have friends who don't own black guns also, really not sure what the purely hunter means?

Fair enough.
Just my term for someone who utilizes a firearm only as a tool, solely for the purpose of obtaining game. I am not a lawyer nor a terminologist.
In no way does that indicate I don't appreciate firearms, as witnessed by the nearly 20 in my safe. Including a couple semi-auto shotguns.

 

[antlerradar]

You can in Montana ... esp if you tell of hunting our public lands in a hunting district with too many predators. Case in point reflected by images of Kathleen Williams, Democratic candidate often shown with her shotgun and hunting dog, who very likely will replace our body-slamming Republican Congressman in the House.

Got to love your optimism about Williams. The reality is she lost badly to a carpet bagging MMA wannabe from New Jersey in the best election cycle the Democrats have had in ten years. For her to win in 2020 the Republicans will need to nominate an even poorer candidate. There is hope for Williams, Rosendale may be available.

 

[kmott]

The Constitution does not usurp a grandfather's right, responsibility, and inclination to provide guidance to his offspring.

now your just being silly. no one said it did. it does however give anyone the right to ignore that advice, wether it is sound or foolish to do so.

 

[Straight Arrow]

it does however give anyone the right to ignore that advice, wether it is sound or foolish to do so.

So true ... and if you haven't already experienced it, your kids usually ignore that advice.

 

[kmott]

So true ... and if you haven't already experienced it, your kids usually ignore that advice.

I've found most people do . people very seldom take advice that is in opposition to what they wish to do. don't stop me from giving it though.

 

[mtmuley]

What the Hell is venison diplomacy? mtmuley

 

[kmott]

What the Hell is venison diplomacy? mtmukey

i'm guessing it is trying to bribe support with dinner fare.

 

[mtmuley]

-consider giving up inhumane, deeply unpopular, or overwhelmingly offensive legal hunting methods

Which are? mtmuley

 

[Gila]

Which are? mtmuley

best movie scenes - Page 4

Found on Bing from www.bladeforums.com

binged.it

 

[jryoung]

What the Hell is venison diplomacy? mtmuley

Sharing meat beyond friends and family to those who dont have much perspective on hunting. It's amazing what can be accomplished over a meal and thoughtful discussion.

 

[mtmuley]

Sharing meat beyond friends and family to those who dont have much perspective on hunting. It's amazing what can be accomplished over a meal and thoughtful discussion.

Thanks jr. But why is it my responsibility to defend something my family has done for generations? Almost feels like some guys here are somewhat ashamed they hunt and have to validate it to those that don't. Sorry, I don't feel that way. That being said, I'm betting the circles we run in are miles apart. mtmuley

 

[one ate E grain]

Things we could be doing to protect our hunting heritage:

-consider giving up inhumane, deeply unpopular, or overwhelmingly offensive legal hunting methods

The problem is that if others define what is acceptable, then all hunting is cruel. The disdain for trophy hunting is pretty much universal amongst non hunters, yet how many here throw away the horns of the bull elk or buck deer they harvest? yes you take the meat, and maybe the head is a distant second in importance, but it goes above the barn or the mantle anyway.

Trapping? That thread Big Fin wrote about trapping muskrat with his uncle has to be one of the finest pieces of writing I've read on this forum. I still think of it to this day. Many, perhaps most, consider trapping to be cruel.

I'm a lefty, a Democratic partisan, but a lot of what 88 is saying I find to be true. Lotta country outside Montana, and it's not pretty. Us Dems are all for public land until it's the public land behind our house, then it's a "heck no you can't access it over my property". While it's true that hunting isn't an enumerated right, it is a natural right in my book, just as is self defence, or freedom from a tyrannical government.

 

[kmott]

Which are? mtmuley

all hunting practices are unpopular to the antis. but I suspect he is referring to those things that are offensive in his mind. or maybe the better way to put it is, the practices he doesn't personally care about.

 

[RockinU]

I just don't want to convince the urban liberal that bear hunting should be legal. I don't think we should need to justify it or explain our ethics. We don't need to be putting it on the table for their approval. Somehow thats what I'm hearing or the message I take from a few guys here.
I don't think we need to get approval from the patagonia crowd or the greenies or the climate change zealots on the species we want to hunt or the methods of take that have been legal or socially accepted in that region for years.
I truly believe the urbanites who don't hunt or the majority of them are fine and don't care that people are hunting and owning guns. Its the seekers of this crazy utopia of no sexually identity no religion and its bad if you make money because you work hard the justification of what is the use or purpose of the gun you own. I just don't think we as hunters should put hunting on the table with that crowd. I just wonder the motive of hunters trying to make it appealing to that crowd?

The problem with this thinking is that you have to understand that this is a competition for the hearts and minds of the 90% of Americans who don't hunt (a fair portion of which do not care as you say) between us and those who would take away our rights as hunters. We have our ambassadors who are converting those "don't cares" in our direction like Rinella and Randy, but we also have a fair number giving assists to the antis (go look at @VikingsGuy wall of shame post from a while back).

We hunt at the discretion of the vast majority who do not hunt, and if we fail to actively promote the good in what we do, we will fail at protecting what we do.

 

[jryoung]

Thanks jr. But why is it my responsibility to defend something my family has done for generations? Almost feels like some guys here are somewhat ashamed they hunt and have to validate it to those that don't. Sorry, I don't feel that way. That being said, I'm betting the circles we run in are miles apart. mtmuley

It's not a defense, it's an offense, a marketing campaign. If we let the worst actors speak for us, with their voice amplified by those that want to end us we will get what we deserve for our apathy.

No one is ashamed, we're just trying to reconnect the disconnection.

Not many privileges in life just stand on their own, they take work to maintain support.

 

[RockinU]

I agree with you. Im sorry a spade is a spade in my book. Anti hunting laws are introduced and passed by one political party! 90% of the time or greater, Limiting hunting rights or species we hunt is a political issue. You are missing the point. People who hunt who are very liberal want to make hunting acceptable to their political party and friends. Only one party pushes the agenda of the anti hunter I'm sorry thats the way it is. They are trying and working very hard from within us to change hunting to fit that utopia.

Man we can play this game all day. Only one party wants to transfer your public lands as well. Only one party wants to limit or deny your access to those public lands. This is where the "broaden your perspective" comment comes from. If you play strictly on party lines without keeping the bigger picture in focus, you'll end up cutting your own throat.

 

[Pelican]

As of right now, I believe we as hunters are doing enough to maintain most of what we have currently, but we could do more. How many non-game species and how many acres of habitat is protect by conservation groups such as DU, PF? How many acres of public land are now accessible to hikers, bird watchers, etc due to RMEF? The hunters who support conservation groups understand their donations benefit other user groups, but I don't think the general public knows how extensive hunter funded benefits are to wildlife as a whole. Anti-hunters supposedly care about animals, how would they responded when confronted with XX millions of acres are protected due to hunters. We should play up the benefits of our dollars that don't just benefit hunters.

In Colorado, we lost bear baiting, bear hunting with dogs, and spring bear season in the early 1990's by a ballot initiative. I never baited or used dogs before the ban and didn't have an issue with either, but I can't help but think that if baiting or hunting with hounds for bears had been illegal at that time, we would still have a spring season. The idea of throwing some hunters or trappers under the bus to save the rest of us is appalling to me though.

As for the AR debate, it seems prudent to me for hunting orgs. to stay out of it all together. It's obviously a very divisive issue, even among hunters, so let the NRA continue to catch the hell.

 

[mtmuley]

Where do you think the disconnect came from? When?. I still don't feel I need to explain myself to non hunters. I used to keep my killing of a wolf amongst people I trusted. No more. And it is a defense, at least how I see it. mtmuley