Hunting and hunters are under attack everyday in the United States. We hunters are assaulted from more directions now than ever before in our nation’s history, and unless we act, we could witness the end to not just our cherished way of life, but also the money to fund wildlife…
The 5 Biggest Threats to Hunting in America Today
2 comments
I appreciate and agree with your article. I would add what some (myself included) call the “demise” of ethical hunting. That is to say the weapons we use today are so much more capable and accurate than needed to hunt with. Examples are Compound Bows capable of shooting arrows fast and relatively flat. One only needs to watch TV programs with Bow Hunters shooting at big game 80 yards away in a strong cross wind to understand. The same goes for Black Powder weapons where 3″ groups at 200 yards is no longer the exception. It’s the norm! And of course the 1000 yard shots with long distance rifles is now taking hold in many hunting circles. I understand that technology can be a good thing. However, shooting game animals with weapons that have no relation to primitive weapons, (which is why we have special seasons for Archery and Black Powder) is something that anti-hunters will surely pick up on. And one can readily imagine what they will say after watching a program where a 12 year old harvests an animal with a single shot at 850 yards. I am not arguing what style or type of hunting a person wishes to do with whatever weapon of choice. I am saying that there is however, a point of no return. You may also remember when even hunting from a tree stand was once considered unethical by the big name scoring organizations. In Montana it is illegal to “bait” big game. It is considered unfair to the animal. Many other States of course, allow baiting. I think some of the things we do when hunting will give the anti-hunters more ammo to use against us.
Floyd,
Glad you enjoyed the article, and thanks for reading the LocaCarnivore. You have a point–up to a point. Technology improves as a matter of course, which is why we no longer hunt with sticks and rocks, or drive buffalo herds off cliffs. While I may question someone’s hunting skill when they play Chris Kyle and put the zap on a critter at 1000 yards, I do not, and will not criticize their ethics–as long as they can make a quick, decisive kill, that is. It’s still “fair chase” regardless how much super-duper technology you have, because you still have to find the critters in hundreds, even thousands, of square miles, and they hide real good, as any elk hunter will attest. Technology makes little difference to anti-hunters. They don’t care how you kill an animal, they just want to prevent you from ever doing it, period. What does give them aid and comfort, though, is hunters in-fighting amongst themselves over such issues. They love to see us divided into separate tribes; it makes their job much easier. As to Montana, they, like Colorado, did not prohibit bating bears because it is “unfair” to the big, dangerous beasties, rather because they succumbed to emotion driven, anti-hunter pressure, just as British Columbia did earlier this year by banning grizzly hunting. I don’t criticize another hunter’s methods as long as what they do is legal in their jurisdiction and they use all the animal once they kill it.