We can't ignore it. We can't hide from it. The hunting community needs to refine its message, consolidate its resources, and turn the tables.
I find it disappointing that so many Hollywood "celebrities" have carte blanche access to media which can impose an opinion over weak minded people....and I find it even more disappointing that we haven't identified pro-hunting "big names" and rallied behind them.....we need a modern day version of a "Charlton Heston" type....amongst other things.....like maybe a pro-hunting PR firm.....
Jake, You are correct, Trumps son took some flack a while back too bad he's not more like the old man!!
My kids and better half do FB and some of the stuff they tell me, there is no way I'd want involved in some of the drama and goings on there... Am way to old for that stuff...
Like Jake though, would like to see some of the big time pro hunting and shooting celebrities step up to the plate. Tom Selleck would be a good ambassador and was kinda hoping he's replace Charlton Heston as NRA spokesperson, but he might be cautious of the backlash, or just have too much on his plate... We need someone better than a Nugent type though, he frightens everybody, including me...8^)
I encourage everyone to go on Facebook and post on Deltas site their disappointment with the airline.
......Kevin Costner
In the interview he did not defend hunting and made a statement that 'taking pictures of live animals is a lot better than killing animals.' He's an 80 year old guy, and now he'll be blasted by pro-hunting voices calling him an idiot no doubt. Social media...the news media...and any other outlets are all a source for ammunition, for both sides. This guy did nothing wrong and he's catching it from both sides...or will.
I've never been much of a sado-maso...I mean social media guy. No FB or other personal look-at-me page anywhere. I've never had a desire to share my life online. I know plenty of people get pleasure from doing it, but sometimes they get (or cause) pain as well. Is some hunter going to get his house fire-bombed by an ARA psycho? Whose kids are subject to rejection by other kids and parents? The fallout from social media isn't always just verbal or online.
If a consensus of intolerance (of trophy hunting) is forming in the general public, glorifying it in social media simply foments and antagonizes the emotional arguments against us. I don't like it at all, and it's easy to see where it leads.
can u blame folks we give them ammo with ahole remarks like smackdown dirtnap smoked him !!! How does this show hunters as conversationalist folks on the fence see this as barbaric acts with no respect towards the game we hunt .
This isnt even the tip or the turtles head sad day
Or perhaps it's time hunters stop defending their lowest common denominator. Every time I make the mistake of turning on a hunting show on television I'm reminded that the majority of our problems are of our own doing.
When a cheerleader-model with thousands of random followers posts a dead animal hero shot, you bet there will be backlash. Especially with viral dissemination. Be smart. Pick and choose who you subject to your dead animal photos. Present a positive, ethical image to the nonhunters you know and meet. Don't be a "Happiness is a steaming gut pile" ass.
We are out own worst enemies, but some among us don't understand that.
I cringe at so many things I see fellow hunters post on social media. So many think it is still simply "us against the anti's", completely missing the point that it is the 80% of undecided people in the middle that will ultimately decide the future of hunting. I can't believe so many hunters still fail to grasp that fundamental point, but I am reminded of it many times each year.
Be smart about what you put out there, and I'd include sites like this along with Facebook etc. For example, enough with the headless turkey and skull-blasted coyote photos. I've seen people who are into trapping that actually post photos of them with their still-live "trophy" coyote/bobcat/etc with a leg-hold trap clamped onto their paw. We are bound to lose the support of more of those middle-ground folks every time one of these photos is shared. It's a different world now. The lion controversy should make that very clear.
When you post a picture of a dead animal, post a picture of venison steak on the grill along with it. Post a picture of a smiling kid shooting a gun or bow and not playing video games. Make a positive connection.
I think the best defense is a great offense.
I enjoy pictures, but they do nothing positive for hunting and trapping, are only a negative.
You don't like my dead animal pics and I DON'T like your drunk football OR your ugly child pics. You know what, Momma said if you don't have anything nice to say, then...
BTW No one has to be my friend on FB. They CHOOSE to be. :)
I would never post a picture here, or anywhere else in public view.
Maybe we ought to start piling boxes of Kleenex on Kimmel's studio doorstep.
#whatapussy
LOL! yep....
One of our biggest problems is we are content to mind our business while the left just keeps attacking. That dynamic must cease.
I'm not a social media guy. Frankly, I hated it for a very long time. My main reason for even getting on Facebook was to crank up the volume on my POV. And the more of us who do so, the better. Otherwise, we just concede another portion of the public square to, historically, the most dangerous and destructive segment of humanity, the hysterical statist sheep.
Social media doesn't let us be selective so I don't post much about hunting there. No sense in looking to start a no-win fight.
You've been called worse than a knucklehead on FB. I mean where else do you go to get mole killing advice?
There must be a big market for this type of business, because there are plenty of these operations and they love to advertise on TV. To me, this type of deer-growing business is no different than a beef feedlot. I certainly don't oppose cattle being bred, fed and slaughtered. I think if a television commercial was aired to millions though that chronicled the life of a cow from birth to slaughter, it would have a similar affect in the minds of the general public. Apparently, cattle-growers are smart enough not to do that?
"If you think Real Housewives of Beverly Hills represents most married American women, you might enjoy a hunting show and think it represents most American hunters."
I fully get the desire of many people to share their hunting activities on social media. I also understand their anger over any disapproval of it. It's their right and they're exercising it...no question. The problem arises when doing so offends people (needlessly) and builds public sentiment against hunting. I'm not saying it's right. I'm saying it happens. I'm suggesting that we don't win a war by continuing to do the very things which turn noncommittal people into committed anti-hunters or ARAs.
The immediate and subsequent backlash toward hunters recently is driven by the 5% extreme wackos who know how effective it is to use images to create emotion. The guys who insist on putting up countless images of killed and bloody animals on social media/the web are definitely within their rights, as is the tv hunter who 'smoked him!!!' and proceeds to piss his boxers with excitement. I think it's arguable that both groups ultimately do a lot to influence average folks and non-hunters away from liking or supporting us. Telling them all to kiss grits is fine and tough... meanwhile we're losing market share and opportunities because of public opinion.
Knife2sharp, That's my inclination as well but, unfortunately, seeking a "less stressful" existence is not a practical strategy for maintaining a lifestyle that is subject to constant political attack.
