The future of hunting

[d-bone20917]

For some reason that link isn’t working for me, but the real threat to hunting isn’t from the animal rights activists, because even the vast majority of non-hunters aren’t anti-hunting.  The real threat is from our current congress trying to sell off our public lands which will eliminate hunting and fishing access to millions of acres of land currently open.  Even today a minority of yahoos are planning to let the Land and Water Conservation Fund expire.  So I hope everyone is harassing their congressmen (and women) and senators to let them know how important hunting is in this country for us and future generations. But my guess is most people just want to whine on this forum and not actually get involved.   

[Doc]

For some reason that link isn’t working for me, but the real threat to hunting isn’t from the animal rights activists, because even the vast majority of non-hunters aren’t anti-hunting. 

The link is still good. I just access it a minute ago.

 

But let me respond to your assertion that because the non-hunters are not openly hostile towards us that the animal rights people are not having an effect in that segment of the public. I know it is hard to assess in any sort of quantitative way, but I do believe that these people are having a cultural impact that is challenging recruitment efforts of new hunters and the maintenance of existing hunters. Even among hunters, you frequently catch a hint of how their zeal for the hunt is softening because of the perceptions of killing the harmless innocent little animals. These animal rights wackos don't have to be marching around you with signs and chants to be having an impact on hunting. If hunters are tired of being regarded as low-brow red-necks that evolution left behind and drop out because of negative perceptions, or kids have decided that hunting is not really the coolest thing to engage in and opt out of the hunting scene, we are losing the PR battle. And the antis are winning and hunting is losing. The antis are well financed and are taking a direct and well funded public campaign to society with a very consistent message. We on the other hand can't seem to even organize ourselves let alone sell any message at all to John Q. Public. It basically has become a one sided discussion with no one publicly speaking for us. Not even the DEC. 

 

I know there are all kinds of reasons for the diminishing hunter numbers and the failure of recruitment efforts, but do not ignore the fact that the antis are succeeding in re-molding societal attitudes and how hunting is publicly regarded.