Grizz, you know the type. Southern boys with a jacked up 4x4 and a rebel license tag mounted up front and a dogbox in the back. When a few of these guys get together and are enroute to the hunt they look more intimadating than the "Hell's Angles" cruising through town. I know because I used to behave like one of these characters when I was young and uneducated. If we killed a deer it was thrown on top of the truck and rode around with great pride with absolutely no respect to the general public . Years ago I had killed a nice 6 pointer and just like I always do, I strapped him down to the tailgate and went on hunting. I ran up to the store to put gas in my truck and while at the pump, this real nice lady approached me and asked me if it wasn't to much trouble, could I find a way to hide the deer as her children had seen it from their car and it had obviously upset them. I promised her that I would and as she walked away I realized that what I had been doing was soooo wrong. From that day forward I made a vow to never transport a deer in open veiw of the general public . It was the hurt in her eyes, the way that she looked at me in disappointment but she was very kind about it and it did something to me, it changed me, for the good I hope .
Yeah, Ray ... I do know some "in your face" types. Fortunately, people around here seem to grant them the benefit-of-the-doubt, in spite of their childish behavior.
Personally, I don't go out of my way to advertise that I'm a hunter, nor do I hide it. I just respectfully go about my business, treat people with consideration, and expect it from them.
Do I close the tailgate?
Sure I do. I've got nothing to prove, and never did!
You must be pretty isolated where you are Grizz, I have lived in NC and I do not recall one person wearing camo in the cities. Isolated communities, like mine and yours are a very common place to see camo clad people, seems every vehicle I see is full of men in orange going to or coming from a hunting spot in a controlled hunt.
I was refering to the city (cities), where I conduct business. It is the city people who show ignorance towards the sport, not the small communities.
One thing to remember is the bigger cities with higher population control the votes, it's all relative.
Just because they don't live next door to you doesn't mean they don't exist: http://www.nraila.org/legislation/read.aspx?id=5021
Somene I know well just came back from a rifle hunt, they drove back with two deer strapped to the top of a vehicle, drove them clean through Toronto like a redneck, he actually found it funny that a few people gave them the finger. Toronto is the biggest city in Ontario, it is also full of the most hypocrytical anti-gun crowd around. I would have liked to explain to him that those people control our Provence, they are the ones who will ultamatly determine the fate of our sport, our guns and our combined dignity. He basically smacked them in the face. There are better ways to show your pride.
Also, to answer the original question of the thread, what non hunters think.
Non hunters think a hunter is someone who walks in to an open field amongst a bunch of deer, picks out the one he wants and shoots it in the head wih a big gun. They don't understand that it isn't quite that easy.
If you are not willing to learn, nobody can help you, if you are willing, nobody can stop you.
A bowhunter with a passion for shooting firearms.
WMU 91
Boo string
Pydpiper wrote:Just because they don't live next door to you doesn't mean they don't exist
Oh, I know they exist, Pyd ... I was just pointing out the difference in areas.
And you're right ... there is no urban area within two hours driving of me.
I'm glad there isn't!
This is the least populated county in NC, and I live in the least populated part of it. We may be rural here ... but our awareness is A-OK ... the NRA membership here is very strong. Even my dear wife is a member, as are many women.
This is a good tread. It makes us think about what our everyday actions do to what others think about us and our hobbies or way of life.
Does showing quality pictures (no visual blood, or tongue visible) help in what other non hunters think .......... maybe not for some, but for others it probably does. Remember disrespecting something, dead or alive, how you feel when you see that happen. As was stated above, it is an education process that us hunters have fallen or failed at badly in the past. The anti's have jumped on this and put forth a lot of misinformed and untrue statements to mislead the non hunters to try and get them to abolish hunting. It is now our job to correct this misinformation with the truth for the non hunting populous. WE are behind in the game now so it will be more difficult. But just like the Anti Crossbow groups, the truth will win out over time.
But it is how we conduct ourselves in the field, in the city and in our homes that will determine how these non hunters will think about us and our way of life. This in the end will determine if we will be able to continue our chosen way of life.
Tom
[img]http://hometown.aol.com/wingbonecall/images/turkey.gif[/img]
Seems like being a woman who hunts I get cut a bit more slack... I mean, if a woman is killing it can't be all nastly, brutal and viscious, right?
The biggest misconception I come across is that some people seem to think that we just lean up against a fence post, shoot into a herd of deer, and then walk away laughing and patting each other on the back, leaving the animal to suffer, die and rot. The first time someone told me that it what they thought hunting was about I thought they were joking! I was shocked to discover they were serious!
The other misconception is that bowhunting is cruel while rifle or shotgun hunting is less so. (HUH?????) I think that misconception stems partly from stories posted about a local anti that has has far too much ink the local paper. The truth is though, deer walking around with arrows stuck in them, and unrecovered arrow-killed deer found by Joe Public don't do anything for our image. (Funny how they have nothing against cars which brutally injure, maim, and mangle deer though!)
I tell people that there are years we get nothing and that the meat makes a difference to our grocery bill. Once they realize that we actually eat the deer, they usually say "Oh, that's OK then."
I also like bring up how animals die in nature. Injured or old or diseased, preyed on by predators who eat them while they're still alive... it's not nearly as humane as a well-placed shot with a bow or firearm.
Deer also have a much better life than any meat you'll buy in the grocery store! It's also much better food for my family.
And the pursuit of that meat is better for my health than sitting on some beach with a drink in my hand.
________________
Sent from a mobile device - So spelling and grammar may be questionable!
---
"Team DryFire"
Vixen, Micro 315, HHA Optimizer, Boo & VixenMaster strings, Munch Mounts, Dr. Stirrup accessories.
What do non hunters think, well here is some of what happens around here. Some of you in the USA will find this unbelievable. Walmart for most of you is a place to pick up cheap hunting supplies. Well here in southern Ontario, that would depend on the store. If the Wal Mart is close to a major city (Toronto ect.) they will not sell guns, might not even carry hunting supplies or ammo.
In Oshawa, the north store I could get ammo and supplies but the south store would not carry it because they were too close to Toronto (from the store manager's lips). Since then, the store has started to sell supplies but not guns. Up in Timmins, Huntsville, New Liskard (northern Ontario) they sell everything for hunting, including guns.
There are alot of non hunters out there and they do control; through how they vote; what our future hunting will be like.
Tom
[img]http://hometown.aol.com/wingbonecall/images/turkey.gif[/img]
i to encounter people that have never hunted and live on farms .just the other day i was called out to a farm that was flooded out by beavers .the man of the houes took me back to his pond and showed me the problem .two days latter i came out with two beaver and stopped at the houes to let him know .his wife cam to the door as he was away .she begain to tell me she had mixed feelings about trapping the animals .and when i explaned to here the money the damage was adding up to on there farm ie flooded fields hardwood trees under water .she caME AROUND VERY FAST and welcomed me back anytime to keep an eye on the beavers for them .well i am doing the beaver controll i also take coon rats and mink .i find most people just need somone to explan things to them and when it comes down to money the anmals go DUTCH
A lot of it comes from the entertainment industry - the Elmer Fudd syndrome on how hunters are perceived.
How many movies can you think of where the "hunters" are a negative stereotype - the "evil" in the good vs evil scenario? The ubiquitous Bambi and all the cartoons that pit cute wild animals against the evil hunters. Crocodile Dundee vs the liquored-up 'roo shooters. Dozens of others too numerous to list.
But it's not just Hollywood. What also hurts a lot is the percentage of so-called "hunters" who just want to shoot something because it's the season to do it, and have no concept of hunting ethics.
Don't kid yourself into believing that this is a very small percentage. These jerks in Saskatchewan who shot up the ducks in the pond by the road (and posted themselves on Youtube) are not that unusual.
As a retailer I see it every day - people who have no idea of what's involved in being an ethical hunter. They just want to buy a weapon and go out and shoot something that's moving, preferably the same afternoon.
[quote="one shot scott"]I think its the actions of a very small group that
Whenever I confess I hunt to someone, I always tell of the times when I witness nature at its finest. The time an owl came and perched 10 feet away from me, or the fisher(sp?) that I saw. The beautiful sunrises and sunsets. The fresh air filling my lungs. I dont often mention killing deer unless asked.
One shot scott i think you forgot to mention the bright star light mornings with meteor showers at times as well perched up in a stand with a crisp frost or snow fall only to see shiloets out in a field or to see racoons playing and rolling around. I too have encountered these people and let them know how i feel and tell them i understand how they feel as well. We as hunters are not out to kill anything that moves. Were providers like our fore fathers were. I merrly tell them its going on a table. Then i go on to ask if they know what kind of destruction they do to farmers field before harvest time? Oh the deer to car crash ratio as well. Just yesturday theres a DOE wandering around downtown toronto. The cops say thank god they got the deer rounded up brfore it caused some serouis damage as well near my neck of the woods London Ont where the deer are eatting too much house plants and dont want hunters in there to fix the problem, heck they want to fill them full of drugs so they cant get pregnant??????????????????????WHAT THE HELL? There deer they have the right, our cities are getting bigger were taking there homes away and they want to make them not get prego....................I suggest trank them and release them out in a conservation area and let them live there or move to my lands.
I think the "negative" attitude toward hunting has more to do with the growth of suburban and city populations where folks just don't know what real life...flesh and blood...are insulated from it.
Urbanite: Meat? Oh, you mean that stuff you go to the market to purchase...that stuff in the neatly packed styrofoam packets with celophane covering it?
Hunter: Yes, that stuff. Do you know how it got there?
Urbanite: Yes, someone packaged it.
Hunter: It's beef...do you know where that comes from?
Urbanite: Yes, a cow.
Hunter: Do you know what had to happen to the cow for it to get there?
Urbanite: Killed?
Hunter: Yep, and do you know how it was killed?
Urbanite: Nope, and I don't want to know, I just want a hamburger.
People who live in the country, who provide the mass populations with their meat, know full well what life and death is and means.
Anti's will say, "Yes, but hunters enjoy killing!" as if this somehow makes hunting immoral? Ever seen a killer whale toss a terrified seal to another killer whale with his huge tail? Ever see a coyote run through a flock of sheep and tear out the jugular of a dozen young lambs, eating none of them? I'm sure they have, but they don't seem to take umbrage with such actions.
My prediction: When the PETA crowd, and Vegan groups grow in numbers and are able to influence policy on the cities' meat production, most silly city folk will continue to hold onto their "Bambi" view of nature, where deer and coyotes play together and eat at the same table.
We are simply trying to buck a trend that is growing folks. Trying to paint yourself as Mr. Nice-hunter is not going to change the sentiment that is growing. Not until people begin to feel a food pinch and see that the slaughtering of animals by farmers and country folk is a necessity for life.
Imagine if PETA could, through sentimentalism, ban slaughter houses? Would it make sense for slaughter houses to try and paint themselves as "good slaughter houses" or "sensitive slaughter houses"..."cuz we don't show blood in our slaughter house pictures?" Answer: No it wouldn't....not if the bulk of public sentiment went against slaughter houses. And public sentiment is a direct result of the Bambi idiocy that pervades our city and urban populations.
NOTE: The above statement is not meant to justify gruesome pics of dead animals, but rather to say you're barking up the wrong tree if you think nice pics of dead animals is going to change public sentiment.
This is some of the garbage I've recently seen posted on another forum:
1. Sound shots. This almost always comes up and people actually believe it happens. Maybe it does but all I've ever seen it connected with is to scare other hunters from coming close to where they are hunting.
2. The sign. "In NH there were farmers who wrote COW in black across the side of many of their stock. It did not seem to help." This is from an online post on another forum.
3. Another forum post: "A guy I go to school with was out hunting when he came across some other hunter's on a side road. He was talking to them and asked if they had gotten anything yet. They excitedly brought him over to their truck and there was a dead horse in the back, clean and everything They were quite proud of their catch."
4. Another post: "That's excellent! My grandmother's farmhouse in Maine had bullets in the walls in several locations. She kept her German Shepard inside during rifle season."
5. A ridiculous post: "A Michigan man who claims he was hunting coyotes may be charged for killing a neighbor’s pregnant cow:
“A man says he shot a neighbor’s cow after mistaking it for a coyote. Authorities and the owner are skeptical.
The undersheriff in northern Michigan’s Benzie County says he doesn’t see how anyone could confuse a 1,400-pound pregnant cow with a coyote, which typically weighs between 20 and 45 pounds. And anyway, shooting coyotes is illegal during firearm deer season. Authorities asked the county prosecutor to bring charges against the shooter.
A 42-year-old man told authorities he was out to shoot coyotes near his Colfax Township home Saturday when he killed the cow, Undersheriff Rory Heckman told the Traverse City Record-Eagle for a story published Wednesday. Heckman said the man then tried to drag the cow home.
“The part of his story he his holding to is he shot at a coyote. I don’t know how he hit a several-thousand pound cow mistaking it for a coyote,” Heckman said. The cow was named Hannah and had wandered away from its farm, about 205 miles northwest of Detroit.”
The cow’s owner suggests the shooter needs therapy if he thinks cows and coyotes look alike."
6. Another: “The time will come when public opinion will no longer tolerate amusements based on the mistreatment and killing of animals. The time will come, but when? When will we reach the point that hunting, the pleasure in killing animals for sport, will be regarded as a mental aberration?” Albert Schweitzer
7. The song. Tom Lehrer first recorded it in 1953 or '54. The full lyrics, for those interested:
I always will remember,
'twas a year ago November,
I went out to hunt some deer
On a mornin' bright and clear.
I went and shot the maximum the game laws would allow,
Two game wardens, seven hunters, and a cow.
I was in no mood to trifle,
I took down my trusty rifle
And went out to stalk my prey.
What a haul I made that day.
I tied them to my fender, and I drove them home somehow,
Two game wardens, seven hunters, and a cow.
The law was very firm, it
Took away my permit,
The worst punishment I ever endured.
It turned out there was a reason,
Cows were out of season,
And one of the hunters wasn't insured.
People ask me how I do it,
And I say, "there's nothin' to it,
You just stand there lookin' cute,
And when something moves, you shoot!"
And there's ten stuffed heads in my trophy room right now,
Two game wardens, seven hunters, and a pure-bred Guernsey cow.
All the above, as stated, was posted recently on just one forum. Where I live we do have some anti-hunters but very, very few. We do have a lot of non-hunters but rarely do people speak badly of hunters except for those idiots who can't seem to follow the law no matter if it is hunting or doing anything else. Some folks just seem to have a need to do wrong. There is no help for them the same as there is no help for a true anti-hunter. Any I have talked to or heard, you just can't talk sense to them.
One thing that really irks me is when they talk about the pleasure we all get from killing an animal. Sorry folks, but to me that is not the pleasure part of hunting. That is not pleasure, but it is necessary to hunting. One does not have to kill to have a successful hunt, but to bring home game that he has killed is to have hunted. To care for the meat, hide, antlers, etc. is also part of the hunt. To many, the biggest part of the hunt is not in the woods, but back in camp. Fun, fun, fun!
No way you can convince a non hunter (esp bambi hugger) that hunting is a sane activity. Easier to convince them to change political parties or (gasp) religions. Talk all you want, when the chips are down they will vote NO!~
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm i beg to differ coss. I got a farm this year and it was only because of my wife. Well they hated hunters bla bla bla deer are so ( cute) there corn beans were being destroyed and she said to let her husband in(me) and set up cams to show them that what was wrecking there fields yeah they saw the proof....................deer and coons. All they could say was that what the deer do to there fields was there kids colledge funds. SO i go in wack a few give them some of the rewards and now its mine and they cant thank me enough.
Cossack wrote:No way you can convince a non hunter (esp bambi hugger) that hunting is a sane activity. Easier to convince them to change political parties or (gasp) religions. Talk all you want, when the chips are down they will vote NO!~
Absolutly incorrect. If you try to "convince" then you are destined for failure, but if you introduce the topic in an existing conversation with respect for the other persons views you would be surprised with the outcome, as with most things in life.
I am not talikng about turning a non hunter in to a hunter, I simply mean to open the eyes of a non hunter and allow them the oppertunity to see things in perspective.
Last edited by Pydpiper on Thu Nov 26, 2009 7:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
If you are not willing to learn, nobody can help you, if you are willing, nobody can stop you.
A bowhunter with a passion for shooting firearms.
WMU 91
Boo string
. It was the hurt in her eyes, the way that she looked at me in disappointment but she was very kind about it and it did something to me, it changed me, for the good I hope 
.
yeah they saw the proof....................deer and coons. All they could say was that what the deer do to there fields was there kids colledge funds. SO i go in wack a few give them some of the rewards and now its mine and they cant thank me enough.