Distrubing Trend

[thurrealty]

Used to be people who were not hunters themselves, at least had a positive response to the sport. Now most are detached from hunting and rural pursuits, don't have a hunting father, brother, uncle, or whatever, and are easily influenced by the Disney/bambi, anti's, and the Humane Society horror commercials. Young people don't want to put that much energy into recreation. I made my 13 year old girls grind out a bird here and there, walk miles for a shot, my wife thought I should breakdown and take them to a perserve, but I wanted them to seewhat it's really about, so they could appreciate the difference, failure is common, success is sweet, the enjoyment is in the experience. What we need is a massive PR campaign to rehabilitate our image. A large segment of the population will never be hunters, but we could by our efforts win them over as allies, with common goals, they like to see wildlife, feel good about land stewardship, clean water, healthy air, sustainable food supply, all the things we believe in also.

Spoken by someone who has some brains...thanks...you my friend can see the handwriting on the wall. The massive PR campaign is a great start...we could do it here. We have the ability...to do what needs to be done. Too many folks are more concerned with shooting and not hunting....we have to do a better job. A MUCH BETTER JOB. Like you said...we need to rehabilitate our image...I AGREE. No more PHEASANT SLAUGHTER Posts...threads...etc. If you feel that way about hunting....you are part of the problem not the solution. Old and New...thanks...you are dead on. Let's rally behind him guys and do the right thing. As you can tell...I am on my soapbox. Once again...thanks OLD AND NEW...

 

[1stout]

Ranger Rick,

The trend is common across all industry from what I have seen. I have always worked in the metal industry (steel, AL, Zinc, and now Iron) and there are very few young people interested in this because it is looked at as a dirty job. While it may be a dirty job, it's a job and a fairly stable one, we make something and sell it. I like the way my future looks, not much competition for jobs and plenty of them out there. A lot of resumes that you look at now people don't have real world experience, they never get out and do anything. People need to get out do something instead of sitting around watching someone else do it on TV. If they would, maybe they would find something they like and make a career out of it.

 

[dc240nt]

I see it all the time while working my display trailer at Fairs. Nothing more frustrating then having someone come up, dressed in camo, then pull out a phone and show me all his great deer hunting pictures, but wont spend a dollar to go and see the display. I promote the sport of hunting to over 6 million people per year. That number is based on attendance. I also pull my 40 foot display trailer decked out with custom deer graphics, from coast to coast and border to border. I cannot get the hunting industry to help me at all. Everyone and all businesses within the industry benefit by what I do. Yet Ive had TV personalities, pro hunters, pro staffers, taxidermists, sport shop owners, literally run away over a $1.00 admission charge. The only ones to give me the time of day have been the Safari Club and Ron Schara. Ive seen Grandfathers and Dads pay for themselves to go in while the kids are told to stay out. I feel I dont need to promote the sport to the hunters, I need to promote it to the non hunter. Its the non hunter and their tolerance or intolerance, that will untimitely decide what we hunters can do in the future. When Mr. Camo is being watched by Mr Non-hunter, then Mr camo walks away while the non hunter watches, it gives the non hunter the impression that the hunters do not care about their own sport enough to support it, then why should he? Ive had this scenario play out thousands and thousands of times over the last 5 years. Ive had non hunters tell me why they feel the way they do, why they support us or do not. Folks, we are losing the battle, hunting will be lost. Its happening all the time. Between species and habitat depletion, land access, leasing, rising costs to recreate, its just a matter of time. More and more people drop out each year. Minnesota DNR just released that this year the number of waterfowl stamps sold was the lowest number ever recorded in thier history. In Wisconsin, the DNR says they have the lowest new hunter recruitment percentage in the nation. They are really worried about how they are going to manage the deer herd within the next 10 years. Right now they cant get the hunters they do have to fill the number of antlerless tags needed to keep a grasp on the deer population. I talk with literally tens of thousands of hunters each year and from all over the country, believe me, we have a serious problem! Most people think that shopping at Cabelas is supporting hunting. Its not! It supports Dick Cabela. We all need to ask ourselves, "what have I done to support the hunting industry?" Anytime you see someone or some organization supporting your sport you need to support them! Simple as that. We are all in this together, and until all hunters realize that, then we will continue to lose ground until it is to late.

 

[thurrealty]

Excellent points....I am an avid quail hunter....since Quail Unlimited went bust....not really anyone speaking on our behalf...I dont really know if they did or not..but that is another story. We as sportsmen, hunters are a silent majority. There are so many things that outsiders see as negatives regarding hunting. For example....hunting deer with a big pile of corn piled up. That doesnt really show an ethical side of that sport. Piles of birds lined up with SLAUGHTER posted on the top of the thread. In a nice way...we need to do a much better job regarding all aspects of hunting. This site could be a start. Oops..fell off my soapbox. Somebody else's turn. Doug

 

[VZWman]

Excellent points....I am an avid quail hunter....since Quail Unlimited went bust....not really anyone speaking on our behalf...I dont really know if they did or not..but that is another story. We as sportsmen, hunters are a silent majority. There are so many things that outsiders see as negatives regarding hunting. For example....hunting deer with a big pile of corn piled up. That doesnt really show an ethical side of that sport. Piles of birds lined up with SLAUGHTER posted on the top of the thread. In a nice way...we need to do a much better job regarding all aspects of hunting. This site could be a start. Oops..fell off my soapbox. Somebody else's turn. Doug

What about quail forever? I know they are an offshoot of pheasants forever, but they are trying to get funding yet as they are still 2 separate nonprofit organizations, legally speaking anyways. I believe that is also becoming an issue. All the legal things one must work over in order to do almost anything anymore.

 

[Houston54]

I guess I would be one of those people walking by your trailer but I would do so even it was free. Although I am making an assumption here from the information provided, I do not grasp how a trailer display of deer heads with racks that your average hunter will never see outside of pen raised deer will motivate people to hunt. Either you have the desire or you do not.

My own son loves to bird hunt and is a fine shot. He has no interest in deer hunting due to the amount of work involved after the shot. If your trailer had a super duper no-touch, no mess, slicer dicer and bagger that field dressed the animal and produced processed sausage out the other end (make mine jalapeno please) then he would be the racing to the blind provided I could afford the new appliance.

The promotion of hunting just for trophies has become commonplace and I do not agree with it. I know many so called hunters who do not even eat venison. They pay to shoot an animal that will look good on the wall, pay to have someone cape it out and mount it. The meat hopefully goses to good use to feed the hunger but this is not always the case.

Promoting the experience and the neat gear involved to fathers or young adults and not the trophy is the approach whcih would be most effective in my mind but there is not a whole lot of room in there sometimes according to my wife.