Unless you’ve been living under a rock with no access to the Internet for the last 2 weeks you’ve heard about the new World Hunting Association (WHA) and its revolutionary idea to turn our sport into a big-money, “cutting-edge non-fatal” competitive tour that would span not only the United States but also eventually the world. When WHA CEO David Farbman launched his snazzy website in early June, he promised the “world’s most skilled hunters” going head to head in a “man vs. man vs. animal format.” In the first events slated for this fall in Michigan, the “hunters,” toting “patent-pending, respectful” tranquilizer guns and bows, will go forth in high-fence enclosures to see who can stalk down, shoot and sedate the biggest whitetail buck for hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money on pay-per-view TV.
I’ve been a hard-core hunter for 40 years and a professional outdoor writer for nearly 25 of those years, and I cannot think of a dumber idea.
Bad Imaging for Hunters
Farbman, who also refers to himself as the commissioner of the pro-hunting tour, is trying to appeal to the 20-something, ESPN, VH1, Reality TV, Playstation crowd. On his website he writes, “Let’s face it, our sport could use a shot in the arm…. It’s time to improve that image and show the world the complexity, skill and strategy that is the core of hunting.”
I could live with a shot in the arm… But shooting deer with tranquilizer darts for big cash is one of the WORST ways I can think of to promote our image. Imagine this if you can: A young, hip “hunter” (I keep putting that word in parenthesis because I’m using the term about as loosely as I can) fires his dart and sedates a deer with Xylazine; he and his cameraman run out and score the giant antlers; his veterinarian (yes, you read that right, more on that later) treats the animal; eventually the deer staggers up and runs off; the hip guy wins the tournament, hoists one of those big cardboard checks for 100,000K high overhead and drives off in a new sports car with a hot blonde. I’m not making this up; you can see it on the streaming video on the WHA site.
My Granddaddy who taught me how to hunt must be spinning in his grave. My father is 69, has never owned a computer and still hunts like a wild man; when I told him about this idea he looked absolutely stunned. That you might expect, but here’s the big news: The hundreds of teenage and 20-something hunters who have written to me so far at the BIG BUCK ZONE aren’t buying this charade either. They don’t have much experience yet, but even they know that in the end the killing of an animal defines hunting. Hunting is a deeply personal, almost spiritual thing. Hunting is not bass fishing; it’s not catch-and-release, darts and drugs, bright lights and sponsor logos. It’s surely not about $500,000 in prize money.
The High Fence Debate
Here’s another unfortunate thing about this issue. Farbman’s bright idea has dragged up the nasty old high-fence debate again, dealing another blow to our image. In most states you can’t dart wild deer. That’s why the WHA’s first event is scheduled for an 800-acre enclosure in Michigan, where sedating the private bucks would be legal.
Story continues below
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
advertisement
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In every survey I’ve ever seen, 90-95% of hunters (and 110% of anti-hunters) are against “pen” or “canned” hunts. Actually, even though this idea is “catch-and-release” I cannot believe PETA, HSUS and others have not jumped on it yet, but I’m betting they will. More ammo for the antis is never a good thing.
Bad Biology
Twenty years ago when biologists tranquilized deer for relocation or study, mortality rates were in the 25-50% range. With today’s more technologically advanced dart guns and drugs, mortality rates for darting are much lower. Still, a biologist told me the other day, “Even with the better drugs available, delivering these drugs with arrows or gun darts is rife with problems and dangers for both hunter and deer.”
Bottom line: Some of the bucks darted on the WHA tour might die; how many nobody can say for sure. This even though a licensed vet will be on the scene to draw blood, vaccinate, care for each deer and even mark it some how so the animal won’t be darted again in the competition. Animal health aside, that’s just bizarre stuff.
Just a Plain Bad Idea
Mr. Farbman might be a good guy and his desire to expand hunter numbers is noble. But his professional dart-hunting tour is just not a good idea. From all the initial reports I’ve gotten you think so too. Of the hundreds of people who have responded to my blog, a few have been intrigued, but not one has supported the tour. As of today, there have been over 6,000 hits and replies posted on the topic on the HuntingNet.com message board. Your voice has been overwhelmingly negative.
Sponsor/Industry Update
Potential sponsors are listening and running for the hills. When the WHA launched its website, Carbon Express arrows, Gorilla Tree Stands and G 5 Outdoors were listed as the pro-hunt tour’s first sponsors; all 3 have since pulled out. Cabela’s, Safari Club International and the Pope & Young Club have all come out against it. Expect more big names to follow. I cannot imagine that any major outdoor company, magazine or hunting organization will support the tranquilizer tour. It’s just a plain bad idea.
Editor’s note: Hanback, the deer-hunting columnist for Outdoor Life magazine, was the first outdoor writer to come out against the WHA’s proposed non-fatal, big-money competitive “hunting” tour. Over at his BIG BUCK ZONE blog (www.mikehanback.blogs.com) Hanback has been all over every aspect of this growing controversy like a rabid dog. He gives us his professional take so far, and promises to keep us updated.