Appeasing anti-hunters or just playing it cool?

[Lanse couche couche]

There is always talk on this site about not saying or doingthings that might stir up the anti-hunting crowd. My question iswhere do you draw the line?Obviously its importantnot to alienate people. But, at what point are you just trying to appease the folks who are going to come after you no matter what you do?I would like to hear people's thoughts on this.

[Bob H in NH]

I look at it this way, I am going to do what I am going to do, if it riles em up, so be it. I am not going to change just cause of them.

[kevin1]

Antis troll hunting boards all the time looking for ammo , and their ammo standards are very low . They also troll farm boards , pet sites , and many other animal oriented venues . I don't worry about what misguided idiots think , neither do most other folks .

[MThunter]

I make an honest effort to be respectful of other peoples feelings. When I meet someone new, I try to carefully broach the hunting subject, and if they don't want to hear about it, I dont talk about it. If they want to learn, I'm more than happy to show them photos or talk about it. When people find out I hunt, I always say "I grew up in it, and it's my passion, but it's not for everyone, and I will never try to force it on anyone." I think this shows respect for others, and it isn't right to shove it down the anti's throats because right now the government is on our side, and we'd better hope it stays that way.

[Briman]

I really don't care. If people have made up their minds to be morons, I'm not going to bend to accomodate them.

[vc1111]

My question is where do you draw the line?

Reference to points of law is a good place to start and that is where PETA and other radical activists have camped.

While there is a thin line between placating and trying to not alienate others, PETA and those of their bent are not to be ignored. With 750,000 members, they can sway a lot of people with their media grabbing methods.

Hunting in its various forms is not static. It is changing yearly and everyone, hunter and non-hunter alike, must pay attention to the details of the changes taking place because every action produces a reaction. Old laws are removed. Old methods of managing game are tried; some fail, some work, some are extrremely controversial such as Wisconsin's cat hunting fiasco.

The lengthy list of controversial hunting methods on this board should be a cue to the idea that what one views as responsible or reasonable can be quite different from the ideas of others. Just ask Gary Ault how his ideas for changing whitetail hunting in Pennsylvania were received.

One can ignore PETA just as others ignore the wishes of hunters, but neither side can or should ignore those in the middle that do not hunt. They are most likely the largest group and the group most likely to endorse change depending on their experiences with individual hunters and the behaviors they exhibit.

Trespassing, killing domestic animals wantonly and without regard to the property rights of the owners, poaching, littering, and inconsiderate use of firearms around others all contribute to the images hunters put forth.

[AlaskaMagnum]

ORIGINAL: Lanse couche couche

There is always talk on this site about not saying or doingthings that might stir up the anti-hunting crowd.

I don't think there is anything you could do to appease the ANTI-hunting crowd, I think the prudent thing is to not upset the NON-hunting crowd. It is the 70% of people who do not hunt and who really do not care we need to be careful not to alienate.

Being respectful, discrete, and polite goes a long way to keeping these people apathetic towards us (which is what we want).

A good way to approach it would be to watch Ted Nugent's Spirit of the Wild. Observe carefully everything Ted says, then make a mental note to sayjust the opposite. You should be fine.

[vc1111]

A good way to approach it would be to watch Ted Nugent's Spirit of the Wild. Observe carefully everything Ted says, then make a mental note to say just the opposite. You should be fine.

I couldn't agree more.

[bawanajim]

ORIGINAL: vc1111

I couldn't agree more.

This should be printed on all JR. licences.

[hillbillyhunter1]

Ironically,

I am watching ol' Ted right now. Not his hunting show-that is hard for me to take with all the rock n roll playing while he's pullin' the string back.

Anyhow, He is on some news show--kinda like "hardball with chris matthews", except this one is "the Big Idea with Donny Duetch"--never watched it before-just saw Ted while lookin around and knew he would be talkin about guns/huntin'

Ted was very well spoken on here, served different selections of wild meat to the host and actually got "Donny" (who was obviously someone predisposed to be possibly tolerating, but intelectually puzzled and superior to "joe hunter" and seemed to be a little light on his support of the 2nd amendment) to agree to cometo Ted's place in Michigan or wherever. I was very proud of Ted. I know he is one of those polarizing forces in "hunting politics", but I generally like his forth right attitude. He has been around forever and has always had a pretty "static" viewpoint which, of course, he expresses vehemently and to the disgust of some proponents of the outdoor life. I like him. I don't care to watch his show.