Talondale

I agree with Campo. We are supposed to be ambassadors of our sport, not counting coup. Everything we do as hunters effects someones impression of what hunters are. You can take an in-your-face-approach to things but remember: No matter how right we are, and whatever our heritage may be as a tradition -we are outnumbered, and always will be. We need friends in the sport AND out of the sport. We don't need to be adding enemies. One day they could take away our right to hunt, don't think they can't. So shoot your mouth off and you may be taking away the right of your own children to hunt. I see that checkout line conversation as an opportunity to enlighten a woman who has only seen the sport through one perspective. You could have given her another perspective that she would have respected, even if she didn't agree with it or could personalize it. It may have been a seed to germinate in her mind. Shoot, you may have even gotten another spot to hunt out of it. You never know, unless you slam the door.

I've got other, forums that are not hunting related that I frequent and often get questions about hunting from people who've had little or no exposure to hunting. All they know is what they see on TV, movies, or what they see of us in the field and in the checkout lines. Some of these threads would be great to cut and paste to show them why we love our sport so much and some threads would be something I'd be ashamed to show them because it paints such a negative image that even I hate it and I LOVE HUNTING. So be careful what you say and do and try to advance the publics opinion, not pound them on the head with witty retourts.