bowsmacker

You have raised some great questions and I too dont quite understand all the belly-aching...

How does the WHAtake away from "true hunting" if they (WHA) are promoting "traditional" hunting in a non-traditional way? Let’s face it, the number of hunters is rapidly declining. How else are kids going to be influenced if they are not entertained? Now don’t get me wrong, I think this must be done in a tasteful manner. But I don’t see how this takes away from "true hunting."

The WHA is promoting traditional hunting but they are also running a tournament that doesn’t involve killing. To me that makes sense. You can’t put big money on the line for killing. They certainly offer a unique approach to touching a new audience. To me, that is our obstacle.

What I have been troubled with is the outburst in the hunting industry (not community) and the common knee-jerk reaction to something new. I personally am troubled with the unwillingness of writers to talk about the real issues at hand. We are clouding the minds of the non-hunters with outrage against other hunters. It looks ridiculous from the outside looking in.

I think there is a time for change and that time is now. I think all the organizations and companies you mentioned (SCI, Pope & Young, Bass Pro, Cabela's and others who have come out against the dart tour) should step to the table with the WHA and compromise their interests in the sport. I haven’t seen one decent article facing all of the issues and offering suggestions to revive the industry and bring it to the main stage. Yes, the main stage.

I think there are quite a few people that aren’t saying much yet because they don’t understand the facts. Personally after reading theFAQ onwww.worldhunt.comI felt much more comfortable about their intent. I just think a lot of guys are intimidated about taking a neutral or unpopular side until they know more. Honestly, I’ve talked to several people about this (hunters and non-hunters) and I keep getting overwhelmingly positive feedback on the concept. Personally I don’t think chat rooms and blogs are a representative sample of the hunting community.

That’s yet to be seen.

Thanks for listening to my side and happy hunting.

PS - Dont forget that the WHA is a potential competitor for Huntingnet, so take that anyway you want but its true. The WHA site says they are going to be an interactive hunting website....Hmmmm. Makes ya think who is pushing who to say what around here.