I new posting to these forums, and learned much about the WHA through reading posts here. I continually see posts relating the WHA to Bassmasters, or High Fence (enclosure) hunting. While I am clear in my opposition to the WHA it has nothing to do with them hunting behind a fence, although I do not agree with that form of hunting either.

The simple analogy being made between tournament fishing and hunting is ridiculous! I can only assume many hunters are also fishermen (as am I), so I would ask - WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU RIPPED YOUR BAIT/LURE OUT OF THE WATER BECAUSE THE FISH ABOUT TO BITE IT WASN'T THE TROPHY YOU WANTED??? There is nothing about fishing that is HUNTING! Hunting is the selective decision to harvest an animal in the cleanest most humane manner possible! (at least it should be).

If hunting was fishing the WHA would be the closest you could get to it. Basically trank every animal you can and upon closer inspection determine if its the one you want to keep - then kill it!

What concerns me the most is that you cannot provide people an indiscriminat, no-consequencemeans by which to drop an animal which could be worth potentially thousands of $ and tell me that they are going to be concerned with how they do it. When you dart an animal with drugs, you need only hit the animal, where you hit it - not that important. So don't think for a sec we won't see some very bad representative shots being taken (unless edited out), and what does that do for our sport. Young hunters learn from watching TV and they see a guy take a head-on shot, or poor angle shot - they think Hmmmm, guess thats a good shot!

The fact is there are many reasons to dislike what the WHA represents, but ultimately you can not make an argument for the WHA using tournament fishing as a representation. That dog just won't hunt!

While you could argue about Campbell's or Drury's shows being similar, those shows still represent the selective harvest aspect, andthe Drurysrip people for taking questionable shots. And while I have not seen Campbells, Drury's show represents fair chase hunts, so I have no problem with their promotion of products and methods. If they were a high fence enclosed hunt I just wouldn't watch it.

You can't vote private enterprise up or down - you do it with your financial support. When enough public opinion hits the wallets of private enterprise - they listen, which is obviously what has happened to the sponsors of the WHA.

While there are a number of issues raisedin thisthread - all of which are debatable in their own rights - I have yet to see a post which makes a valid point supporting the WHA. If the WHA was a show where the contestants were required to make a clean killing shot on a broadside or quartering away animal using acceptable and LEGAL hunting means I don't think I would have a problem with it. But if it was done in a high fence environment, I still wouldn't watch it.