I believe as brethern in the hunting community we need to be more aware of our different circumstances across the country.The perception of hunters in rural Iowa or rural Idaho I can assure you is vastly different than the perception of hunters in my community(Woodstock NY)2 hours north of New York city.Shed33 is a friend and I am aware having hunted in Idaho for the last ten years that what is expected and accepted in the rural communities out there is night and day different than my area and I would anticipate most area's around urban centers.In Idaho it is common (expected)that in the small town that I hunt,that hunters will walk through it with rifles slung over their shoulders.This year in my home town on land that I have hunted for 15 years,I had a person call the police because they didn't think I should be there.I made the person aware that I had permission,she didn't care.Her agenda was that if she could make my experience unpleasant enough I wouldn't come back.I hunted there every opportunity I could after that.The police did come out though.
In another instance an unarmed man was walking up a town road in full camo and someone(weekender,second home owner )called the police to report his behavior.The guy was just walking up the road.
The point of all this is what might be real for you as it relates to your ability to conduct yourself,or your ability to maintain hunting land access may not apply to myself or others.
I don't disagree with you about the power of financial interests,and I hope your right about hunting's ability to withstand every thing that is coming at it.I know in my home area I would be dead in the water if I didn't err to the side of caution with these things.
I can't believe the misperceptions of hunters that I run into when dealing with people in my community who aren't originally from my area,70% of the people in my town.Honest to god so many people thought we are idiots or freakin cave men,it is comical.I am working on changing those perceptions one non hunter at a time.For a lot of reasons!