"Not to call you out, particularly because this is a very complex issue, but recalling something I practiced in the military, "If you're not here with a solution, then you're a part of the problem."

My solution is that we educate others on the real impacts and implications of living with large predators like the wolf. That we address the continuing loss of hunting opportunities and the real natural cycle of nature where any animal that is not limited reaches a saturation level that destroys an ecosystems natural balance. That we use sound biology and scientific truth to support our arguments. That we encourage each other and help to organize ourselves, and that we befriend non-hunters and "nature lovers" and share our experience and perspectives. Inviting a non hunting friend over and cooking him/her a elk steak for dinner, or a fresh fish, or sharing some wild mushrooms goes a long way in changing peoples perspectives (provided you can cook). Sharing information from RMEF like rather be hunting has shared, also helps back up our opinions with evidence and not just emotion.

"Okay, so your concern is with public opinion. I wholly agree that it's the center of gravity in most of these arguments. So, why should we be concerned that we might be losing the support of the public? If the message the environmental bloc presents is more effective than ours, whose problem is that? We can't blame them for outwitting us. Is it the perception they portray of us? Is it that they hold a corner on truth and science?."

This is most definitely our problem and perhaps the greatest threat to the future of our sport and the opportunities that we enjoy today. We can blame ourselves for letting them outwit us. They have presented themselves as having held a corner on truth and science and we have let them do it. We have often been, and unfortunately continue to be, the source of the very portraits that they use against us. When will we learn not to portray ourselves in such a negative sociopathic light? Here on this forum hunters continue to make posts about killing animal pups, blowing up squirrels with high powered rifles etc. and very few of us stand up and say anything about it (myself included). Here in Oregon we have what is probably (because no one knows actually how many there are- best guess is 5,000-6,000) the second highest cat population in the country next to California and it is because of public opinion about films that hunters have made of cat hunting were the animal suffered what most people would agree with as an unnecessarily undue amount. Twice by referendum we can no longer hunt cats with dogs because of what we have silently supported and let other hunters do-- now we are losing our opportunities to hunt other game as well through reduced deer and elk tags. We should be looking more towards the great American hunters and conservationists like Aldo Leopold and Teddy Roosevelt for role models and trying to preserve our heritage based on their example than simply following Ted Nugent's "kill them and grill them" chants. The former appeal to all Americans and all people who enjoy nature and the latter to only our own specific interests as opposed to those of the American people. We should have in our hearts and minds the best interests of the country as a whole and back it up with scientific facts. I believe that we can do just that because it has been our heritage as the greatest conservationist group in the entire world to do so. American hunters are without a doubt the most successful and least appreciated conservationists in the world and it is our responsibility and no one else's to make other people aware of that fact.

"The easiest people to influence in this debate are those who, geographically, will play no real part in it. These are the people who experience nature through "Discovery" and "Animal Planet". These are the people who read about nature in "National Geographic" and "Newsweek". These people WANT to absolve themselves of any guilt in harming the environment by buying hybrid cars, by joining Sierra Club, by supporting what, on the surface, seem rational and reasonable arguments. And they'll never put on a backpack and venture into bear country. None of us are ever going to encourage them to do so."

Here I just plain disagree. The easiest people to influence in this debate are the ones who are closet to it and can play a real part in it. No one who ever tasted an elk medallion wrapped in bacon is going to disagree with the fact that Elk Hunting is a good thing. I think you would be surprised how many of these people do put on backpacks and how much time they spend in the outdoors. I encourage them to go out, to listen to elk bugle and to learn about nature-- whether it is bird watching, mushroom hunting, fishing, or whatever. The people that come in contact with nature regularly are the easiest ones to get to support hunting when they are educated about it. Most of us scoff at backpackers, mountain bikers, and climbers but they are generally the most open to hunting than any other group of non-hunters I've encountered and the easiest to get to go hunting. We have a lot in common with these people and often the only thing missing for them is another hunter in their life that sets a good example for them and forms a favorable image of how man can respectfully participate in nature. The reason for this is because these people really want to participate themselves but that they either don't know how or have been taught that they should be ashamed to do so. They are the ones reading the magazines and contributing the dollars to anti-hunting organizations like defenders of wildlife and sierra club and ironically they are the one group of anti-hunters with the most in common with us and the easiest to convert. I don't recommend getting in bed with them or compromising principles for them, like the purity of nature and the natural cycle of life BS, not to mention the Native American Mythos. But being honest about killing, harvesting, and making meat is generally effective with this crowd, because they all secretly want to be a part of the natural world themselves. Many of them really like meat too. And if not meat, then mushrooms, pine seeds, fiddle heads, maybe even fish-- they might just like you for being honest and not BS'ing them despite what you have to offer to eat. The way to win a good friend in life is through their stomach. Most people crave the natural experience deep in their gut and can relate to it.