WHA Question
 

I know you guys are going to rip me up one side and down the other for this, but here it goes.

I honestly don't understand the big hoopla over this WHA. I haven't read a whole lot about it but this is what I gather.

[A bunch of guys hunt deer and just dart them with a tranqulizer and measure who got the biggest. The hunt takes place, probably,in a large enclosure] is this correct?

If this is correct, what exactly do you guys have against this?
I'm not trying to be anal here, but I really don't see the big deal.

I don't see this as cruel as some have stated. Just watch a rodeo and tell me those animals feel no pain. I can think of alot of things that are common practice, that people do to animals that are just as painful as getting hit with a blunt. Branding for instance.

Is there a fear that this will take the place of hunting as we know it?

I really don't understand why everyone is soupset over this. So please clue me in, if I'm missing something.

RE: WHA Question
 

The darting is one of the things that alot of guys oppose, but the biggest thing is just turning hunting into a commercialized "sport". These guys are competting for money/prizes. The last thing I think of when I go hunting is how much money one of these deer could bring me, I am not out there for that, I am out for the sheer enjoyment of watching animals in their natural habitat, the peace and quiet, and all of the other wonderful sights, sounds, smells, ect. that are associated with the outdoors. Add to that how this is going to portray hunters to non-hunters.

RE: WHA Question
 

its lame

RE: WHA Question
 

the reall issue for me is on its really not hunting and two,
you cant just put a dart on the end of an arrow and expect it not to pass thru an arro with no point can bary a good six inches in a bag target just imagine passing through soft tissue!!!!!!

RE: WHA Question
 

I actually believe nonhunters will except this over real hunting, just for the fact that the animals don't get killed.

I hear it all the time from friends and relatives that don't hunt. "Why do you kill these poor defensless deer?" If I told them I was just tranquilizing them and getting a picture, they probably wouldn't care then.

I can understand the point of commercializing hunting. That might not be a good thing.

RE: WHA Question
 

The reasons are numerous , but a big one is this:
In hunting there is no catch and release unless you're on a photo safari .

The chances of these animals being injured or even killed just so a bunch of chest thumpers can pocket a check is not only totally unethical to most hunters , but also violates the very core of the Fair Chase principle . It reduces a noble tradition to a common spectacle and uneccessarily risks the safety of the animal . Nearly all of us would beat the sheit out of a slob who wounded game and just let them go instead of tracking it down and ending it's suffering , these yahoos would cause suffering multiple times to the same animal on national television just for a check and the amusement of a few sadistically minded couch potatoes .

Windwalker7 , if you can't understand that then you might just as well join those slobs and sign up for the circus too . Don't let the door hit you ...Deleted by CalHunter... if you do though .

RE: WHA Question
 

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.

RE: WHA Question
 

Commercializing hunting is a good thing. Follow me here...

I love this argument, because those that oppose it are just being selfish and not wanting to expand the sport and put more $’s in the economy. Your Bass analogy is always a good one, but let me also explain what happened to fly fishing. Fly fishing was a pastime my father and his father taught me and no one else I knew growing up fished this way. Then in 1992 the move “A River Runs Through It” came out and exploded the sport by bringing attention to it on a mainstream level. Now the rivers are filled with people that spend big money. I read that in the 5 year period after that move the $’s that went into fly fishing grew 3 fold and in that same 5 year period the $’s that went into conservation, habitat restoration and the likes from the Government and Corporate Contributions grew 10 times! As it stands today, the “non-hunter” cant even be exposed to hunting because its not easily available on TV, and when it is its dry and boring. By blowing up the sport and exposing people that previously weren’t exposed we will increase the # of youth participants and save the future of hunting. NRA shows that just 20 years ago, hunters accounted for nearly 10 percent of the US population. Yet, within a year, if current trends continue (they will) hunters will make up just 5 percent of the population. Increasing participants = more $ in the sport = better conservation = more jobs, and so on.


Im not making this up. Here are some good articles to check out:
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/hunting/columns/story?columnist=swan_james&page=g_col_swan_Riv er-Runs-Thru-It_homage
http://www.nraila.org/Issues/Articles/Read.aspx?ID=171
http://www.jamesswan.com/Villians,%20Fools%20and%20Heroes.htm

RE: WHA Question
 

To me WHA ain't now or never will be anything considered HUNTING. To hunt you kill or at least try to. What they are doing is playing paint ball war but drugging the animal. And who really knows what effect it will have on the animals. And it is also going to paint a bad picture of what we all really love to do. And for me its not even about the actual harvest of the animal. Its what takes place before and after. And you can't get that watchin some yahoo drugging a deer on tv for money.

RE: WHA Question
 

Herein lies the very problem. We don't want people to accept the WHA as some watered-down form of what hunting really is. Hunters kill animals. Period. If the "maintstream public" does not accept this, then they do not accept hunting.