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.

RE: WHA Question
 

Here, Here!! And they also don't accept US! And that upsets me! Respect!

RE: WHA Question
 

Are you a plant for the WHA? Hve you looked at the polls on this site?On Archerytalk,on bowsite? If gals and guys who spend significant time on these primary hunting industry sites don't have the pulse of the avid hunting community than who does?Every poll on these sites shows the overwhelming majority of hunters opposed to the idea.
The WHA and what they are proposing sickens me!

RE: WHA Question
 

Is that what you want, non hunters to accept this as hunting and then be against what is actually hunting, do you want antihunters to accept this and this be the means to abolish hunting as we know. Nothing and I mean nothing good can come of this, don't be mistaken and think otherwise. I don't want it accepted by nonhunters, antihunters or any hunter in general.

Commercializing hunting happened one other time and it all but abolished the American Bison. Nothing good can come of commercializing hunting.

Don't think that the anti arena is following this very closely. If this becomes an acceptable form of hunting (which it is not) domino's will fall in order.

RE: WHA Question
 

No plant. Just don't see it that way. Every year there are fewer and fewer hunters. We hunters are not accepted on TV or in the media.

With all the issues of gun control and animal rights, I do feel that hunting is on a downhill slide and someday will be abolished.

People from the big cities don't accept hunting like people from the country. With all the urban sprawl, we lose hunting ground everyday.

I guess I feel that something like this will at least get people to look at hunting and maybe understand more than they did before. JMO

I look at what the BASS tournaments did for fishing. I think it got more people involved in fishing than there were before.

I will admit that I do see some of your points. Yes, it may make the public more against hunting. I can see things going that way too.

Here's my point. For the last few years I've been thinking of quiting hunting. I've taken too many deer, to the point that I actually feel quite guilty for taking its life.

When I was younger, I hunted all the time and killed lots of game. I hunted 2 states with gun and bow and averaged 6-7 deer a year for 17 years. I guess the killing part of it got me. I use to like the killing part but now I have much regret.

I like being in the woods and experiencing the sights, sounds and smells. I love everthing about hunting leading up to the shot. But when I walk up to that dead deer, I wish I never shot it.

I just looked at this WHA as something that interested me.

I don't expect you guys to understand.

I can see that you guys are worried in the future of hunting and I guess that maybe this WHA might not be a good thing. You make some valid points.

RE: WHA Question
 

If its not about the actual harvest of the animal but its about everything before and after, Im confused. Is it what takes place before? after? or what?

I would think if its not "about the actual harvest" then it would be really about everything that leads up to the shot that kills it, tranquilizes it, paintballs it, blunts it, or god forbid the shot that ends up missing the darn critter. Or gosh I never thought about it but maybe it could be all about everything leading up to the shot thatwounds the deer but doesnt kill it?

To me its all hunting because to get close to an animal in order to do all of the above you have to "hunt" the animal.

"And it is also going to paint a bad picture on what we all really love to do.." --- Hunters paint that picture already and they paint it about as well as my 5 year old nephew paints. It looks like a mess.

Read the article I posted earlier by James Swan. He is the man!
http://www.jamesswan.com/Villians,%20Fools%20and%20Heroes.htm

Here are a few quotes in his article:

"The Fish & Wildlife survey also asked about the image of the hunter. The response provides insight into the vulnerability of hunting. Sixty-two percent of those surveyed believed that "a lot" of hunters broke hunting laws or practiced unsafe behavior, such as drinking to excess and firing guns recklessly. These polls show that the non-hunting majority don't have much of a problem with HUNTING, but they do have a problem with HUNTERS....if hunting is going to survive this negative image has to be changed."

"The people that must be reached are those who may not have ever fired a gun, sat in a duck blind, or thrilled at taking your first buck. Non-hunters need to understand the drama, excitement and motivations of the ethical hunter, but prime time shows with hunting as a major or minor theme are about as a common as white deer."

You really need to read the entire article to understand my point. Or maybe you just wont ever get it.

Unfortunately, you cant go kill deer on primetime so why not dart them and get their attention and also educate them about traditional hunting. Darting isnt legal outside of a fence and the public cant get the drugs to do it anyway...This can be an opportunity to get primetime coverage. Hell its alreadymaking its wayafter the Daily Show does their little run thru of this controversy.

RE: WHA Question
 

Windwalker, you'd be surprise how many guys feel exactly the same way, I know I do and that's what seperates us from murderers and killers. Having empathy for the game you take is being human and the fact that I feel saddness at the same time excitement when I walk up to an animal keeps me humble and thanking God for all of it.

The thing about the WHA is that I not for anything that jepordizes that and nothing good can come from the WHA. Too many sportsmen and women across the nation stepping up against says, we all feel that way, majority speaking. Anyone truly standing up for it is looking for a handout, part of it or wanting hunting to go away and I truly believe that.

RE: WHA Question
 

never had to hunt my dog,horse,cows etc. get close to them everyday:D
My point was yes the harvest is important it keeps down infections and such and I do like the harvest. It is a major part of hunting which shooting a druggeddart into a deer is not.Which IMO WHA will not ever be a hunting anything. If it was just about the harvest it would be no different than walking out in the pasture and shooting a cow. Don't know if I confused you yet but anyway have a good one[8D]:D

RE: WHA Question
 

That is exactly what the WHA is doing, wounding the livestock and not killing it, but oh, it's okay cause they have a vet handy.... how many hunts have you been on where you take a vet along to make sure the animal is okay...bunny huggers would love that one at least.

How far does the WHA have to "hunt" for these livestock that are in a pen and can't leave....I bet that's a hard "hunt".

I'll never get that, he purposely paints hunters in a bad light which undermines hunting and hunters so why would any hunter want to stand behind him. Seems more like your quoting from an PETA bible rather than a real hunter. I'd find it hard to believe that an organization such as the WHA would result into attacking hunter to get their agenda acrossed, hhhmmm sounds familiar doesn't it...I'll give you a hint.....P....E....T....A...



Because that is not traditional hunting.

And hopefully the show will denounce the WHA and show that hunters across the nation are against it. That alone will paint hunters in a better light. We kill animals but we still care about the animals and that is why you'll see a hunter put his life in danger to save an animal otherwise dying insufferably.


But I know I wasted the internet space by responding to you, it's clear you either belong to the WHA, want to belong to the WHA and you'll do anything to promote your agenda, again, not unlike PETA.

RE: WHA Question
 

What others have stated and I see it as a stepping stone in outlawing hunting with real weapons. I could seecity people ,uneducatedon the whole hunting aspect, passing laws only allowing this type of hunting;a catch and release method. The anti's are already wanting to use birth control on doe deer instead of allowing the population to be kept in check by hunters.By themseeing this it could give them ideas about having this implemented into a way as to also give does a birth control shot with a tranqualizer and passing laws requiring only this type of hunting. Population control has always been on the hunter's side with the non-hunting general public. We don't need to give them any ideas. I can't think of any pros from this type of catch and release hunting.HCH

RE: WHA Question
 

Those polls are BS. First of all, they hadNO factual data behind them before they asked the question. I wont go into those polls becuase this is Huntingnet and Huntingnet sees the WHA as competition.

You are on your computer way too much if you really believe hunting chat rooms are representative of hunters. The only people that speak up are the bitter crybabies on this site and the others...Ive been over at AT for a long time and its the same ole stuff. Bunch of babies that hide behind screens and cant make a decent argument when one is brought up upon them. Instead they personally attack you and call you an idiot or say you are an anti, or in this case a "plant"...

Windwalker made an observation and offered some discussion, but again people go attacking him just like everyone else when they speak up. Didnt you ever think that some good people around here (like Windwalker)just dont like to argue with people they dont know or frankly they dont want to waste their breath because these forums were supposed to be for hunters to help hunters, not argue amongst them. Those people PM me over at Archery Talk and say "im not wasting my time on those guys"...

If you havent noticed, sitting here trying to open peoples minds to other ideas is an exhausting one.

Im gonna go have a glass of wine and catch up on emails. I will check back later and seeif any of thefreaks come out tonight on this thread

RE: WHA Question
 

The biggest name caller on this thread seems to be you and I'll give you this one suggestion, either it stops or your stay here will be a short one. There is nothing wrong with debate, your attacks on members here, HuntingNet and name calling will not be tolerated.

Debate on.

RE: WHA Question
 

My comments were directed at you not windwalker.I was referring to the polls where hunters voted yea or nea on the site itself.Why is it that some of the most reputable manufacturers in the industry have come out strongly against it? Because they are principaled people and they are smart enough not to alienate their clientele.
Any one who is a true hunter is a purist and if this doesn't sicken them to their very core there is something seriously wrong!The WHA is a BS idea that has no possible benefit to hunters!
You can save your propaganda Horse S--t,I don't want to hear it.I am not argumentative but on certain issues you have to take a stand on whats right!

RE: WHA Question
 

Here is the thing, the WHA is portraying hunting in a negative way. You can sit there and talk about how it will bring new people to the sport of hunting but guess what, they aren't watching HUNTING, they are watching a couple of nut jobs flingin darts at animals so they can make the all mighty dollar. Whats gonna happen when these people who watch the WHA on t.v. and decide "hey, i'm gonna try that" and they get out into the woods and suddenly it hits them, this ain't a dart and that deer is gonna die. Do you actually think that somebody who doesn't believe in hunting is going to be drawn into the sport by a show that has guys doing things that actual hunters would be arressted for if they did the same thing on public ground? If you actually believe that you are just grabbing for straws.

Now, you believe that the public is going to welcome this idea and to some extent this may be true, BUT.... by showing them this it makes the true hunters, the one who actually KILL the animals they are after, look like cold blooded killers. The WHA is stepping on all hunters images to get what they want..... money. They are indirectly making hunting look bad just in an attempt to make their "darting league" look better and I have a serious problem with that.

As far as bringing money into the economy, ect... blah, blah, blah.... how many people do you honestly think this is going to attract to the sport? How much of a differance do you think this willmake to the economy?

Their is a rich tradition in hunting that goes back further than any and all of us.... it has been there since before our great great grandfathers were born.... and the WHA issoiling that heritage. I know that I am a animal, a predator, and I have the natural instinct to hunt and kill my ownfood, this is something that has been passed down through generations and something I believe strongly in, my great grandmother was full blooded native american and i would hate to see what her and her family would think of the WHA if they were still around.

Bottom line is the WHA is portraying all true hunters in a bad light so they can make their organization seem better, and they are only doing this for money, they don't care about hunting in its TRUE form. I would love to see Mr. Farbman come to Pennsylvania and try laying some of his B.S. on the old-timers in this state!

RE: WHA Question
 

I suppose you have never watch the Daily Show. In case you dont, be informed that this is a station on Comedy Central. This is a show that more people between the ages of 14 and 30 go to get their news than CNN. John Stewert is going to make "hunters" look bad, especially the ones opposing it when he asks them so "killing is ethical, but darting them isnt???" "Hunting with darts is not hunting, but hunting with guns and dogs is?"....Those poor guys that really think they are gonna come out shining are gonna look like morons when they air the show. Personally, I will be embarrassed for ALL hunters but Im gonna laugh my butt off because I saw it coming from a long way away.

RE: WHA Question
 

Here is acouple questions for you.... are you actually a hunter? Have you ever killed a deer? How long have you been hunting? If you actually were a hunter who has killed a deer then you would be just as pissed off as everybody else that some dumbo is trying to start a organization that indirectly portraysyou in a negative light because you killed a deer and they darted on. Personally, I feel that comments such as your are detrimental to hunting and that is a direct violation of this message boards rules.

RE: WHA Question
 

You are making assumptions without knowing the arrowsystem the WHA will be using. They may not be shooting the same arrow speed as you. They may be using a blunt on the end of the dart.Both of thesewould determine the kinetic energy at impact. Deer are tough critters and take worse beatings in the wild all the time.

That wasan assumption you made and we are all getting tired of hearing assumptions.

Lets hear facts.

RE: WHA Question
 

Now your making assumptions that deer can take a dart at 300 fps. No arrow blunt, dart or bird point will not wound a deer out of such a bow...thus the reason it is illegal to blunt deer.

AND, if you make one more name call be it me as a moron or any other member on this site, your debates will no longer be welcome. If you can't make your point without it, don't bother.

RE: WHA Question
 

You are going to "laugh your butt off" because they are going to make real hunters look bad?

That pretty much sums it up for me.
What WHA is proposing is not hunting.
It will not bring new people into hunting
It will harm the image of hunting
You are very misguided

I'd be willing to bet that most of those people that get their news from the Daily Show have cable, or they wouldn't get the comedy channel. So if they have cable they already have plenty of hunting shows to watch if they want to. Hunting shows that show hunting,real hunting. I know, I know, some of the shows are on high fence ranches but it is still more real than what the WHA proposes to do.
Killing is part of hunting. It always has been and always will be. Anything else is not hunting.
I eat the animals I hunt and kill
I enjoy eating them as much as I enjoy hunting them.

I don't think the WHA will ever be on TV, let alone Primetime TV.
I strongly oppose WHA

I am a hunter and I kill what I hunt. I am proud of that. It says I care enough about the animals I hunt to be proficient with my weapons of choice and am skilled enough to match wits with animals who main goal is survival.
My hunting lic fees go towards conservation and wildlife restoration projects. I like that.

To call people that dart animals for money in a fenced in area "hunters" is an insult to me and all hunters,present and future.

I agree, that we need to continue to recruit new hunters into the hunting lifestyle. The WHA is not the way to do it in my opinion.
Example, Fear Factor is a huge, primetime hit(for what reason I am not sure?) how many young people do you see or hear about diving into a tub of worms and spiders and eating them when there is no money to be won?

The Survivor shows draw huge numbers of viewers, how many people have stranded themselves on a dessert island for a month or so just because they saw it on TV?

RE: WHA Question
 

My post was to Bowsmacker
Not Buck Magnet

RE: WHA Question
 

I numbered them above so you can follow me:

1. Yes, a damb good one too
2. Yes, lots but not a one over 140". And a 6 bull elk, 8 cow elk, 1 bear, and a few antelope. Geez, im probably a bad person for keeping count too...oops. These were just with a bow. Ive guided alot more than that too.
3. approx 17 years

Windwalker started this thread. Do you doubt him as a hunter too? He seemed to be a pretty good guy and he wasnt as pissed off as "everybody else"

Detrimental to hunting??? Shame on me for sharing facts, opinions, and passion....just like good ole Windwalker.

So I guess thats the end of us here on Huntingnet Windwalker...WE should have known we were going to violate the rules of this prestigious forum someday. You go first, and I will let the door hit me in the butt on the way out.

RE: WHA Question
 

No Sir I don't like it. I believe Peta has come out against this game as well. What I see happening is that you will be able to go to this ranch(enclosure) dart a gigantic whitetai buck, have yor picture taken with itand next week some other "hunter" will get the same privelege, for a fee of course. Heck you'll probably ba able to get a reproduction mount as well. These guys will have a renewable resource on these ranches. This will not bring real hunters to the sport,and they won't shut down hunting because we're the only ones keeping the game populations in check through normal predator/prey relationship. This televised competition will be nothing more than an infommercial for their business. personally I find it distasteful but if these guys get it televised they will make a lot of money. They're not in it for the good of hunting only for themselves. I hope they fail miserably. Thank you for listening.

RE: WHA Question
 

Nope you made another assumption. I never said 300 fps and i know for a fact a deer cant be shot with even a blunt at that speed. Im sure the arrow flight speed will be less than the 300 you ASSUMED.

What other name calling...I remember saying moron but I thought I said it over at ArcheryTalk this afternoon. Refresh my memory or send me a PM

Also, Post # was inappropriate if we are going to nit pick...this is exactly why i call names out when a good guy starts a post and gets attacked with people telling him something like "if you cant understand then you should just join the slobs and let the door kick you in the a$$ on the way out" That wasnt cool man. That guy just wanted to talk about the issue and he got pushed away and I know thats not what this forum is for.

I will play nice for now on as long as everybody else does:D

RE: WHA Question
 

forgot to mention it was #6

RE: WHA Question
 

I see two kinds of hunters. There are the traditional hunters for who hunting is a culture, a way of life or even an expression of spirituality. For these hunters, everything about hunting is a personal relationship and deeply meaningful.

Over the past 15 years or so, a new kind of hunter has emerged. This new hunter is a recreationist and is a boon to the "industry". But the recreationist hunter, if denied the annual traditions of the hunt, would be just as happy playing golf or tennis or water skiing.

Recreationist hunters have no problem with the WHA just because it's all aboutentertainment and a fast buck. Traditional hunters are deeply offended exactly because it's all about entertainment and a fast buck.A personal relationship is being turned into somethingpornographic.

The WHA has no respect. As I see it, it's the difference between love and prostitution.

RE: WHA Question
 

Thank you Abuelo. You can't summarize it any better than that!

RE: WHA Question
 

Sigh...where to begin...OK, first, there are less lands to hunt every year due to development, and more cities and people with "alternative lifestyles".So yes, there are less hunters---simple mathematics used here will clearly verify that, it's a no brainer that there would be less numbers. But guess what?Overall numbersmake no difference to the truehunters themselves who enjoy the lifestyle and heritage called hunting--it ONLY makes a difference to those who are looking to make money from the sport, that is one of the veryfirst arguements they usein fact. My entirefamily, and many other hunting families all across the countryare firmly rooted into this lifestyle that is called hunting, and the traditions are being passed as we speak to future generations. The future of hunting is VERY intact with those who live it and whodo not everwish to smear the heritage itself, and/or morph it into something it is not.

BASS turned fishing into a glorified three ring circus, and that is NOT how I or any of my true hunting bretheren wants to see our heritage publicized as. Nor did it increase fishing numbers of regular Joes--- but instead simply thenumbers of yahoos looking forfame and glory and money and going 100MPH up and down lakes looking for a hotspot.If we were to turn the WHA proposal into reality and it wasaccepted,anti hunters would soon see blunting as a non-lethalalternative and thus would turn their full fury on real hunting and true hunters--they would soonfeel there is no need to ever "Kill" anything ever again, and hunting as we know it would all butbe destroyed. If Farbman and Co think for one second that this farce is going to help hunting in an way other than possibly filling their pockets, they are sorely mistaken. I also cannot believe with the overwhelming response against the WHA that this guy and his cronies would continue on without regard for hunting and it's participants, IF they actually cared anything about the sport itself to begin with.

Ifanyone wishes to be aconvertbunny hugger, then go be one as that is your individualchoice. But as someone who used to hunt and harvest game as depicted in the quote above, I would think that one could remember why theyhunted, stillunderstand the true essence of it, andwhy others want to continue on without someone trying their darndest to screw it up! Hunting is hunting. Period.It is a lifestyle, heritage, and tradition that has been passed down thousands of years, from generation to generation. We cannot everbe so selfish to think thatWE have any right to mess with that in any way, shape, or form, just because we are feeling a little remorse or think that we may be able to capitalize and make money from it, "if we change this around".... That is plain blasphemy..I think every hunter "has a moment" of respectwith his harvest, sure,but that is alsoa natural part of hunting as well.

To sum up,as plain as I can--

"For those of you who understand, no explanation is necessary."
"For those of you who do NOT understand, no explanation is possible. "

That's it.

RE: WHA Question
 

My comments in BLUE.

Pinwheel, I gotta get off the computer for the day so if you dump a glorified response on me I wont get to it until tonight. Have a good one.

RE: WHA Question
 

Bowsmacker--

The only reason youth of today are not being taught true and ethical mannerisms is because their parents do not take the time to teach them like they used to, they would rather turn them loose onto the video games and other crap that is passed off as "educational entertainment". We have no-one to blame but ourselves on that one I'm sorry to say-- but two wrongs don't make a right, and continuing to add to the garbage will only serve to do us all more harm than good. I think if anything, this whole WHA thinghas slapped everyone awaketo the fact that things are way out of line..I have never seen such an overwhelming majority against anything in all of my days---even when compounds first came onto the scene---The NRA numbers may indeed be correct at present, but turning ourhunting heritageinto a freakshow will not help to change this into a positive thing, either.No way.

I do not think calling me selfish will help your position any,because I am certainly not a selfish individual--ask those who know me or my affiliated companies.If you want to speak of selfish, look hard at those who you are defending--again, they've made no bones aboutheavilythumbing their noses at the vast majority of true hunters who overwhelmingly agree (80+% average on all polls)that this is a VERY BAD idea on every level--- without regard,while they continue to try and burn our sport into the ground for money, glory, and fame. So please don't speak to me about selfish.[:'(]

Hunting is under attack from many angles, this is true. But again, numbers are relevant to the overall amount of habitat and animal populations that we hunt, and those are also being reduced. To say that we need X amount of hunters to sustain hunting itself is ludicrous, because I know I and my family and other familes who are ingrained in the tradition and lifestyle will enjoy it to the fullest for many generations to come,whether there are 5,000,000 or 500 enjoying it with us. We can only do so much while being attacked from so many angles--- and being attacked from within our own ranks andturning our heritage into a circus is not going to help it any, I guarantee that.

Bass fishing is supposed to be a relaxing sport to be enjoyed by families too, not some big flashy commercialized billboard with $40,000 boats and 1500 sponsors blazoned on shirts and guys running 5 million miles an hour on TV trying to catch the largest bass, or fill the livewell. That is not what fishing (or hunting!) is about.

If you don't get it, I guessyou never will, and that is sad. nice to see the majority still does however.;)

RE: WHA Question
 

Isnt talking like this against the rules? I got posts pulled for saying moron and I was only generally speaking, but this is OK to talk to Windwalker that was just posting his opinion and making an observation?

Who is moderating what around here?

RE: WHA Question
 

OK now Im really going to logout for awhile. Have a blessed and productive day.