By PJ DelHomme
Why yes, we absolutely can be friends, but it’s going to take work on the part of big bad hunters to get us holding hands and singing “We Are the World” around the campfire.
I used to be adamantly opposed to hunting and even cutting down trees. I’m better now, though. I make my own meat, and I understand that toilet paper doesn’t come from Costco.
I didn’t grow up hunting, and I think that gives me a perspective that many in the hunting community don’t have. I’ve lived in both worlds, and I understand why some people are adamantly opposed to hunting and resource extraction. Namely, they’ve never lived it. They’ve never been exposed to sustainable hunting. They’ve never cruised timber. And they never will. Perhaps I’m naive, but I still think most people respond to reason, which is why I write things like this.
Why We Need to Get Along
A 2023 survey showed that 77 percent of the U.S. population approves of legal hunting. Seventy-nine percent of those surveyed said they were fine with hunting “for conservation of healthy wildlife populations,” and 74 percent were cool with hunting for meat. That approval rating drops to 24 percent when a “trophy” is the main reason for hunting. Just 32 percent of respondents were okay with hunters seeking a challenge.
Who cares what those non-hunters think, right? What do they know? Hunters don’t need their approval. That mentality is the best way to see hunting go away forever. All hunters should care what they think. More and more, those non-hunters, and even those opposed to hunting, are serving on state wildlife commissions and being hired to work in state game agencies. Like it or not, they are making the rules for hunting and fishing. So, yeah, their opinion matters.
So, what can we do to help the non-hunting, even anti-hunting public, understand that hunting is absolutely necessary to wildlife management and an integral part of a hunter’s life and livelihood? It’s not that hunting is a major tool for conservation and land managers or that hunting is part of our heritage. They don’t care about that. Here are just a couple of ways we can help convince our friends that hunting isn’t all Elmer Fudd and Bambi.
- Above All Else, Talk Food
Everyone needs to eat. The first step to winning over non-hunters is through their stomach. Forget about trying to reason with them, at least initially. Help them understand that your hamburger was never wrapped in cellophane. Celebrate your harvest. Invite them over for dinner, but don’t tell them what’s on the menu until they get there. Be sure they’re not vegetarian, though. Once they arrive, focus solely on how you prepared the game. Don’t talk about the shot. Don’t talk about the blood pouring out of its exit wound. Drop subtle hints about the pack out. Talk about the secret to aging wild game. What did you use for the marinade? If they ask questions, embrace each one. And above all else, make it taste good. Go with a recipe that you know is a winner. Don’t get cute and try out a new kidney recipe. Brush up on your deer meat facts. Talk about how venison is a lean, healthy source of protein.
- Teach, Don’t Preach
Let’s say that your dinner party was a success. Now your neighbor wants to come hunting with you. Jackpot! In the field, show them what you do. Point out things only hunters would notice. Note the tracks, the poop, the rubs. Get off the trail and be willing to answer any question they have. And if you don’t know the answer, just say you don’t know. It’s okay. Resist the urge to get on a high horse and talk about how hunters brought wildlife back from the brink of extinction. Don’t talk about how much you love elk, while at the same time you try to put an arrow through its ribcage. It’s a complex, antithetical argument that has to evolve over time. First-time hunters have enough to think about.
- Image is Everything
Hunters don’t do ourselves any favors when it comes to improving our image. All it takes is a few raving lunatics on social media to give us all a bad rap. From arguing online (FYI, no one wins) to posting gruesome kill shot videos, we can control our image. So what can we do? First, be an ambassador. When you represent hunters or hunting, take the high road at a public meeting, on a bar stool, or on social media. And don’t be afraid to form your own opinion on the issues. I don’t think all hunters have to support each other in every way. I respond honestly if a non-hunter asks me what I think about an issue. Second, always lend a hand. If someone isn’t hunting and they have a flat on an old logging road, offer to help. Small steps leave a big impact.
- Protect Access
When I hear the word access, I immediately think about access to land. Of course, we need access to places to hunt, and the word has finally gotten out that hunters need more room to roam. Just look at Wyoming’s corner-crossing saga, which is still making national headlines. At the same time, we need access to other things like mentors, shooting ranges, and wildlife commission meetings. It makes my head spin to think of all the ways access to hunting can be made more difficult by taking away things that we take for granted. It never hurts to show up at public meetings, non-profit fund-raising banquets, and fence pulls.
Being patient and understanding with those who energetically and enthusiastically try to eliminate hunting is ridiculously difficult. Then again, the percentage of those who are unwavering in their ideological convictions against hunting is relatively low. Maybe I’m naive, but as a former anti-hunter, I know that reason might actually prevail.