BHA Rendezvous

Matt Cashell

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I agree most seem to have blinders on these days. Same as the REI thread a while back. I can't believe how many guys justified shopping at REI.

If it helps as an FYI, Savage Arms (the victim of the REI blunder) was also a corporate sponsor of the BHA Rondy.
 

dotman

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Still don't understand why guys were so happy to see Patagonia there. Yeah they might be for public lands but they aren't for hunting or you on those public lands with guns. Just look at the orgs they donate to. Cascadia Wildlands, Predator Defense, and the Native Fish Society just to name a couple.

Really even though the owner and founder hunts?
 
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shooting a few birds at a big money retreat doesn't make you a hunter. I believe it about as much as the story he also told of his teenage daughter ringing a deer's neck and trying to put it in the trunk of her car.
 
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It sounds like you are blending a Public Lands issues with a 2nd Amendment issue. BHA doesn't need to answer an AR-15 question because it isn't in their corral. Personally, I like ARs but for the size, weight, and cost they are lackluster tools for a sportsman.

If I can't hunt on public lands that is a tragedy, but I still hike, climb, bike, fish, and generally enjoy nature on those lands. Patagonia and BHA have a whole ton of common ground, and quite a few differences; we shouldn't let 2A nuances muddy that. There are other organizations that reflect those values.

Any company that doesn't support the 2A fully should not be considered hunter friendly. The way things are going there is no more middle ground you are either for it or against it. Again if hunting was not allowed I would bet 90% of the guys on here would a give a crap about public land.
 

dotman

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shooting a few birds at a big money retreat doesn't make you a hunter. I believe it about as much as the story he also told of his teenage daughter ringing a deer's neck and trying to put it in the trunk of her car.

Well it isn’t a requirement we all agree or support every org.
 
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I never said anything about hunting companies supporting BHA. I just questioned why they had a group that donates a lot to non hunting groups at their event. Patagonia has also never taken a public stance on 2nd amendment.
 

Trial153

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shooting a few birds at a big money retreat doesn't make you a hunter. I believe it about as much as the story he also told of his teenage daughter ringing a deer's neck and trying to put it in the trunk of her car.
i get it. we all arent your kind of hunter then we arent real hunters.
Carry on because you giving us great examples of how not to be.
 

Matt Cashell

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Dotman I get that just didn't know why all these people were excited about Patagonia being there

I am sorry to the OP for a derail, but here goes:

I was excited to see Patagonia there. The reason is it aligns a huge group of the non-hunting public with hunters.

It paints hunters in a favorable light to non-hunters.

It brings a giant customer base to the public land fight.

It might make an anti-hunter that supports Patagonia reconsider their position.

I welcome them to fight alongside me for public lands regardless of their politics on other issues.

Bringing people together on a common issue is a good thing.
 
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I am sorry to the OP for a detail, but here goes:

I was excited to see Patagonia there. The reason is it aligns a huge group of the non-hunting public with hunters.

It paints hunters in a favorable light to non-hunters.

It brings a giant customer base to the public land fight.

It might make an anti-hunter that supports Patagonia reconsider their position.

I welcome them to fight alongside me for public lands regardless of their politics on other issues.

Bringing people together on a common issue is a good thing.

Of course they want public lands so they can camp, frolick, whatever else. The problem is they don't want you or I hunting on those public lands. Inviting Patagonia to fight for hunters makes as much sense as the NRA inviting Moms Against Guns to fight for gun rights
 
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No because you somehow see more value on backing us into an exclusionary corner then building on the commonality that may have with others.

I don’t call that a spade, I call that ignorant.

I see defending and supporting anti hunting groups as being a hypocrite
 
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Patagonia indirectly supports "Defenders Of Wildlife" as a "Featured Partner" through their Freedom to Roam campaign and the WitnesstoWildlife.org website, see this link

Witness for Wildlife

Defenders Of Wildlife are the NY City based wolf lovers partnering with PETA that have been stymieing the Montana and Idaho Game and Fish depts. That would seem to me to be "Anti Hunting"

In their mission statement about the "outdoor pursuits" they mention many- but hunting was left out.

Patagonia also backs "Earthjustice" the spun off legal arm of the Sierra Club. Here is a link to their backing of "Protecting Wildlife in wilderness areas" the legislation currently being debated in congress.I get that Earthjustice is trying to preserve wilderness from development but they also want "No Hunting" in those areas- snuck that in on us for sure!Link;

Send the White House a Holiday Wish for Our Forests: Inactive - Earthjustice
 

541hunter

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You could always look in to World history to find answers. How many times have potential adversaries aligned to defeat a common enemy and then settled their own differences later. Look at WWII in regards to the US and Russia.
At the very least having Patagonia's involvement could potentially sway some granolas over to pro hunting or at least neutral stance. That gives hunting a larger base for any future fight that probably won't occur.


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I am sorry to the OP for a detail, but here goes:

I was excited to see Patagonia there. The reason is it aligns a huge group of the non-hunting public with hunters.

It paints hunters in a favorable light to non-hunters.

It brings a giant customer base to the public land fight.

It might make an anti-hunter that supports Patagonia reconsider their position.

I welcome them to fight alongside me for public lands regardless of their politics on other issues.

Bringing people together on a common issue is a good thing.

To further Matt's point, I was talking with a group people at my work who are the Patagonia stereotype. They are die-hard skiiers, climbers, backpackers, etc. They are passionate about public lands and adamantly oppose the Utah legislatures view of what our public land system should look like. None of them hunt, but they are not anti-hunting. They all eat meat and understand that hunting is a sustainable way to keep wildlife on the landscape and provide healthy food for people. But I am under no illusion that they are pro-2A.

I told them about my trip to Boise and none of them had ever heard of BHA. When I brought up Yvon's name, all of their eyes lit up. It clearly carried weight with them that Patagonia would be involved at an event with a hunting organization. They were asking about BHA's stance on various issues and what they had been involved in. Several of them were excited to hear about the organization and said they would look at donating or joining.

That is now a group of people who might think twice if they are asked to sign a petition to ban bear hunting, or trapping, or any other more controversial hunting activity. I am sure I am not the only person who had one of these discussions after the rendezvous. If we can't see the value in recruiting more of the hunting-neutral crowd over to our side on this shared issue of public lands, then we are completely missing the ball. With all of the attacks hunters are under these days, I would think we would want to accept allies on the issues we can.
 
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