What do you say to anti-hunters?

[ODB]

The few times it’s happened I usually turn the tables and ask them what they know about hunting and animals, etc. generally it’s very little. I once gave a 45-minute talk at the university of Washington on elephant hunting and anti-poaching work. It turned into an hour and a half discussion about how very little the average person knows about the subject. I’m not sure I changed minds about hunting, but at the same time I got many, many comments that “they had no idea” of how things really were.

I’ve found that mostly people are working with misconceptions of a thing. When their eyes are opened, if they are honest, they will admit it. Those who simply use the “its wrong to kill” don’t understand that killing and eating is the first basic premise of the human condition.

 

[D16er]

The interesting conversations are always with anti hunters who consume meat themselves and try to pass judgement on the people that try and harvest the meat we eat. They do not seem to realize they are killing animals themselves with their consumption, the difference is they are not directly taking the animals life which makes them feel better about themselves.

 

[jspradley]

The interesting conversations are always with anti hunters who consume meat themselves and try to pass judgement on the people that try and harvest the meat we eat. They do not seem to realize they are killing animals themselves with their consumption, the difference is they are not directly taking the animals life which makes them feel better about themselves.

That is the worst.. ugh

I can accept a vegan being against hunting, even if they are incorrect but the hypocrisy of "I didn't do it myself" is infuriating.

No, you paid someone else to do the dirty work, and that is WORSE.

 

[Bigred]

I personaly have never had to have the anit hunting conversation with an anti hunter. I live in michigan and it seems like you cant swing a dead cat without hitting a hunter so most people around here understand hunting, however i have had a handful of people give me a hard time for trapping. I have been somewhat successful in explaining that its hunters and trappers who manage the wildlife so that it doesn't get out of control. Without management there would be a short period where all sorts of critters would be everywhere followed by a mass kill off due to lack of food, habitat and disease.

 

[ODB]

That is the worst.. ugh

I can accept a vegan being against hunting, even if they are incorrect but the hypocrisy of "I didn't do it myself" is infuriating.

No, you paid someone else to do the dirty work, and that is WORSE.

I’ve often told people they don’t truly understand the “circle of life” until they have killed an animal and eaten it. When they ask, “what do you feel when you kill an animal?” I always answer “responsibility.” There are many ways to interpret that answer and it usually leads some where they did not anticipate.

 

[JH937]

Good meals can really go a long way to change peoples tune.

 

[chasewild]

Conversations with anti-hunters or non-hunters are the most important conversations we can have. They aren't obstacles, or foregone conclusions, but opportunities. Maybe it's the lawyer in me, but I've found that anyone -- ANYONE -- can be softened in their approach if I'm courteous and understanding and we approach the conversation together. If, on the other hand, the other person is unwilling to engage in the conversation, I give them my card and let them know if they want to have coffee some time, I'd be thrilled to hear why they're set of experiences has pushed them away from hunting.

This is a serious amount of effort, but we'll never recruit enough hunters to out-vote the non-hunting contingent. Instead, the more effective mission is to make sure that the non-hunting contingent doesn't go to the anti-hunting side. So, making sure every hunter can intelligently and calmly engage non and anti hunters is pivotal.

Thanks for this post -- one of the best topics of the year.

 

[Okhotnik]

I always like to ask if they eat meat, and most people do. I then ask about what the difference is between animals being killed who lived their whole life in a feed pen vs animals that got to live in the wild. Most of them don't have an answer for that, because as we all know, they are blissfully ignorant of our heritage.

Good point

I printed out copies of the pitman Robertson Act and its impact on wildlife conservation. I have given out quite a few copies to non hunters and anti hunters over the years.

Most anti hunting crowd are woefully uneducated regarding the positive impact hunters have on wildlife conservation.

I also remind them of the thousands of pounds of organic meat donated by hunters to homeless shelters and needy families.

They can't argue with feeding starving children

 

[AKDoc]

As hunters, we all have had multiple moments when different anti-hunters make a comment to us. In those moments, I am always respectful...always.

That said, other than being respectful, my responses to the different persons have varied widely over the years depending upon the person's presenting behavior. Many/most are simply uninformed and curious...for those I am happy to talk with them about hunting. To the other extreme some are self-righteous and simply want to debate...for those I'm respectful without any dialogue about hunting.

I've gotten pretty good at accurately determining the person's motivation for even bringing up hunting...although I do error on the side of caution because I don't want to waste my time nor give them a soapbox moment.

 

[Kootenay Hunter]

Another thing to consider (and I'm trying to do this more) is when you know you're going to be diametrically opposed to the other person's views, don't start on yours, but ask them about theirs: "tell me what motivates you be to vegan..." Say, in that example, they will probably bring up the ethical treatment of animals, then you have something in common "I'm for that as well!, how do you feel about domestic animal 'meat factories'...." Asking them about themselves will make them feel pretty good and you're probably able to slip in some good thought provoking points...much more civil than going tit for tat and talking over each other.

Find your common ground and learn about what motivates them.

I feel that the most ignorant people opposed to hunting think that we walk into the woods, blast a deer, cut off it's head and mount it on our wall, high fiving all the way. The main motivation being killing a trophy. I see this on social media all the time. I've always wanted to meet someone face to face with that view and ask them where they came up with that concept..."where have you seen this? Are you making assumptions are did you experience a hunt yourself like this?" How many hunters do you know? Did you know it's illegal to leave meat behind?. etc. etc.

Comments above are right, as soon as someone eats meat, it's tough to disparage hunting.

 

[ODB]

Another thing to consider (and I'm trying to do this more) is when you know you're going to be diametrically opposed to the other person's views, don't start on yours, but ask them about theirs: "tell me what motivates you be to vegan..." Say, in that example, they will probably bring up the ethical treatment of animals, then you have something in common "I'm for that as well!, how do you feel about domestic animal 'meat factories'...." Asking them about themselves will make them feel pretty good and you're probably able to slip in some good thought provoking points...much more civil than going tit for tat and talking over each other.

Find your common ground and learn about what motivates them.

I feel that the most ignorant people opposed to hunting think that we walk into the woods, blast a deer, cut off it's head and mount it on our wall, high fiving all the way. The main motivation being killing a trophy. I see this on social media all the time. I've always wanted to meet someone face to face with that view and ask them where they came up with that concept..."where have you seen this? Are you making assumptions are did you experience a hunt yourself like this?" How many hunters do you know? Did you know it's illegal to leave meat behind?. etc. etc.

Comments above are right, as soon as someone eats meat, it's tough to disparage hunting.

The great Finn Aagaard used ask one simple question over and over to people when they made assumptions about something. He would ask: “How do you know that to be the truth?” When you ask this several times in a conversation, you quickly realize that people (including ourselves) really don’t know where their beliefs come from or why we have them, just that “we do.” I keep this in mind and ask it of myself quite often about various subjects. And I’ve taught my daughter to do the same thing. It’s a non-aggressive inquiry to a person so that they can explore the depths of their beliefs. In other words, if you can’t find the source of what you believe, why do you believe it?

 

[WannabeHunter]

Great topic and great posts so far. I will say that this forum lends itself to a certain type of hunter. And lets be truly honest with ourselves, not all hunters are cut from the same cloth. There are those hunters that kill a whitetail, cut out backstraps and horns, and leave the rest. Hence why wanton waste laws have to enacted. So there is a certain gradient of hunter that non/anti-hunters encounter.

That being said, if we ethical and responsible hunters continue to engage civilly with we are setting the expectation, not the exception.

 

[805Bowhunter]

I feel out the situation quite a bit before I have any sort of discussion. I also pay attention to how much time I am going to have. Nothing is worse than "opening a can of worms" with 30 seconds to talk. I really make an effort to try and explain it to people. Much more than I used to. I also dont want to make the situation worse and turn them away even more. I just try to read it person by person and probably bring up a lot of the points you all have already mentioned 50% of the time. Other 50% I tend to keep my mouth shut. Just depends on the situation and the person.

edit: I should note that my wife started hunting two years ago, and she is far more effective at talking to people about the value of hunting than I am. One disclaimer is that a lot of the people who think hunting is nuts/immoral are her friends...they dont really look to fondly at what I do. Now that she has started harvesting game, they are willing to look at hunting more closely.

 

[JWP58]

I wax poetically about being close to the earth and my relationship wi.....

Ya I dont say anything. Never had a discussion with an anti hunter, nor would I waste my time.

 

[Bigwindymt]

My brother, who lives in Portland and is an avid hunter and cyclist, dressed up in his camo, put branches all over his bike and strapped his Montana Decoy cow elk to himself for one of the Portland Pedalpalooza costume rides.
He got to talk to more than his fair share of anti-hunters that day!

 

[Kootenay Hunter]

Great topic and great posts so far. I will say that this forum lends itself to a certain type of hunter. And lets be truly honest with ourselves, not all hunters are cut from the same cloth. There are those hunters that kill a whitetail, cut out backstraps and horns, and leave the rest. Hence why wanton waste laws have to enacted. So there is a certain gradient of hunter that non/anti-hunters encounter.

That being said, if we ethical and responsible hunters continue to engage civilly with we are setting the expectation, not the exception.

I guess it comes down to what you call that. To me, a hunter becomes a poacher when regulations and laws are knowingly and willingly broken. I'm quick to point that out when folk try to paint all hunters with the same brush. I hate when news stories about poachers call them 'suspected hunters' and never mention the word poacher...like that is only reserved for those killing rhinos and elephants for horns and ivory. A person that commits crimes is called a criminal, and we call them such. They are not upstanding citizens that sometimes commit crimes.

 

[cuerro viejo]

I ran into one in Idaho. Coming off the mountain and a man and a cute women where day hiking in. He said. “ where’s your monster bloody elk, not tough enough”, I responded “no I decided it would be easier to take your Girl to a restaurant and kill her a steak with my credit card”, she laughed, he shut up.

That’s about it. Ran into a few in CO but they generally just share the trail and move on. Not really vocal just give you the look and then realize you might talk to them so they stare at the ground. I generally say hi to everyone on the trail. Why not.

 

[Akwoodchuck]

I would ask them:

"Why do you think you have those 2 forward-facing eyes, and those pointy canine teeth?....If you want to hate yourself and your previous one million ancestors, fine...don't hate me for being what evolution made me...."

 

[Shraggs]

Great thread and thoughts!

If I can tell it’s an extreme POV looking to demean me with their superiority - I’ll side step them. “I do this as part of a healthy life style” that usually gives some pause and I can answer what it’s lije to hike mikes a day with weight in your back. Or similar to grass fed beef health benefits the same is true for what I hunt.

For the extremists it won’t change minds but does diffuse.

For those on the fence or curious, it’s been answered so well already here.

 

[elkstabber]

Even the most extreme anti-hunter has to stop and think when you tell them that at least they descended from a family of hunters. If their previous generations didn't harvest meat they would have perished and that person wouldn't be alive.

I have to give credit to Steven Rinella for that concept. I heard it in one of his podcasts.