Whats the greatest threat to hunting in BC

[killer_shot]

Which is the biggest threat to our sport

[Steeleco]

4 for 4 so far, "Miss-management and the complete lack of effective enforcement for ALL that break the rules" And no that wasn't primarily directed at our First nations members, far too many stories of all user groups abusing the privilege many of us take so seriously.

[bcfarmer]

While I agree it is "all of the above", probably ( IMHO) the greatest threat is hunter complacency. We as a group, just don't get involved enough. It is so easy to leave the hard work to the small few who are fighting on our behalf.

bcf

[358mag]

The biggest threat to our sport is the NDP party:twisted:

[coach]

The biggest threat to our sport is the NDP party:twisted:

You said it!

[CanuckShooter]

None of the above, the biggest threat is unsettled treaties. One day the FNs may go to court and win the rights to rule over all unceded territory. IF that ever happens you just never know what things would look like after the dust cleared. Second I would pick the government cutting backroom deals with FNs, like the deal with the Haida to virtually shut down bear hunting on the QCI!! All they had to do in order to force cooperation was file a lawsuit over ownership of the land and resources......and wowzers a right wing government capitulates! Imagine that!

[6616]

I think CS has a good point and I think this could be lumped together with several other things under "political interference".

I also think our own reluctance as hunters to accept new and innovative regulation changes and management regimes could also be a factor (how many times have you heard someone say "we are our own worst enemy".

[Singleshotneeded]

Every hunter in BC should be a member of his local range and the BCWF...stand up and be counted!

[Glenny]

The day we are not allowed to hunt is the day I will never have to buy a lisence to.

[bushpig slayer]

ourselves!, we bitch too much about other hunters/the way they hunt even if legal,and love to bash new up and comers that shoot small bucks or even does because it's not a 160 or bigger.cougar hunters get slain for doing a great job on killing cats wolf hunters the same.i can go on but some of us are the fuel for the anti's and if i'm wrong just look at some threads on here and it is the truth.

[325]

All of the above. I agree with CS regarding Native land claims. I can easily see a time when non-native hunters will have to pay a tresspass fee to native groups for access to crown land.

We all need to join the BCWF as a first step to safeguarding our hunting freedoms.

[CanuckShooter]

BC is the only province with so many unsettled claims...why is that? Are natives harder to negotiate with on this side of the Rockies? There is a reason...did you ever wonder why it is so? Having so much uncertainty also hampers business start ups, maybe some politician is worried Ontario business will move west?

[Jelvis]

I think the cost of hunting is a biggy, it's getting to be a rich mans sport, I say keep the costs down for tags, and license.
First of all keep the cost down as low as possible and allow the hunter to pay for his expense like gas, and lodging.
Make it family friendly so that it encourages more to participate. Hunters spend lots when travelling to their spot and help the local economy.
Jels Wells

[XMD70]

The biggest threat to hunting is government. A government that encourages habitat destruction through lax laws and enforcement to industries that use our wilderness areas has a tremendous effect. Logging, mining, and energy industries in BC are given free reign to alter huge tracts of land with almost no regard for wildlife. Under the current BC government mantra (BC is open for business) there has been a drastic cut in funding for research and monitoring of the effects of industrial activity on wilderness ecosystems . Examples of this are the Run of the River private power projects, the proposed new Peace River Dam, the Taseko Lakes Mine, the Enbridge Pipeline, etc,etc.
Without a healthy environment and responsible,well funded stewardship of the wildlife that hunters care about, harvestable numbers of those animals will become a thing of the past.

[hunter1947]

Miss management has my vote.

[wsm]

wolves eating all our animals. lol :grin:

[Sitkaspruce]

ourselves!, we bitch too much about other hunters/the way they hunt even if legal,and love to bash new up and comers that shoot small bucks or even does because it's not a 160 or bigger.cougar hunters get slain for doing a great job on killing cats wolf hunters the same.i can go on but some of us are the fuel for the anti's and if i'm wrong just look at some threads on here and it is the truth.

I fully agree, we are our own worst enemies.

Environmental issues are up there as well, especially protecting winter habitat, but it is not a stand alone reason.

Land claims are a part of the puzzle as well.

It is such a mix mash of different reasons, there is not one that is the man cause, but put them all together and we have a problem, all of us.

Cheers

SS

[Jagermeister]

None of the above, the biggest threat is unsettled treaties. One day the FNs may go to court and win the rights to rule over all unceded territory. IF that ever happens you just never know what things would look like after the dust cleared. Second I would pick the government cutting backroom deals with FNs, like the deal with the Haida to virtually shut down bear hunting on the QCI!! All they had to do in order to force cooperation was file a lawsuit over ownership of the land and resources......and wowzers a right wing government capitulates! Imagine that!

Damm, you're going 2 for 2 today as I find myself agreeing with you once again.

[CanuckShooter]

Damm, you're going 2 for 2 today as I find myself agreeing with you once again.

Sometimes I can surprise you? ;-)

[GoatGuy]

Finally an easy one: hunters.

[Amphibious]

How about Rednecks trashing the bush, tearing around the alpine in quads, and generally making an ass of themselves?

Public Opinion is key.

[835]

ourselves!, we bitch too much about other hunters/the way they hunt even if legal,and love to bash new up and comers that shoot small bucks or even does because it's not a 160 or bigger.cougar hunters get slain for doing a great job on killing cats wolf hunters the same.i can go on but some of us are the fuel for the anti's and if i'm wrong just look at some threads on here and it is the truth.


yep i gotta x3 this.
Divided we fall

Crossbows are a poachers tool????

[.330 Dakota]

Dont vote for the NDP, they are the ultimate ANTI'S in this province,,,effin tree hugging, latte suckin, Suzuki lovers

[snowhunter]

Grow in population and loss of hunting territory to a total private land ownership.

Looking at the way the Europeans hunts in Europe is scarry. All land is privately owned, and most people who "hunt" are the very rich, who pays a primium to hunt private land, and then after the hunt, the "hunter" is only entitled to the trophy. If the European hunters also wants the meat, they can buy it for the going rate. Hunting in Europe has become an arstocratic "blood sport" and a status symbol for the rich, who often wants to hang out "with the right crowd".

With 95 % of British Columbia being public land, I do not see any danger for us, ever to hunt the way the hunt in Europe. The BC farmers and ranchers need us hunters to do some culls, and we can keep what we shoot, without further questions, it's our right.

www.diana.dk (http://www.diana.dk)

[silvicon]

the perfect storm, a mix of to many wolves, indians, non-indian trash shooting everyting up and a ndp government.
trow into that mix incompetent management plus gamehogs a la bcwf and you can see the end, its that near!!

[Ozone]

Dix suckers

[willyqbc]

Biggest threat.......

decisions regarding wildlife management being made based on political palatability rather than sound wildlife management. This includes everything from seasons/bag limits etc, to unrestricted first nation harvest, to current predator control policy, etc., etc., etc

currently the population of B.C. is approx 4.4 million yet we have been selling less than 100,000 hunting licenses every year since 98/99........ which means we make up about 2.25% of the population......how much pull do you think 2.25% of the population is going to have with the politicians????? We MUST bring more of the non-hunting public around to our way of thinking to have any chance. While i agree you should join your local club and the BCWF, UBBC etc I think we need to find more effective ways to educate the voting public to the realities of good wildlife management for B.C.

Chris

[.300WSMImpact!]

guide outfits trying to limit residents so that there harvest opportunity is higher so they can profit for hunting, so that would be management

[Gateholio]

Red tape and hunters trying to over regulate themselves into oblivion.

[kennyj]

You missed one on the pole
-declining hunter numbers.

kenny

[sky-gunner]

I Personaly feel the greatest threat is ourselves. I feel that alot of us have fallen into a stigma to hide what we do from the antis. There isn't enough public displays, conventions that can showcase the fact that usually the best conservationist are hunters. There should be classes taught in schools about conservation and how ecosystems are effected by over population or predation. Kids should be taught holding capacity and such. We need outdoor Ed classes, i had one when wasin middle school, we were taken fishing, canoeing, camping, rock climbing all over strathcona park. Many weekends the class would spend in nature learning about it. I think we who have kids should be going to classes on bring the parents day, and show in a positive light how rewarding it is not just to hunt, but to understand and enjoy nature in her glory. It's hard to convince those who are grown now, but kids find that kind of stuff really interesting. And who knows but if we got kids hooked young on fishing and hunting, and the gun safety and responsibility that comes with it, maybe future generations would have less problems. I don't think we should hide our passions from those that don't get it, but rather display them proudly, and explain why. I know for me that outdoor Ed class was the only one I attended regulary and got good grades in. It taught me how to read a compass, start a fire, what some edible plants were, and how nature and her Eco system works. We need more of that For our kids, I think it would go a long way to ensure the continuation of hunting and conservation in general.

[moose2]

I have heard these concerns about hunting for 25 years and in that time except for a few species the seasons have become more liberal. The hunting and the chance for meat seems to be getting better. More species have been added to the regs. Many more species have opened in areas that were not before. If we as hunters spend $2000.00 per yer hunting ( I know I am higher than that ) That adds up to $200,000,000.00 per year minimum and I think that gets noticed. I think if any of the above turned into problems it would be public opinion along with land claim disputes.
Mike

[Jelvis]

One threat I see which is very common here on this site that could hinder the average hunter is the common sayings like, there is way less game now, because the natives and wolves have killed so many. I used to see deer and moose by the dozens now I hardly see a thing where I used to see them. This is what people read and after hearing so many say it so many times they believe it so.
The anti's say the game is diminishing and so we need to stop the hunting til it goes back up in population numbers.
This won't hurt natives but it will hurt non-natives because the non-natives will be cut back first.
Jp .. Think before repeating this non sense because people read this stuff and hear it by the hunters themselves.

[limit time]

The day we are not allowed to hunt is the day I will never have to buy a lisence to.

+1 on that!

[40incher]

Quote: "Which is the biggest threat to our sport?"

"Sport" !!! For starters stop calling it a sport. That is demeaning and trivial. It's not golf or tennis or tiddlywinks! It's a proud lifestyle for real hunters.

So, quit calling it a sport. The anti's do a good enough job by degrading us with terms like sport/trophy/recreation. We don't need to do it as well.

[Fishhound]

Quote: "Which is the biggest threat to our sport?"

"Sport" !!! For starters stop calling it a sport. That is demeaning and trivial. It's not golf or tennis or tiddlywinks! It's a proud lifestyle for real hunters.

So, quit calling it a sport. The anti's do a good enough job by degrading us with terms like sport/trophy/recreation. We don't need to do it as well.

What is it, if it is not a sport and recreation?

[Glenny]

What is it, if it is not a sport and recreation?

It's awesome! :)

[Gateholio]

I think sport and sportsman are great traditional terms that were used to differentiate between conservationist hunters and market hunters. I don't object to the terms at all.

[trapperdan2061]

You forgot Other.

In some cases we are our own worst enemy.

There are way tomany groups of us, DU, WTF, etc,

So as we fraction ourselves we make it easier to take away what we at bottom line all enjoy.

I know I have said this before, we ALL need to belong to one group, huntters, fishers, trappers, everyone who enjoys the great gift of the outdoors.

Just my thoughts,

Emagine all of us under one roof with numbers that can't be pushed aside.

[trapperdan2061]

After 95 years in existence, the

Vancouver Angling and Game

Association (VAGA) will be dissolving

as a club due to a lack of members.



Though it is with sadness that we see

the dissolving of VAGA, John, who is

also President of the North Shore Fish

& Game Club, says their work is not

over yet.

“Many of our members have joined

other clubs; four of us are now in the

North Shore Fish & Game Club, and

we have many members who live in

Langley and Surrey who will also be

joining the clubs in those locations.

We will de

fi nitely still be involved with

the BCWF.”



This is sad .................................................. .

[Mr. Dean]

Which is the biggest threat to our sport

Hunters.

Too many of us take the resource for granted and stand at an idle when threatened.


Tough one to say but I do feel it to be true.

[pmj]

It is our selves. Not supporting all hunters, shooters, trappers,.... We are good at picking on each other and not sticking together to fight the antis. We fail to educate those who have no knowledge of what we do. Local hunting and shooting clubs not sending out lists to their members on who running for city council suppports hunting and shoooting. Also the fuds, those who have their head in a bag and refuse to see how politics at all levels are eroding their rights by saying it does not affect me. Everything from city council changing zoning bylaws to prohibit firearms stores, passing no shooting bylaws, closing ranges, requiring firearms stores to block their merchandise from view of the sidewalk (like porn and cigarettes).

[Fisher-Dude]

The biggest threat to our sport is the NDP party:twisted:


Correct! The BC NDP has tabled legislation to ban the bison hunt in BC. What's next?

[The Dude]

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj313/Heliox18/Forum%20Ammo/Pogo_-_Earth_Day_1971_poster.jpg

[CanuckShooter]

Correct! The BC NDP has tabled legislation to ban the bison hunt in BC. What's next?

The BC Liberals have banned black bear hunting on Haida Gwaii...well almost there are still a couple of tags [2] available. ;-)

[Fisher-Dude]

The BC Liberals have banned black bear hunting on Haida Gwaii...well almost there are still a couple of tags [2] available. ;-)


Wrong on both assertions. Again.

[Gun Dog]

It is our selves. Not supporting all hunters, shooters, trappers,.... We are good at picking on each other and not sticking together to fight the antis. We fail to educate those who have no knowledge of what we do. Local hunting and shooting clubs not sending out lists to their members on who running for city council suppports hunting and shoooting. Also the fuds, those who have their head in a bag and refuse to see how politics at all levels are eroding their rights by saying it does not affect me. Everything from city council changing zoning bylaws to prohibit firearms stores, passing no shooting bylaws, closing ranges, requiring firearms stores to block their merchandise from view of the sidewalk (like porn and cigarettes).Exactly although it's the same with other groups.

People are more concerned about the new iPad 3 than their rights and freedoms. That's how governments like it.

[Mr. Dean]

......... That's how governments like it.

No.
That's how we accept it.

It's easy to point the finger at another and lay them the blame of our inherent apathy.

[safarichris]

There will always be predators, sickness and deliberate acts of lawbreaking. Many people are reluctant to provide information on poachers and the illegal harvest is high. No doubt this contributes to the decline of wildlife, but the preservation and proper management of wildlife habitat should have priority and be administered properly. key parcels of land such as known nursery grounds for sheep should be protected from mining, domestic sheep farms, preservation of low laying grassland benches and flats for Bighorns should also have priority, for without suitable habitat , no amount of legal protection can benefit any animal. Unfortunately, politics plays a major part in proper Wildlife Management's future.

[greybark]

Baiting !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is Game Farming without fences !!!!!!!!!
Cheers

[Ltbullken]

I think habitat loss and animal population mismanagement are the biggest threats followed by lefty, anti gun, scary gun, animal loving Disney freaks.

[Barracuda]

hunters with no regard for anything but themselves . they are the hunting communities biggest liability.

[saan man]

There isn't enough public displays, conventions that can showcase the fact that usually the best conservationist are hunters. There should be classes taught in schools about conservation and how ecosystems are effected by over population or predation. Kids should be taught holding capacity and such. We need outdoor Ed classes, i had one when wasin middle school, we were taken fishing, canoeing, camping, rock climbing all over strathcona park. Many weekends the class would spend in nature learning about it. I think we who have kids should be going to classes on bring the parents day, and show in a positive light how rewarding it is not just to hunt, but to understand and enjoy nature in her glory. It's hard to convince those who are grown now, but kids find that kind of stuff really interesting. And who knows but if we got kids hooked young on fishing and hunting, and the gun safety and responsibility that comes with it, maybe future generations would have less problems. We need more of that For our kids, I think it would go a long way to ensure the continuation of hunting and conservation in general.[/QUOTE]

x2 ...I couldn't agree more.
A few years ago my son brought one of my hunting magazines to school when he was in gr.2 and I received a phone call from the principal asking me not to let him bring them anymore because they had pics of guns and dead animals. I was choked...
Compare this to my wife's community in the Yukon where they have school sponsored hunting and fishing field trips where things you mentioned in your post about safety and outdoor education are taught. It seems they have a territory wide mind set about the hunting, the environment, and the care of it.

[Husky7mm]

There isn't enough public displays, conventions that can showcase the fact that usually the best conservationist are hunters. There should be classes taught in schools about conservation and how ecosystems are effected by over population or predation. Kids should be taught holding capacity and such. We need outdoor Ed classes, i had one when wasin middle school, we were taken fishing, canoeing, camping, rock climbing all over strathcona park. Many weekends the class would spend in nature learning about it. I think we who have kids should be going to classes on bring the parents day, and show in a positive light how rewarding it is not just to hunt, but to understand and enjoy nature in her glory. It's hard to convince those who are grown now, but kids find that kind of stuff really interesting. And who knows but if we got kids hooked young on fishing and hunting, and the gun safety and responsibility that comes with it, maybe future generations would have less problems. We need more of that For our kids, I think it would go a long way to ensure the continuation of hunting and conservation in general.

x2 ...I couldn't agree more.
A few years ago my son brought one of my hunting magazines to school when he was in gr.2 and I received a phone call from the principal asking me not to let him bring them anymore because they had pics of guns and dead animals. I was choked...
Compare this to my wife's community in the Yukon where they have school sponsored hunting and fishing field trips where things you mentioned in your post about safety and outdoor education are taught. It seems they have a territory wide mind set about the hunting, the environment, and the care of it.[/QUOTE]

I hope you told him to shove it up himself. The nerve of some people in authority pushing their bias on other people children. I hope you didnt listen.....

[saan man]

x2 ...I couldn't agree more.
A few years ago my son brought one of my hunting magazines to school when he was in gr.2 and I received a phone call from the principal asking me not to let him bring them anymore because they had pics of guns and dead animals. I was choked...
Compare this to my wife's community in the Yukon where they have school sponsored hunting and fishing field trips where things you mentioned in your post about safety and outdoor education are taught. It seems they have a territory wide mind set about the hunting, the environment, and the care of it.

I hope you told him to shove it up himself. The nerve of some people in authority pushing their bias on other people children. I hope you didnt listen.....[/QUOTE]

in a bit more diplomatic way...I used to work with him and knew him for many tears. It was more from the teacher than him. Our neighbourhood school seems to be upper middle class (not that there is anything wrong with that) with mostly non hunters so I think it is the teacher not wanting to have parents down on her for allowing the kiddies in her class to be offended by pics of dead Bambi and other wildlife; plus the idea of my sons "glorification" of guns. At the beginning of each school year I always talked to his teachers to inform them of our lifestyle and my sons dedication to be a great hunter some day and his appreciation of hunting and rifles. He always portrayed this in his drawings and stories.

[Ltbullken]

hunters with no regard for anything but themselves . they are the hunting communities biggest liability.

Yup. In Quebec, during the moose hunt, there were hunting 'gangs' that intimidated, threatened and burned down other hunter's camps to push out hunting competition. Bad news...

[madrona sh]

Loss of habitat.

[Phreddy]

The Dude and Barracuda hit the nail right on the head. Poor hunter ethics (trashing the alpine, driving around with our kill in plain sight of everyone to piss off the anti's, slob hunters leaving their campsite looking like an extension of the local dump, etc.) all contribute to us cutting our own throats. Some folks are smart enough to see this simple fact, some never will until our hunting rights are a distant memory. Like I said on an earlier thread, I'm glad I'm old enough that I probably won't live to see it, but I hate to think that our grandchildren won't be able to hunt.

[huntwriter]

You forgot to add "Hunters" to your poll. With everything said Hunters are without a doubt their own worst enemy. There is no unity within our ranks. Hunters vilify and belittle each other at the drop of a hat if they can advance their agenda, such as bowhunters v. crossbow hunters v. rifle hunters and so on. Other serious issues are trespassing onto posted private land which causes landowners to deny access to ALL hunters. There are number of other issues that bring hunters and hunting into disrepute and are caused by hunters.

[bridger]

[QUOTE=bcfarmer;1096234]While I agree it is "all of the above", probably ( IMHO) the greatest threat is hunter complacency. We as a group, just don't get involved enough. It is so easy to leave the hard work to the small few who are fighting on our behalf.

Excellent point and right on the money!

[steel_ram]

Politics and political correctness.

[Livewire322]

The problem of which we may not speak is a great threat! However the NDP are a greater threat followed closely by public opinion

[bosca]

Although I agree with most points brought up in this thread...Unfortunately I believe the greatest threat to our sport/way of life is out of our control....
The vast majority of people in our society are more and more disconnected from the source of their sustenance. Even the most basic things like what it takes to get a nice tenderloin to the table grosses the average urbanite out. Because of this growing disconnect the odds of swaying public opinion in our favor gets slimmer every year... We are victims of our own efficiency...most people are spoiled and will never relate to our way of living.

....or maybe I just had too much wine after dinner :-)

[safarichris]

Everything that has been said here, are points well taken. That is why if you wish to continue to see the next hunter generation enjoying the sport, it is imperative that one supports the BCWF who fights for the Resident Hunter. Politics is playing a bigger role every year as more and more of the Province continues to be carved up. Your Federation works relentlessly to protect you. The people who enjoy hunting, had better wake up fast.

[aggiehunter]

Television...

[nap]

Everything that has been said here, are points well taken. That is why if you wish to continue to see the next hunter generation enjoying the sport, it is imperative that one supports the BCWF who fights for the Resident Hunter. Politics is playing a bigger role every year as more and more of the Province continues to be carved up. Your Federation works relentlessly to protect you. The people who enjoy hunting, had better wake up fast.
All points all no matter lean back to miss management, and thats all. NDP, Liberals, First Nations, Green Peace, Nap, CS, Jel all of us are allowing the threat to become bigger and bigger. The big question is how do we slow it down????

[The Dude]

Although I agree with most points brought up in this thread...Unfortunately I believe the greatest threat to our sport/way of life is out of our control....
The vast majority of people in our society are more and more disconnected from the source of their sustenance. Even the most basic things like what it takes to get a nice tenderloin to the table grosses the average urbanite out. Because of this growing disconnect the odds of swaying public opinion in our favor gets slimmer every year... We are victims of our own efficiency...most people are spoiled and will never relate to our way of living.

....or maybe I just had too much wine after dinner :-)

I think that if more people took a tour of a feedlot/slaughterhouse operation, they might change. Now whether they went Vegan or pro-Hunter is anyone's guess.
Urbanization is killing us, and we're not helping ourselves very much.

[boxhitch]

The shear fact that "mismanagement of resources' gets so many votes shows most guys just don't get it.

'Hunter apathy' gets my vote as the killer

[horshur]

The shear fact that "mismanagement of resources' gets so many votes shows most guys just don't get it.

'Hunter apathy' gets my vote as the killer

What is Hunter Apathy?

[The Dude]

What is Hunter Apathy?

Here we go.

[huntwriter]

What is Hunter Apathy?

Hunter Apathy:


A hunting organization with over 30,000 members calls to action. Less then 100 answer the call. The opposition brings up over 10,000 supporters.
In every local Rod and Gun Club with an average of 250 members you see always the same 10 people doing all the work, the resat complains why things don't get done sooner.
The government wants to introduce new legislation to limit hunter opportunity.Fifty hunters provide their opinion, the rest expects others to speak up on their behalf. Meanwhile the animal rights turn up in the hundreds and offer the government to provide solid scientific facts and a panel of experts.
A anti hunting newspaper article generates a handful of letters from hunters and most of them are in such a foul language that they cant be printed. The animal rights unleash a flood of congratulatory letters to the editor.

In my work as a writer and pro-hunting activist I see such things every singe day and it is at times disheartening how little support fellow hunters provide each other on issues that concerns all of us. However the worst many hunters quite often do is to vilify each other or other groups of hunters in an effort to safe their niche group or what they consider "ethical". Take bowhunters v. crossbow hunter for example, but they are not the only ones. There are any number of groups within our own ranks that bash others in the selfish support their own agenda like "meat hunting" v. "trophy hunting".

We have not realized yet that we ALL sit in the same boat and thus we do not care and therefore we do nothing because it does not concern us if it is not our own niche group. It's called "Hunter Apathy"

[Scouter Bear]

Reading most of the comments we like to blame everyone else. The biggest problem I see is the Government mismanagement. From not managing the species properly. And the other problem is all of us blaming everyone else for what we are doing here. We are complaining to each other on this forum of which no one else other than us are reading these comments. I don't think any Vegan,Urbanite is reading this forum. Our voice is only being heard by the converted. As others have commented on that we must take ownership of informing other people that don't hunt. As a new hunter myself I try and tell people that I am not a bad person for hunting, I am actually being a conserving nature.

Yes we put blame on everyone but ourselves. I have been to several areas hunting this past season and I have seen some pretty bad campsites that have garbage left all over the place. I saw a nice gut pile left on the side of a hiking path. Which is always a nice place to leave it, So that Joe Urbanite and his family on there get back to nature hike is total grossed out at those hillbilly red neck hunters for giving them life long nightmares.

Some blame the First Nations for killing everything. Well I am Native but my band is in Ontario. I have to buy my tags like the rest of you. I can not hunt anytime or as many animals that I see. From my understanding is that the Natives don't have to buy tags and can only hunt on there traditional hunting grounds. I just don't like being painted with the same brush as everyone else.

I have also read lots of comments of people putting down other hunters in these forums. Like a FNG asking questions about hunting and someone say something bad for being a new guy/gal to hunting. I have also read and gotten some good feedback too.

That's my 2 cents worth.

[Phreddy]

Well put Othmar. Apathy, complacency, and the enjoyment of rubbing the anti's nose in it.


Hunter Apathy:


A hunting organization with over 30,000 members calls to action. Less then 100 answer the call. The opposition brings up over 10,000 supporters.
In every local Rod and Gun Club with an average of 250 members you see always the same 10 people doing all the work, the resat complains why things don't get done sooner.
The government wants to introduce new legislation to limit hunter opportunity.Fifty hunters provide their opinion, the rest expects others to speak up on their behalf. Meanwhile the animal rights turn up in the hundreds and offer the government to provide solid scientific facts and a panel of experts.
A anti hunting newspaper article generates a handful of letters from hunters and most of them are in such a foul language that they cant be printed. The animal rights unleash a flood of congratulatory letters to the editor.

In my work as a writer and pro-hunting activist I see such things every singe day and it is at times disheartening how little support fellow hunters provide each other on issues that concerns all of us. However the worst many hunters quite often do is to vilify each other or other groups of hunters in an effort to safe their niche group or what they consider "ethical". Take bowhunters v. crossbow hunter for example, but they are not the only ones. There are any number of groups within our own ranks that bash others in the selfish support their own agenda like "meat hunting" v. "trophy hunting".

We have not realized yet that we ALL sit in the same boat and thus we do not care and therefore we do nothing because it does not concern us if it is not our own niche group. It's called "Hunter Apathy"

[weatherby_man]

Hunter Apathy:


A hunting organization with over 30,000 members calls to action. Less then 100 answer the call. The opposition brings up over 10,000 supporters.
In every local Rod and Gun Club with an average of 250 members you see always the same 10 people doing all the work, the resat complains why things don't get done sooner.
The government wants to introduce new legislation to limit hunter opportunity.Fifty hunters provide their opinion, the rest expects others to speak up on their behalf. Meanwhile the animal rights turn up in the hundreds and offer the government to provide solid scientific facts and a panel of experts.
A anti hunting newspaper article generates a handful of letters from hunters and most of them are in such a foul language that they cant be printed. The animal rights unleash a flood of congratulatory letters to the editor.

In my work as a writer and pro-hunting activist I see such things every singe day and it is at times disheartening how little support fellow hunters provide each other on issues that concerns all of us. However the worst many hunters quite often do is to vilify each other or other groups of hunters in an effort to safe their niche group or what they consider "ethical". Take bowhunters v. crossbow hunter for example, but they are not the only ones. There are any number of groups within our own ranks that bash others in the selfish support their own agenda like "meat hunting" v. "trophy hunting".

We have not realized yet that we ALL sit in the same boat and thus we do not care and therefore we do nothing because it does not concern us if it is not our own niche group. It's called "Hunter Apathy"

Spot on! This also goes for fishing issues.

The best thing any of us can do volunteer some time with local F&G's, or provincial orgs. None of us (unless independently wealthy and looking for something to do) "has spare time" to volunteer, you have to make an extra special effort to do so. It can be so frustrating you'll want to quit at times, but in the end if you want a better future and secure rights for your children and grandchildren to hunt and fish you have to do it. Don't try to do too much at first just get in the door and start learning, then pick a project you want to get involved with, These orgs are literally dying to get help (note the post on VAGA).

Are you willing to trust the government to just take care of it in your best interests? The government won't manage things properly unless their feet are held to the fire. The organizations who lobby on our behalf try to do this with limited resources and mostly volunteers. There is strength in numbers!

just my 2 cents,,,,with inflation,,,,worth just less than 1 cent....

[boxhitch]

huntwriter, thanks for fleshing that out for me. Your comments jive with my thoughts just fine

Hunters have to learn that activism has to be played out on both sides of the table. Being an Activist isn't a bad thing.
Being a member of BCWF is the minimalist approach, standing up and educating other members at the local club is the next step.

The Antis may have some voice but it would be a fart in the wind compared to a strong grass roots movement of local voices.

[huntwriter]

The Antis may have some voice but it would be a fart in the wind compared to a strong grass roots movement of local voices.

Precisely! What animal rights have in favour of us is UNITY. Various animal rights may disagree with each other on semantics and on how to get things done but when one of them asks for support the others will rally.

Example: Here in Merritt a tiny group (4 People) of "cat lovers" wanted money from the city to take care of the stray cats. The city quite rightly denied such a ludicrous request. Within days the "cat lovers" created a facebook page to gather support. In less then a week our two newspapers were flooded with hundreds of emails from around the world in support of the "cat lovers". The animal rights did not just leave it at writing emails. The worldwide supporters went to the newspapers, radio and TV with ready written articles, press releases and interviews about the "uncaring people of Merritt that starve the helpless and homeless cats to death." Heck, even my family and friends in Switzerland and Germany read in their local newspapers about the "cruel and wicked people of Merritt".

This international unity and network of support is what gives animal rights a voice and makes them appear as a majority. I said it before and I say it again. There is a lot we could learn from the animal rights about getting active, show unity and get the message out to the people. If we could do that animal rights wouldn't have a chance, in fact they would disappear. In fact this did happen one time. In a rare case of hunter unity in Alabama PeTA was practically made over night the most unpopular organization.

[boxhitch]

I had a real good camp-fire talk with the founder of a large U.S. sportsmans association, who has done quite well getting law makers on his side of numerous issues.
He spoke of the Antis as nothing but paper dragons, no substance, never at the table but always crying in the wind, and could not stand up to opposition.
Lov it.

[horshur]

Precisely! What animal rights have in favour of us is UNITY. Various animal rights may disagree with each other on semantics and on how to get things done but when one of them asks for support the others will rally.

Example: Here in Merritt a tiny group (4 People) of "cat lovers" wanted money from the city to take care of the stray cats. The city quite rightly denied such a ludicrous request. Within days the "cat lovers" created a facebook page to gather support. In less then a week our two newspapers were flooded with hundreds of emails from around the world in support of the "cat lovers". The animal rights did not just leave it at writing emails. The worldwide supporters went to the newspapers, radio and TV with ready written articles, press releases and interviews about the "uncaring people of Merritt that starve the helpless and homeless cats to death." Heck, even my family and friends in Switzerland and Germany read in their local newspapers about the "cruel and wicked people of Merritt".

This international unity and network of support is what gives animal rights a voice and makes them appear as a majority. I said it before and I say it again. There is a lot we could learn from the animal rights about getting active, show unity and get the message out to the people. If we could do that animal rights wouldn't have a chance, in fact they would disappear. In fact this did happen one time. In a rare case of hunter unity in Alabama PeTA was practically made over night the most unpopular organization.


I could never be involved in somthing like that.....whether it was a good or bad cause. The end would never justify the means to me. If this is what it takes then count me out!

[boxhitch]

def of apathy ?

I could never be involved in somthing like that.....whether it was a good or bad cause.
:) I hear ya, Hos. But there are many techniques for activism, this is just an example.

[boxhitch]

Have been reading of these guys lately, amazing commitment and results. Nice bankroll, all from the excise tax paid by hunters and anglers and shooters, intrenched by law for several decades now. Ah, to dream that Canada or BC would ever show that commitment to wildlife.

http://www.sportsmenslink.org/

[huntwriter]

I had a real good camp-fire talk with the founder of a large U.S. sportsmans association, who has done quite well getting law makers on his side of numerous issues.
He spoke of the Antis as nothing but paper dragons, no substance, never at the table but always crying in the wind, and could not stand up to opposition.
Lov it.

If you don't mind telling me who that is. From what you say it might be that it is the same person I know and shared many conversations. He's absolutely right about the animal rights. In the past I've tried many times to get antis on the same table for public discussions, they never answered my invitations. Only one did and within a few minutes we played them to the wall with simple facts.

All the animal rights have to offer is emotions and that in turn can make it at times a bit hard because most people are suckers for emotions. having two generations that have grown up with Walt Disney's humanized animal characters doesn't help either.

[huntwriter]

Have been reading of these guys lately, amazing commitment and results. Nice bankroll, all from the excise tax paid by hunters and anglers and shooters, intrenched by law for several decades now. Ah, to dream that Canada or BC would ever show that commitment to wildlife.

http://www.sportsmenslink.org/

I am involved with them and occasionally,if my time schedule permits, I do some of the writing for them. The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation was set up by the hunting industry and is largely funded by the industry. It's amazing what they get done in Congress on behalf of hunters. This organization, as the name implies, has representatives in the Congress that way they are direct on the front and can put a stop to things before they filter down.

Here in Canada we have a similar organization. It's called the Outdoor Sportsmen's Caucasus and is largely made up of politicians from all parties but mostly the Conservatives. Gary Breitkreuz was the founder of the Caucasus and still sits on the panel. Interestingly, and fitting to this thread, both these organizations complain that there is very little support and input from hunters.

[Jagermeister]

I am involved with them and occasionally,if my time schedule permits, I do some of the writing for them. The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation was set up by the hunting industry and is largely funded by the industry. It's amazing what they get done in Congress on behalf of hunters. This organization, as the name implies, has representatives in the Congress that way they are direct on the front and can put a stop to things before they filter down.

Here in Canada we have a similar organization. It's called the
Outdoor Sportsmen's Caucasus and is largely made up of politicians from all parties but mostly the Conservatives. Gary Breitkreuz was the founder of the Caucasus and still sits on the panel. Interestingly, and fitting to this thread,
both these organizations complain that there is very little support and input from hunters.First time I have ever heard of the organization. An organization has to be more prominent to the groups that they claim to represent to gain reciprocal support and input. Hiding in the woodwork will not cut it.