Most significant threat to hunting?

[stringstretcher]

I think it is the loss of big timber now taken over by developement.  But most of all is the litter.  Several people that I used to be able to hunt their property, now will not allow it because of the abuse the hunters give and leave on their property.

[SL]

Loss of access is a biggy. Long gone are days a boy can grab a 22 and head out to do some hunting without paying a bunch of money for a lease(if you can find one). Now they sit home and play v games. I have to admit here in Texas hunting has become such a darn hassle that Ill probably just give it up in the future too.
SL

[IndianaBowman]

Canned killing operations. Reduces the image of the hunter in the minds of the non-hunting majority.

[JockC]

For where I hunt in the northern Rockies:

Bird hunting--leases

High-quality big game hunting experiences on public land--4 wheelers and snowmobiles, hands down.

[Roughcountry]

One word - people, for all the reasons above and the ones to come.

[ZaneD]

For what it's worth, in the big parking lot at my high school, there's still a couple rows of trucks left. When we get our deer mounts back, we pull into school with them in the passenger seat. If you searched our trucks, you'd find several shotguns, even a few bows, mabye even some apple pie or pineapple moonshine     :rolleyes:   . The town's gettin bigger every year, but we still hunt and fish. We light a bonfire at the farm on friday night and we go to church on sunday. We've got it good for now. I plan to do my part to educate people about hunting, one day I'll have a couple kids, and you can be damn sure that they'll grow up in the woods.

                         Zane

[JCJ]

Urbanization
Lack of time
Access
Lack of Mentors

[Ben Maher]

###  t shirts that say " hapiness is a warm gutpile"......

### tv shows that offer guys head to toe in camo shooting [ note i did not say hunting] animals  often over bait from a well heated tree stand within the confines of high fenced property, then whoopin and hollerin at their 'success'. try explaining  this as hunting to joe public......i know i couldn't...

### apathy from hunters within their own community. are we all members of appropriate hunting org?...have you introduced someone to the outdoors?

### the almighty dollar and television.....

ben

[Brian Krebs]

not necessarily in this order:

 Canned hunts.

 The ideology that the rack is the reason.

 People speaking for us; that are hunters; but have an agenda that is really a fad.

 Our society. We are a society that believes that money can buy you everything. And that money ~should~ buy you everything.

 Actually I am optimistic; because I think hunters that hunt canned hunts; and breed for dumber deer and bigger racks; and technology replacing effort... are food for those: that get bored with the same diet.  

 Some say : 'follow the money'. I think it is really 'all about power'. Power be it fame; or influence.

 The biggest danger ~we~ face; as traditional bowhunters: is that we do not have a face.

 But danger does not determine fate.

[Cherokee Scout]

I know some will not like this response, but it is my opinion.
Hunting vidoes and hunting shows are far too graphic and some are being made by people who must not fully understand the ethics of hunting.
Showing an animal die or flop around on the ground is not a necessary part of any video. Hunting will only continue if the young people of today become part of our sport. Seeing an animal die does not appeal to most young people and risks turning them away from the sport. If a young person is being guided by an adult, they can be guided and taught about the death. But if a young one is flipping channels and sees a video on tv showing the animal flopping and kicking, we will lose that kid most of the time.
Another issue which I believe is wrong and can be used by the antis,is the hunting competitions. There should never be any type of competition (on video or not on video)concerning the killing of any animal.
We need to wise up and realize it is not all about making the money on the tv videos.

[Llyr]

Ignorance.  It all, always, comes down to ignorance.

I see a lot of reactionary-ism, along with a lot of wisdom, in this thread.  I love cities.  Urbanization has brought great things.  Nothin' wrong with video games or TV if used properly.

Instead of looking for reasons to ignore, or condemn, or look down on people (he's a cityboy, he's a lefty, he's an X, so he's against hunting), we need to calmly make our case.  Hunting is ethical, sustainable, positive.  Hunters contribute, to their societies, to their communities, to their families, to their world.  Hunting engenders, nay, it demands, accountability, awareness of where food comes from, awareness of the basic necessities of human existence.  Hunting is better for the animals, who live quality lives, unlike those trapped in the meatplants.  Hunting is better for the kids, who learn about cause-and-effect, who learn that every act has a moral and ethical dimension, and willful ignorance does not excuse you from that fact.  And it is better for Hunters, who, having tasted the excitement of a stalk, feel a pang (or more) of regret for the kill.

Hunting is good, when it is good, when it is not turned into a reason to destroy, to debase, and to cheapen.

We need to combat ignorance, in ourselves, and in others, gently, calmly, firmly.  We need to convince those we can, and plant seeds that might germinate later in minds too closed to recognize reason.  And we need to look for allies where we can.  Because I'm telling you, gentlemen, ladies, there's never a good reason to turn a heart against you and yours.

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Simple fact - times are a'changin.  Whats the saying - "You are either on the train or on the tracks." - I'm afraid hunting and rural heritage are squarely on the tracks.  

Technology - can you imagine - guys sitting in treestands text messaging, talking on cell phones - I mean so connected to being "wired" you can't put the blackberry down for a deer hunt?  A big problem we face today - how do you mix the modern with the "traditional" - hunting is going to lose.

Hypocrisy - Don't preach about high fences in your state/country etc if you hunt in "other" places where they are.  Hunter access is a real problem, and I feel for the guys stuck with little or no access - but some of the biggest "proponents" of hunter access in the Traditional Bowhunting community hunt on large private landholdings - I was born at night, but not last night - where is the credibility?

I'm part of the problem I guess, as one of my landowners spoke with me yesterday about leasing her ground - she's just tired of dealing with the jags that run roughshod on the land she pays taxes on, and you know what? I'm jumping on this opportunity posthaste.  I'm tired of dealing with the jags too.  Selfish? Maybe so, but frankly I feel I have more in common with the whitetails anymore than with the vast majority of my "brother hunters".

Upstate NY-- loss of habitat: loss of agricultural lands, access.

[MI_Bowhunter]

Ourselves.


Hunters in many respects are their own worst enemy, for many of the reasons already listed.

[Cody Roiter]

Guys there are many thing thats are making kids and the young people not wanting to hunt or bowhunt... First kids can't be kids any more like some of u guys say that u could take your guns to school or walk down a dirt road and no one would even care.. I dont know have many times I had the law called on me for walking down the dirt road where I live with a bow in my hands.. or how many times the law has called my house asking me to shop shooitng my bow for the day... two or three people who live on my road are no hunters and think that I should stop... Well I am out side shooitng my bow there kids are inside playing there video game as there mom dose not want them to even talk to me and we wnet to high at the same time and are friends she wont even let him come to house at all becuse she think's he is going to shoot a gun.. well at the same time he has a paint ball gun.. But she lets him shoot it only about 1 time a year.. well I can tell u what i am not going to stop shooting I realy don't care how pisses off she gets.. Also I am sorry to say but school is some thing again as when I was in High school I got kicked out of class do to me telling the teacher how hunting is a good thing and how I think ever one should have the rigth to hunt because it get kids out doors she did not like the fact that I said that and asked me to leave and never come back to her class.. I said ok and walked out..... I am not the first stundent to get kicked out for likeing hunting the year before she kicked out two girls who I know just for going hunting and with with there dads...

There are many thing that not helping us out guys.. But I going to tell u I will never stop helping kids get into archery and hunting.....

Take Care guys,

Cody

P.S u guys may like these pics

   

   

   

[Cody Roiter]

My friend there in the back ground is the one who lives just down the road but his mom well not let him come to my house....

[Jeff Strubberg]

Loss of habitat, hands down.

Without wild places, desire to hunt or lack of it means nothing.

[nchunter]

My vote is ignorant people: thanks to TV and A/C the vast majority of Americans have become totally divorced from nature.  This newspaper clipping can say it better than I can:

 

[Cody Roiter]

WOW is all I can say to that WOW who the hell is that dumb to think that... Man I wish people would get there head out of there u know what.....        

Cody

[Bill Kissner]

A lot of you have made valid points but several have blamed ourselves. This is very true, in my opinion WE are the MAIN problem. We as a group do a lot of things that are a detriment to the sport and not a lot that is good for it.

Most of us know the the things we do that put hunting in a bad light but how many of us do anything that really promotes it? I live in Illinois where we have thousands and thousands of bow hunters. We have two state bowhunting organizations. Guess what? We have a total of less than 400 members in both of them! That is nothing short of pathetic! I'll bet I am not the only one on here that notices all the people from my state that regularly post on Trad Gang and wonder why they are not members of their state bowhunting clubs?

I hope this is not taken as a put down but rather as a wake up call. More bowhunters need to step up and help or it is certainly going to get a lot worse.