I tried to avoid this post and the earlier post on baiting because the subject depresses me. However, I decided I have to post my opinion as I don’t think ATV use impacts on my day to day hunting is ATV’s biggest threat. The following is not intended to criticize any individuals but is my impression of hunting’s image to the non-hunting public and why I think how "hunters" use ATVs (amoung other things) damage bowhunting and hunting in general.
When I began hunting in the early 1970’s, hunters were generally presented by the main stream media as rugged outdoorsmen who were willing to work hard to be successful. Watch the film clips of Fred Bear from the period as an example as these were regularly shown on major market TV stations at the time (at least here in Michigan). Today, the main stream media generally portray hunters as fat lazy ignorant slobs that take joy in killing things and will do anything to accomplish this goal. They are portrayed as backwards and unenlightened at best, or as a villain at the worst.
Hunters blame this change in the media’s attitude (and of the non-hunting public’s attitude) on the anti’s but they are wrong. It’s our own fault. It is hunter’s growing and continued reliance on ATVs, baiting, shooting enclosures, high tech weapons (compound bows, in-line muzzle loaders, military style rifles, etc.), high tech hunting aids (electronic sighting devices, hearing aids, game callers, automatic feeders, field communications, night vision devices, etc.), and a willingness to pay guides to provide the hunting skills and do the work for you (or worse to pay to “hunt” pen raised animals in an enclosure), that have caused the change in hunter’s image. These items are viewed by the non-hunting public as substitutes for skill and effort, and reinforce their view that hunters are fat lazy ignorant slobs that take joy in killing things.
Hunters’ statements that “the only way I can access the good hunting area is with an ATV” or “when I went to Texas and found all the successful hunters baited is when I decided baiting was alright” show the non-hunting public hunters are willing to adjust their ethics (or cheat) to accomplish their goal of killing things. Hunters’ image to the non-hunting public will continue to suffer until we as hunters start portraying hunting as something that takes skill and effort to be successful at, and openly criticizing those that seek shortcuts.
In my opinion, it is time to stop worrying about quantity of hunters because that battle is lost (there will never be enough hunters to outvote the non-hunters). We need to do something about how we hunt and what we call hunting (i.e., how we talk about hunting and what we watch on TV) to change the non hunting publics opinion on hunting if hunting as recreational pursuit is going to survive.
Topic: Do ATV's or 4 wheelers hurt your bowhunting area? (Read 3621 times)
