I was sitting on my deck this morning, thinking about the way I am perceived as a hunter. I find that many times, I get lumped into the "hunter" category. We all know its a very general category that over the years has been degraded enough to make people not want to be in that category and find a way to stand out. Many of the land owners I deal with on a year to year basis, dont hunt. They dont know the difference between a compound and a recurve, and if they dont know the difference between the bow they certainly dont know the difference between the people carrying them. I like to think I'm different than most of the "hunters" that many landowners have to deal with. But how do you portray that when asking for permission to hunt their land? Without a while spent showing them you are a good person, and that your equipment does make you different, how do you set yourself apart from the degenerate general category of "hunter". We are traditional bowhunters, very different from the category we often get lumped into, but without having a few months to show landowners who we are, how do we get access, without the stigma of being a general hunter? Once I get permission to hunt a piece of land I am always certain to thank the landowners repeatedly and to send holiday greetings, and gift cards to show my appreciation, but when I get turned down or told NO I take it personally, often times its because "after two years ago we dont allow hunting anymore." Or we dont want hunters in our woods, its not safe. I wish I could have the chance to show them we are different than just "hunters". So I guess after my long rant my question is this.
How do you avoid the stigma that goes with the general category of blood thirsty, care more about the kill than the actual hunt type of "hunter" we often times get associated with by the public. I question whether I am doing enough to set myself apart, to make me better, make me different than the rest. Not a better hunter, I dont care about that, I just want a better image than society gives us in general. Maybe its one of those things people refer to as "lifes mysteries". And so Ill sit on my deck and keep thinking of new ways to be different.
Topic: How do you cope? (Read 421 times)
