How do you respond?

[broadfork]

I had an incident the other day while I was looking at some bucks, and I wanted to know how you guys would have reacted.

My friend and I knew a 30" buck was in an orchard in our town. We went to see him one evening, and as we were watching him a car pulled up. A lady got out and asked what we were looking at, and we told her about the deer. She looked at it for a second and the said, "I'm so glad you can't hunt these deer."

I inquired why that was, and she said "Anyone who hunts is a coward." I was floored by the response, and told her that I have killed a deer, an elk, and an antelope this year. So I must be a coward, have a nice day.

It probably wasn't the right way to handle it but it was the first reaction. How would you have responded?

 

[copple2]

LAST EDITED ON Dec-15-08 AT 04:31PM (MST)[p]People like that are ridiculous...I'd probably react the same way...almost makes you want to ask how she thought the last hamburger she ate was killed! Ignorant people sometimes deserve ignorant responses...maybe give her a little "FU BUCKAROO" next time and see what she would say to that!

 

[ELKOHUNTER]

well I think you responded better then I would have.

 

[idabigbuck]

Sounds like you handled it better than I would have. I probably would have said something stupid like "Hunting allows me to pull the trigger on legal game instead of shooting hairy legged, tree hugging, Birkenstock wearing, global warming fools such as yourself."
Its fair chase, or its foul!

 

[Bullelk1]

Tell her you're just waiting for a nice tender fawn to shoot. That should get her attention.

 

[broadfork]

I had another experience on sunday. I was doing the same thing, except I was looking for bighorn sheep, when my friend and I spotted a nice buck.
This time a lady and her husband in their spandex matching hikeing suits, walked down off the hill. I asked if they had seen the deer, and the lady asked if we were there to kill it. I said no, and that hunting season is closed in that area. Her husband started to tell us about a couple other bucks, and the lady yelled at him to not tell us.
I don't get it. Why are the antis so inpolite. I don't care if you drive a subaru, or where spandex to jog, so why the hell do they hassel me for enjoying nature.

 

[rockybasin]

You handled this better than a lot of people would have, but it's important to be friendly to these people whenever you encounter them.

I have spent a lot of September days bowhunting a spot of National Forest in Montana that has a 5-mile long trail that is very well-maintained and quite popular with hikers, picnickers, and non-hunting "outdoor enthusiast" types. I have found that the hunting in the area is reasonably good. Most hunters avoid the area because there are always so many cars at the trailhead. So the animals really don't get a lot of hunting pressure. And even though the trail itself gets all kinds of foot traffic, the animals aren't bothered much because none of the hikers never actually leave the trail (I suspect they're not good enough woodsmen to find their way back to the Subaru if they get off the established trail). So once you get about 1/4 mile from the trail, the hunting is quite good. No monster animals, but I can always find a herd of elk to chase.

Anyway, my point is that every year I run into people on the trail who see me in my camouflage, carrying my bow, and I can always tell by the way they look at me that they hold me in utter contempt. They look at me as if I've ruined their day in the great outdoors, just by being a there and being a hunter. I've found the best way to deal with them is to just be super-friendly and describe what a great day I've had. Tell them how I spent the morning chasing bugling bulls up and down a canyon. Smile and describe how magnificent the elk are and how much fun it was to be right in the middle of them. Ask them where they're headed. Give them some tips on where to find huckleberries, whatever. More often than not, you'll find you can take the edge off their hostility and get them to warm up to you. And in the process maybe you can help get rid of the stereotype that hunters are bloodthirsty neanderthals.

 

[CAelknuts]

Rocky, I largely have to agree with you. It never hurts to take the 'high road', at leat initially. If you make an effort to be sociable and reasonable and they can't handle it, that's their problem. If you come off like a jerk, then you validated all their misconceptions and proved they were right in their flawed thinking.

I try to come across as articulate and reasonable and if they can't handle it, I go my seperate way. I've dealt with plenty of people who don't like hunting, and usually can at least find some common ground. Of course, there are some idiots on both sides of the fence, and no sense wasting a lot of time with an ARF idiot when you figure out you're around one.

 

[Wiszard]

Rockybasin- That was well put. When non-hunters talk to me about it I bring up that it is really a management tool. We work hand in hand with various government agencies who regulate the numbers of deer, elk, etc. The animals are regulated and a certain number of animals need to be harvested in order to instill the natural balance. I mention that if these animals aren't managed and their numbers reduced each year that there would not be enough food to sustain all of them. There would be many animals dying a horrible death.

When they tell me that mountain lions and coyotes and other predators manage these deer and elk numbers naturally, I remind them that those predators' population will continue to grow as the deer and elk numbers will surely dwindle. The predators will consume nearly all of the deer and elk and then have to look else where for food....like our ranches, farms and towns. What then?.....don't let the kids play outside for fear that there may be a lion lurking behind a bail of hay waiting to pounce on your dog or kid?

Most will see my point where others are still sold on the "conservation" mentality.

Steve

 

[madmoose]

should have told her your looking at that deer cause you didn't draw your "old mean lady tag" this year. but know that you got one spotted maybe you'll draw this year.

i bought a t-shirt last summer at sportsmans that says it best" if you don't hunt i see no point talking to you". works good, weeds out the hum drum folks

 

[bobcatbess]

SEEMS LIKE THERE'S ALWAYS A LEZBARU INVOLVED!!!

REMEMBER!!!

THERE'S ONLY ONE bobcat!!!

 

[cjboz]

I would have asked her how she has lived so long being that stupid, and if she was a deer she probably would not have made it through the first season!

 

[larrbo]

First of all she doesn't understand anything about hunting and all the talking in the world won't change that. I would have ignored her or used humor...like, could I share some of my venison receipes with you?

 

[HoundDawgJr]

Just respond like this:

"Albert Einstein once said only two things were infinite - the Universe and Human Stupidity and he wasn't sure about the first one.

I guess he was right." Then just walk off.

 

[muleybull]

Punch her in the mouth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is that ethical?

 

[ohiohntr]

I would have told her:
"Over my life I personally have spent $XXX (add up the total you have ever spent for licences, tags, P.R. money from ammo) to make it so that both you and I could enjoy those deer. How much have you spent?" You might even add "You may have spent some money putting out food for them in the winter thereby increasing their chances of mortality by bringing them into closer contact with humans."

Then tell her when she has spent as much as you have to help build the deer population, she can come back and complain.

 

[cjg_beef]

ohiohntr,
I like that response and I'm sure if the anti's thought about it in that respect then they would look at hunters differently.

 

[Roy]

I get this quite often. I live in Austin, TX - a real liberal hotbed and most of the people I work with have never lived outside the confines of a large city for more than one or two weeks at a time. I am very cordial and respectful of their beliefs and try to bridge the gap between their misunderstanding and what is part of my cultural heritage. I explain to them that it is part of my culture, and that always gets them - they are so hyper-sensitive to other cultures they actually become fascinated in my beliefs. I also get them to smile a little and just when they seem a little more relaxed, I just sigh and say, "and besides - it satisfies my lust for blood."

That usually ends the conversation for some reason. Come to think about it, I really never recall having any other conversations with someone I have said that to either... hmmmm...odd.


UTROY
Proverbs 21:19 (why I hunt!)

 

[ce61]

here is your reply: abe lincoln said " it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool,than to speak up and remove all doubt....... ce61

 

[RUFFNECK]

We should educate this people when they come across us. like was said earlier we use hunting as a game management tool. the revenue that hunting brings in pays for the trails they use and they probably didnt know that. when we come in contact with anti hunters we should not come off as a bunch of hill billys and show that most of us hunt ethically and morally because we wouldnt want them to have any more reason to try and take away our hunting privileges.