I started writing this blog on October 7, 2018. My original goal was simply to put my stories and thoughts down on "paper" and share them with like minded folks. The concept of ethics in the sportsman world has always been a deep interest of mine and so my focus was pointed there. What I didn't realize was that the deeper I dove into this lifestyle, the more it would pull me into a position of advocacy. The stronger my desire was to advocate for this lifestyle, the more I would question my own ethics and beliefs.
In the beginning, I believed that the path forward was unity. In fact, if you look back and many of my first articles, they were filled with this theme. I thought that if the community as a whole were to come together, we could not only solidify our relevance in today's society, but even make progress towards reclaiming ground we had lost. Throughout my researching, interviews, and constant emersion into this lifestyle, I have come to realize that the mindset of unity, although noble, would actually lead to a downfall.
Trappers, even including those who only do it as a job, make up less than 1% of the population. Add in the hunters and we come to about 5%. If we top off the sportsman population with anglers and recreational shooters, we probably get to about 20%-30% of the American population. That initially seems like a really good number considering that the anti-sportsman movement only makes up 5% or less of the population.
The problem arises in how we are wired. Both sides are really good at what they do. Sportsmen and women spend all of their free time becoming better at angling, hunting, trapping, and shooting. That has absolutely no impact on societies view of us. Anti-sportsmen and women are really good at directing public opinion, campaigning, and raising money. Those skills are all designed to have impact on how society views us. To add to this, the advent of social media has allowed sportsmen and women to publicize their successes and failures, which without telling the whole story, often causes us to shoot ourselves in the foot.
The true path forward in ensuring that this lifestyle persists for future generations is in the promotion of ethical behavior and conservation. These are things that society cares about when it comes to trapping, hunting, and angling. We no longer live in a world where we can foster a mindset of not caring what other people think. The majority of Americans currently support ethical practices of trapping, hunting, and angling. If we continue to broadcast unideal situations into social media however, it will not take the American public long to decide that the actions of the few bad apples will be enough to no longer support the rest of us.
In the coming weeks, I will be taking on topics involving these situations. Some of you may disagree with my opinions, and that's fine, I'm obviously not the law on these things. My goal is simply to get sportsmen and women to think about the things we do, and what we decide to put in the public eye. Our actions now will determine the future of our lifestyle for future generations.
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