In order for our lifestyles to survive, we rely on the choices of those who do not share it. Hunters make up about 5% of the voting population, and trappers are less than 1%. Oddly, the ability to hunt is supported by a majority of Americans. Over time, anti-hunters have whittled away at the supporting population. One of their greatest tools is mythology.
On the 1996 ballot in Massachusetts, antis used these myths in their political advertisements to successfully get the public to vote in a ban on foothold traps and snares. It made no difference that a federal study a few years before had found that foothold traps, when used properly, were actually considered safe and humane. Why did this happen? For decades foothold traps were depicted in pop culture as these toothed and bladed jaw traps in kids cartoons and TV shows. So when the time came to put forth the vote, all they had to do was remind the public of all the shows they had watched for the past decades.
Now, the next generation is feeling the effects. If you read through any public community group in eastern Massachusetts you will see complaints of coyotes and foxes running around peoples property. People are afraid for their kids and pets. But what can be done? In most cases these communities are so urbanized that you can't hunt them accurately and be 500' from an occupied dwelling. Anyone who's familiar with trapping knows it's nearly impossible to trap a canine in a cage. Last year, of all the animals taken in the trapping season, only one coyote was reported.
If we want to prevent further handicapping to our lifestyle, we need to understand that the anti groups are using myths to ban different practices. Knowing these myths, we can educate our communities on the truth and prevent further bans.
Myth 1: Hunters are Drunk Rednecks with Guns Myth 2: Killing Bambi's mom
I'm addressing these myths together because the overall myth is that there's no regulations on hunting and trapping. The sale of wild game meat is illegal. Being under the influence while hunting is illegal. There are hunting and trapping seasons to prevent issues like killing a doe while her fawns are still dependent on her. While most hunters do take trophies from the animals they harvest, the primary reason for taking the animal is for food.
Myth 3: The Trophy Hunter
What the majority of the population views as a trophy hunter does not exist. For the majority of hunters, the trophy is a secondary bonus. We hunt because we want to eat the meat of the animal. If it happens that a 10pt 180" buck happened to be our target, that's a bonus. No hunter is out there killing an animal, decapitating it, and leaving the body in the woods to rot. In most states, it's actually illegal to let wild game meat spoil. The random guy that is seen doing this is usually a poacher, and is also viewed with contempt from the sportsman community as a whole.
Myth 4: Sportsmen and women are against conservation
People actually believe that hunters walk out into the woods with a gun and shoot everything that moves. The average hunters spends countless hours tracking and reading signs and looking for specific animals to harvest. They selectively remove animals from the habitat to allow other animals to grow larger and healthier. On top of that, a majority of the money used by the government for conservation efforts is paid for by hunters. Never have I heard a hunter say "I sure wish I could kill all of the deer in the county". Why? They want to be able to hunt deer next year... and the year after. They want their children to have the chance to hunt those animals when they grow up. The entire conservation movement was started and supported by hunters.
There are countless other myths out there that have become propaganda for the anti movement, but these are the major ones I see. If we want our lifestyle to survive, we need to make sure the general public knows the facts. We can't allow them to vote based on some disproportionate level of blood and gore that the anti community portrays like they have in the past. Everyone out there knows a hunter, which means everyone has access to the facts. However, if we remain in hiding, we risk losing it all.
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