Hunting: Bringing Back the Positive Image

Hunting, and all the traditions associated with it, has been around for hundreds of years. It provided meat for the table, while at the same time connected man to Mother Earth, and gave him a great appreciation of nature and the circle of life. Hunting has also evolved with the times, while still holding on to its pure and natural roots. Why is it then that hunting in this modern time has such a negative stigma associated with it?

Part of the blame for the negative feeling that surrounds hunting is directly related to the media. The only stories about hunting that make the news are the negative ones. You never hear about the hunters who donated their extra venison to the local food shelter. All you are going to hear is the story about the guy down the street who accidentally shot himself while hunting. The negative story is always what makes the news, not the positive.

Another direct factor of the negative image that surrounds hunters and hunting is the public's increased exposure to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States), and other extreme animal rights groups. These groups tend to sell their ideas with scare tactics, and ambush the average person before they have time to educate themselves about the group's message and underlying agenda. These groups tend to not paint the correct picture of what a hunter really is, and thereby shelter the public from all of the positive things that hunting itself has done for animal habitat and species preservation.

The biggest factor contributing to the negative hunter image in society today is hunters themselves. I know that doesn't seem to make sense, but I feel that even though I am a hunter myself, that many hunters portray a certain image without even realizing what they are doing. I think many hunters don't take into account what kind of image they are portraying to a person who does not hunt. There was a certain time period when hunting was readily accepted and this wasn't an issue, but I think that hunters today have to make sure that they are conveying the correct hunter image in order to preserve our love for the outdoors.