Exactly this. Anyone can stand strong on their own point of view. What makes a difference is when we open our mind enough to consider someone elsespoint of view. Like it or not it's the world we live in, people are going to have strongly different opinions. As a Bowhunter for almost 30 years, I always have my guard up. However I try to look at things from other peoples perspective because it is not just about ME and my opinion as a hunter. There are other people in this world with their own thoughts that need to be taken into consideration.
I can promise you my skin is pretty thick. The pic looks stupid. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
There ARE other people on this world. Some kill and eat giraffes. Nothing about this photo is wrong. Some just don’t like it. As a bow hunter for over 30 years, I’ve learned that will happen many times. Unless you completely avoid showing ANY pics of dead animals, regardless of how cleanly or how ethically you took it, you will anger or insult someone by doing so. This hunter killed an animal. And even among hunters, there are those angry and offended. The OP from the start was using terms showing a biased hate even before the link about the situation was posted. “Spoiled”, “rich”, and all the rest of it. That’s saying more about this than that pic of a hunter with an animal.
True, any trophy pic we post WILL upset the other side. For some reason, these exotic animal photo's seem to grab everyones attention quicker. The OP is a great dude, he's been around here for a long as time. He has a profession that goes unthanked on most days, while dealing with the scum of our society. He's put more miles on his boots hunting public land then many have ever thought of, and has logged most of his adventures on this forum. I respect the hell out of the guy.
I can't be certain, but I'm fairly confident this young lady didn't take one bite of this giraffe. I'm sure dozens of others enjoyed it and that's great, but don't act like she was just there filling her freezer for the winter.
It's a sad day when hunters need to hide evidence of their killing from public view in order to avoid death threats and public ridicule - from both friend and foe alike.
I see where you are coming from but in all honesty this picture is no different than one of us sitting behind a whitetail we had just killed. Is this different because it's a different species of animal, or because the way she's posing with the animal (I'm assuming it's because of the way she is "posing" with the animal)? I see nothing wrong with the picture myself, but also see where concern would come from in regards to the anti's and shining a bad light on ethical means of hunting.
No. You can’t be certain. And I’m not “acting” like anything. I’m stating facts. She wasn’t “filling a freezer”? The same can be said for anyone that hunts anything. Do you think there are deer hunters that eat all they kill? I’ve known some that don’t eat any of it. They give it away. Does that mean they can’t hunt? Of course not.
I don't care that she killed a giraffe. I'm just saying don't justify it by saying "some people eat giraffes". Call it what it is. A trophy hunt. Which I'm not against at all as long as someone is getting the meat. But she didn't go to Africa because she was craving a giraffe burger.
The photo is tastefully done, yet I don't care for it. A giraffe is not a "norm" in our society, therefore, it will draw the ire of our culture. I don't care what she hunts legally, nor does it mean I have to support it because she's "one of us". If, as a hunting culture, we want to fight the issue, we need to take a stand on the commercialization of hunting (shows, social media, etc.), take hunting back to being fun rather than how many people will "like me" or who can I offend. Hunting shows that "give away" meat is sad; if you kill that many animals a year, you are killing for fun/monetary gain, not sport. The respect for the game is lost if you are just out to take a life. I'm not saying giving a deer or two to these programs is bad, but if the entire purpose is based on "let's kill something then justify the kill by dumping the carcass off for someone else to deal with" is ridiculous. Rant off. Pot stirred.
Personally I'm not sure how to feel about this. I live for deer hunting and I would love to kill a huge buck, but I am not a fan of true "trophy hunting". That being said, I know that this type of hunting serves multiple valid purposes. As to this hunter posting this picture, I can see it from both sides. Yes, it was obviously a "trophy hunt" but nothing wrong or illegal was done (as far as anyone knows), so she should have every right to post any "hero shot" she wants and she should be able to do it without getting blasted by anyone, especially fellow hunters. On the other hand, to post a pic like this on social media in today's crazy, bass-ackwards, volatile climate is just asking for an online beat-down, complete with death threats from unhinged liberal wing nuts who now value their twisted ideologies more than they value human life. It's one thing to chase your dreams, achieve your goals, be proud of your accomplishments and stand firm in your beliefs. In my opinion it's something quite different to flaunt those beliefs and accomplishments in the face of a huge group of people who have such strong opinions against them. I'll defend my accomplishments and my beliefs, but I won't actually search out a situation where I have to fight to defend them.
No one is asking anyone to hide Justin. I love hunting and killing is killing but a dead giraffe slung around a person's neck. Come on. I don't defend all hunters and their actions if they are stupid. Just like some guys on here don't support my thoughts on this subject just bc I'm a hunter. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Me criticizing a picture is so horrible and that one thing defines me and my pathetic life. You sir are one heck of a psychologist. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
We tell our kids in bow hunters ed to post the trophy shot, and a plate of the meal it provides if you really want the non-hunter to support your right to hunt. The antis will not usually listen to reason or fact, but the non-hunter who understands the purpose of the hunt is the best way to stop the erosion of hunting rights. We are such a small part of the population, so our only defense is to get people to understand that hunting is conservation and it provides practical benefits like delicious meals.
While I don't disagree with this approach - I am admittedly frustrated that we've boiled hunting down to the "putting meat on the table" argument as our only way to defend what we do and make it palatable to non-hunters. IMO it's a very simplistic, and not entirely accurate, picture of hunting. So are we doing a disservice to hunting by not even attempting to explain the additional, and more complex, reasons that we hunt? Do I hunt so that I can enjoy the meat from the animals I kill? Partially, yes. But if that were the only reason I would shoot the first animals that strolled by until I was out of tags and then go about my business. My job would be done. But let's be honest - most of us don't do that. We hunt because we enjoy it. We enjoy the fine details of planning the hunt, learning the behaviors of the animals we pursue, improving the habitat for future generations of both humans and game animals to enjoy, spending time reconnecting with nature and because we enjoy the primal battle of man vs. beast and the ultimate feeling of success after a clean kill. Many of these things mean just as much, if not more, to many of us than the simple "meat on the table" argument that we've found as a way to appease those who may disagree with what we do. I don't have the answers to all of the problems, but one thing I do know is that giving in to the likes of Ricky Gervais because he's going to call a woman a c#nt on Twitter is doing nothing to help protect hunting. If we allow ourselves to be shamed into hiding or not sharing our accomplishments due to fear of social media backlash we're doomed.
I absolutely agree Justin. The personal aspects of hunting are huge, and getting people to recognize that hunting is conservation, not just killing and eating, is huge. And to be perfectly honest, I could make a great case that the greatest harm to wildlife comes from people destroying habitat so they can have their McMansion in the heart of the best deer country or elk migration corridors. However, as hunters we need to recognize that our financial contribution to the outdoor industry is soon going to be eclipsed by non-consumptive users, and they are going to start demanding a place at the table on how wildlife is managed and what recreation is permitted on public lands.
I'm not afraid Justin, I just think we need more discretion. Example. 40 years ago a cop arrests a guy for armed robbery and the guy resists arrest by fighting the cops. The guy gets beat down and the local paper shows the cops standing by a beaten and battered robber in handcuffs. The local community has no problem with the picture. Flash forward to today. Same scenario. Cops have nothing to hide in that same scenario. But do you think it would be wise for the cops to share a picture of that beaten and battered robbery suspect to the press based on current events? No. Discretion does not equal weakness. I'm a stubborn black and white kind of guy. I've drawn many lines in the sand. Buy im just saying discretion can't hurt. And posting a picture of what many people believe is a higher thinking African mammal on one's instagram or whatever social media page is too much. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
So where is the black and white line that you've drawn? Is all African game off limits or just a specific list of them?
I said I've drawn black and white lines in my life. I don't have one in this instance. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
