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Every year the stupidity of some people who call themselves hunters never ceases to amaze me. Someone shot a mule deer buck in Uptown Butte Montana, out of season and breaking local firearms laws. Sometimes you just can’t make this stuff up.
Every one of us as a sportsman is an ambassador for the lifestyle that we live and love. We have a responsibility to educate the public that these are not the things that we as hunters support or do. We cannot allow the poor representation of what poachers do hurt our cause.
It doesn’t take long scrolling through social media to see that the anti hunters are out in full force, especially this time of year. They comment on every success photo they see making sure we are aware they think we aren’t real men. They threaten to harm us and our families because we have destroyed an animal’s family. You and I know that this isn’t how the animal world works and we know that there is no bigger proponent for the species we hunt than ourselves.
To turn the tide, here are a few things that we can do to help the non hunting public see the best of who we are as hunters.
- Report wildlife violations when you see them. Everyone wins when we follow game laws and police ourselves. Chances are this isn’t the first violation the poacher in Butte has committed, if someone reports the violator then it will be the last.
- Take the time to take good pictures at the kill site and post those to social media. That picture of you and buddies standing over your bull while you field dress him may be a great memory. To the non-hunting public this looks gruesome and over violent, make sure what you post on social media is tactful. The better the pictures the better your chances of being published as well.
- Be involved. There are more conservation organizations out there than I can count. Do your research, pick your cause and donate. Comment when things like grizzly bear delisting is proposed and attend meetings when new regulations come around in your state.
If we all practice these things we may just beat the anti hunters at their own game. Involved, educated, tactful people are always a force to be reckoned with. Make sure you tag us with the #myhuntstory hashtag in your social media and we may just send you a hat and T-shirt for participating!
See you in the field!
Poaching is disgusting & disrespectful to all wildlife … and a huge insult to all legitimate hunters! All poachers should be reported promptly…
Poaching is not hunting. If you are going to do it, at least call it what it is. Don’t pretend you are a hunter.
lot of good points here but I doubt if one person turns in the poacher that he will stop poaching.
I wish US fish and wildlife and our local state wildlife agency has harder consequences on poachers. Band all this idiots from hunting for life and cut their privileges of owning firearms!
It’s not a privilege to own firearms is a damn RIGHT.
Amen!
These are the guys who give us a bad name! No respect ! Thieves !
The person who did this is not a hunter but a shitbag slob. We need stiffer game laws and penalties here in the US.
im on a hunting vacation out in the woods of oregon right now sitting in the back of my suburban and checked email. Hit the link to this blog and see a nice buck that some dirtbag a$$hole poached makes my wanna puke up my mt house I just ate.
We NEED STIFF FINES 5000+ and loss of all hunting and fishing in all states for 10 years.
Poachers are NOT hunters they are the lowest form of life and lower than whale poop.
That’s why I love to hunt solo or with only one or two very special friends. Sometimes we have conflicts with the timing of the special hunts and our vacation time. We join up after the season to share our notes. These (poachers) people have no respect for themselves or our hunting heritage and that’s a big shame. They are just “LOSERS!!!!” in every sense of the word.
Some people are just plain idiots. They don’t have any respect for anything and even less respect for themselves. That’s part of the reason i hunt by myself! And i also don’t hunt on weekends because there are to many crazies out there. I hunt during the week when the only people i see are old like me.
There is no excuse for poaching! However I don’t believe that we need more laws and rules. That seems to be the way of America anymore, something happens and instantly we need to make more rules and laws. Before we know it we will all be backed into a corner unable to do a damn thing.
Garanteed the person that did this is no hunter and never has been. Hes a city punk gangster wannabe same ones that have zero respect for anything outdoors.