My FB conversation with an 'Anti'

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To start off, 'he' was congratulating a teacher for speaking to her class why hunting is cruel and 'bad'.

I commented to the teacher to please allow her students to make that choice, and that hunting is eco-friendly.

He then commented that 'ok, maybe deer"

Me
If you don't mind me asking, 'Why only deer?'

Him
Because deer are plentiful and it is part of the food choice of people living in northern
Ontario.....aboriginal people as well.....I see no reason to hunt other animals at all. NONE

Me
I don't live in northern Ontario and enjoy the time spent hunting with family.
In the past year my family and I have enjoyed squirrel, deer, bear, moose, goose,
duck, fish, veggies (roadside, and garden). All very tasty, eco-friendly, real organic
options. Harvested, cleaned, and prepared with my hands. My fav this fall were apples
my family and I picked on the road side and then made some apple crisp with.

Me
All animals and fruit and veggies above are plentiful.

Me
What bothers me is people who eat meat, and don't want others to hunt. To see food from
field to table, means that you have to ..... recon your self with the world around you,
and actually be ok with taking that animals life, and doing the 'dirty work' to put it
in front of your family.

Do you eat meat?


Him
actually that's good......and you are right...those animals are plentiful..but eating
bear....no......personal preference...roadside apples into apple crisp....love it! I am
sorry...thought you were going to be one of those smart types....I think I was
wrong...I just see no reason for killing animals for all the wrong reasons like the
rhino and elephants.

Him
Yes I eat meat.....and grew up with farm folk so have killed chickens and was at pig
roasts etc etc

Me
I agree about the rhino and elephants. But, I try to remember I am just some guy
in Ontario who gets a 'message' from the media (perhaps bias or not). The man or
woman who kills a rhino or elephant might have no other alternative to feed their
family. You know, I think the world is a lesser place anytime any species is lost,
but in those parts of the world there are different values and needs at play. Maybe not.

Me
If this is the case the only way to truly protect them is the put them in a fenced in
'reserve' or hire those that would otherwise hunt them and pay them to look after them.
Not sure about this one.

Me
Also, if you would like to join me on a hunt for ducks or geese this fall you are more
than welcome. I feel it is very important for non-hunters to meet or experience what
hunting is. It is not just about killing animals and leaving them to rot. I have invited
the entire staff at the place that I work at. None have joined me, but most have tried some well
prepared BBQ'd goose I bring in on occasion.

Me
I have not killed any of our chickens yet. We have a few egg layers. They also make for great
'pets' and a responsibility for the kids. They are much more eco-friendly than say a dog or a cat.
They provide that 'pet like kinship' but also eat left overs from the kitchen and lay eggs.
When our chickens stop laying regular, I give them to a friend who gets a few more eggs out of them
for another year or two, then they are consumed.

Him
I can see the people who actually live in Africa living off the land so to speak....but the Chinese
are in there and doing damage ......there are huge reserves in Africa where the animals are protected
but poachers still get in and kill....yep the locals are paid very very little while the Chinese
are reaping huge rewards. I have hunted a little years ago but didn't enjoy it.

Me
Thanks for the discussion.
If you have a chance to support a return of the spring bear hunt here in Ontario, please do.
It is an opportunity that has been taken from my family, and has also had an economic impact on
central and northern folk.

Thanks.

Him
Nice speaking with you as well...I will think about the bear hunt.

Me
night

Him
Night.



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I saw an opportunity to change the thinking of an anti, I hope I did.

Entropy

Even if you didn't you did a great job trying.... nice.

Thank You for the "report". It was a very nice ,detailed and friendly conversation, with a high chance of " improving understanding "so to say, as far I can see.
Do not take it wrong(not patronizing or something) yet I must say-Good Job!
Gbk

Good job, nice respectful way to come by it and hopefully change a few of his views. Not quite sure on your view of African safaris though you may want to look into the benefits of that yourself.

An excellent non confrontational dialogue to stimulate the thought process. Well done.

Very diplomatic of you on the part of all hunters and outdoor enthusiasts. Congrats for your efforts.

outback

Nice job. A lot of credit has to go to the person you were talking to that was open minded enough to listen to your sensible point of view.

Good stuff! It's been my experience that the antis I've encountered are the foaming-at-the-mouth loony-tunes type,virtually impossible to have a rational conversation with.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by trimmer21

Good stuff! It's been my experience that the antis I've encountered are the foaming-at-the-mouth loony-tunes type,virtually impossible to have a rational conversation with.

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My experience also. A buddies wife, who is also a grade 3 teacher, is the epitome of "anti". She will however, gobble up a bbq burger like there's no tomorrow. I've also seen her at a breakfast buffet we have gone to, load her plate with eggs, ham, sausage and bacon. But let someone bring up the topic of hunting and she goes ballistic? At the risk of ruining a friendship with my buddy, I can't say much to her. she just doesn't get the connection?

Well done.

More people can learn from this exchange. To be fair however, both of you were respectful from the get go. In many of these conversations, many either let their mouths get away from them, or they simply refuse to have an open dialogue. The conversation then degenerates into insults, and juvenile behavior.

We all need to remember that when someone comes at our activities ( no matter how close they are to our hearts), we must try to be polite, and open. To do otherwise makes us look like the cavemen that PETA thinks we are.

great job. I hope this discussion was in a public forum on facebook.

Well done.

I think you were very polite. IMO the teacher has no right to share opinions on this subject to students. I would have jumped aboard of him and told him to keep his left wing views to himself.

Very well spoken! It is way better to talk civil about such a topic than to go all defensive and get both sides up in arms cause nether side wins then. This will give him a lot to ponder and hopefully respect for our sport

Well done.

I had a co worker on my facebook from our Southern Branch, who didn't agree with my hunting activities and posts, and proceeded to attack me and hunters on my page.

I took the diplomatic, factual approach like you did, but he didn't return the favor and it got nasty (on his end) I kept it professional and then just removed him after he wouldn't quite.

A year later I was down in waterloo in meetings, at which point I had forgotten all about it, he strolls into the room and pulls up a chair beside me and shakes my hand and apologizes, said after the rant he took sometime to google what I was telling him (his issue was with baiting/camera use on bears, stating that it's an execution when you setup surveillance on them and them and entrap them with some food so you know when to setup the hit)

Said after googling the points I had made he realized why we do things a certain way and while he still wasn't in favor of hunting as a whole, he no longer viewed the bear hunting tactic as a "hit" but rather an ethical way to selectively hunt a bear, ensure there are no cubs in tow, etc.

He still isn't allowed on my facebook but he got some points for approaching me afterwards.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by trimmer21

Good stuff! It's been my experience that the antis I've encountered are the foaming-at-the-mouth loony-tunes type,virtually impossible to have a rational conversation with.

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^same here. I only enter a dialogue on the subject (these days) because I want to try and make sure my kids...and their kids...have the same opportunities I enjoy. I actually get a little defensive about the subject, mostly because if get confronted about my interest in firearms/hunting out of the blue...at a party for instance...(it's happened) I'm usually deeply offended that anyone feels they have the right to judge me about something that has ZERO impact on them. I wouldn't dream of telling someone off about the lawful things they like to do with their free time, and I seldom feel the need to bring anyone like that around to my way of thinking.

Your exchange~good for you. Sounds like you had a pretty reasonable person on the other end of it. Well done! :)

I have a family member(who is a fishermen) call me a murderer... He's an anti... The rest of my family are nones.. They are fine with hunting and gladly except meat... Just don't want to kill the animal themselves... Family get to get here's often get into heated arguments with the one guy and me...

well done... very well done!

Nice good job..and you right on the money bulldog

Two weeks ago my sister inlaw had a party at her home. All city people, all politically correct, some with strong socialist views. My wife told me to zip it! Anyway I brought a large tray of venison summer sausage. This chap comes up to me and I told him that it was a deer that I had shot last fall. He goes into a long rant about what his views on hunters where. We're bloodthirsty and just kill things for fun etc. He was a professor form the University in London. I politely explained where he had gotten off course, the benefits of wild game. The fact that all the money that goes into environmental issues comes from us, how we keep herd numbers balanced and that most hunters are ardent environmentalists. He was most impressed and said he now saw things from a different point of view. Then the SOB ate all of the venison summer sausage.

......

bravo!

I must say when I read the title, it looked like it was going to be a rather negative one sided "hunting should be outlawed" conversation. You did an exceptional job attempting to change this persons attitude towards hunting and it appears that it may have worked

funny, today I was working with a co-worker who also hunts and all day we have been talking hunting and getting the itch for the upcoming season. we met an inspector on the job site that we were friendly with and he asked 'how can you kill a cute innocent deer?"

with out going into the detailed conversation, we asked if he ate beef and aren't they cute and innocent as well and taste great between a bun or beside some fresh vegetables and mashed potatoes?

A short conversation and by the end of it he was very inquisitive about hunting and showed a respectful interest.

I think people just are not exposed to it enough. Imagine most have never had any experience with it first hand or the chance to speak to any one about it to answer or rebut any of there misguided thoughts. A little composure and understanding goes a long way.

Great job on your conversation, you represented us well and seem to have opened someones mind to the fact that just because it is not his thing, it is acceptable for others for there own reasons.

Thanks for all the good words.

I got some geese today, and will cook up a bunch of it tomorrow and take it to work (lots of well educated, well-of,f Liberal, city people) on Monday. I will put some out in the lunch room and invite everyone to try some. I will try to extend an invite to anyone interested to come along on my next hunt (I know no one will come, but the gesture of good will, and openness to come see is there).

[ we don't run off to the woods, marshes, and fields, dressed in camo, to hide ourselves from the 'general public', we do because that is how, and where it happens.]

Please do the same, IF you feel comfortable, and feel like your colleagues won't prosecute you, for your leisure activities.

Entropy