Hostility against other hunters....

[huntrfishr]

WHY is it that I sense some hostility of posters against others posting in this forum?
Is it because we hide on an ALIAS?
WELL I should maybe start with myself then.
Kind of clear a little bit of the air and introduce myself.

My name is Louie David, the LAST NAME is David.
I started hunting since 1970 and camped in the snow my first year in Canada from the Philippines.
We had guns when I was a youngster but it was for protection and shooting targets so that we had a chance to hit if we had to shoot back. I am no expert at anything.
I am retired and worked in a teaching lab at University of Guelph for 33 years involving a couple of courses Doctors of Veterinary Medicine students have to take in their first year.
This lead me to a lot of reading on matters related to their first year courses.
So I know a little bit of everything but not hardly enough.
The 40 yrs of hunting and fishing taught me to observe in the field and I am sill doing that even today.
So some of my post will relate to that.
Whenever I post I try not to involve the poster but try and concentrate on the subject in hope of helping somehow.
I am sorry that sometimes when I re read my post I sounded like impolite but It is NOT my intention.
So if sometimes I post and it sounds like it's hostile please give me the benefit of the doubt as my intentions are good albeit it doesn't always look that way.....
CHEERS,

louie

[duckduckgoose]

I think that I'm hostile or appear hostile in two ways towards hunters and anglers.

I am hostile towards those people who I feel aren't appropriate to represent me as a hunter in the public's eye. I absolutely don't want to be painted with the same brush as some people who want to represent our communities.

And I sometimes appear hostile to people whom I don't think have well thought out ideas (whether I agree with them or not). This hostility is more just a well-intended scrutiny, because if I, a hunter and angler, can make your idea seem silly, someone who doesn't support hunting or angling is going to jump all over you.

[HuntCamp'r]

I think that what get's us into trouble sometimes is that we are not careful about how we draw the line between giving a personal opinion and passing judgement on others.

[Jeeptag]

I think that what get's us into trouble sometimes is that we are not careful about how we draw the line between giving a personal opinion and passing judgement on others.

Very well said.

Good topic!

It was reading the book Hunting with the Bow and Arrow by Dr. Saxton Pope that showed me that hunting ethics are not black and white, but many shades of grey.

[Fox]

Ethics are personal, if enough people believe in these ethics they become law, hence why we now have anterless tags and seasons for all types of fish and game.

I have noticed a lot of different hostility out there this past season, in-fighting will do nothing to further our sports. Just because you do not like an ATV going by you on private land does not mean every guy on at ATV is good for nothing punk. Or the hunter who only gets out on weekends is not necessarily a bad hunter. Same thing goes for those who choose to keep fish and take game. If you are legally allowed to take the game or the fish that is your choice and you will abide by your personal ethics, if someone disagrees with this then please stick with the old saying "if you don't have something nice to say don't say anything".

My name is Rodney, I grew up around Waterloo, I moved to Ottawa to attend school and completed College as a Mechanical Technologist. I am 28 years old, I have been hunting since I was 15 and have been in the field with my dad while he was hunting since I was 11 or 12. He took me shooting when I was 6, controlled of course, we used to shoot pop cans in behind grandpas barn. I have hunted deer with bow, rifle and shotgun, I probably know more then I should about firearms but hey, I have a passion for this stuff. I have been fishing since I was 3, started out with my mom and holding me with 1 hand and keeping the rod from going over the side with the other.

Lets get out from behind the curtain of a computer screen, good on you Louie for starting this.

[canthitathing]

I believe the apparent hostility comes from primarily two sources: a blinkered view of things and the brevity that online posting entails.

Nobody really wants to write a novel here (although some posts have been pretty long, lol) so thoughts can't be fully "fleshed out" which means that others "interpret" comments and fill in the gaps with their own blinkered views. Re-reading ones own posts or replies before hitting the "post it" button would go a long way (spelling too guys, wow, this texting craze makes for terrible spellers).

Forums are a venue for opinions and we all know that they vary greatly, either through a lack of concrete knowledge, a "but thats the way I was taught/told/heard", etc. Some make a joke that gets interpreted as an attack too but some of the joking comments are a hoot (icons indicating the seriousness of the comment are a helpful indication). Even with the occasional spat, I find this forum an enjoyable place to review from time to time, sometimes even helpful, lol.

[flippin]

Wow great ''topic'' And this should be for every1 to read! So far posts are very accurate, and I 'agree'' with everything that has been said. Not every1 means harm or nagitivity, it just comes out by some1 reading before thinking about it.
Anyways safe hunting an play safe even ''on the ice''. flip

[Shellz48]

So glad this was brought up, and some great comments posted. Sometimes though, some of us (including me) need to be 'schooled'. Sometimes those lessons are not sugar-coated, but has a bigger impact. You can cry about it, or learn from it. I choose to learn, and not take gruff comments personally. I've learned a lot in a short time here and can say that, without a doubt, this is a forum full of positive, ethical, intelligent folks! I respect the person who 'schooled' me - he taught me something about myself. As a result, I think it made me a better person. In any case, the tone of some comments can be misinterpreted sometimes. Its the nature of any kind of forum, where there's no face-to-face conversation. Emoticons help! Let's be thoughtful, but stay true to ourselves too! getting off my soapbox now.

[rick_iles]

So glad this was brought up, and some great comments posted. Sometimes though, some of us (including me) need to be 'schooled'. Sometimes those lessons are not sugar-coated, but has a bigger impact. You can cry about it, or learn from it. I choose to learn, and not take gruff comments personally. I've learned a lot in a short time here and can say that, without a doubt, this is a forum full of positive, ethical, intelligent folks! I respect the person who 'schooled' me - he taught me something about myself. As a result, I think it made me a better person. In any case, the tone of some comments can be misinterpreted sometimes. Its the nature of any kind of forum, where there's no face-to-face conversation. Emoticons help! Let's be thoughtful, but stay true to ourselves too! getting off my soapbox now.

You are right on with this statement ! During my career, I've been called up on the carpet, so to speak, many times due to this very thing. Email is the worst way to carry on a conversation, in my opinion. Very often the receiver misinterprets what the sender is relating, simply because the received can't benefit by the senders voice inflection, mannerisms and tone.
Further, alcohol and keyboards don't mix....
And then there are others...........

[JUDGE]

Personaly I think too many posters have thin skin and upset over minor comments.
I post what I like, and think someone else would like to read.
Other than that I don't care about any negetive comments that come of it.

But I do beleive if you can't say anything good, or benificial, then don't comment.