Can hunters and non-hunters honour shared values?

[smallgamer]

An interesting article:

http://www.petersenshunting.com/cons...shared-values/

[trimmer21]

Is it ever and very timely,too. The author's logic and insight is bang on IMO.

[hunteronwheels]

great article

[MikePal]

Hard to take advice from a born again vegan...LOL..

While I agree in part; we have for many years a plethora of hunting shows on TV that portrait hunters in the best possible light. They have been on the air for years showing the general public what our sport is all about. Even on Sat mornings for the kids to watch.

Has that help curtail the views of anti hunters..have they helped to educate fence sitters ?

It's not like we're a silent minority. Places like CT's new Hunting sections in a family store environment exposes people to the equipment we use and shows that hunting is an acceptable sport. Almost every community around here has Gun Shows and Wild Game nights at the community centers. I don't think there is much hidden from view, we get lots of exposure and no one is in doubt what it is all about.

Yet there is always a strong anti-hunter sentiment. Disney/Pixar are ensuring kids are imprinted early on that animals have human personalities etc and to expect that later in live they will easily accept that killing them is normal just doesn't work. My own daughter is one of them, her love of animals will never accept that I can kill them. But we live around that conflict.

I honestly don't see that taking the Jehovha Witness approach and preaching our cause would be productive. Especially since as a fraternity we can't seem to get a grip on what it moral or ethical acceptable amongst ourselves.

[jim]

Well done. My thoughts exactly!!

[JBen]

Mike, one of the points and perhaps the main theme the writer covers is.

We don't listen. In part because there is this "pick a side mentality". In the bear thread, people who think it's inhumane are accused of "not being with us". Maybe the time has come ( in large part thanks to social media) and we start "listening" to those shares values. As well as working to promote the positive aspects. And I personally thinks that's true, because as I said "we haven't learned" yet, the power of FB.

"I've just done something no-one else has. Look at me, I was on the ground, no back back up, do you see any shotguns".......
aka "look at me". That's not promoting hunting, that's promoting himself.

Then to, the writer touches on the pre-occupation of antlers, big racks, etc, etc. look at the cover of any 6 or 12 magazines this fall. Let me know how many small bucks/Bulls you see. Or simply great atmospheric images you see. Why do all magazines still use images of Trophy Bulls/bucks.?

Because its what "we", want.

Great article.

[Gilroy]

Good reading.

[MikePal]

Well OK run a test case up the flag pole...

So far I haven't seen any Hunter Organization come out to support or condemn the 'Spear Bear' hunt and the actions by Josh Bowmar...there is a reason for that..it's a no win situation.

So let's test the article...

Hunters need not, and will not, articulate a single, unified code of ethics. We will not speak with one voice. But we do need to confront ethical issues. What do you think makes non-hunters more likely to question the value of hunting: moral debates among hunters or our resounding silence on moral matters?

How does the hunting community mount a 'moral' debate on this particular bear hunt, to put up a united front to the public that doesn't even want us to hunt bears in the first place? Why should we even try..

One of the most common complaints (comments section) made by the anti's is the aspect of baiting the poor bear....how can we as hunters offer a moral or ethical debate on that topic, when we can't even agree ourselves....

Sometime the 'resounding silence' is the best approach..look at what happens to the NRA ever time it tries to handle the 'moral' issue of gun ownership with the public after a tragedy in the US...

[Gilroy]

[COLOR=#333333]"Sometime the 'resounding silence' is the best approach..look at what happens to the NRA ever time it tries to handle the 'moral' issue of gun ownership with the public after a tragedy in the US..."

I agree playing possum is much better than posting the hunt on the internet for all to see and the majority of whom do not understand hunting in the first place.

[MikePal]

I think people need to read a little more into what is being said here...and be a little bit more skeptical.

The other option is to honor and address shared values. Faced with questions and criticisms, we can listen for the beliefs being voiced.

If we adopt a shared value approach, that means things like; bowhunting seen as a poor way to dispatch an animal quickly by the anti's or baiting bears as been unfair chase to the animal may have to go to the wayside to accommodate the 'values' of the antis.

How about displaying Trophy's, a practice that is taboo by antis as it show the 'real' side to why guys hunt. How do we honor and address those concerns of the anti hunting crowd....Is there a logical response that can be made or do we just take them down ?