How to Defend Hunting
From your Hunting/Shooting Guide

Although it's a sad state of affairs when one has to defend something as basic and wholesome as hunting, from time to time the need will arise. Here's how to best present our side of the story.

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Be sincere. If you don't act like you believe what you're saying, why should anyone else? Put your heart into it, the same way you do when you're hunting.
2. Be polite. I can't stress this enough, especially in forums and all public places. If you let one blowhard get to you and you lose your cool, you've just slammed the door in the face of any others who might have been reading/listening.
3. Let your love for animals show. One thing that non-hunters always have a hard time with is that hunters actually love the game we pursue. Tell them about the time you've spent in a tree stand watching fawns play, etc.
4. Keep it simple. Remember, although you might have grown up around hunting and/or guns, the folks you're talking to probably did not. You're usually starting from scratch when you start explaining that hunters do a whole lot more than kill.
5. Be ready to answer their comebacks. Many non-hunters have been spoon-fed lies about hunting for years. For example, many believe that "trophy hunters" do not use the meat from their kills, which is untrue. Set the record straight.
6. Never concede on an important point. Some things can be agreed with without compromising our position, others cannot. Yes, hunting is barbaric and sometimes brutal. No, hunting is not wrong, and is not murder.
7. Tell them what hunters have done for wildlife. Within the past 100 years, wildlife populations have increased across the USA. This is largely due to hunters footing the bill via Pittman-Robertson and other hunting funds.
8. Don't talk down to them. So they haven't ever sat in the chill of dawn awaiting a flock of ducks or a big buck... that's no reason to belittle anyone. Ignorance is usually defensible, but arrogance rarely is.
9. Be positive. Wear a smile; folks will almost always be more willing to listen to what you have to say.
10. Know when to quit. Sometimes you'll find you're dealing with tightly closed minds that can't or won't concede that they could be wrong. In that case, you're sometimes better off agreeing to disagree.
    

Tips:

1. Don't pick fights. If you see or hear someone defaming hunting and/or hunters, then by all means, jump in and set them straight. But don't go starting a debate for its own sake; it's always harder to reach people when they're on the defensive.
2. Take your time. You don't have to immediately convince anyone that hunting is wonderful. Your goal is to demonstrate that it isn't wrong, and to plant a seed of respect for hunters and hunting.
3. Don't discuss killing any more than necessary. Lots of folks are super-sensitive when it comes to killing animals, and they don't want to hear much about it. Right or wrong, you're ahead if you can learn to respect their wishes.

Related Information:

• Why Hunt?
• Hunting: a Tradition
• Why do Hunters Kill?
• Q&A: Hunters & Killing
• How to Hunt Responsibly
  

More How To's from your Guide to Hunting/Shooting