The anti-hunting industry has almost disappeared from the limited status it once held on the national media and entertainment landscape of the 1980’s and 1990’s. The public’s view on hunting has increasingly been leaning towards the positive for the last 15 years. Hunting’s favorability ratings are at an all-time high. Hunting has been a part of this country since its founding, but it has also been under attack for decades. The anti-hunters have really come up with some ridiculous claims as their organizations get more and more desperate to raise funds to finance their metropolitan lifestyles and political relevance. Here are some of their common claims that are beyond hilarious.
On its website, In Defense of Animals (IDA) describes bowhunting as, “An invention of the stone age, still alive in the 21st century, bowhunting is a twisted form of amusement for those who enjoy killing animals without regard to their pain and suffering.” I have never read a more hysterical and desperate group of words that prove an organization’s ignorance.
First off, no hunter enjoys killing animals. Killing is a visceral result of the hunt and no hunter takes it lightly or enjoys it. Period. Only psychopaths enjoy killing of any kind. I have worked in two war zones where many a trigger has been pulled and I can guarantee that killing is enjoyed by no human being who is sane.
Secondly, there is nothing cruel about bowhunting. In fact, there is no quieter and cleaner killer than a sharp broadhead on a silent bow. I always enjoy mentioning the time I shot a cow elk feeding on a huckleberry bush. I shot her through the lungs at six feet away. The sound of my bowstring startled her into lifting her head to lazily investigate the sound and then she went back to feeding on the bush for the last few seconds of her life as she fell asleep on her feet and fell over dead. She literally never knew what hit her. That is what efficient bowhunting is all about.
Another wild claim by the IDA is that bowhunters have some sort of psychological disorder or disconnect that they are feeding by hunting innocent animals. This is so ludicrous I hate even mentioning it, but I have to. Every bowhunter I have ever known is dedicated to practicing their craft and fearful of failing at it. It takes great effort to be a bowhunter and it takes even more effort to take on the responsibility of filling up your own freezer instead of paying a supermarket to do their killing for them.
Being a hunter is awesome.
