Lascaux France by Roundicons . com from the Noun Project ; Captured Expressions Taxidermy
Yet , when that same group of people are polled about trophy hunting , the support drops astronomically . Those reasonable people equate the qualifier “ trophy ” with antithetical ideas such as wanton waste and ego .
As hunters , we know that ’ s emphatically not the case . Hunting for a mature animal , regardless of species , requires dedication , hard work , skill and luck . It also means younger animals are passed up , allowed to live for future seasons ( which might not happen in the case of a “ meat ” hunt ). Biologically , a mature animal has likely bred many times over , ensuring genetic diversity within the population and fulfilling his biological role .
However , the animal-rights movement has seized on this misperception , and has crafted emotional messaging that paints all hunting as nothing but wasteful killing for the satisfaction of a minority of hunters . They frame the hunt as anything but fair chase , and claim only to want to end this one deadly practice – be it for " charismatic megafauna " overseas or predators here .
A plethora of practices now constitute “ trophy ” hunting , when in reality they are nothing more than regulated hunting and wildlife management . As a result , everything from bear hunting in Pennsylvania to mountain lion hunting in Arizona has been depicted as trophy hunts . Native hunting practices in Alaska , which were restored as part of a broader lawsuit after the Sportsmen ’ s Alliance sued the federal government , have been portrayed as trophy hunts in the media when they don ’ t even pertain to recreational hunting ( see pg . 12 ). What ’ s more , several states have introduced legislation banning even the possession of taxidermy of many African species .
Sportsmen must overcome this idea : that taxidermy is somehow equitable to wanton waste . While that might be hard to parlay in mainstream media , we can all do our part within our sphere of influence to shape the perceptions of the nonhunters . To that end , the truth about hunting trophies .
Trophies are part of Human Nature
As much as animal-rights activists love to portray taxidermy on the walls of our homes as unnatural , egocentric and psychopathic , it ’ s anything but .
Every culture on every continent throughout time has displayed trophies of the hunt . Primitive man carved and painted animals and scenes from the hunt on the walls of their caves . Indigenous people worldwide wore the skins , feathers and bones of the animals they killed , not just out of necessity , but for ritualistic display and to differentiate between political or social standing in their society .
Documentation and commemoration of the hunt takes place from prehistoric time through ancient Egypt , China and Greece , where tomb walls and papyrus scrolls were adorned with imagery recording the use of weapons , horses , nets , dogs , falcons and the prey taken . Medieval tapestries were hung on walls of homes depicting the same scenes .
This universal desire to record and relive the hunt is obviously nothing
Prehistoric man carved predators and prey on the walls of their caves . Today ' s taxidermy embodies the same instinctual needs .
Every culture on every continent , from prehistoric dwellings and Hellenistic tombs ( below ) to modern homes , has honored the hunt .
SPORTSMEN ’ S MONTHLY
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