Hunting trophies take many forms . For some , a successful hunt , regardless of age class , size or limits , is the trophy . Sometimes a hunting trophy is a meal shared with friends or family . For many of us , using the hide , horns , feathers , skulls or other parts to make a replica of the animal for the wall , jewelry or clothing is the trophy ; the embodiment and memory of the hunt . Memorializing the hunt with a trophy is natural . It ’ s a snapshot of the entire hunt , and it ’ s a powerful practice people have engaged in since the beginning of time , as you ’ ll see in this issue .
The animal-right movement , however , has vilified these physical reminders , distorting them into emblems of ego and wanton waste . While you and I know nothing is further from the truth ( it ’ s actually using all of the animal ), this
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is how animal-rights activists portray any trophy – and in this day and age , every hunt is a trophy hunt in their view .
They espouse this idea in their literature , press releases and social media , where sensational headlines and quotes get ink and repeated by readers . Make no mistake : animal-rights activists want to end all hunting . By labeling every hunt as a trophy hunt , they can legitimize the need to the unknowning public .
In the last few years , we ’ ve seen a new tactic to end hunting emerge : making the trophy itself illegal . Literally , making it illegal to import and possess parts of animals that have already been killed . It ’ s taking place right now in California , New York and at the federal level . We ’ ve now defeated it twice in California , in New Jersey and in Connecticut – where penalties for possession were
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equivalent to manslaughter . The Humane Society of the United States and other organizations are focusing on these states , which are friendly to their cause , in hopes of gaining a toehold for their belief system , and then they ’ ll use that to pressure other states to follow suit .
By making the possession of body parts from already killed animals illegal – not the actual killing of the animal , just the possession of parts used in taxidermy – the animal-rights movement hopes to remove that incentive , that desire to honor and display the animal in our homes as people have done for thousands of years , and end hunting overseas . And while legislation focuses on African species right now , consider the fact that once a state bans the possession of animal parts from one place , how hard is it to ban the possession of parts taken in
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other places , even within the United States ?
You and I know that this philosophy is misguided , even wasteful , but that ’ s how the animal-rights movement works . The Sportsmen ’ s Alliance will keep fighting to protect your passions , and your right to memorialize those passions and relive the hunt with friends and family .
Evan Heusinkveld President and CEO
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