death . To nature , death is indivisible from life , one and the same . The carnivores — from wolves and lions to minks and falcons to robins and humans — are as natural and necessary as any herbivores . A gentle , brown-eyed doe is no more beautiful and innocent than any cold-eyed rattlesnake . A diving , ripping , biting eagle is no more noble and majestic than a tip-toeing San bushman with a bow and arrow . A leaping , chasing , snapping pack of wild dogs that eats a zebra alive is no more kind and righteous than a cigar-smoking , goldchain-wearing , high-powered-rifle-toting multimillionaire blasting . 33-caliber holes through a moose .
It makes no sense to despise the human hunter more than the canine hunter . Or the feline hunter . Or the falcon hunter . Except …
Humans know . We know we have the power to wipe out virtually any species . We understand the ramifications of our actions . So , we modify and temper them . Of all nature ’ s carnivores , we alone limit our killing for the benefit of our prey . The golden eagle we imagine to be magnificent and noble would kill and eat the last endangered black-footed ferret on earth and neither know nor care a whit . In some California mountain ranges cougars have been documented killing every last bighorn sheep . They have yet to offer restitution . Cougars have not proposed closing their sheep season . They have not captured and reintroduced brood stock into the depleted ranges . Neither has any wolf been known to forego killing nursing female caribou or snapping up their newborn calves . No wolf pack has agreed to postpone killing moose until they ’ ve matured , reproduced and grown antlers spanning a minimum of 50 inches . No crows or magpies ever observe a closed season on duck eggs .
Despite all the anti-hunter complaints about selfish , greedy , cruel , murderous human hunters , we two-legged predators remain the only animal that has ever exhibited compassion , restraint , kindness , sharing and altruism .
PICTURES DON ’ T TELL THE WHOLE STORY Alas , none of that is depicted in a photo of a beaming hunter behind a dead ram . No anti-hunter and darn few non-hunters see justifiable pride in the accomplishment . None see happiness in the hunter-gatherer having procured a winter ’ s supply of free-range , all-organic , cruelty-free meat ( no confinement , no inoculations , no castration , branding , ear tagging , forced weaning , shipping , slaughterhouse ). They can ’ t imagine the
HOW TO TAKE TASTEFUL PHOTOS Show the best side of the animal and the hunt .
A picture might have been worth a thousand words in 1913 when the term was coined , and when newspapers and museums were the vehicles of mass communication . Today , however , a picture can be worth millions of comments while reaching hundreds of millions of people worldwide on social media . To post better photos , keep the following in mind .
Clean the Animal Wipe excess blood , dirt and debris from the bullet entry or exit point , mouth and elsewhere . Push the tongue back into the mouth or cut it out .
Pose Respectfully Respectful might be tough to define , but it ’ s easy to spot disrespect , especially for non-hunters . Pictures don ’ t have to be somber — successful hunts are definite reasons for smiling — but thoughtful poses and appropriate reactions are necessary .
Be Aware of the Background Dirty tailgates and garages don ’ t portray the best images on social media . Neither do beer cans . Instead , show the habitat where the animal was killed .
Tell a Story Relay to your audience , which could be the entire world if your post goes viral , the challenge of the hunt , the hours of hard work , the disappointment of missed opportunities , the satisfaction and ethics of procuring yowur own meat , and the facts pertaining to the hunter-conservation relationship . — Brian Lynn
ADAM HEGGENSTALLER ( 2 )
26 SPORTSMENSALLIANCE . ORG