In a supportative hunting community , bow hunters fight for rifle hunters and elk hunters defend waterfowlers . Method or species does not matter .
It ’ s almost like sportsmen are lost if we ’ re not fighting amongst ourselves , as if we were segments of a professional sports league instead of a broader community that should help one another . This is a lot of energy turning the pitchforks inward and wondering why we are getting beaten by the antis more often than we should . Well , whatever the psychology driving it , I ’ ll tell you where this ends up : F stands for Fail long term . And the antis just love it .
Guys and gals , I don ’ t care what you do , how you do it , what species you pursue , where you live , what methods you use , how many permits you buy , whether or not you go to Africa , or anything else . I want you in our community and once you ’ re there , I want to keep you in the fold . Our longterm existence is at stake , and we ’ ve all got to embrace this attitude . This is where all of us should be . We have to keep our community strong and only by working together do we even stand a chance .
NOT MY HONEY HOLE A different but related phenomenon is what I call the “ honey hole ” dynamic , or keeping knowledge of a particular hunting area , spot or location ( or access to it ) locked up tighter than the national mint . Numerous studies have shown that a major factor in an individual ' s decision to stop hunting is the lack of a place to go . Finding a decent place to go hunting and securing access to such a place is the big challenge the majority of us face . Once we have secured access or have gained knowledge pertaining to such access , however , we are in a trick-bag when it comes to other members of our community . A thought experiment presents the dilemma we face . Let ’ s say the company where you work hires a new employee — let ’ s call him Bob — who moved from two states away to begin his new job . Over the first few weeks , Bob learns that you like to hunt whitetail deer , just as he does . One day , he asks for advice on where to go . There aren ’ t any decent public opportunities within several hours of where you live . But you have personal access to several local farms and have been on them for years , one of them top-notch for big bucks . What do you do or how do you respond ?
Obviously , there is no “ right ” or “ wrong ” answer here . This thought experiment allows each of us to reflect on what we might do . Do we automatically say “ oh , I ’ ve got plenty of access , I ’ ll take you opening day ,” or “ driving around east of here might work ,” or “ no , not really much of an idea ,” or some other thing entirely ?
Everyone ’ s natural inclination — and this has always been true — is to come at this question from a position of scarcity , where because access is highly valuable and rare , individuals won ’ t naturally want to share it . This is perfectly reasonable . But remember what we know about the hunting equation . What Bob is actually asking is , “ will you help keep me in the fold ?” It is likely that if we don ’ t help out Bob , he will not hunt this year , and maybe this year stretches into
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36 SPORTSMENSALLIANCE . ORG