Opinion: It’s time to speak up and take back the narrative about hunting

Outdoorsfolk are by nature a silent, secretive set, with soft whispers being second nature. No one wants a loud talker while tracking game, after all. But the days of remaining quiet are over—it’s time to break the silence if we still want shooting sports for our future generations.

For many, our sport is beyond words, but we must find the words, and our voices. We must engage the squalling anti-hunters at every opportunity with good, clear information, not simply about our love for wild places, but also about the hard dollar facts.

Take my home province of New Brunswick alone, for example. Roughly 45,000 resident deer and game bird licences—each costing $34—are purchased here annually. Add fishing, trapping and waterfowl licences, and the dollars available for modern wildlife management become even more impossible for haters to ignore.

Then there are the countless hours of volunteer work we spend to preserve, propagate and protect our beloved wilderness. No hunter worth his or her bannock ever wants to drain a marsh, denude a ridge of trees or add to the relentless urban sprawl. How much effort and money does the average self-professed nature lover invest each year?

SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE

Along with speaking up, we must also stick together. Too many times, the antis have targeted one group of hunters while the rest of us just watched quietly from the sidelines. Hey, it’s not my dog in the fight, so why get involved? Such apathy weakens the foundation of our outdoor heritage one brick at a time, and the ruthless antis exploit it.

We are all brothers and sisters on the game trail, so we must throw away our petty personal biases, and stand shoulder to shoulder to face future foolishness. It’s all our fight, so speak up for the guy or gal next to you. And do it calmly and clearly. Don’t get railroaded into shouting or making pointless accusations, and never back down in the face of pleading, tears or taunts.

Instead, throw the antis’ stale inaccuracies right back at ’em, and once you’ve got the tiger by the tail, don’t let go. Push hard to drive home the point you’re neither intimidated nor inclined to quietly retreat. Keep the pressure on, and be damned sure of every word and every fact. As my hockey coaches always advised, don’t start fights, but darn well don’t run from them, either.

Remember, your actions reflect on millions of Canadian outdoor enthusiasts. At worst, how you stand your ground will make no difference to an anti-hunter. At best, however, a bystander just might be intrigued enough to listen, and maybe even ask a question. And that is how you gain a friend, not another foe.

EMBRACE NEWCOMERS

Certainly, we have allies these days if we’re willing to look. Folks moving from urban centres wanting a quiet rural life are often surprisingly open to the shooting world, for example, and most are curious about harvesting wild game. Offer your expertise at every opportunity, and be sure to stress that hunting’s proud heritage is an important part of country life.

Today’s 20-somethings, in particular, are questioning the deluge of misinformation concerning firearms ownership, hunting and even trapping. No longer satisfied with the world of social media excess, they’re turning to tradition. And what is more traditional than hunting, fishing and trapping? Now more than ever, in fact, young urban dwellers seem willing to explore shooting and hunting experiences. So reveals the increasing number of under-30s pursuing firearms licensing.

The same goes for the growing number of women enthusiastically embracing shooting or game harvesting. And consider the food culture enthusiasts who are always searching for new grub ideas. Bear? Raccoon? Get the right chef interested, and watch the crowds come running. We’re not alone if we just read the signs.

The current government in Ottawa appears willing to continue the mistakes of the last decade, especially when it comes to gun laws, so we’re likely facing more of the same. That’s okay—we can weather any storm if we close ranks and speak out together. And so we must. For too long, we’ve been the collective whipping boy of the anti-hunting movement, and the victim of bad press. But if there’s one thing those of us who tramp the timber aren’t, it’s a victim. Not now, not ever.