Are we hurting ourselves?

[hossblur]

With all the talk of gun control I can't help but wonder if WE are doing it wrong?

We have gone underground. No one carries a rifle in a gun rack. We almost sneak around like it's shameful.

You almost never see hoofs or horns in the back of a pickup.

I know the idea is that seeing such things could spur neutral folks to not be neutral. But I can't help but wonder if WE are making it seem out of norm, even bad by going to such great lengths?

I read about, and had myself, a shotgun in my car at high school. The ride home from deer hunt was a parade. Now, we sneak around like high school lovers on Saturday night.

Unfortunately I've spend some time in California lately. It struck me how many gay/lesbian folks I see strolling around, hand in hand. Honestly what struck me was how I rarely notice it, despite the era I grew up in, and being from Utah. Seems those folks just decided the more they engaged in normal activities, the less abnormal or different it would be to the public. In short, no one cares.

Are we wrong to not do the same with guns and carcasses? We talk about the snowflake culture, but are we contributing to it be hiding what we do to not offend sensibilities?(not calling for AR dude in Wal-Mart, or blood and guts strapped to a hood).

What do u think?

 

[PA deer hunter]

Always had a shotgun in window gun rack in my pickup during small game season while in high school. Nobody thought anything of it. Never left home without a pocket knife either. Pretty confident either would land you in juvenile detention these days. Surely different world we live in today. Most folks think we’ve come far the last 40 years. Sometimes I wonder...

 

[kmott]

we are hurting ourselves but not by lack of gun racks in our vehicles .
the sad truth is the past four or five decades America has devolved into a society were one can no longer display a gun in a truck without having the window smashed out and the gun stolen. I wise man protects his property.


were we hunters are hurting ourselves is our lack of conviction to stand up to those who would steal our rights and freedoms and property .
sadly, most hunters have become, compromisers.

there was a time when folks had conviction . THESE DAYS, we will compromise most anything for fear of offending.

sadly most sportsmen /women still do not understand we have already compromised more then we ever should have and no amount of compromise will ever appease those who despise our way of life.

how can we ever expect the general population to understand what we can not seem to??????????????



this is my humble opinion , no more no less.

 

[sharpshooter97]

It must depend on where you are in the country because up here in the rural areas I see shotguns and rifles in gun racks almost all year long. And last year I saw a buick century rolling into town with two does hanging out of the trunk and blood all over, and a suburban with a pile of racoons and coyotes tied to the top. Just normal to see around here I guess it’s probably different in big city’s.

 

[hossblur]

It must depend on where you are in the country because up here in the rural areas I see shotguns and rifles in gun racks almost all year long. And last year I saw a buick century rolling into town with two does hanging out of the trunk and blood all over, and a suburban with a pile of racoons and coyotes tied to the top. Just normal to see around here I guess it’s probably different in big city’s.

That's what I waa getting it, "it's just normal". I wonder if we've made it too abnormal?

 

[noharleyyet]

Nowadays it’s an invitation to break and enter.

 

[Pucky Freak]

20-25 years ago heard endless complaining about tied down carcasses. With the 1/2 ton craze over the last couple decades this is no longer much of an issue.

I've displayed weapons in my vehicle a few times, and there might as well have been a naked woman in there with all the attention drawn. I'm not interested in being a spectacle.

Most people are shocked when they discover I am a hunter. They say because I mind my appearance it's the last thing they ever expected. Apparently hunters all have tobacco stained teeth, drag their knuckles, and can't speak English correctly.

Camo has become the de facto pride colors for rural America and hunting culture. I think it's a great way to be visible, yet not scare or disgust the general public.

 

[kmott]

20-25 years ago heard endless complaining about tied down carcasses. With the 1/2 ton craze over the last couple decades this is no longer much of an issue.

I've displayed weapons in my vehicle a few times, and there might as well have been a naked woman in there with all the attention drawn. I'm not interested in being a spectacle.

Most people are shocked when they discover I am a hunter. They say because I mind my appearance it's the last thing they ever expected. Apparently hunters all have tobacco stained teeth, drag their knuckles, and can't speak English correctly.

Camo has become the de facto pride colors for rural America and hunting culture. I think it's a great way to be visible, yet not scare or disgust the general public.

but...….….. if you where camo , they can't see you.

I always have to laugh when I am wearing my kuius and some idjut wants to shake my hand and thank me for my service. chuckle.... true story!

 

[mtmuley]

Hunters that want to be seen wear camo in public all the time. mtmuley

 

[jake23]

I went to high school and college in Sacramento, CA in the early and mid 90’s. I took my guns to high school with me in my Honda Accord. And in college I had a gun rack in my Chevy Silverado which had a shotgun in it from September 1st till the end of January. Never had an issue with having guns at school. It was legal back then. I even walked across the college campus (almost a mile) with my shotgun over my shoulder, with a game vest full of doves and bloody hands. No-one even batted an eye.

Once CA made it illegal to open carry and illegal to have guns on campus it was no longer normal. So fast forward almost 30 years, if someone were to do that now there would be a SWAT response and the person would most likely be shot without even trying to be apprehended.

So what changed? Well laws for one, but also perception. If people never see a gun, the first time they do they are alarmed.

A few years ago when my wife and I went across the country in our motor home, we were stopped somewhere in Wyoming getting gas. I was walking around the gas station stretching my legs and heard someone whispering rather loudly about “that kid has a gun!” I looked over and saw a younger kid, probably 15 years old with a revolver on his hip. He was covered in that greasy Wyoming mud. Looked like he had been on a horse all morning working cattle. The couple that was whispering looked to be in there late twenties maybe early thirties. I watched as they scurried back to there car. New York plates..... I laughed a little and carried on. I wonder how many 911 calls they get in Wyoming about stuff like this?

So yes, I believe that hiding our guns and not being open about it is hurting us. Some places like California you have no choice but to hide it. They made it law that you can’t even have a dead deer on display. Has to be covered at all times. Took the fun out of the drive home from the mountains with a deer in the back of the truck, positioned so that you could see its head popped up above the bed showing off the rack!

Moral of the story is for those that live in places where all of this stuff is normal, don’t concede on any of this to appease non-hunters. Don’t even concede a little bit thinking “well it makes sense for people not to see blood from my deer leaking out of my tailgate, I can see why we should have to cover it up when driving”. A dead animal should be a normal thing. Almost all of us depend on dead animals to survive. Seeing that reality should offend anyone. And if it does, maybe it is then with the problem!

 

[onpoint]

Come to BozePerson Montana - where the hunting and fishing yuppies sport their Sitka Apparel up and down Main Street, moving from microbrew to Tapas eatery to their favorite Barista for a late latte. Not only are we proficient at "hurting ourselves", we have learned to look downright dapper while we are at it.......................

 

[geetar]

I’m not by any means saying to parade it with the intent of offending someone but I do feel that we should not have to hide the fact that we kill animals and shouldn’t have to apologize to anyone for it. It should be a normal part of life and should be one of those things that if you aren’t a hunter you should accept those who are just like we accept others going to grocery stores and buying meat.

 

[PaulRevere]

I can't really wrap my head around the comparison of gay people being out to the idea of hunters being "out"...

 

[kmott]

it is tough to comprehend that being a hunter has become as taboo as being gay once was.

 

[kmott]

I’m not by any means saying to parade it with the intent of offending someone but I do feel that we should not have to hide the fact that we kill animals and shouldn’t have to apologize to anyone for it. It should be a normal part of life and should be one of those things that if you aren’t a hunter you should accept those who are just like we accept others going to grocery stores and buying meat.

why not parade it????????????? I can't think of many things I disagree with that are not paraded in our face on a daily basis. we are expected to not only tolerate every evil thing but it is mandatory that we accept all as being good and right .

why should we hunters not expect the same from those who despise our way of life?????????????????

 

[PaulRevere]

it is tough to comprehend that being a hunter has become as taboo as being gay once was.

I think comparing the struggles of gay people to that of hunters is inappropriate and offensive.

 

[kmott]

I think comparing the struggles of gay people to that of hunters is inappropriate and offensive.

and there we go . mights well lock this one up.

can't discuss anything without someone finding it offensive. this is exactly why no problems can ever be solved. I'M out.

 

[onpoint]

"I think comparing the struggles of gay people to that of hunters is inappropriate and offensive".

Also, yet another unfortunate example of some hunters "hurting ourselves". The ying and the yang (or should I say ying-yangs) of the the www. ....................................

 

[JM77]

In my high school days gun racks with guns in pickup windows were common. Now you never see them thanks to gun free zones and thieves.

You still see plenty of game in the back of trucks and on trailers and hunting picture boards at the local sporting goods stores. There are also quite a few more folks open and concealed carrying in Casper than in the past, thanks to laws that allow the practice of it.

But if we allow the "bro-hunting" crowd to define us, the future of hunting is doomed.

 

[hank4elk]

I bet 90% of the vehicles in my county have a rifle in them or a sidearm. Common to see sidearms....and that's without all the hunters that show up here.
County ordinance that every household have a weapon...
I rarely carry my pistol,but it goes with me most places. I do not need to go to jail for self defense.....too many other ways handy to defend myself,or rid myself of a pest.
Only time I wear camo besides hunting is one of the many hats I wear...
I was the same way when I lived in CA. I find it easier to just try & blend in & not draw attention to myself. Wherever I go......