By: Jessica O’Connor
You had a great day in the field, and your trophy is loaded into the truck. What’s the next thing most hunters want to do? Share their harvest on Facebook.
It’s understandable. We’re passionate about what we do, and the successful harvest of a game animal is often the culmination of months of work. We have every right to be proud on these days, but now more than ever we must remember that not everyone shares our excitement.
Social media is a place where posts can easily be dissected and taken out of context. It’s also a place where many individuals feel they can safely air their opinions behind the safety of a computer screen. For these reasons, it’s important that care be taken when we share our hunting tales on these platforms.
I’m not here to tell you that you shouldn’t share that big buck or successful day in the duck blind on Facebook. What I AM here to strongly suggest is that you keep appearances in mind when doing so.
Sometimes we forget that we become immune to the more unsavory sights associated with hunting. Today, many humans don’t even fully grasp how exactly their steak or pork chop makes it from the farm to the grocery store. It goes without saying that some of the things hunters see on a regular basis would be rather shocking to those who aren’t a part of the lifestyle.
“Why do we care what they think?” We don’t have to let other people dictate what we love, but it’s becoming imperative that we not freely feed opposing parties images and information they could use against us. This is something I especially see time after time from folks in the different hound hunting sports-in fact, I have previously written an entire article geared toward that audience alone for another publication.
We MUST remember that someone who does not fully understand what’s happening in our pictures or videos is almost always going to criticize us, and these people can use that media to attempt to initiate radical changes in the way we enjoy these sports in the future. The hunting community simply cannot afford to let ego contribute to our demise.
Every hunter can do their part by portraying our respective sports in a tasteful manner on social media. Take care when arranging harvested animals for photos. Be mindful of exit wounds, tongues, and excessive blood. Ensure that proper gun safety principles are displayed in any photos or videos. Think twice (or very carefully curate your audience) before sharing videos of kill shots. Avoid videos and photographs of sporting dogs putting teeth into game altogether.
Some hunters will say you’re “soft” when you adhere to these courtesies. Being respectful and caring for the longevity of our ability to enjoy these sports is far from being “soft.”
What would I love to see more of from the hunting community on social media? Children and women enjoying hunting and the outdoors. Families spending time together. The beauty of God’s creation. The bond between sporting dogs and their handlers. There are so many beautiful aspects of what we do. Let’s show those things off so we can enjoy this lifestyle for many years to come.
