Getting Into Trouble

I sometimes write something in a column that a few readers find offensive. These readers are often not bashful about telling me about it.

In a recent column about my son's harvesting a gobbler last spring, I included Bob's telling me that I was not to use baits (aka food plots), blinds, and decoys because he believes using them constitutes a dishonorable way to kill a turkey. He believes this because their use, especially the blinds and decoys, removes the gobbler's best defense: his sharp eyesight – making the contest unfair.

Although I spend no time on social media and do not hang out downtown, I still managed to be accosted by the baits, blinds, and decoys fraternity. "Hunting with blinds and decoys is legal, and there's nothing unethical about it. It helps us kill turkeys a lot more easily than we could while sitting out," they insisted. "You need to mind your own business, Rich."

If these guys think I'm opinionated, I can only imagine what they would say if they read what David Draper wrote about social media in a recent editorial in "Peterson's Hunting." This editorial even brought me up for air, and I do not participate in social media. In his editorial "It's Okay If the Turkey [or other animal] Wins," he discusses something he calls "killing for clout." The editorial includes a statement that Draper is sure "there have always been hunters who will do whatever it takes to kill an animal, whether that action is smart, safe, or, sometimes, even legal. They're in it for the glory...and for the photo they can post on social media. A good photo with a dead animal can garner lots of likes, and in today's world, likes and follows, better known as clout, are increasingly the currency people prefer to trade in." He believes these posts are to obtain recognition.

He goes on to tell the story of a gloating hunter, wearing a turkey fan on his head (illegal in Pennsylvania), hoisting a dead turkey. Draper notes that the guy risked his life using this unsafe tactic to gain clout. Draper goes on to wonder if we ever "can go back to the days when respect for our quarry was a thing to be admired."

Not being interested in social media, I can't imagine that guys actually post photos of their kills or of the big fish they catch and release for self-aggrandizement. I hope they post their photos to show their love for hunting and fishing and respect for game animals and fish.