Over the course of my writing career, I have delved into this particular subject many times. It would seem, however, that enough has not been written on the topic, because the dilemma still persists and seems to worsen in spite of an even greater need for its resolution. The subject to which I refer to is hunters working together in an effort to preserve our hunting heritage from those who so fervently endeavor to ban the very sport that is a way of life to so many of us.

It seems that on a weekly basis new reports come into my in-box via emails from other like-minded souls who recognize the true enemy of all hunters as being the animal rights fanatics (ARFs). These reports document a growing squad of well-financed, well-organized individuals that have one simple goal in mind – eliminate all forms of hunting and fishing, worldwide. There is no mystery involved, no attempt to cloak what they intend or no attempt to hide their well-publicized agendas. With each passing year, the public protest, the ridiculous lawsuits and the mounting successes of the AFRs are documented in print and broadcast over the airwaves from around the world. The threat these people pose is frightfully real and it is only intensifying with the passing of time.

To make matters worse, the total number of hunters is shrinking with each passing year. In the last decade, American hunter’s mass has decreased by a shocking 10% and even more saddening is that the atrophy of our rank and file continues. As the efforts of the ARFs gather momentum with each passing year, the decline in hunter numbers is eating away at our hunting heritage through simple evaporation. Gross failures on our part in new hunter recruitment, especially in the areas of women and youth, along with neglect to provide opportunities to keep the older hunters in the field longer are doing us in, as our sport slowly withers on the vine.

What makes this phenomenon even more disturbing is a quick visit to any of the hunting or outdoor forums where you will be treated to some of the rudest, most uncivilized and disgraceful discussions in which hunters are bashing and abusing their hunting brothers and sisters over differences of opinion. It is a very sad thing to see and it is a very real symptom of a form of cancer that will hasten our demise if we don’t become civilized adults and bring about a cure. It boggles my mind that anyone can be so narrow or closed minded, that they will push a selfish agenda when it may mean a bloody end to the very sport they are convinced they are protecting.

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Yet a visit to most any hunting website will provide you with a horrific view of hunters fighting for what they believe to be right while figuratively speaking, their angry, quaking fingers are wrapped around the trigger while the barrel of the loaded gun is embedded firmly in their mouths. It’s not at all unlike a lung cancer patient who refuses to quit smoking or the proverbial moth being drawn into the flame that will quickly and brilliantly torch it into ash.

The fact of the matter is that if a person participates in any form of hunting, he or she is an intrinsic ally to the cause. For obvious reasons, one doesn’t beat-up or brutalize their allies, because when things turn ugly, allies are absolutely necessary to the survival of the cause. And at this particular time in our hunting annals, due to increased pressure from the ARFs, combined with our waning numbers, things are already ugly enough for the hunting fellowship. We do not need the additional burden of self-inflicted losses and mortal wounds due to thoughtless and selfish cannibalization. While growing up on the farm, one of the common lessons my mother and father tried to teach each of their six children was that: "If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all!"

Each and every one of us owes it to ourselves and to our hunting fraternity to take a private timeout and think long and hard about what we are doing to one another. Are these malicious and hateful exchanges beneficial in any way to the sport that we all love and wish to persevere, or to the public image we wish to create for ourselves? I think not! If you are personally involved with these types of exchanges, give great deliberation to what is really important to you – your personal agenda or the survival of the future of hunting in general? One can still disagree without turning malevolent towards the ones with which he disagrees. Hate is a deadly disease that eats away at the very core of our being and it is doing the hunting family no good, whatsoever.

If you can’t control a nasty temper or an ugly thought, perhaps you should avoid temptation and not respond at all – you know, "Say nothing!" Believe me when I say, exercising the destructive benefits of hatred in your communications does your personal agenda no good other than making it appear evil. The unrivaled author "Unknown" once wrote: "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." What is to be gained by verbally brutalizing fellow hunters other than making them more hateful and fracturing the unity of our shrinking brotherhood even further? Undoubtedly, the ARFs take measurable pleasure when they visit our chatrooms (and believe me they do) and see the way we are treating one another. And after all, that is precisely who we wish to make happy right? Not unless we are completely insane!

In the final analysis, I question whether we will be able to save our hunting heritage at all. Many feel that our days as hunters are truly numbered. That it is just a matter of time (some feel a short time) before the challenge of hunting wild game with any kind of a weapon will be a pastime that will be restricted to the pages of history books or in the fading memories of old and dying hunters. If you truly care about preserving our hunting heritage, perhaps it is time to give some clear thought not just to your personal agenda, but instead to take into consideration the "big picture".  If we continue to treat one another like animals instead of comrades, we will only hasten our demise. If you wish to be combative with some one, I am sure there is an ARF organization not too far from your very own front doorstep. Wasting your time, energy and personal finances in an effort to block the rights of another hunter makes you no better than an ARF no matter how you try and rationalize your stand. And remember, treating a fellow hunter in a disrespectful and hateful manner not only brings shame to our sport, but it furthers the efforts of the ARFs as they busily go about the elimination of ALL FORMS OF HUNTING WITH ALL WEAPONS.