Are we Killing the Future of Hunting?

I recently walked into my office and noticed a copy of a magazine sitting on my desk. It was put out by the International Hunters Education Association and it didn’t take long to figure out why it was sitting where it was. I was a little aghast at what I found inside – so much so that I felt compelled to write a letter, something I never do.

To the Editor,

I would like to congratulate the publishers of the 24th annual edition of the “Hunter’s Handbook”. What a fine publication to place in the hands of our newly minted hunters at the start of their adventures in the field. The article covering the spread on page 54-55 that caught my eye was written by an expert obviously well-schooled in ways to “beat a buck’s nose” but, for some reason remained anonymous. Anyway, Mr. Anonymous, or Mrs. as the case may be, starts off with a good intro on how keen a deer’s nose is before asking the question, “So what can we do to see more whitetail and other big game animals?” Indeed, what can we do?

This article is chock full of useful tidbits of woodsmanship like “The first step is to wash your clothing in a scent fighting detergent like Scent Killer®” and “Super-Charged® Scent Killer® Spray can be applied to your clothing and boot bottoms”. The author does a fine job of detailing each and every step in the Scent Killer® system, including the Scent Killer® Gold® with Hunt Dry® Technology that was “tested” at Rutgers University and found to be over 99% effective at stopping replicated human odor – 10 days after drying!” I’m not sure exactly what that means, but it must be good.

To wrap up this fine piece of educational material, the still anonymous author adds “By using genuine Wildlife Research Center® Products and paying attention to scent elimination and scent transfer, you will start to see more animals and get much closer to them as well… Use the Scent Killer® system and see for yourself.” Man, after reading that, I’m ready to head out into the woods to shoot my first deer. I’ll have to make sure to swing by the local sporting goods store first though. Sure don’t want to forget my Scent Killer® system.

After that refreshing piece I continue on in search of more. After all, I’m a newby and hungry for knowledge and expert guidance. A few pages further along comes the “ATVs” section. Lots of useful tips here on how to choose the right Side-by-Side (SxS) for my hunting needs. No doubt, every hunter needs a good SxS. I thumb through the remaining pages, just a few to the end in search of some guidance on how to select a good pair of boots, but there’s nothing. Guess I’ll have to figure that one out on my own. But, maybe my tennis shoes will work so long as I select the right SxS. That must be it.

Ok, I’m done… No more sarcasm. Truthfully, this “Handbook” would be comical if it weren’t being offered as educational material to new hunters in need of real guidance. The real reason that the “fool a buck’s nose” article caught my eye and inspired this letter is that it not once mentioned the wind. Now, I don’t hold anything against companies promoting their products. I get that and I use some of the products advertised in these pages. What I find disturbing is that this supposed guide is essentially telling new hunters that that can and should buy their way to success in the field.

Where are the articles on getting to know the game you’re after? What about how to understand thermals and how that wily old buck will use them to his

Clay Hayes is owner and operator at Twisted Stave Media and is dedicated to the promotion woodsmanship and wild country

Clay Hayes is owner and operator at Twisted Stave Media and is dedicated to the promotion woodsmanship and wild country.

advantage? There’s sure nothing about hunting into the wind, field dressing a deer or where to even find a deer for that matter. Perhaps I’m just old fashioned but I believe our fundamental & primal attraction to hunting is rooted in solving the problems it presents. What fun is a game of chess if you can completely circumvent your opponent’s defenses? If new hunters are encouraged to forgo these problems by buying their way past them, hunting is doomed. When we no longer have to solve the problems for ourselves, it becomes work, solely utilitarian, and cheapened. Perhaps I’m oversensitive, but I can’t help but think this type of “education” is killing the future of hunting.

Sincerely,

Clay Hayes
Twisted Stave Media

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