I love cooking venison, and sharing it with my friends at school is always fun and incredibly gratifying. One time I was cooking for a group of friends, and I just assumed everyone knew they were about to eat venison. One person turned out to be pretty anti-hunting – or rather uneducated on hunting – and ate a piece of backstrap. When they found out what it was, let’s just say they were less than enthused. We talked, and I listened to their views on hunting, what they’ve heard about the practice, and why they harbored those feelings.
I learned a lot during that conversation and many others that I’ve had since with non-hunters and anti-hunters. There’s definitely a right way and a wrong way to go about it. I attend a university where students come from many different backgrounds, most of whom have never been hunting or know of anyone who hunts. Here are some of the techniques I used to connect with non-hunters and help them understand the appeal and the many benefits of hunting.
Listen First
Ask them about what they think of hunting and listen to their response. Understanding where they are coming from and how they perceive hunting will guide you in approaching the rest of the conversation. There’s a good chance they’ve never talked to someone who hunts before and only know what they’ve heard from the loud anti-hunting crowd or social media influencers who’ve also likely never spoken to a real hunter before.
This is not the time to get into an argument with them or get defensive. There are a lot of emotions surrounding hunting, and it’s important to tease those out and slowly foster growth in the way non-hunters understand and perceive hunters and hunting.
Talk about Hunting as Your Passion
Everyone has an origin story about why they started doing what they are so passionate about. Sharing funny stories about your experience in learning to hunt or just time spent in the woods can lighten the tone of the conversation and open it up to common ground.
While most people in today’s society are not hunters, they can often relate to awkward or uncomfortable times spent outdoors. Sharing these “Type 2 Fun” experiences also shows that hunting is much more than just killing an animal. By talking about everything else that accompanies a hunting trip, you start to create a more approachable topic, one that resonates with people who are interested in becoming more intentional when interacting with the natural world.
One thing to save for later is the details of the harvest itself. When hunters talk amongst each other, it’s already assumed that we have a special respect and connection to the animal. We understand the depth of emotions associated with taking the life of an animal and what that means for how we treat them post-harvest. But when other people are around who don’t understand these basic tenets, I’ve realized that our conversations can turn non-hunters off.
Hunting as a Tool for Conservation
Hunters pride ourselves in our hugely impactful contribution to conservation. Ethical hunting and land stewardship go hand-in-hand. Many people have no idea how important hunters are to the environment, especially when it comes to how conservation projects are funded. Talking about how Pittman-Roberston dollars are collected and used will surprise many non-hunters and give them another reason to support the cause.
In addition, explaining how creating deer habitat positively impacts other game and non-game wildlife species can open up conversations about our feelings toward the environment as a whole. It’s hard to dispute the value of hunting when presented with these facts, especially when talking with folks who are interested in nature and the environment but have previously viewed hunting as conflicting rather than compatible with these interests.
Sustainability, Food Sovereignty, and Common Ground
This has been my biggest talking point and the thing that resonates most among non-hunters and even anti-hunters. Some hunters are quick to speak about vegans and “tree-huggers” in a demeaning way, but we generally have more in common than we care to believe. Most hunters are proud of their quarry because they can enjoy the healthy meat that comes from it, without being worried about how it was raised or the conditions that it lived in. Having interacted with many vegans, I’ve been surprised at our similarities.
They’re already hyper-aware of the treatment of commercially raised animals and therefore are already supportive of the alternative. By helping them understand how hunting fits into the world of sustainability, I’ve even been able to convert a couple of my peers into “flexitarians” – folks who only eat meat when it’s wild and was harvested sustainably. The more people become worried about where their food is coming from and the lack of initiative from higher-ups to fix these problems, the more they are willing to learn about how to support their families without having to rely on grocery stores. Food sovereignty is a huge reason why non-hunters can relate to and understand hunting.
One of my best friends had been vegan for a while before he entered college. When we met and I started talking about my passion for hunting, he was hesitant but willing to explore the lifestyle I proposed. I spent time with him in the woods teaching him about deer behaviors and watching them from afar. I eventually took him on a hunt where I harvested a doe. I warned him that the steps after the shot were not the most pleasant for someone who wasn’t used to it, but he was adamant about being involved in the whole process. I started field-dressing the doe, and within a few minutes, he asked for the knife and instructions on how to do it himself. We finished dressing and processing that deer and later cooked up some tenderloins that night.
A college student who hadn’t grown up in a hunting family and who’d previously been a vegan had completely changed their beliefs and practices. This fall, he hopes to shoot his first deer and carry out the same process from start to finish.
This story is evidence of what’s possible when we tell the story of hunting in a way that encompasses the holistic benefits of this lifestyle and meets the listener where they are in their journey. It’s also important to understand that most non-hunters will never hunt, but their role is incredibly important in supporting our way of life and in supporting the practice as a necessary management tool. As hunters, it’s our duty to ensure we build bridges with our non-hunter friends and continue welcoming new faces into our community. With increased support from this group of people, conservation only stands to benefit.