When I hear the word activism I usually cringe. Like many of you I picture someone who has probably been labeled a hippie of sorts by most of middle America. They are usually touting some cause, likely one I don’t agree with. The question then is this, if hunting is conservation does that make me an activist?
After a little thought, I think that it does make me an activist. In fact I am not even a silent activist, I put my money behind three lifetime memberships for various hunting and 2nd Amendment non-profits that I believe in. I did my due diligence, made sure I supported their causes and methods and signed on the dotted line. Those memberships give my organizations of choice political clout to fight for things like access to land for hunting, gun rights and even the pull to stop bad tag allotment ideas and management practices.
Of course there are more ways to get involved and be an activist for hunting conservation. My schedule as a business owner dictates how much boots on the ground, hands in the dirt-type of work I can do and that isn’t much. For some hunters, getting out and working in the field for wildlife conservation is a way of life and a great family activity. It never ceases to amaze me how many people jump at the chance to help with habitat improvement and the great work they do.
It goes even deeper than that. Hunters put boots on the ground for conservation every time we buy a rifle, a box of ammo or a hunting tag. Wildlife management is primarily funded in most states by the people buying the tags. In fact in my home state of Wyoming the game and fish is self funding, they don’t get money from the general fund. The quotas that dictate tag numbers have to be put together by people who have built careers in wildlife management. By buying tags we are funding the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.
