At some time in our hunting careers, many of us will hear this question. It may come from our child, a niece or nephew, even a neighbor's child. How we respond is important, not only to the youngster, but ultimately to the future of hunting. Taking a boy or girl on his or her first hunt can be rewarding to us as experienced hunters, but it's also a great responsibility. Captain Ed Tyer, Hunter Education Coordinator for Florida's Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, says hunters have a serious image crisis.
Poor ethics is one of the biggest problems facing hunters today.
A lot of people who are not opposed to hunting are opposed to what hunters do. Tyer says this attitude has come about because of a lack of ethics and a lack of responsibility. We surveyed our students who had completed the hunter education course. We found that a good portion of people who hunted opposed sport hunting. The anti-hunting movement has put such a label on the term 'sport hunting' that it means killing something for the sport of it and leaving it lie.