Division. Rifts. Beef. I see a lot more of this than I would like to among Upland Hunters. I see it in the social media comments, and I hear it at the dog trial events. Negativity. Gossip. Elitist-superiority complexes. Why do we bicker about what shotgun is better, who’s dog is better, what breed is superior, or shun those who do things just a little bit differently than we do? A lot of us our guilty of the above. Including myself.
Our heritage… our lifestyle already has so many outside obstacles and opponents. Today, we contend with so much more than our forefathers had ever had to. Hunter recruitment is at an all-time low. Social Media has opened us up to a world of people who make uneducated judgments about what we do. We have enemies at the gate… but an enemy within, as well? It’s no wonder why we are losing in the recruiting and retention department! Who wants to be a part of this rabble that can’t even agree on dog pedigrees or knows how to retain and mentor new hunters because we are too busy fluffing our own egos? We are not doing ourselves any favors these days.
It is quite clear that we all have a passion for upland hunting. The love for what we do is apparent. We care about this thing. That is the common ground. The differences, various allegiances to groups, brands, regions, and styles are the wedge we allow to divide us. Why should it be this way? Why do we accept “that’s just how it goes”? I believe we can do better. I have seen the can-do attitude among our peers and the leaders in our community. We get the job done when we put our mind to it. We can improve this.
Benjamin Franklin was, among many things, an author, printer, political theorist, postmaster, scientist, inventor, diplomat, and one of the United States’ most prominent Founding Fathers. Before America was a country, they were an unorganized rabble (of colonies) themselves who couldn’t agree on much. These were dangerous times for the colonies and frontiersmen. Enemies with nefarious plans stalked in the shadows.
Ahead of his time, Franklin understood the importance of not only colonizer-unity, but impactful media (during his time, newspapers) that incited public opinion. He illustrated an image in his publications depicting a snake, divided, which represented the colonies. “JOIN, or DIE”, it proclaimed! It was a powerful image and influenced discussion and action among citizens. Unite. Divided we fall. We need each other to survive. Let’s work together. At the end, the colonies saw the bigger picture and realized they were much more powerful and influential collectively, rather than in a fractured state. The People heeded the rally-call of uniting and the rest is history, so to speak.
Revolution. Change. Unity. In 2019, and in the foreseeable, I would love to see our community making better efforts to unite, grow together and put differences aside for the better good. I hope to see more encouragement and acceptance in the ranks of Upland Hunters. I want to read more positive interactions. I want to hear about our community lifting one another up. I want to see open doors and new potential hunters having opportunities to hunt alongside us. Maybe… just maybe how we interact among ourselves now, we might inspire a future generation. Perhaps we need our own rally cry ourselves?
UPLAND HUNTING, or DIE! Are you with me?
God Bless & Happy Hunting, -J.R.
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