Anti-Hunting Groups, Arguments and Tactics July 3, 2019 Authors Micah Peel Rob Shaul Anti-Hunting Groups, Arguments and Tactics Background: Hunting is declining as an outdoors activity in the United States, and overall the number of self-reported hunters is small part of the population. Hunter numbers in the United States dropped 15% from 2011 to 2016, according to a 2016 US Fish & Wildlife Service Report. In 2016, the report found 11.5 million hunters in the United States, of which 9.2 million are big game hunters. Big Game hunters are just 2.8% over the overall US Census estimated 2016 population of 323 million. Despite declining hunter numbers, and small percentage of the overall population which hunts, a 2017 Study found that strong majority of US Residents, 87%, agreed that it was acceptable to hunt for food. However, only 37% agreed that it was acceptable to hunt for a trophy. Recent successful predator anti-hunting campaigns, and widespread national condemnation of hunters who have killed trophy or exotic animals demonstrate that anti-hunting sentiment in the United States is increasing. As well, there was a 600% increase in people identifying as vegans in the U.S between 2014 and 2017. According to a report by research firm GlobalData, only 1% of U.S.consumers claimed to be vegan in 2014. And in 2017, that number rose to 6% - twice the number of big game hunters in the country. Vegans believe it’s unethical to eat animals, and opposed hunting for food. This study attempts to identify the most prominent and successful anti-hunting arguments, tactics and groups. Mountain Pursuit is a western-state hunting advocacy nonprofit which represents resident big game hunters who believe forcefully in Fair Chase, wildlife conservation and subsistence-based hunting. Key to Mountain Pursuit's mission is protecting and preserving western big game hunting into the future. Identifying influential anti-hunting groups, and understanding anti-hunting arguments and tactics is fundamental to this hunting advocacy mission. Copyright 2019, Mountain Pursuit, Page 2" Anti-Hunting Groups, Arguments and Tactics Key Findings: 1. “Anti-Hunting” groups can be categorized into the following two general groups: • Total Anti-Hunting • Anti-Predator Hunting 2. The most threatening long term anti-hunting argument is that animals are sentient beings and suffer when hunted. The most passionate anti-hunting groups are using this argument and attempting to have game animals represented as such in the law. 3. The most threatening near term anti-hunting argument is that many game animals are noble and charismatic, and shouldn't be hunted for this reason alone. This argument is being forcefully made for wolves and grizzlies, and could easily be pivoted to ungulate big game including elk, bighorn sheep, bison, moose, etc. 4. The most common arguments used by anti-hunting organizations include: • Hunting causes animals to suffer. • Hunting for sport, recreation or entertainment is unethical. • Hunting is not conservation. • The population of hunters is far less than the population of wildlife watchers. • Government/Wildlife Agencies are funded by hunters and therefore biased. 5. The most common tactics used by anti-hunting organizations include: • Humanizing Animals • Generating Media Attention • Advocating for Veganism • Contacting Government/ Wildlife Agencies Recommendations: 1. Distinguish and separate hunting ungulates for food from predator hunting. 2. Vigorously support and demand Fair Chase big game hunting, and hunting for food. 3. Avoid labeling hunting as a "sport" or "recreation." Anti-Hunting groups use this language to argue animals are being killed unnecessarily for entertainment. 4. Avoid social media/internet/marketing posting of photos, movies, video clips, etc. which show kill shots, dead animals, trophy shots, and blood and gore of any kind. This insensitive media is used by anti- hunting groups as proof that animals suffer when hunted, and that hunters don't respect life they are taking. 5. Continue to closely monitor anti-predator hunting organizations, their arguments and tactics. Watch for defend against messaging and position pivots from anti-predator hunting to anti-ungulate hunting. Copyright 2019, Mountain Pursuit, Page 3" Anti-Hunting Groups, Arguments and Tactics Methodology: We analyzed a total of 18 groups that were listed as “anti-hunting” from the following lists: • Sportsmen’s Alliance’s “The Dirty Dozen” • Montana Outdoors Radio Show’s “Top Anti-Hunting Organizations in the USA” • National Rifle Association's “15 Scary Anti-Hunting Organizations to Watch,” • Wikiversity list “Organizations Publicly Opposed to Hunting.” Next we read deep into each group's website and identified its anti-hunting arguments, and tactics. If necessary, we contacted the group via email or phone for clarification. We found several of the groups identified in the above lists to be either operating outside the United States, or miss-labeled at anti- hunting. These were excluded from further study an inclusion. The remaining 18 organizations were then categorized into the following two groups: 1. Total Anti-Hunting - Against hunting all animals for any reason including food, sport, or trophy. 2. Anti-Predator Hunting - Against predator hunting, especially charismatic predators such as grizzly bears and wolves. Not against Fair Chase hunting of ungulates for food. Finally, we researched and summarized recent and relevant successful anti-hunting campaign case studies. Research Questions: 1. What are the common arguments and tactics of anti-hunting organizations? 2. What is the most prominent and effective anti-hunting argument? What is its direction? 3. Can anti-hunting organizations be categorized? If so, what are the categories and what are the arguments and tactics for each? 4. What anti-hunting argument poses the greatest long-term threat to subsistence based, ungulate hunting and why? 5. What anti-hunting argument poses the greatest near-term threat to subsistence based, ungulate hunting and why? Definitions/ Glossary: Use these definitions for the purpose of this report: A. Subsistence Hunting - Eat what you kill; Hunt for food B. Sport/Trophy Hunting- Killing more than you can eat/not eating what you kill. This includes predator hunting, exotic species hunts (coyotes, bears, baboons, giraffes etc.) and ungulate hunting for antlers where the hunter does not eat what they kill. C. Arguments - Set of reasons that explain why something is right or wrong. D. Tactics - Identified actions planned or taken to achieve a goal. Copyright 2019, Mountain Pursuit, Page 4" Anti-Hunting Groups, Arguments and Tactics Findings: Anti-Hunting Group by Category: Anti-Hunting Group By Category Total Anti-Hunting Anti-Predator Hunting American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) (ASPCA) People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Defenders of Wildlife (DoW) Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting (CASH) National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) Friends of Animals (FoA) Western Environmental Law Center (WELC) In Defense of Animals (IDA) Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) Last Chance for Animals (LCA) Animal Legal Defense Fund (ADLF) Northwest Animal Rights Network (NARN) Wild Earth Guardians (WEG) Sierra Club (SC) Howling for Wolves (HFW) Born Free USA (BFUSA) Shoot 'em with a Camera (SWC) Copyright 2019, Mountain Pursuit, Page 5" Anti-Hunting Groups, Arguments and Tactics Findings: Total Anti-Hunting Group Arguments & Tactics: These groups are against hunting animals for any reason - subsistence, sport, or trophy. Total Anti-Hunting Group Arguments LCA PETA IDA CASH FoA NARN ASPCA Animals Suffer x x x x x x x Not Conservation x x x x x Hunters < Nonhunters x x x x x Government Agencies are x x x x x Funded by Hunters & Therefore Biased Animals have Families x x x x Uneven Fight x x x x Predators are Ecosystem x x x x Managers, not Hunters Hunting is Dangerous to x x x Hunters Wounding Rates x x x Contributes to Extinction x x Rationalizes Killing x x Copyright 2019, Mountain Pursuit, Page 6" Anti-Hunting Groups, Arguments and Tactics Total Anti-Hunting Group Arguments Explained: 1. Animals Suffer- All animals are sentient beings which feel pain and suffering when hunted and killed. "Hunters cause injuries, pain and suffering to animals who are not adapted to defend themselves from bullets, traps and other cruel killing devices." - IDA’s Campaign Wild and Free Homepage NARN has been dedicated to ending the exploitation of animals by raising awareness of animal suffering in the food, entertainment, experimentation, and fashion industries since 1986. As animal rights contends that *all* sentient beings, human and nonhuman, are deserving of respect and consideration, we operate with non-violence as a guiding principle and as a strategy for positive change." - NARN’s History & Values 2. Hunting is Not Conservation - Hunting is not a way of managing wildlife. "We hope to alter whatever belief still exists that sport hunters are conservationists and champions of the environment to a realization that they are destroyers of wildlife and ecosystems in the narrow and broad sense." - CASH’s Mission Statement 3. Hunters < Wildlife Watchers - The population of people who enjoy watching wildlife far exceeds the population of hunters. "11.5 million people, 16 years old and older, went hunting in 2016 .... more than 86 million people 16 years old and older fed, photographed and observed wildlife in 2016." - FoA’s Hunting and Wildlife Management Section 4. Government Agencies are Funded by Hunters & Therefore Biased - Wildlife/ government agencies act in the best interest of their funders, not wildlife. "While wildlife agencies theoretically exist to benefit all citizens, they have become decidedly pro-hunter. Because most of their revenue is generated from the sale of hunting licenses, their goal is to protect sport hunting, not wildlife." - LCA 5. Animals Have Families - Hunting orphans baby animals and tears families apart. This unnecessary, violent form of “entertainment” rips animal families apart and leaves countless animals orphaned or badly injured when hunters miss their targets." - PETA 6.