My take, I hunted then for a living until last month’s announcement,
-The number of Grizzlies isn’t going to change. One of the principal arguments in favour of the hunt is cub survival as boars are harvested, and that there are more bears as a result of the hunt. This cub predation is true and have seen it myself, but I suspect the end result will be a wash in the short term and a general decline long term due to habitat and food source destruction.
-Grizzlies aren’t going to be any more aggressive, a dead bear learns nothing. Will be the same.
-No catastrophic changes except we’ve lost a hunt and component of a remote industry that only needs an intact ecosystem to survive.
-Raincoast and their competitors and allies on the eco side are incredibly effective and well managed, and branded. Hunting needs to move out of the dark ages and shake the mentality of “If you don’t like hunting #%*+ off I do.” The stiff lipped mantra doesn’t work, we need engagement and rebranding that’s more in step with modern times and who we are.
-If hunting is for and principally represented by 40-80 year old caucasian males we’re done. That hasn’t been the most successful demographic for anything except CEOs and presidents.
-Bring in kids, women, minorities, and get back to hunting being about the adventure, journey, and the camp life not the under armour and the inches of horn, antler, or skin alone.
-Realize nature appreciation comes in many forms and hunters don’t engage in the only real form of it. Hikers, eco tourists, anglers are all out there for the same reason just a different method, and many eco folks and hikers push harder, go deeper, and are more legitimate adventurers than a road hunter, or a good hunter in their tree stand. Respect needs to start flowing both ways and we have to begin the cycle.
-Get on social media and instead of waving it defiantly in people’s faces project it respectfully and show the back story not just the kill.