http://mustreadalaska.com/not-peta-mind/


Link has some of the selfies.



This is not what PETA had in mind



Suzanne Downing August 25, 2017 Alaska News




The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals rolled out a new Facebook marketing campaign recently: “Shoot Selfies, Not Animals.”

It didn’t go over well for PETA in Alaska.

Dozens of hunters took PETA up on the challenge, using the nonprofit’s frame to show off their most recent kills.

The hashtag was #ShootSelfiesNotAnimals.

PETA framed that spectacular backfire as a victory, however. “As a result, the hunters have introduced PETA and its anti-hunting message to a whole new audience: More than 250,000 people have now used the frame—and the number of people spreading the anti-hunting messageis growing, as PETA saw more than a 50 percent increase in “likes” of its Facebook page from Tuesday to Wednesday,” the organization announced.

“These trigger-happy trolls didn’t realize that they were helping to spread PETA’s message of respect for wildlife,” said PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “Supportive messages are pouring in from people who agree that only bullies or cowards get their kicks from gunning down a beautiful wild animal.”

PETA also frowned upon the number of young children posing in the photos, saying that parents who introduce their children to hunting may be creating killers out of them.

“Nearly every serial killer and school shooter first killed animals. PETA encourages parents to teach their children empathy for others by encouraging them to shoot with a camera instead of a gun,” the organization wrote.

WORD OF CAUTION

While it may be fun for hunters to troll PETA with hunting pictures by using their free social media frame, hunters should know that by doing so, they are giving PETA at least some information about them, and it may expose them to harassment by the organization or its supporters.

But more importantly, PETA is not trying to turn hunters into vegans — the organization knows better than that. Instead, it is aiming at non-hunters, trying to convert them into anti-hunters.

An article in Outdoor Life suggests that hunters develop their own social media frames, such as “I Work Hard for my Dinner.” That message might help nonhunters understand them better.

“By flooding Facebook and Instagram with trophy shots, we’re putting thousands of dead animal photos in front of non-hunters who are not asking to view them. If we’re posting these photos just to troll PETA, we’re stripping away the context of the hunt and the whole point of the photo in the first place. Most of the ironic posts using the PETA frame have little or no information about the challenge or ethics of the hunt, the beauty of the landscape and habitat, or all the healthy wild meat those dead critters provided. They are mostly just dead animal photos with text that pokes fun at PETA,” writers Alex Robinson and Natalie Krebs argue.

In other words, it may be that nonhunters don’t really appreciate the humor that hunters are trolling PETA with.

HUNTING SEASON IS ON: EMPEROR GEESE IN SEASON

Hunting season has started in Alaska, with caribou and sheep hunts already under way. Moose season begins in earnest on Sept. 1, and for the first time in three decades, Alaska hunters will be able to hunt for emperor geese, a bird that has seen a rebound in population. Hunters are limited to one each.

Recreational hunts for emperor geese were closed in 1986, and subsistence hunts were cut off in 1987 after an alarming decline in the population. Now, the number of emperor geese is believed to be more than 100,000, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but could be as much as 170,000.

The habitat for the emperor geese stretch fron the Aleutian Islands in the winter to the Yukon-Kuskokwim deltas during mating season.

To counter this nonsense, we hunters need to conduct ourselves properly while in the field and when interacting with non-hunters. Whether that non-hunter interaction is in a local restaurant or on a social media web site matters not. It's effect is cumulative on public opinion.

There are a lot of non-hunting registered voters in America. If they join the ranks of the anti-hunters, they could decimate our hunting opportunities and ultimately our hunting heritage in this country.

quote:

There are a lot of non-hunting registered voters in America. If they join the ranks of the anti-hunters, they could decimate our hunting opportunities and ultimately our hunting heritage in this country

Going on the attack is better than sitting back and letting the antis run the agenda.

I am not sure the PETA thing was a good idea. I certain get the humor in annoying the idiots at PETA. However, I have to wonder if it did us any good with any non-hunters?

Going on the attack is great, but think about what your doing first.

Dave

"Going on the attack is better than sitting back and letting the antis run the agenda."

What do you have in mind?

quote:

I am not sure the PETA thing was a good idea. I certain get the humor in annoying the idiots at PETA. However, I have to wonder if it did us any good with any non-hunters?

quote:

Going on the attack is great, but think about what your doing first.

I have to agree with the above. The first time I saw it I was a little confused as to the message. After hearing what it was all about I thought it somewhat silly.

If your going to "go on the attack" then find something that doesn't make hunters look like a bunch of heartless idiots.

Connecting with the the conservation aspect is a good place to start.

I wouldn't say I was defending or criticizing those folks needling PETA, but I am under the impression that some up here just don't care what the anti hunters think one way or another.

Yeah there was that poor kid in Gambel being threatened for killing the whale, but I think in many cases, Alaskans feel like guns and hunting are so ingrained, so seamlessly woven into our way of life and culture that what the anti's think or want is simply irrelevant.

If I remember correctly, Pricilla Feral and her animal rights group threatened a boycott of Alaska if the state went forward with predator control a number of years ago. I believe Frank Murkowski was governor then. I think Alaska said, "Ok, go right ahead, boycott us!" went forward with predator control and the Feral bunch boycotted.
I don't remember any ill effects or outcome.

In the big cities like Anchorage PETA may have some traction, but in most of AK, Alaskans are gonna do what they're gonna do and what the folks think in New York city really doesn't matter.