“I’ve never seen a form of hunting that the USSA doesn’t support.”

That’s a direct quote from Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the world’s largest animal rights group, the Humane Society of the United States during a debate with me over legislation that would ban hunting black bears in California using hounds.

I’ve never heard anyone state the commitment and purpose of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance more succinctly.  I’ll explain:

Anti’s Strategy: Find the Weakest Link

The anti’s strategy, including the Humane Society of the United States, is the same as it was back in 1978 when our organization was born.

1. They identify a form of hunting that has a lower number of participants.
2. They bet that the majority of hunters will not come to the aid of their brethren.
3. They co-opt the urban media to portray that form of hunting as particularly cruel and unsporting.
4. They stir up the emotions of well-meaning city folk to contact their legislators.
5. They use all of these to pressure politicians to vote to take our hunting rights away.
6. They move on to the next target.

Examples of this Strategy

• In the 70’s their target was trapping.
• During the 80’s it became bow hunting.
• In the 90’s it shifted to hunting with dogs.

More recently they have tried to eliminate law-abiding sporting dog kennels by labeling them “puppy mills” and pushing to have them regulated the same as large commercial entities in order to drive them out of business.

In every case, the anti’s have manipulated the media into portraying hunting in a bad light making it hard to defend in the eyes of the public.  Who wants to be labeled as being in favor of mistreating puppies?

That has never stopped the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance.   We are not scared of bad publicity.  It is our job to get our hands dirty.  It is one of the things about USSA for which I am the most proud.  Here’s why:

Hunting is Everything That is Right About America. 

Wildlife is thriving from sea to shining sea due to the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars into conservation through our hunting and fishing licenses –  a system that we invented.

Rural economies experience a multi-billion dollar boom each and every year as hunters take to field spending money on sporting goods, hotels, gas, food and more.

We hunters have preserved more habitat and green space than the entire animal rights lobby, which raises $300 million a year to take your rights away.

Wayne tries to lump hunters in with lawbreakers.  But he won’t tell you that it is hunters who founded and fund the programs that bring poachers to justice.  He tries to portray hunting on private property as the same as shooting animals in cages calling them all captive hunts.  He implies hunting is connected to endangered species, when he knows full well that our only connection is our investment of time and dollars to rehabilitate threatened species.

Animal rights groups like the Humane Society of the United States spend very little if anything to bring back endangered wildlife.

Our Job

Someone has to tell the good news about hunting, including the benefits of the types of hunting the anti’s often attack.  Someone has to be there to tell voters that trapping helps keep rabies under control.  That bow hunting is an extremely effective means of controlling deer in metropolitan areas.  Someone has to tell that soccer mom that hunting with hounds helps to keep bears out of the back yard where her kids play.

That’s the job of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance.

I never thought I’d say or write these words:  Wayne is right.

There isn’t a form of hunting USSA does not support.