Recently, the Minister of Environment and Tourism of Republic of Namibia distributed a memo to all Namibian safari operators, requesting that safari operators and guides (PHs) no longer post or send harvest photos (kill pics) on public platforms, such as social media. As one might expect, this attempted 

policy-positioning created quite the poopy storm within the safari industry of that country. The primary basis for the Minister's actions, as I understand, were to address the negative attention that the Minister felt was being created through  photos of dead animals being used to promote a form of tourism in Namibia; I suspect there was pressure coming from an anti-hunting faction(s) that was creating noise in the Minister's ear, and the Minister apparently felt like the noise could perhaps be managed through a moratorium on harvest photos. Personally, I do not see such a moratorium serving as an effective remedy to that particular concern, but I do think that there are considerations that the hunting community should contemplate before posting harvest photos on public platforms. As they say, "Image is everything." Well, maybe not everything, but our cultural sideboards certainly interact with these cues.

For starters, we must recognize that we now live in a society where our American culture is highly sensitive toward animal welfare, and that's fair enough to me; after all, animals do deserve a degree of respect and when humans utilize animals for various purposes, should there not be some amount of dignity that is held during the process? These days, the public demands that there be some amount of reasonable rationale behind the use of animals, especially when it involves the killing of those animals, such as with hunting. The public's perception on these matters is often shaped through imagery, such harvest photos that hunters share through private and public forums. For me, these photos are part of the hunting experience; I love the challenge of capturing excellent photos of harvested game, similarly to how I love creating a beautiful meal from game meats. It's all part of the hunting experience....an extension of the hunt, and I love it.

So, my point is that we need to be extremely conscientious about harvest photos, both from a standpoint of capturing quality images that show respect for the animal, as well as how those images are deployed. Social media has proven that certain images or messages can absolutely go viral, literally within hours, if not minutes. With hunters representing a meager 4% (currently declining) of the adult American population, it does not take a statistician to reconcile the notion that our critical mass is at a very fragile position. If hunting and hunters are going to remain relevant within our society, our hunting community must learn to play the game smarter and harder....otherwise we will get beat. We are getting beat now!

And for my critics who say that referring to these pics as "harvest photos" is a weak and inaccurate description of these images, because "harvest" is what we do with farm crops, then that's fine, too. Call them kill photos, or whatever, but my choice is to generally refer to these pics as harvest photos. Even Webster says that the word "harvest" implies, "The quantity of a natural product that is gathered during a single season." Game meats seem to be just as "natural"  as corn crops. If it's good enough for Webster, it's good enough for me, so I'll stick with "harvest photos" as part of my vernacular.

In the classic novel, The Old Man and The Boy, Ruark says "The best part of hunting and fishing is the thinking about it before you go and the talking about it when you get back." And photos help foster this romance and excitement that's associated with the hunting experience. Further, these photos can either build or burn bridges for hunting, so let's be smart about how we play this game. In the next WSI ENews, we will have a section that discusses techniques for capturing good harvest photos, and as the famous photographer Ansel Adams once claimed, "You don't take a photograph, you make it."

I hope that all is well for each of you. We still have openings on some great whitetail hunts for this fall if you'd like to ponder the possibility of booking a trip for North America's most popular big game animal. And by the time you receive our next WSI ENews, the fall fest will be in place, with hunting seasons opening, Friday night lights shining, and the first cool fronts emerging. Ahh, tis the season....almost.

Cheers,

Greg Simons

WSI GM/Principal

Texas Alligator Hunts

If you are looking for a late minute, exciting and unique outdoor experience, we have just the ticket. We are excited to offer a very limited number of alligator hunts on the Texas coast, scheduled for mid-September of this year. This is a 2 night all-inclusive program, including 2x1 guide, meals, and lodging. Each hunter be allowed one gator, with the possibility of adding a 2nd gator for an additional fee. Comfortable lodging will be provided on a neighboring property and meals will include a seafood and Cajun influence. Here's what the program entails:

Price: $3,200 per hunter

Inclusions: 

Guide, meals, lodging, 15 pounds of pre-packaged gator meat, and Texas alligator tag. Price includes 1 gator with add-on cost of $1000 for second gator.

Exclusions: 

Skinning ($300), tanning, taxidermy, alcoholic beverages, license ($48 non-resident) and gratuities. 

In addition to the 15 pounds of pre-packaged meat, hunters can purchase additional meat on a per-pound basis.