Cabela’s banning African hunting pictures from pro staff

[Divernhunter]

Spoke with Cabelas at the SCI convention and they say the photo thing is not true. Take it for what it is worth.

The Yeti thing----I will not own one for a couple of reasons. 1) they snubbed one of the larger groups of buyers after the New York libtards took control of the company 2) more important is they are overpriced and I bought the R-Tic cooler before the flap about them. I got it because my son-in-law suggested the R-Tic since he said it was as good(even has a feature that is better) and less money. We were hunting and had his yeti and my R-Tic side buy side for 5 days. The R-Tic was actually opened up more often. At the end of the hunt they both had the same amount of ice and all items were just as cold. We did this as a test and since he has bought a R-Tic for a second ice chest instead of a yeti. The R-Tic has a lip to grab to open the lid where the yeti you have to pull the lock down rubber parts.
So you can pay more for the name and support a group that does not support you or buy a different and just as good or better brand that did not screw us over.

 

[Divernhunter]

I spoke with Cabelas about this at the SCI convention and they say it is not true and had even put out a press release stating so. They do not know where this started but say it is not true.
Take it for what it is worth

 

[Scott CWO]

The Orvis Model is a nearly $1bn private "lifestyle brand". They show wingshooting of pheasants flushing or birds flying, they don't show dead pheasants hanging on nails or brag about how many shells you'll use or how many doves you'll kill in Cordoba. They sell an experience to the 5% of their customers that want one. They sell lifestyle clothing and furnishings to people that like the look and enjoy the outdoors, the 95%. This is what Gander Outdoors, BassPro/Cabelas, and others must address because guns don't make up much of their revenue and even less of their profits. Alienate the core shopper and there is no place for the gun owner and hunter to shop anymore. We are not the core sales demographic.

And from my chair, yes, we stop showing piles of dead prairie dogs especially. The varmint hunter will be the death of our sport. People actually drive to the middle of nowhere and kill as many prairie dogs as possible and brag about it. The thousands of raptors that die from lead toxicity eating the dead prairie dogs is a conservation / PR nightmare. The wonton waste presented by the varmint hunter is horrible for PR. The varmint hunter needs to show the utility and morality of what they do (it's about land management) and they need to use non-tox ammo or pick up every carcass. They don't need to show photos of piles of dead animals they will not eat they killed in an ecosystem that needs those animals, on public land they did not own, for no utility. (If no lack of utility = immoral/unethical) Not all varmint hunting is unethical but it is a brewing PR nightmare, as are the "kill shots". Killing just to kill is the fast track to banned hunting. Banned hunting is the fast track to elimination of the 2nd amendment.

Stay in Illinois. I knew your profile would say Illinois, Massachusetts or California. We have too many prairie dogs in our area and we don’t find dead raptors laying everywhere. Many species of raptors are actually over-populated because they are overly protected. You have drank the Kool-Aid. You voted for Clinton. You’re reading too many Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity,and TU press releases.

 

[WAB]

Rookhawk have you ever been on a prairie dog shoot? It sure doesn’t sound like it. When a prairie dog is hit by a .22 centerfire I doubt very much that there is any lead in the carcass. The impact is just too explosive. As to the raptors, I’ve never seen it. Lots of coyotes moving in on the tail of a dog shoot but raptors??? Check your facts.

 

[fourfive8]

Locally, both variety of eagles invariably and reliably come to the regular boom, boom.... boom sound of a P dog shoot in progress. If locals have out-of-town relatives or visitors coming, they will often pot a few close to their house so the visitors will have a private eagle show. I don't know how much lead is ingested in shot P dog meat by raptors, predators or scavengers but I would wager there is some as there is always some lead left in even small pieces of tissue. Flouroscope images of bullet tracks through tissue are very instructive.

 

[IdaRam]

Interesting conversation regarding birds of prey. Here in southern Idaho we have A LOT of raptors. We also have the world center for birds of prey. And we have millions of ground squirrels. Kinda all go together I guess
Crows and Magpies... We got a lot of them too. Crows are legal to shoot.
On any given week between February and June there are many thousands of rounds of ammunition expended on these little ground squirrels. Go just about anywhere in the desert south of town and you will hear shooting. Lots of shooting. This has been the case for decades, likely 60 years at least. Probably a good thing too. These little rodents reproduce at an unbelievable rate. In much of the sage brush country you risk twited ankles or worse if you go for a walk. Between the squirrels and the badgers it is a warren of excavation just under the surface.
The thing is, I spend quite a bit of time out there amd have for years, shooting squirrels, hunting badgers, calling coyotes, etc. and I have never seen a dead raptor. Never. Not one. Not even one someone had shot. I’m sure it happens, but I think people are pretty responsible when it comes to these birds.
On the other hand, take a drive on I-84 between Boise and Burley and I guarantee you will see no less than a dozen dead raptors beside the road at any given time. Roadkill. There have been times that I have made this drive and quit counting when I got past 30.
Maybe all the birds with lead poisoning go to the freeway to die
If lead from bullets kills birds of prey, the number must be so infinitesimally small compared to other causes such as vehicles as to be inconsequential. Just my opinion.
I wonder how many Condors die of lead poisoning vs the number that electrocute themselves on high voltage power lines? Yet we have a Condor zone where lead bullets are banned.
Birds of prey are just an excuse. Once again, my opinion.