LAST UPDATED: June 23rd, 2020
Hunters are providers. We know how to survive when things go south. That’s why hunters, of all people, weren’t the ones to panic at the first sign of a global pandemic.
In the words of Hank Jr., “You can’t stomp us out and you can’t make us run…”
Country folks – hunters – can survive.
Despite all the negativity that’s come with the current pandemic, I want to challenge you to see the incredible opportunity to make these some of the best days you’ll ever live. We have opportunities now that we’ll likely never have again. Time is on our side. Will you make the most of it?
I encourage you to use this time to impact your families like never before, as well as make a difference for our hunting heritage. Here’s a look at 6 ways to promote hunting during COVID-19.
1. Meat Matters - Show It
No meat at the grocery store?
No problem. That is, if you’re a successful hunter. And for all the haters that once gave hunters a hard time for killing their own food, a different story is now unfolding before our eyes. With just one global pandemic, a new mindset has swept across the country. The “dumb rednecks” anti-hunters love to hate, now, look like geniuses.
Why?
Because meat matters. And when grocery stores fail to keep families stocked on meat and groceries, successful hunters won’t go hungry.
Don’t boast about your roast, but it’s a good time to let people know that you’re a hunter, and you’re going to be okay no matter what COVID-19 throws your way. Put meat on the grill. Let the smoke roll to your neighbors. It’s the perfect way to let the whole neighborhood know, a hunter can survive.
Use social media to share recipes and techniques for how you’re preparing meat and other wild game dishes through the months of COVID-19. Anything you can do to put wild game and hunting in a positive light these days will go a long way in helping promote the hunting lifestyle.
2. Share the Wealth
If we do nothing more than just show the meat and goods we’ve been blessed with, we’d pretty much secure our place as first class jerks. That’s why it’s so important to take the next step, and share the wealth.
You can bet there are people that would greatly benefit from some quality meat during these days. For some, times are tough. Bills are going unpaid, pantries are getting slim, and there’s no doubt countless people that could use the meat hunters have to offer.
Show the love. Share the wealth. Find someone that needs meat and pass it on. You never know how big an impact it will have on their family – and yours too!
3. Make a Wild Game Meal for Others
Want to take things a step further? How about making a wild game dinner for someone else? By delivering your favorite wild game dish to a non-hunting or anti-hunting family, you’ll be feeding the need and sending a strong message of care and concern that needs to come from hunters these days.
You can drop it off on their front porch, or have them over for dinner at your house once the quarantine lifestyle eases up.
Wild game cooking is the single greatest entry point for the non-hunting community to discover the good that comes with hunting and the outdoors.
4. Take a Non-Hunter Hunting
Once they get a taste for the wild game goods you put down on the dinner table, they’ll likely be ready to take the next step for themselves. That’s why this is a perfect time to take a new hunter or non-hunter to the woods to show them how to obtain food for themselves.
We’ve got more time on our hands now than we’ll probably ever see again. Don’t waste it. Take the time to introduce someone new to the hunting lifestyle during COVID-19.
5. Show the Good Side of Isolation, Hunting, and Shooting
Spending hours on end isolated from the rest of the world is what we often do as hunters.
We look forward to it. We embrace it.
But it’s important to let the rest of the world know why that is. We need to help them see and understand what it’s like to watch the outside world wake up at sunrise. They need to understand what hunters experience – the sights, sounds, and smells – that come with the good side of being isolated in the outdoors as a hunter.
Introduce them to some new ways to help pass time in isolation. Backyard archery, bowfishing, mushroom hunting, shed hunting, fishing and hanging out in hunting camp can be some of the perfect ways to promote hunting to the non-hunting world.
6. Virtual Hunter Education & Clinics
Another excellent way to help promote the sport of hunting is through virtual learning. There’s a number of online opportunities being offered now with Hunter Education, Bowhunter Education and more.
We’re even launching Virtual Hunting Clinics to teach kids how to call game, hunt deer and turkey, shoot fish with a bow, and so much more.
Consider how you might use technology to educate and equip others, as well as help promote hunting in these days.
Conclusion
Don’t miss out on the opportunities we’ve been given! Use this time wisely.
Make the most of the opportunity to promote hunting in a positive light during the days of COVID-19.
