Understanding The Deceit of The Human Society of the United States.

By Jason Reid

AmmoLand Shooting Sports News

Much like last year at this time, the gridlocked battle between hunters and anti-hunters has been  a major theme among the conversations of the SCI faithful.  Combating the constant barrage  is a full time job for the SCI employees.  As much as it is a political and ideology battle,  it really is a battle of passions.  But as hunters we have much more tied to tooth’s conversation.  The passion for hunting and wild animals runs deeper than pulling the trigger since hunting is linked to deep family ties, personal experiences and a closer connection to our food. We understand these wild animals and places we cherish won’t be around forever unless we have an invested hand constantly managing and defending our rights as hunters.

We know the other side sees differently. They have a different lens on life which is ok, everyone is entitled to their opinion.  But when anti-hunters lie, deceive and manipulate information with the intent to destroy our culture, then we have a new ball game.  Well, actually that is exactly what is going on in this world and as Chip Burkhalter, the Director of Government Afairs for SCI told me, “ Most people don’t understand what the Humane Society of the United States is doing and it is time people and not just hunters understand.  They are extremists and have hijacked the term conservation.  Conservation takes management.  The money we generate goes directly to preservation of habitat and humanitarian acts and they do not. It is time we take that word back.”   

It was very concerning to learn more about the fraud and manipulation of the HSUS.  For staters, HSUS is being actively investigated into their fundraising by the Oklahoma Attorney General.  Lets be clear here, those sad looking commercials you see on TV for local shelters are misleading since less than 1% of the 150 million they raise each year goes to local shelters.  Local shelters are independently run but  the organization of the HSUS hides behind puppies and kittens to get donations.  Did you also know they have about 100 million dollars in off shore accounts?  I wonder what that is all about?  At least when hunters donate money, we know the organizations we contribute to are transparent and we can directly fund particular projects and see direct results.

“HSUS has emotion filled messages and they twist the truth.    They get away with it because  public perception is puppies and kittens.” Says Burkhalter “Their recent statements about Mountain lions were factually incorrect  and twisted from the original report.  We know this because the author of the report called me and told us to watch out that HSUS was twisting his words to fit their agenda.”

Hunters ought to also know HSUS was a part of a $15.75 million  federal racketeering settlement in 2014 after HSUS sent hush money as a part of an “alleged” payment scheme.

Hunters ought to also understand that one of their senior management members was a former spokes person for the Animal Liberation Front who set fire to a farmer’s feed co-op in 1997 nearly killing an entire family. ALF is a FBI-Designated domestic terrorist group.

Hunters ought to also know that they received a D rating on Charity Watch. Charity Navigator, the largest charity evaluator, has issued a Donor advisory to all consumers.

The HSUS has money and emotion which they use to muscle their way around legal problems and attack our rights as hunters.  Hunters have science, money and passion.  We have more driving us in terms of our deep intrinsic passion for the wild than our opposition.  But what we need to do is find a way to continue to unite our voice, our numbers and our passion into one single message.  I’ll leave you with this.  To the average whitetail hunter, these issues may not seem import right now.  But the war is real and while HSUS might not be directly targeting deer hunting today, it is in their sights.The best way to help our culture stand our ground against HSUS is to be informed, know how to stand your ground and never apologize for being a hunter.

Information  was gathered from articles on AGWired.com , humanewatch.com and Safari Club International.

About Jason Reid:

Jason Reid is a writer and business professional from upstate New York. After deciding to pursue his dream of becoming an outdoor writer, Jason started a blog from his dorm room at Houghton College, growing it and working hard to earn opportunities. While bowhunting big game is his ultimate passion, Jason welcomes all outdoor challenges which force him to push his limits. Jason’s work can be viewed on his website Pushingthewildlimits.com