Around the country, tens of thousands of hunters and trippers are ready to get out into the woods and fields for this year’s hunt. After the prey has been felled, there are many who want to immortalize the moment with the camera. The subject tag #jakt gives you 1.3 million hits on Instagram. But this year, Norway’s Hunting and Fishing Association is asking hunters to think twice before posting a trophy photo of bloody prey. – Use your head before you post something on social media, is the clear message from Espen Farstad, head of information at the Norwegian Hunting and Fishing Association, and asserts: – Historically speaking, there is an extreme picture where people have gone too far with blood and such . – USE YOUR HEAD: Espen Farstad, information officer in Norway’s Hunting and Fishing Association, asks hunters to think twice before they post their rudest pictures online. Photo: Private Fire in the comment field Too often there is fire in the comment field under pictures of hunters posing with their prey. Farstad is well aware that some of the pictures hunters have posted have been way over the line. But what is beyond the limit to post? And what should you find yourself in, even if you are deeply against hunting? – I think it’s completely natural to sit with the animal and take a picture with the prey. But I struggle with those who sat across the animal and lifted the antlers and put themselves in a somewhat difficult situation. I think that is unnecessary, says Farstad. He says that there are 150,000 active hunters in Norway. – We shall not hide away; I am proud to be hunters and fishermen. It lies deep within us, this here. But we have to respect that others may have a different view on it, says Farstad. NATURE EXPERIENCE: Direct the focus towards the nature experience and harvesting nature, rather than the soaring grin over a bloody prey, is Espen Farstad’s encouragement. Photo: Kjell Herskedal / Scanpix – Show respect for the life you have taken – Everyone understands that you have to take a life to get a steak, but not everyone wants to see that reality. I have to take care of that, says Joar Søhoel. He is a keen hunter and cook, and runs the online TV channel Jakt- og Viltmatkanalen. Søhoel has already started the autumn reindeer hunt, and is very conscious of what he posts in his photos. ON THE HUNT: Joar Søhoel on the hunt, this time with a camera instead of a weapon. Photo: private – Can lose a lot of the hunt Recently he shot a reindeer, but before he took a picture of it, he made sure that there was no blood on the ground and that the animal was free of blood on its body and face. – I take a life. Then we have to show respect for that life, says Joar Søhoel, and continues: – Do you post a picture to brag about having taken the life of an animal? Or is it because you are proud to have harvested from nature and that you have had a good hunting experience? he asks rhetorically. He is concerned that it is about harvesting nature, and is afraid that hunters who post trophy photos that are not taken with respect for the animal are doing the hunting industry a disservice. – If there are more opponents of hunting because hideous pictures are posted, we could lose a lot of hunting in Norway. Farstad also shares that uneasiness. – Those of us who engage in hunting are dependent on trust from society. Then there are demands on the hunters, that we have respect for the people around us and for the animals we hunt. Farstad and Søhoel’s picture tips Joar Søhoel: Avoid lots of blood in the picture. The Scots year is perhaps fine, if it is small and clean. Avoid especially blood on the animal’s face. It is also about what you write. Focus on the hunting experience, that you have the harvest from nature and the good meat you look forward to eating. Don’t let the picture scream “Yes! Today I shot an animal!” Espen Farstad: The hunt is more than just the dead prey. There is gathering and nature experience and matauk. Present it. Avoid a looming picture with hunter and prey. It’s also sadly connected hunting, so try to bring out the nuances in it. – Seeing illegal things on social media Daily leader Åshild Roaldset in Animal Protection Norway, says that they are sent pictures every year that hunters have posted online that see illegal things. – Every year I see pictures shared on social media that I think are inappropriate to share, but I also see some things that are illegal. When I see illegal things, I report it to the police. ANIMAL PROTECTION: Åshild Roaldset is the day-to-day manager of Animal Protection Norway. Photo: Anne K. Harkestad / Animal Protection Norway She finds it difficult to say what is okay to share and what is not from a hunting photo. – Many people react to pictures of dead animals, but it is not illegal to share such pictures, she says, and continues: – But “trophy hunting pictures” send a bad signal. If the message in the picture is “I win over nature”, then I think there is an attitude problem.
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Asking the hunters to drop the most expensive trophy tickets from this year’s hunt – news Vestland
