Photos, Social Media, & Hunting/Trapping Optics

Why It Matters: Hunting and Trapping Need Public Support to Continue

It’s not uncommon for hunters (and especially trappers) to have experienced some pushback from non-hunters/trappers for their choice to participate in these activities. Online, the situation often becomes more tense and hunters/trappers sometimes respond by choosing to further inflame the situation. This frustration is understandable, as having to constantly defend you choices can become exhausting. However, it’s important to remember that most Americans have some level of support for legal hunting and that those who are anti-hunting are a relatively small part of the population (a recent 2024 study found that roughly 76% of the general American public approves of legal hunting, and roughly 11% were neutral on the topic, and 12% disapproved, but overall, 87% of Americans agreed that it is okay for others to hunt if they do so legally and in accordance with hunting laws and regulations [while around 7% disagree and 5% were neutral]). Because most Americans either approve of legal hunting or are neutral toward it, each interaction you have with someone, whether in person or online, can be used to help educate non-hunting/trapping members of the public further OR push them to become more anti-hunting/trapping based on your behavior.

The reality is that despite relatively high approval rates across the country as a whole, our future hunting and trapping privileges are NOT guaranteed. There are multiple examples of different states, provinces, and regions having to alter or facing the threat of altering their hunting and trapping practices due to public pressure or ballot initiatives. California, for example, banned the regulated trapping for furbearers for fur and food in 2019, several western states have banned the use of dogs to hunt mountain lions, bears, and bobcats, and multiple states have faced pressure to pause or end their bear seasons. Oregon even faced a potential ballot initiative that would have criminalized hunting, fishing, trapping, and livestock practices (it failed to qualify for the 2024 ballot), and as of spring 2025, is facing a potential ban of all beaver trapping on public lands. In Canada, British Columbia ended grizzly bear hunting not due to concerns about the bear population’s health, but because the population voted to end it in 2017. Boone and Crockett, as well as Travis Hall of MeatEater, note that a big reason for this was the photos, videos, and social media posts hunters were posting that went viral.

Remi Warren points out that:

“The anti-hunting stance is purely emotion-based. It attempts to paint the hunter as the bad guy and tug on heartstrings. It ignores statistics, science, and even the fact that the majority of the country uses animal products in some way—from leather to dairy to meat to drugs that have been tested on animals. They are on a losing side, but if they can find things that align with their incorrect view of hunters, then they can use that to influence the same people we struggle to educate.

Let’s face it; anti-hunters are not going to change the mind of hunters and probably vice-versa, but where they can change minds is with the non-hunting public. To be honest, in recent times, they have been winning this on many fronts with the help of a small majority of hunters who have forgotten where the battle is fought and won.”

Remi Warren, “How Social Media Will End Hunting,” Western Hunter

The best way to ensure the continuation of hunting and trapping is to not give anti-hunting/trapping groups leverage. The primary way to do this is to embody the principles of fair chase and ethical hunting, not only during the hunt itself and in the way you utilize the animal, but also in the way you photograph and share the story of your harvest and interact with non-hunters/trappers.

Although you can’t take the blood out of hunting, you can control whether or not it ends up in your photos and be respectful of other people who care about wildlife, but might not understand the role that hunters and trappers play in conservation. Remember that it’s possible that people who view your photos don’t know you or understand hunting or trapping or the context of the harvest. Often, things might look worse in photos or videos than they are (this is especially true with trapping), but remember that non-hunters and trappers won’t know that. At the end of the day, even if you aren’t providing anti-hunting groups with leverage, you could be making hunting and trapping look bad to neutral or pro-hunting/trapping members of the public because it makes the community look unethical and disrespectful to the animal in the photo.

After all,

“Our photos of harvested game are a display of hunting ethics and, in this case, folks are watching more than ever when we post images on social media. Being a responsible and ethical hunter is of such critical importance that an entire chapter is devoted to it in hunter safety education courses where we are taught as new hunters not to share graphic photos, vividly describe the kill to non-hunters, or parade around town with a deer strapped to a vehicle…Hunters need to work to maintain a good relationship with the non-hunting public. We should not provoke more people to become anti-hunters and create more challenges for the rest of us to protect hunting as a tradition and critically important instrument of conservation. Hunting annually provides millions of dollars to fund wildlife conservation through the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act. We have a lot to lose!”

Nathan Grider, “Ethical Photographs of Your Harvest; It’s Worth the Time” (2022), OutdoorIllinois

Protecting Hunting and Trapping with Respectful Photography and Social Media Posts

The Wisconsin Trapper’s Association also has an excellent video in which WI DNR Assistant Furbearer Biologist Erinn Kiesow-Webb discusses responsible use of social media as it pertains to trapping, and things to avoid when posting online that we highly recommend!

How to Take Respectful Hunting and Trapping Photos

So, you’re on board with why taking tasteful photos is important — excellent! Now, how do you do it? A good rule of thumb is that you try to take photos that tell the story of the hunt and share the experience, rather than glorifying the kill.

Some good ways to show respect for the animal and hunting/trapping overall include:

• Keeping your firearm muzzle in a safe direction (even if it’s unloaded) and NOT using any part of the animal as a gun/bow rack
• Take photos of animals before they are field dressed
• Face wounds away from the camera, aim for a natural body position, and put the tongue back in
• Remove visible blood, leaves, dirt, etc. from yourself and the animal
• Sit or kneel NEXT TO the animal, provide realistic perspective, and look either at the camera or admiringly at the animal
• DO NOT sit, stand on, ride, etc. the animal
• Wear blaze orange if required by a law and don’t take photos of untagged animals

Some good ways to tell the story of the hunt include:

• Include the habitat in the photos
• Take photos of scouting process, the scenery, the people you are hunting with, cool things you find along the way, etc. rather than only the “trophy” photo

Other Tips

• Limit photos of furbearers in traps and don’t post photos of animals in traps to social media. Such images can be offensive to some and saved and used by others without your permission.
• Don’t forget to check your privacy settings on each platform so things you post are only viewable by people you know, when possible, and avoid “checking in” or tagging your location on posts.

Rules of Thumb

When in doubt, ask yourself about the following about a photo or video you’d like to post:

• Is it ethical?
• Will it upset people who don’t trap or hunt?
• Does it present trapping or hunting in a positive light?

These rules of thumb were adapted from AFWA’s Social Media and Trapping Guide.

Examples of Hunting and Trapping Photos and Social Media: The Good & The Could-Be-Improved

When you compare the images above, think about how you react to the one on the left vs. the one on the right, and then think about how a non-hunter might react to the two images. While it is true that some people would still respond negatively to the one on the left, it is far less likely to provoke a negative reaction than the one on the right, which has the hunter sitting on top of the deer, the deer’s tongue hanging out, and has more blood on the deer and the hunter. Overall, the photo on the left has a much more respectful feel to it, although you should always tag your animals before taking photos. Are there any other changes you’d make to the first image?

Recommended Reading

• Regulated Trapping and Social Media by Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies by AWFWA
• Photographing Our Hunting Memories and the Image We Project by George Bettas (Boone and Crockett Club)
• Seven Tips for Ethical Field Photos by Boone and Crockett Club
• On Thin Ice — Hunt Fair Chase by Boone and Crockett Club
• Your Photos Are Antis’ Ammunition by Boone and Crockett Club
• 13 Tips for Great Field Photos by Boone and Crockett Club
• State Officials Cancel Squirrel Hunting Event Amid Outrage from Anti-Hunters by Dac Collins
• Americans’ Attitudes Toward Hunting and Sport Shooting by Council to Advance Hunting and Shooting Sports and Responsive Management
• Hunters Need to Be Held Accountable for What They Post to Social Media by Beka Garris
• Ethical Photographs of Your Harvest; It’s Worth the Time by Nathan Grider
• Canadian Guides Seek Class Action Lawsuit Over Grizzly Hunting Ban by Travis Hall (MeatEater)
• Tips for Taking Quality, Ethical Hunting Photos by Kirstie Pike
• How Social Media Will End Hunting by Remi Warren
• A Brief History of the Anti-Hunting Playbook by David Willms and Aaron Kindle (MeatEater)