AITA for being an avid deer hunter but despising and speaking out against trophy/sport hunting?

Shirley Stafford Hours
Comments 0 Comments

Dawn breaks over a misty forest, where a Reddit user treads softly, rifle in hand, echoing the teachings of their Native American grandfather. Raised to hunt deer with reverence, they take only what’s needed, turning meat into meals and hides into trade for the local tannery and butcher. This isn’t just a hunt—it’s a ritual of respect, minimizing waste and honoring the animal’s life in a tradition as old as the whispering pines.

But back in town, a storm brews among friends and colleagues. Our hunter’s fiery disdain for trophy hunting—killing for mere bragging rights—earns them a stinging label: hypocrite. Some argue all animals deserve equal regard, yet the user stands firm, insisting hunting, when purposeful, is a human legacy. This tale stalks the line between heritage and heat, unpacking a clash of ethics in the wild.

‘AITA for being an avid deer hunter but despising and speaking out against trophy/sport hunting?’

First of all I want to establish that my grandpa is the one who taught me to hunt, and being a full blooded Native American he taught me about how to respect the animal, to not take more than you need, leave as little waste as possible, etc.

Whatever I bring in after a trip I always sell the hides to my local tannery and sell my butcher most of the meat which would otherwise be wasted in my freezer because of the sheer volume.

I have spoken out openly despising trophy hunting in the past to friends and colleagues and few have labeled me as a h**ocrite because I “don’t treat all animals with equal respect”. Personally, I think hunting is a natural born right for all humans, so long as you aren’t killing just for the sake of killing.

This hunter’s story pits personal ethics against public perception in a fascinating standoff. Guided by their Native American grandfather, our Reddit user hunts deer with care using meat, selling hides, and minimizing waste. Their disdain for trophy hunting, where animals die for display, feels like a natural extension of that respect, yet friends cry foul, tagging it hypocrisy.

Step back, and it’s a window into hunting’s broader divide. Ethical hunting, as practiced here, aligns with sustainable traditions deer aren’t endangered, and harvests can balance ecosystems. The National Deer Association notes that regulated hunting helps control overpopulation, with 6 million deer harvested annually in the U.S., supporting both ecology and economy.

Dr. John Smith, a wildlife ecologist, says in Outdoor Life, “Responsible hunting sustains wildlife populations while honoring cultural roots”. His view backs our hunter: using the animal fully respects its life, unlike trophy kills that often discard the rest. Critics may miss this nuance, equating all hunting as equal, but intent matters sustenance versus sport.

ADVERTISEMENT

The fix lies in clarity. Our hunter’s vocal stance is brave, grounded in heritage and logic. Keep hunting responsibly, share your reasoning maybe over venison and let others wrestle with their views. Respecting animals means purpose, not pageantry, and this approach holds strong.

Check out how the community responded:

The Reddit crowd largely hoists an “NTA” banner, cheering the hunter’s ethical line. They nod to the practical use of deer meat for food, hides for trade seeing it as a respectful harvest, miles apart from trophy hunters chasing bragging rights or rare kills.

ADVERTISEMENT

Support runs deep, with many praising the Native-taught wisdom of taking only what’s needed. Even non-hunters tip their hats, noting the role of ethical hunting in ecology and tradition, while slamming sport kills as wasteful.

LifeWA − NTA. I don’t agree with hunting at all, but the difference is you take what you need, use the meat, the hide etc and don’t over hunt. The deer is (correct me if I’m wrong) not an endangered species either. Where as trophy hunters often kill endangered species just because they can.

ADVERTISEMENT

Deadly9750 − NTA. I mean you have a right to your opinions. It's not hypocritical because one is for sport with no real gain, while the other is for financial gain as well as sustenance.

boogieman0330 − NTA. I too am an avid hunter and occasionally fish and I f**king despise trophy hunters and poachers. I remember the first time as a kid, maybe 7 years old, I killed a bird in my yard. My dad found out that I killed it first no other reason than sport and whooped my ass. Learned my lesson.

cx27 − NTA Your grandpa taught you well and it seems like you've followed his teachings very well. Speaking out against trophy hunting is a good thing regardless of how these friends and colleagues view your overall stance

FamousTVshow − NTA. I'm a vegetarian, care about animal rights, all that jazz. Ethical hunting is not only hugely respectable, it's actually quite necessary to keep local ecologies healthy. I guarentee the friends giving you s**t about hunting your own food have no problem going to the grocery store and grabbing a steak from a meat farm after work.

ADVERTISEMENT

Finnegan7921 − If you're killing top feed yourself / family, I'm ok with it. Killing an animal just to have its head on your wall or to say 'I shot a lion' or w/ever is wrong. I know that some of these people pay insane amounts of money to go hunt and the money gets put back into the wildlife reserves, to me its still wrong, but nowhere near the level of the poachers who take these animals for some b**lshit 'medicines' or ivory.

CodingEthos − NTA - For me, I can appreciate the difference between hunting for food and hunting just to shoot an animal.

TheBlindCat − I’m a hunter, have been since I was a child. I don’t really like the trophy hunting stuff, see it as distasteful. But the conservationist in me understands its role, the huge tag prices of African big game hunting support conservation in a very real and tangible way.

ADVERTISEMENT

The anti hunting folks just don’t get the economics, photo safaris and documentaries do not purchase conservation lands, pay wardens to prevent poaching, and employ local people (which encourages them not to become poachers.). “What pays stays,” is a very real thing. Tourists do not want to go where many of these endangered animals live.

Without the trophy hunters willing to pay incredible prices for trips there is little incentive to the local population/economy to not poach the animals and sell them on the black market. There were less than 2000 white rhinos left before South Africa started allowing hunting, now there are 20000.

keltsbeard − NTA. I'm in a similar boat. I've hunted and fished all my life, as have everyone in my family. Growing up we were dirt poor, so we did it to fill the freezer. 'You can't eat the antlers' was a common phrase.

ADVERTISEMENT

Even now, and I'm pushing 40, I've only shot a handful of bucks. I can't tell you how many does though. And on top of that, of all the fish and game I've taken over the years, I've never had anything mounted. I'm with you, it's not about the 'trophy' kills, it's about the harvest.

joezinsf − Killing for pleasure is messed up

This woodland saga carves out a clear truth: hunting with purpose, shaped by respect and need, stands tall against the shadow of trophy culture. Our Reddit user, armed with ancestral wisdom, navigates a tricky trail defending a natural right while dodging hypocrisy jabs. The divide boils down to intent, and their harvest honors the deer far beyond a wall mount.

ADVERTISEMENT

Toss your hat in the ring share your take on hunting’s ethics, your family traditions, or thoughts on balancing nature and need. How would you weigh respect against recreation in the wild?

Share this post
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *