On Sept. 20, a 74-year-old hunter was charged in the fatal shooting of a woman after he said he mistook her for a deer while hunting in an open field Delaware.
Sadly, this is just business as usual for the dangerous, sadistic hunting industry, which sees sentient wildlife as “natural resources” and turns woodlands and open spaces into war zones for recreationists simply trying to enjoy the natural world.
Between 2010 and 2025, there were 7,068 hunting incidents and 929 hunting-related fatalities in the U.S., according to the International Hunter Education Association (IHEA).
And these are only the incidents and fatalities we know about— the IHEA’s database is a comprehensive list of incident reports voluntarily submitted by state wildlife agencies, not a complete inventory of every hunting-related tragedy.
It’s exasperating that these reckless, savages get a national holiday. That’s right, Saturday, Sept. 26 is National Hunting & Fishing Day, a day to “recognize” generations of sportsmen and women for their contributions to the conservation of the nation’s sporting heritage and natural resources.
Wake up America. Killing is not conservation. Protecting wildlife and habitat preservation is.
The problem is state wildlife agencies receive funding from hunter license fees and taxes on guns and ammo—a clear conflict of interest that explains why wildlife is never respected but treated merely as a target for hunters and why state parks and forests across this country are being turned into killing grounds.
Friends of Animals is sick and tired of the silent economy that encourages and preys on the passion of few slobs who like to kill wildlife that doesn’t belong to them.
Adding insult to industry, now the Trump administration’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is pushing for largest expansion of hunting in our National Wildlife Refuge System.
Ducks, grouses, pheasants, bobcats, foxes, bears, moose and beavers are just some of the species that will be in the cross hairs to try and revive a dying hunting industry.
National Hunting & Fishing Day is also meant to recruit new hunters and anglers—participants are asked to “Take the Pledge” and promise to introduce someone to fishing, hunting, or shooting sports.
We have some better ideas.
With midterm elections across all states approaching, how about making a pledge to vote for politicians who are wildlife friendly and willing to stand up the hunting agencies and so-called conservation officers who want to continually expand hunting.
Even though there are far more people in the United States who want to protect wildlife than those who want to destroy it—only a pathetic 4 percent of the population in the U.S. hunts—they don’t always speak with a unified voice or take action.
We also need more people contacting their elected officials in defense of wildlife and we taking the time to attend public meetings and hearings to speak against anti-wildlife proposals.
And let’s cancel National Hunting and Fishing Day and replace it with National Wildlife Watching Day.
After all, more than half of the U.S. population 16 years old and older enjoyed wildlife watching in 2022, according to the most national recent survey released in October of 2023. They also spent $250.2 billion! Now there’s sustainable funding for conservation as hunters go the way of the dodo!
Wildlife watching is defined as closely observing, feeding, or photographing wildlife, visiting public parks around the home to view wildlife, and maintaining plantings and natural areas around the home for the benefit of wildlife.
Most U.S. residents just want a place to connect with nature without getting caught in the crossfire, and that’s cause for celebration!
Nicole Rivard is the Editor-in-Chief/Media/Government Relations Manager