The anti-hunting machine that is the Humane Society of the United States

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This incident made it clear that HSUS’s anti-hunting agenda is common knowledge within the outdoor community, and that sportsmen and women throughout the nation refuse to support HSUS.

Which raises the question: If we are so staunchly united against HSUS, why is this organization of antis creeping closer to shutting down hunting?

The answer lies in the virtually inexhaustible financial resources HSUS has at its disposal. After paying the bills, HSUS reported $195.4 million in net assets on its 2012 tax returns, which includes nearly $178 million of investments in publicly traded securities. That means HSUS is largely liquid—it can convert those investments into cash essentially whenever it wants.

Those public tax documents also reveal HSUS collected nearly $113 million in contributions and grants in 2012. That’s $7.8 million more than the previous year. HSUS capitalizes on its ability to suck up dollars from animal-lovers who think they are donating to local pet shelters, and it pours those donations into anti-hunting crusades.

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HSUS has a long list of victories against sportsmen and wildlife conservation in its ongoing battle to destroy hunting.

Today, HSUS continues to lead a multi-pronged attack against America’s hunters. The antis are deploying their political contacts and financial assets to strike at both state and federal levels. Current campaigns seek to overturn wolf hunting in Michigan; ban lead ammunition on public lands; and outlaw bear baiting, trapping, and hunting
with hounds in Maine. If successful, these unwarranted restrictions will cripple wildlife management and hunting as we know it.

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So what happens when HSUS marches into a state without legislation in place to protect conservation practices?

Simple: Hunters will likely lose. Referendums are won with cash. And in a battle of the coffers, HSUS wins. HSUS dropped millions to try to overturn the wolf hunt, just as it’s raising millions to end bear hunting in Maine (see below).

Yet the hunting industry generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year. So why don’t we have a war chest to combat rampant HSUS spending?

Surprisingly, more money might not be the answer.

“It’s not just about stockpiling money to fight them. That’s a defensive measure,” says Nick Pinizzotto, executive director of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance. “What we need is offense. We need to focus on the fact that 70 percent of Americans support hunting. That’s an overwhelming majority. HSUS wins ballot initiatives with deception, lies, and cash. I’m not sure we counter that with cash.”

Instead, Pinizzotto supports a long-term focus on maintaining and expanding public support for hunting. As long as the fate of wildlife management remains in the public arena, we’re going to need allies. So, hunters: Start recruiting.

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