West DSM News

Social media provides countless opportunities for people to share moments of their lives — a feast of words, images and ideas.

But some platforms are limiting what hunters can post, and Iowa Bowhunters Association President Bob Haney said it’s censorship that is both unfair and unnecessary. It can lead to charges of unethical actions, and Haney said that needs to be called out.

“It’s very unfortunate that we have these platforms where people can basically have anonymity and make these allegations,” Haney told West DSM News.

Iowa Bowhunters Association President Bob Haney | Iowa Bowhunters Association

Haney said he is by nature a very private person who rarely spends much time on social media. He has a Facebook page primarily as a way to stay in contact with members of the association.

But Haney said he has been told by hunters that they have been made to feel unwelcome on social media platforms and have been targeted for sharply worded criticism.

The bowhunters have invited celebrity hunters to their fall festival and spring banquet, and he said they have talked of negative posts on their Facebook pages.

“It’s ugly stuff,” Haney said.

Daily Malarkey, a daily email newsletter covering news, media, politics and pop-culture, pointed to the inherent inconsistencies of the social platform's application of censorship policies. “How is a still photo of a hunter standing next to an animal more violent than a hockey fight or UFC clip?” it asked.

"Photos are being blurred-out, removed and stamped as 'sensitive content' for violating 'community standards,'" according to the newsletter. "Accounts are being locked and terminated with little advance warning or justification."

The Safari Club also publishes a hunting-related newsletter and organized a petition to “Stand Up Against Big Tech's Censorship of Hunting.”

“We've heard countless stories from hunters, guides, outfitters and more, of their accounts being locked or even taken down entirely with little to no warning or justification — potentially impacting their business and livelihoods,” it stated.

The newsletter cites examples, such as when the Hunting Consortium was locked out of its accounts in 2020. It also notes that hunters and their organizations are vitally important to conservation, wildlife management and sustainable use. They contribute billions to conservation funding, improving critical wildlife habitat, and supporting local economies.

The petition features signatures from Iowa hunters who are fed up with Facebook’s stifling of hunting-related content.

A letter from the Safari Club to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg details the ways that Facebook and Instagram have censored the Hunting Consortium recently.

“As a global consultant for legal, regulated hunting, The Hunting Consortium relies heavily on social media as an avenue through which they both communicate with clients and partners on multiple continents, as well as advertise to potential new clients in a competitive industry,” the letter stated. “Limiting their ability to communicate through your platforms has a concrete, negative impact on their ability to conduct their lawful business.”

An OutdoorLife article written by Tyler Freel quoted a post from Nosler Inc. stating that, “Instagram’s latest update automatically adds a filter to limit you from seeing content that they think might be upsetting or offensive … (i.e. everything hunting and shooting related).”

“If you’re a hunter and you’re active on social media, you’re almost certain to know someone who has had posts flagged, removed or even been locked out of their pages,” Freel wrote. "Often, the posts are completely benign, but get 'flagged' as being harmful content in one form or another and removed.”

The article, titled “Is It Time for Hunters and Shooters to Give Up on Social Media?,” reports that a growing number of hunters are turning away from the online platforms.

“With all this mess, plus all the downsides of social media that I’ve covered in the past, it begs the question: Is it really worth trying to maintain our presence and identities as hunters on social media when it seems that the deck is stacked against us?" Freelance wrote. "Some people don’t think so.”

Facebook’s Community Standards on objectionable content under violent and graphic content state that imagery of animals will be removed if it includes "humans killing animals if there is no explicit manufacturing, hunting, food consumption, processing or preparation context" or if that imagery shows "showing wounds or cuts that render visible innards or dismemberment, if there is no explicit manufacturing, hunting, taxidermy, medical treatment, rescue or food consumption, preparation or processing context, or the animal is already skinned or with its outer layer fully removed."

Haney said while people assail hunters and hunting, they are often unaware of the money and efforts hunters provide to boost conservation.

“Sadly, I don't believe they are,” he said. “The  hunting world, the outdoor world will spend, will contribute more money to the protection of our natural resources and wildlife than all of the other anti-hunting groups combined. It is just it's just that simple. It is billions of dollars. Hunters support the natural resources that we all enjoy.”

Haney said hunting will survive in the 21st century and beyond, but it won’t be the same sport.

“I do, but it'll be different. It was different when you and I were kids,” he said. “Back in the day, I could walk from our farm all the way to town about seven miles, hunt all the way here and hunt all the way back. And if anybody saw me, it would be that 'that Haney kid, he's up there doing his thing' and they knew I wouldn't hurt anything. To be frank with you, I'd probably help if they had a cow out or whatever. Those days are gone.”

Haney said the loss of public lands for hunting has had an impact on the sport. It’s far different than when he started as a farm kid in Tennessee.

“I cut my teeth on a 22 rifle when I was in my diapers,” he said.

Now, he primarily hunts with a bow. Thanks to a successful business career, he has pursued big game across the planet, he said. His primary target nowadays is whitetail deer.