It seems abundantly clear now that the CBS series ‘Zoo [1]’ has, among other annoying goals, at least one chief aim: to thoroughly and completely denigrate hunters.
The show, which follows a team of scientists as they try to find out why animals are launching coordinated, deadly attacks on humans, has in the last 3 weeks glorified the murder of a hunter [2], boasted about disrupting a hunter’s opportunity to shoot a black rhino [3], and called hunters murderers. Last night's episode "Pack Mentality" was no different.
So it should come as no surprise that when Abraham (Nonso Anozie) and Mitch (Billy Burke) visit a Mississippi hunting store for trap gear to capture one of the wolves that attacked and destroyed the Mississippi State Penitentiary, things got a little uncomfortable.
Let’s just say they’re probably not going to get asked back:
-I knew that Americans enjoy hunting; I had no idea it was this popular.-Uh, excuse me. What's going on?
-The county announced a wolf call, because of what happened at the prison.
-What is a "Wolf call"?
-That's when a bunch of men go out into the woods to hunt wolves, armed with beer and high-powered rifles. 'Cause, you know, what goes better together than guns and drinking?
-Do you have any traps or snares? We are looking to catch a wolf-- catch, not kill.
-We might have some net guns in the back.
-You want to catch and not kill? What are you gonna do with a rabid wolf? Gonna take it to dinner and a movie? (Others chuckling)
-Those wolves aren't rabid. See, rabid wolves don't travel in the pack. They're ostracized and forced to move alone.
-Rabid or not rabid, it doesn't really matter much. Either way they'll be dead.
-You don't have to kill them.
-I'm not sure if you're from around here, friend. I'm betting not. We got farms and we got families to protect, and that's what we're gonna do.
-Actually, I'm after the same thing you are. I just don't think slaughter's necessary.
-Don't let him talk to you like that!
-Thank you, sir. Let's go get that net gun, Mitch.
-Go back where you came from, son.
-I understand who you are now. You're the kind that pokes the beast until the beast bites.
-I had that under control.
-I don't think so, my friend. I think in another five minutes you would have replaced the wolf as the focus for tomorrow's hunt.
I loathe watching scenes like this. The entire point seems to be to make average, every day Americans, in this case hunters, out to be some deranged bumpkins looking to shoot anything on sight. All the while making elitist know-it-alls like the Mitch Morgan character appear like pillars of intelligence.
As someone who hunts and has been around hunting for years, I have never in my life seen someone drink while hunting. Someone doing that would quickly find himself in jail, or punched right in the face.
As the store owner says in the scene, the only reason why people stocked up on hunting gear was because they wanted to protect their families from the horde of carnivorous wolves that somehow managed to burn a prison down and kill a few dozen people. How much of a stretch is it to think that if a horde of wolves were able to get into a maximum security penitentiary and burn it to the ground, they might, just might be able to find a way to get into your living room? Or daughter or son’s room?
I realize this might take a higher level of intelligence to contemplate. But try explaining that to someone who already has all the answers.