The photo is too small to read the text here, so I uploaded it to the photo gallery so you can read the print on the sign. CLICK HERE to see the photo.

Hunt Hard. Fish Smart. Explore Texas.

It sounds to me like they are trying to ride the fence and have it both ways.

Keep yer eyes peeled!

I visited a BassPro shop for the first time three of weeks ago somewhere near Springfield Missouri.  We don't have any in Wisconsin.  I was amazed at the beautiful mounts, the live fish, live ducks, basically all the displays and the size of the store.  It was huge, I could have spent half a day there and my wife would have been happy to spend a lot more time in there too.  It is more than just a hunting store, it's like a large department store, souvenir shop with the hunting equipment in the back. 

Has it always been like this?  Are they trying to distance themselves from hunting and fishing?

 That sign sure seems to point in that direction.

Wow, I would thionk that this is a major screw-up.  The people who would get mad about mounts are not even their clientel.  All they can accomplish by doing this is to piss off their true customers. 

Just change the wording a bit. This is like walking into a church and seeing a sign that reads "All of the bibles and hymnals you see on display were donated by members of the church.  In no way does the church or its staff advocate or accept the actions of singing or praising God.

Guns don't kill people....Its those pesky little bullets making lots of holes that all the blood leaks out of.

This was probably a mis-wording more than anything else.

More than likely it was meant to imply that  they dont want folks killing an animal, having it mounted, and showing up at the store with it expecting them to put it on display.  In other words, dont kill an animal just to put it in our store.

Its all in the wording but they should probably clairify it.

The Hunt goes on forever, the season never ends. http://www.hossfly.com 979 777 1725

Yeah Ryan, I can see now what you mean.  They probably do need to re-do the sign.

Guns don't kill people....Its those pesky little bullets making lots of holes that all the blood leaks out of.

i hope they didn't mean what we all think they meant.  I hope Bass Pro takes all that money from hunters and puts a lot of it back into wildlife and hunter's rights.  I've never really heard anything about them from this standpoint so it'd be interesting to hear if anything else has.

Hunt Hard. Fish Smart. Explore Texas.

Certainly needs some clarification.  Be interesting to see what they have to say about it.

Anyone called a store or talked to a manager?

I emailed them earlier. Soon as I get a response I'll post it.

Guns don't kill people....Its those pesky little bullets making lots of holes that all the blood leaks out of.

Wow, not the response I was expecting or hoping for.  To me it's as vauge as the sign and a total cop-out.

Dana,

Thank you for contacting Bass Pro Shops online. We appreciate your business. Bass Pro does not advocate needless hunting or fishing. We of course advocate the sport of Hunting and Fishing as long as it is not done needlessly. We are basically saying be responsible when hunting or fishing.


Best regards,
Josh
Bass Pro Shops
2500 E Kearney
Springfield, MO 65898
1-800-BASS-PRO

Guns don't kill people....Its those pesky little bullets making lots of holes that all the blood leaks out of.

Then basically they should change the sign to say what they really mean....

Keep yer eyes peeled!

Does not advocate needless hunting and fishing.  What does that mean?  We should only hunt and fish to survive?

Talk about straddling the fence!

What they are trying to say is that they don't want people going out and killing animals or catching fish for the sole purpose of trying to get the mounts put up in thier stores. It seems to make sense to me.

"Hate me if you want to, Love me if you can" Git-R-Done!

I have to dissagree.  Compare what you are saying they meant by it, with the response I received, and there are no similarities.  If that's what they meant by it I think they could have said that pretty plainly, without being so vauge. 

Guns don't kill people....Its those pesky little bullets making lots of holes that all the blood leaks out of.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to attack Bass Pro as anti-hunting.  Of course they advocate hunting, without hunting and fishing they would be out of business.  They are one of my favorite stores.  What they are probably trying to do is put a wall up that they can use to put between themselves and things such as canned-hunts, and the likes, if the need arrises.  I personaly feel that they should come right out and say what they mean without trying to put out info that could be taken many different ways just to try to cover their butts in ANY event.  But I'm no business man and I'm sure they have it figured to their best advantage.  We can gripe the moral side of it, but business is just that, business.  They are there to make money and they are going to do what gives them the best chance at making money.   

Guns don't kill people....Its those pesky little bullets making lots of holes that all the blood leaks out of.

To me it seems like they are trying to be politically correct.  

They want the world to know they don't approve of hunting and fishing............ but they are willing to sell you the equipment to do it. 

They want us to spend our dollars there yet cover their behind.

I don't have a store near me but if I did I would not shop there anymore.

Seems to me they are taking pages from the federal government handbook. It's like smoking, don't do it! Make it illeagal to smoke in a bar, a car, a park etc. But on the other hand, keep making all the money they can from the same product they "don't" endorse.

GO CLIMB A TREE, TIM

I will quote the sign. "Bass Pro Shops does not advocate or accept the taking of game or fish for displays"

Then their response in the e-mail

"Thank you for contacting Bass Pro Shops online. We appreciate your business. Bass Pro does not advocate needless hunting or fishing. We of course advocate the sport of Hunting and Fishing as long as it is not done needlessly. We are basically saying be responsible when hunting or fishing."

I would think as a resonable outdoorsman that going out and shooting an animal or taking a fish for the purpose of getting it mounted and placed in a Bass Pro shops store would fall into the category of being done needlessly. Could they re-word it sure but I think it should kind of stand out already.

"Hate me if you want to, Love me if you can" Git-R-Done!