A well-known hunter is in hot water over a controversial video showing him stab a wounded coyote with a knife. The graphic video, which was originally leaked to Cowboy State Daily by a private investigator, depicts Aaron Snyder approach a wounded coyote, pull it from a bush, kick it to the ground, and stab it in the chest. Snyder then taps the coyote on the head with his knife.
Snyder is a prominent figure in the hunting community. He is the former president and CEO of Kifaru and has a large social media following. Prior to the release of this video, he was an employee of Born Primitive, a maker of outdoor apparel. The brand fired him after the video went public.
“Born Primitive Outdoor supports ethical hunting and holds itself and its partners to that standard. The behavior shown in the video involving Aron Snyder does not align with that standard,” wrote the brand in a social media post. “As a result, Aron Snyder is no longer an employee of Born Primitive.”
Animal rights groups are going after Snyder, saying his actions are akin to a widely criticized incident in which a Wyoming man brought a wounded wolf into a bar instead of humanely dispatching it. Wayne Pacell, president of Animal Wellness Action and an outspoken anti-hunting personality, told Cowboy State Daily that Snyder’s video is “sadistic behavior” and “the very essence of cruelty to animals.”
The reactions of folks within the hunting community appear to be mixed, with some calling it unethical and inexcusable behavior and others saying that such instances are unfortunate but can occur when dealing with wounded critters. Both sides agree that the video doesn’t reflect well on hunters among the general public.
In a statement posted to social media, Snyder said the video took place during an ice storm in Texas, not Wyoming, in 2019 or 2020 and that he was shooting coyotes from a buddy’s ranch after they were “wreaking havoc on his cows, horses and dogs.”
Snyder says he drove over to the coyote in the video and got out of his ATV to approach it, though he left his firearm in the vehicle. “When I got to it, it wasn’t dead,” he said. “I pulled it out of a brush pile, ran it down, kicked its legs out from under it, and stabbed it…It’s a very bad optic for the hunting community. That wasn’t my intention, but even when I watched it, it looked bad.”
Snyder said he was performing a “dead check” when he tapped the coyote on the head with the knife and added that he had lost some “respect” for predators such as coyotes and wolves after watching them “tear apart” fawns, calves, and dogs. He went on to apologize for the incident and said he plans to get off of social media.
Shortly following the initial release of the video, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department said it was investigating the incident. Following Snyder’s statement that it had happened in Texas, it is unclear whether Wyoming Game and Fish is still investigating the video or if the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department plans to do so. If the incident did in fact take place in Texas in 2019 or 2020, it would likely fall outside of the state’s statute of limitations.
Feature Image Via Cowboy State Daily video.
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