Blue Jays Pitcher Stands His Ground After Being Criticized for Taking His Son Goose Hunting

Canadian leftists are hammering Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Erik Swanson for taking his son goose hunting and posting photos of the geese they harvested while outdoors together.

It all started after Swanson posted a photo of himself with his son, crouched down behind the geese they had harvested:

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A post shared by Erik Swanson (@swannypops)

Outkick quoted some of the comments Swanson received in response to social media posts about the hunt.

One response came from Barbara, who wrote, “Do you really need food that badly? Are you even going to put them In your freezer and eat them. He could try eating vegan or vegetarian for awhile. Or maybe if the birds and animals were armed so they could fight back. I would be all for it.”

Jen wrote, “Wow. Teaching your child to kill animals. Not admirable at all. How about teaching them kindness and compassion to all living things???”

Swanson responded to the criticism with a post on X, where he wrote: “I am an avid hunter/fisherman and I will always be. For the people who are asking me why I have my son with me, I am teaching him a very important life lesson… the beef, venison, poultry, fish, fruits and vegetables all come from somewhere, not just the grocery store.”

He added, “Now when [my son] hunts and he harvests his own food, he knows exactly where his food is coming from and what is in it. Next time you go to the grocery store or restaurant and order something, remember that it had to come from somewhere. Know what you are eating! Safe hunting to all!”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010, a speaker at the 2023 Western Conservative Summit, and he holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..