Tim Walz's attempt to woo men with hunting-themed photo op backfires

Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have major issues with red-blooded American men and the Second Amendment. In a desperate effort to gain the support of the former and simulate support for the latter, Walz donned an orange hat and participated in a hunting-themed photo op on Saturday near Sleepy Eye, Minnesota.

This attempt to rehabilitate Walz's public image backfired — especially after footage circulated online showing the Democratic governor struggle with his firearm.

On Oct. 3, Trump campaign strategist Chris LaCivita noted on X, "Word on the street is Tampon Tim will be staging a Pheasant hunt soon ... manicured hands and all to prove that he is in fact not really a 'Beta' ... this will be fun to watch."

Sure enough, following days of mockery — during which Elmer Fudd memes and AI-generated images of Walz loading a shotgun with feminine hygiene products figured prominently — the Democratic governor participated in the 12th annual Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opening in Sleepy Eye, then promptly shared a video documenting his failure to shoot a bird.

'This is just embarrassing.'

The proud gun-control supporter can be seen in the video walking around with a shotgun, chugging a diet Mountain Dew, and telling the tale of the time he allegedly "got a double."

While birds safely fluttered in the distance, Walz shared a few one-liners, including, "That's why it's hunting, not shooting, right?" and "There's good days and there's great days pheasant hunting."

After his not-so-great day pheasant hunting, critics seized upon a clip showing the governor struggle to load his shotgun.

Former Spartanburg Police Officer Cody Garrett, writing as Donut Operator, noted on X, "For a lifelong hunter, you sure were having trouble loading your own gun."

Another user wrote, "Bruh.. come on. This is just embarrassing. It's a good thing you defected before your deployment."

"Tim Walz claimed he carried 'weapons of war in combat' but he can’t load a shotgun? This guy is beyond weak. My little sister could beat him up," tweeted country music singer John Rich.

Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) was among the many who had some fun at Walz's expense, tweeting, "SLING AND A MISS."

"My prediction was in fact accurate," wrote LaCivita. "Staged ..and watching him bumbling around trying to load his shot gun was fun."

Referring to cable news footage of the outing, the Trump War Room noted, "MSNBC implies that Tim Walz going pheasant hunting is nothing more than a desperate attempt to make up ground with male voters. Sorry Tim, men aren't voting for a gun grabber."

The Harris-Walz campaign has significant ground to make up with male voters in the final weeks before the election.

A recent New York Times/Siena College poll revealed that 51% of likely male voters said they would vote for Trump. Only 40% of men said they would vote for Kamala Harris. This gendered skew is pronounced in swing states such as Arizona and Nevada, where a recent Suffolk University/USA TODAY survey indicated Hispanic men are majoritively keen to vote for Trump.

Although immigration appears to be a top concern for many likely male voters who are now supporting Trump, Harris and Walz may also have alienated men with their records on gun rights.

'The hunting community, in my opinion, will vote for someone that puts America first.'

The Harris campaign website indicates that if elected, she would "ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, require universal background checks, and support red flag laws that keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people."

Harris previously threatened to storm the homes of law-abiding Americans for surprise gun inspections; endorsed a handgun ban without buybacks; and signed an amicus curiae brief both justifying a total handgun ban and suggesting that the Second Amendment does not secure an individual right but rather a "collective" or "militia-related" right.

The Washington Post noted that unlike Harris, Walz was not always hostile to the Second Amendment, having once earned an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association. However, in recent years, he has become a zealous anti-gun activist, proudly earning nothing but straight "F" ratings and publicly blasting the NRA as "the biggest single obstacle to passing the most basic measures to prevent gun violence in America."

Walz has since boasted of his efforts to ban bump stocks and assault rifles, as well as his fight to prevent concealed-carry reciprocity. In June, Walz ratified legislation banning the use of binary triggers. Last year, he ratified a raft of gun-control measures, including universal background checks and a red-flag law.

Walz's photo op is unlikely to make critics forget about his record or Harris', just as it appears to have done little to win over hunters and conservationists.

Gabriella Hoffman, director of the Center for Energy and Conservation at the Independent Women's Forum, told the Spectator, "No $40 camo hat will convince most sportsmen and women that Harris-Walz represents them."

"Vice President Harris has been an active partner with President Biden in being the most hostile administration to shooting sports, hunting, and fishing access. Her name is co-signed on closing millions of acres of public hunting lands in Alaska, forbidding lead tackle on national wildlife refuges, and recently shutting down shooting sports opportunities in the entirety of Bears Ears National Monument — 1.3 million acres," said Hoffman. "Hunters and anglers don’t trust Harris-Walz."

Derek Wolfe, host of the outdoorsman podcast "Wolfe Untamed," said, "They have made it clear that they are coming for guns, fracking, gas-powered vehicles, just to name a few. They know that 10 million hunters didn't vote in the last election, so they are reaching out, but it's a waste of their time because the hunting community, in my opinion, will vote for someone that puts America first. And I believe that man is Donald J. Trump."

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