A hunter that was criticized for posing with dead animals that she had hunted has branded people that called her out for her hobby as “uneducated hypocrites”.

Alexandra Tyutcheva, a hunting manager from Serphukhov, Russia, has been hunting since she was 18. 

She calls it her job and a hobby that she loves to do when she is not working.

Alexandra is also writing her bachelor’s degree thesis on trophy hunting in Russia and uses her social media platforms to share articles about sustainable hunting practice.

When she was a child, Alexandra went fishing and camping with her dad and the pair now hunt together.

Alexandra says she does not waste any part of the animals that she had killed.

She cuts away all the meat, dries the skin, and boils up the antlers and the horns for taxidermy.

The controversial hobby of Alexandra has attracted a lot of attention on social media.

Talking about her haters, Alexandra said:

There are many people that don’t understand and throw hate at you whilst having zero knowledge on the topic. There can be comments that say, ‘I wish you were lying there instead of the bear’, or, ‘you are a cruel killer’. Some have even threatened my non-existent children who will ‘pay for that’. They don’t realise how hunting influences our ecology. Proper hunting management can increase the number of elephants in Africa for example by thousands or bighorn sheep in the US. It’s hypocritical to eat meat and then also criticise people who work hard to provide their own meat for themselves. On Instagram, I share links to articles that educate people about sustainable and conservation hunting. I’m currently writing my bachelor’s degree thesis on trophy hunting in Russia.

Alexandra was just 12 when she started to fish and went camping out with her father.

She started real hunting when she was 18 with her father.

Talking about her relationship with her dad, she said:

My father and I are very close. We spend a lot of time together hunting with our guests. My mum and three sisters don’t enjoy hunting but they support us. Hunting isn’t for everyone. In Russia, it’s not unusual to drive five hundred kilometres to go hunting – especially if you live near a city – so you don’t go very often. The biggest hunt I’ve had was a Kamchatka brown bear. We don’t weigh them but it must’ve been around two hundred and fifty kilograms. Hunting is a part of who I am now – it’s my hobby, my job, and my philosophy. I love the strong connection I have to nature and the understanding of how things work in life. You challenge yourself in harsh conditions – storms, rain, and snow – but that’s just nature. You become more patient with experience.

Even with all the hate that she got on social media, Alexandra said she has no intentions of stopping hunting.

She said hunters “do not hide” their passion or “apologize” for being a hunter.

She added:

As for other people, do not judge something you don’t understand. Search for information and talk to people – try to learn. Curiosity and self-education is important.

What do you think about Alexandra? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.