Aron Snyder and a screen shot of the incident (inset) | Main image by Born Primitive
In the age of smartphones and manufactured outrage, a single messy video clip can torch a reputation faster than any rifle shot. That’s exactly what happened last week with Aron Snyder and Born Primitive Outdoor.
A video that has surfaced out of Wyoming shows the veteran backcountry hunter and gear guy dispatching a wounded coyote. According to some reports floating around the interwebs, the animal had allegedly been attacking a rancher’s calf and Snyder took it upon himself to get rid of it. Snyder’s method, which included dragging, kicking, and finishing the already wounded animal with a knife, looked rough on camera and without full context or a cleaner follow-up, the raw footage spread rapidly.
Raised in the Oregon Cascades, Snyder built a serious reputation over the years in the backcountry. The Army vet spent more than a decade at Kifaru International, leading the brand known for bombproof mountain hunting packs, eventually rising to Chief Designer and President. He hosted the Kifarucast, logged 150+ nights a year in the field, and became a go-to voice for no-BS gear and traditional bowhunting. In 2025 he made the jump to Born Primitive as a core team member and product innovator, helping drive design and marketing for packs, boots and layering systems, making a substantial impact for the brand.
Despite everything Aron gave to Born Primitive, a public statement over the weekend regarding the video footage has since washed away every one of his contributions.
As many of us know, coyotes are sharp, efficient predators that take a real interest in hammering livestock. U.S. producers lose more than $71 million annually from predator-related losses, with coyotes responsible for around 65 percent of cattle and calf predation losses and 61 percent of sheep and lamb predation. In Wyoming, they’re officially classified as predatory animals with zero license requirements, no bag limits, and year-round open season.
Dispatching a wounded predator in close quarters is messy work and a quick, humane finish (ideally with a pistol or rifle) is usually the best prescription for these situations. Given Snyder’s track record, this looks more like sloppy execution than cruelty but it sounds like he’s going to have to defend that position on both the internet and maybe even in a courtroom.
After the video leaked, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department stated that they have since launched a full investigation into the recorded incident.
Perhaps the scariest part of all of this is not solely how it affects Aron, but what this means for the rest of us. A video like this is absolute gold for the frothing mouths of the anti-hunting crowd and ultra-powerful NGOs.
Predictably, groups like Women for Wolves, Project Coyote, Save Coyotes Now, Wildlife for All, and Animal Wellness Action amplified the video within hours. Easily framing the video as torturing an animal that looks like your dog, thousands (if not millions) are now demanding criminal charges, jail time, and lifetime hunting bans.
If you thought Cody Roberts had it bad, we’d all better buckle up for the sh*t storm that is approaching regarding yet another incident that should have never been documented in the first place.
Yes, they will be focused on hanging Mr. Snyder in the town square over this. But the bigger picture includes banning centuries-old traditions which include just about every outdoor pursuit that we hold dear (see: Oregon). This clip hands these organizations perfect fundraising and lobbying fodder needed to advance their goals.
Should Aron have been fired? I don’t think I would have fired him, but I’m not in BP’s position.
But then again, this incident isn’t about defending every action in the moment. It’s about refusing to let one decontextualized clip define the broader conversation, which is now going to happen, whether we like it or not. The real scandal here isn’t a tough dispatch. It’s how easily it becomes ammunition against all of us.
What we do isn’t always pristine. The bigger issue here seems to be turning the cameras on, or failing to turn them off, in these unscripted and sometimes messy moments.
