Joy-Anna Duggar And Austin Forsyth’s Hunting Trip Divides Fans

A large group of Joy-Anna Duggar’s family members recently headed to the sunny state of California to visit her older sister Jinger. However, she and a few of her brothers decided to skip the Los Angeles road trip in favor of a much colder destination.

On Thursday, Joy-Anna took to Instagram to inform her fans that she had been allowed to join her husband, Austin Forsyth, and a small group of her brothers on a hunting trip to Colorado. The 21-year-old Duggar daughter revealed that they were trekking around in the Rocky Mountains to hunt elk, and they had already spotted a few of the majestic antlered animals. However, it wasn’t opening day yet, so they weren’t able to take any shots at them.

The group that accompanied Joy-Anna and Austin included twins Jeremiah and Jedidiah, 20, and their younger brother Jason, 19. Joy-Anna revealed that it was “freezing cold” when they reached their destination, but she gushed about how “gorgeous” the snowy scenery surrounding them was. The Counting On star also revealed that she’s “excited” and “can’t wait” until opening morning when the group can try to take down a few elk.

Some of Joy-Anna’s followers didn’t share her excitement, and they let her know that her post rubbed them the wrong way.

“Why do you like to kill animals?I could not!” wrote one critic.

This question sparked a discussion about the hunting trip, and it wasn’t just the killing. The Duggar daughter’s elation over the prospect of it is what bothered some fans.

“Right?! Who’s excited to slaughter animals,” read another remark.

Other fans responded by arguing that many people depend on hunting for food and that most hunters eat the meat of the animals that they kill. There were also those who stated that it’s a necessary evil to “preserve the herd” and that it’s good for the environment. However, some fans still were uncomfortable with the idea of getting pleasure out of taking a life.

“Her question was about the enjoyment of killing animals, which is considered a sport. I love the Duggars, but I hate the sport of hunting… even if they eat the meat. Never will I understand how it is that people can love killing,” read another response.

However, most reactions to Joy-Anna Duggar’s post were positive, with fans praising the icy landscape’s beauty in the pictures that she shared. She also showed off the groups’ warm camouflage outfits in a snapshot that was taken inside a vehicle. The back of a horse is visible in the fourth photo of her Instagram slideshow, so their hunting destination was likely so remote that they couldn’t reach it by vehicle. The group was very high up in the mountains when it was taken.

Joy-Anna didn’t reveal whether the Counting On cameras were following her during her hunting trip, but fans will soon be able to watch her and the rest of her family on their TLC series when it returns on October 15.