Former Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Kristi Noem, who was previously heavily criticized by the media for revelations about the self-killing of a puppy, published photos from the hunt on Instagram. In the photos, she poses next to a dead wapiti, one of the largest deer in the world.
In the photographs, Noem sits next to the carcass of a wapiti, holding one of its horns. Near him lies a compound bow, from which the animal was killed. In some of the pictures, hunters from her team also pose next to the former head of DHS.
“Finally got some time to post some photos from my bow hunt for wapiti. Had a lot of fun hunting with Patrick, Randy, Jason and Taylor. Our strategy and work have paid off, and I am so grateful for their help and friendship,” Noem wrote.
Many users congratulated the former minister on a successful hunt, but there were also those who criticized her hobby and recalled how Noem shot the family dog. The ex-official responded by calling critics “ignorant and uninformed” and emphasizing that “the animal will become food for our family and many other people with whom we will share the meat.” She admitted that she actually thinks these animals are “majestic and incredible.”
“I’ve always enjoyed learning about their habits from my dad, spending time in the mountains with him and my brothers and now friends,” she said.
The ex-minister condemned those who, in her words, “do not understand the responsibility for managing nature that God has entrusted to us.”
“Try to go to the store and buy anything that doesn't need to be grown, harvested, or mined, and you'll see empty shelves and your family will go hungry,” Noem wrote.
This is not the first time Noem has spoken publicly about her passion for hunting. Her Instagram profile also lists her interests as fishing and horses.
Noem previously found herself at the center of a scandal over an episode described in her campaign book, No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward. In it, she devoted several pages to the story of her dog named Cricket.
Noem said the dog disappointed her when she ruined a pheasant hunt by “chasing all the birds and having a great time.” Moreover, on the way home, Cricket decided to “hunt” the domestic chickens that belonged to a local family, with whom, as the politician writes, she stopped to talk.
After this, Noem decided that she had to put Cricket to sleep. She went to a nearby gravel pit where she did some “nasty work.”
In early March of this year, US President Donald Trump fired Noem and appointed Markwayne Mullin as the new Secretary of Homeland Security. Trump, in a conversation with advisers, explained the decision by internal scandals involving Noem and dissatisfaction with her testimony in Congress – at the hearing, Noem told senators that Trump allegedly personally approved $200 million worth of propaganda videos amid tensions over immigration raids.
In addition, Noem was suspected of improper use of budget funds. She and her former top adviser, Corey Lewandowski, regularly used the plane, which official documents showed was intended for deportation flights, according to media reports. Department officials nicknamed this plane “the minister’s big, beautiful plane.” After Noem left, the plane came under the control of the White House. As reported, senior administration officials, as well as first lady Melania Trump, will be able to use it.
