Fans slam Ricky Schroder for bloody hunting post: '30 years of love for you gone in an instant'

Ricky Schroder incited a maelstrom of criticism after he shared a photo of himself on Instagram carrying the bloodied leg of a dismembered elk, which some of his followers found distasteful.

WARNING: The image below may be upsetting to readers.

While he’s been an avid hunter since the age of nine, this is the first time Schroder has posted such a gruesome shot on his Instagram account. Most of his photos are of his dogs, children, or surroundings, and once in a while a fish or bird that he had fished or hunted. in a handful of pictures, he can be seen carrying a rifle.

It’s safe to say the Golden Globe-winning actor startled some of his followers with the grisly snap.

“I respect you as an actor but on a human level you have disappointed me,” one follower said to Schroder, who skyrocketed to child stardom in the late ’70s and ’80s thanks to roles in The Champ and Silver Spoons. “Because there’s no more meat at the supermarket you had to go to the mountain and kill a wild animal that did NOTHING to deserve it? @rickyschroder that’s what an a****** does,” slammed another. “Noooo 30 years of love for you 😢gone in an instant. Unless it was road kill by any chance?” someone asked. “Poor elk! Why Ricky?” asked another follower. “Ummm love ya but that was a bit shocking.”

However, many commenters were impressed. “Field to fork buddy! Congrats,” one wrote. “WOW!!!! A true woodsman,” said another supporter. “My God you are a real mountain man,” gushed a third. “My husband would be so jealous! Good job!”

The actor and producer learned to hunt on set when William Holden took him rabbit hunting in 1980 while they were filming The Earthling in Australia. “I thought it was the neatest thing to eat something that I had killed,” Schroder told People years later. He went on to host ESPN2’s remake of The American Sportsman, on which hosts and celebrities went on hunting or fishing trips.

Schroder isn’t the first celebrity to be denounced on social media for hunting. Fans were disappointed in Chris Pratt last month when he expressed excitement for hunting season on Instagram.

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

• Kyle Richards, Naomi Campbell, and more celebs share shocking trophy hunting photo

• Chris Pratt’s fans are ‘disappointed’ that he’s a hunter: ‘I won’t be following you anymore’

• PETA goes after Donald Trump Jr. with mock Halloween trophy hunting costume: Here’s his response

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.