ETHICS - WHAT ARE THEY?

[SPIKER]

Very honest skip. As usual, you are above sugarcoating the truth, and I respect you for it.
As for myself, I don't know how I would react in the same situation, it's never happened, so I can't say.
In the end, it's all meat in the freezer.

[tedicast]

I agree with Skip on his answer to Spikers thought. Any legal deer is an ethical deer to harvest. If you don't want to shoot young doe, or small bucks....more power to you. Don't judge someone else because they do. The last 2 years I have got it in my head to let smaller bucks walk. I passed at least 4 shots on spikes this year. But, I would have been high fiving my brother or any friend who harvested one of the deer I let walk. That is a personal decision, and in my opinion has nothing to do with ethics.

[BT]

michihunter said:

Deer are LESS likely to jump at a greater distance. Think of a paper bag being popped in your ear as opposed to one being popped two rooms away.

I have said the same many times myself and know it to be true.

That being said....as Tedicast points out....movement also carries a threat

A simple turn to the side , away from the point of aim or into it could cause a wound or sever wound.

I meant to imply....it is a question based on possibility rather than probability.

As to what deer to shoot....

I can argue for or against any situation or opinion pertaining to what deer gets harvested.

That's just a silly argument and is purely opinion based IMO.

In the real world there is an upside and downside to either scenario , be it a Doe or a Buck.

[michihunter]

I meant to imply....it is a question based on possibility rather than probability.

That's the key to ethics in my opinion. Take the probability away for a smaller possibility of mistake.

[DocHolladay]

I try to go by the ethics that I was taught by my brother(who started me out hunting) and what I learned in my Hunter's Safety Course.

1. Make sure of your target... Dont just shoot at anything that moves. Make sure it is your intended prey AND you have a clear shot at its kill zone.
I had a friend shoot a doe once and drop her, the young deer that was with her ran into some weeds and all he could see was its rear end. He guessed as to where the lungs were.....hit it in the back of the head. Got lucky there.....I gave him a royal ass chewing and told him if he was going to be like that, he would never hunt with me again. He hasnt made the same mistake.

2. Make sure you have a clear line of sight so that nothing can cause your bullet or arrow to miss your intended target(the kill zone). A wounded deer is terrible, not only for the hunter, but for the animal itself.

3. Be courteous to land owners and other hunters.

4. Dont hunt someone elses spot unless you have their permission...this kind of goes with #3...

5. ALWAYS look past your intended target to see if you are going to hit anything else or anyone........This applies more to rifles than bows...

6. Always leave the land better than you found it... If you see some litter, pick it up and bring ot home with you.

7. Thank the good Lord for everyday you are able to get outside and hunt. Anyday 6' above ground is better than anyday 6' below it.

8. Thanks the deer for presenting you with a shot and allowing you to take it and for giving your family food for the table.

9. (This one is just me mostly)....Try not to put down any hunter as long as they are obeying their states laws. We have enough people trying to bring hunting down without bringing ourselves down, from the inside out.

That is all I can think of at this hour...will come back if I think of more.

[BT]

#9(This one is just me mostly)....Try not to put down any hunter as long as they are obeying their states laws. We have enough people trying to bring hunting down without bringing ourselves down, from the inside out.

I believe that simply putting someone down is uncalled for and fruitless.

Having said that....I think that some actions are really questionable (laws aside) as pertains to ethics.
Laws generally don't cover ethics in the field as it pertains to the game animal itself in the whole but rather only in part.

[ardon]

Ethics: This can cover alot of areas in the field & woods. Also can cover bow huntin, gun hunting, heck sling shots ;D Steep 1/4ing aways to 1/4ing at you shots. Ok 1/4ing at ya shots? I feel comfortable taking them. I practice all year round , ground , elevated. I can place a shot good and ethic there. I have taking bucks with this shot. My best bow kill was takin 1/4ing at ya from 12 steps. Baiting? theres a biggie I've seen so many post threw out the years that friendships ended, and boards (forums)closed up. Running shots @ deer, another biggie. Kurt Darner's book talks about ethical shot and running deer. He talks in a chapter of his book how to practice for the running deer. This guy holds some top Boone & Crockett Bucks.
Huntin is huntin, what were type of method we use, long as it is ethical. No animal suffers, & by the law. We are all on the same side when it comes to the outdoors . Whether its with archery equipment, modern gun to primative muzzleloader to In-line ML's to trappin to hunting big game with dogs. Theres another huge biggie If it is dogs used for deer or hogs or crossbow hunters VS compounds. It really doesnt matter , does it? Were on the same side and should support one anothers as sportmen & sportswomen. Numbers have shown in the last few years that new hunters and huntress have been on the decline. Alot of that is do to other types of other activties and life styles changin, and non outdoor activities. We as veteran hunters should be promoting this great tradition thats been passed down to us, whether we like the method or not. We have a strong opposing groups that are trying to take our tradition away. What better way to promote hunting and the outdoors than to support all methods of hunting. Remember our fight is with the "Anti's" NOT with ourselves. We need to keep setting the example to the new hunters, educate them so we can carry our tradition on.
Here in Arkansas huntin with dogs has been goin on for generations. Running dogs for deer or hogs. If ya think about it and seriously , "doin a drive is the same princable" except with humans. Like I said earlier I support all methods of game taking , long as it is eithcal. From one location to another varys it style and tradition. I'm talkin about cultures, some folks from other locations wouldnt understand southern culture and like wise with some southerners wouldnt understand anothers culture. Goes back to different methods of hunting too. They just dont understand that type of method or style of hunting. All goes to education. Please look at this link below. My wife supported this group do to her love of dogs & cats. She pledged 500. to 1,000. a year with this group and when she read this her jaw hit the floor. Her reply was..... "they lost me as a pledge holder / supporter and will let them know by E-mail why too" Like I said before in this post the fight is out there with THESE TYPES. You would never thought , lest my wife would of or I. Ethical or morals. I believe we all have them , it about how we persent them and how open minded we cn be.
I dont use any dogs for big game huntin, I'm not saying I appose it or I'm for it.
I'm for all methods of ethical legal hunting, Plain & Simple.

Ya'll been good sports about this topic

www.hsus.org/wildlife/issues_facing_wildlife/hunting/

[BT]

[blue]PLEASE!!!!!.....NO OFFENSE INTENDED!!!!!!!!!!![/BLUE]

[RED]PLEASE!!!!!.....NO OFFENSE INTENDED!!!!![/RED]

[YELLOW]PLEASE!!!!!.....NO OFFENSE INTENDED!!!!![/YELLOW]

Numbers have shown in the last few years that new hunters and huntress have been on the decline. Alot of that is do to other types of other activities and life styles changing, and non outdoor activities. We as veteran hunters should be promoting this great tradition thats been passed down to us, whether we like the method or not.

I agree that we should endorse the sport but not all the methods

Some of these methods are fuel for the fire , aiding the anti's fight to encourage fence sitters to join their cause.

Ignoring the PETA people will not solve the problem but rather it will swell their ranks IMO.

Practices which are cruel are legal in some states and it is these practices that will make the average voter side against the hunter , regardless of what has been a tradition

Times change and the days of gaining support for anything (large or small) based solely on tradition falls flat.

Bear Trapping is one example of a tradition that was outlawed based on public outcry due to the blatant cruel manner in which it was carried out.
(I knew alot of bear trappers and none said it was anything short of cruel but they argued it was also tradition )

It doesn't matter what you feel.....it's about what the majority feels.

Look at the recent hypo dart hunt that was slated

There was alot of out cry from hunters and non-hunters and they weren't even killing the deer! ;D

Imagine trying to justify to a senator that loves the concrete jungle that gut shooting a cat out of a tree and into the midst of a snarling dog pack is perfectly o.k. and is a tradition ;D

Some of the films I have seen of cat hunting adventures would cause me to go out and vote against it

So .... tradition doesn't build bridges and in fact may well keep the first pilings for that bridge from ever being sunk.

We have a strong opposing groups that are trying to take our tradition away. What better way to promote hunting and the outdoors than to support all methods of hunting.[u/]

Some methods couldn't be promoted to a hunter....much less a non-hunter who is mildly interested

These methods I speak of don't need to be named....just use your imagination

If your wife would be sickened by it or distressed in any way then you better examine it closely

The woman outnumber us by a large percentage and it is they,not us who can turn the tide.

Heck!.....1/3 of the men I meet are only men in as much as the gear god blessed them with and would not be inclined to understand any better than Hillary Clinton would understand rush Limbaugh!

I am not saying that we as a group need to hide but we do have to have the ability to explain our actions and methods.

I could not explain in a hundred years why anyone would need to hunt deer with a 22 at night..... so I am against it.
(makes me look like I do know what I am talking about and gives someone who doesn't more reason to listen and to trust me when I explain other things that are o.k.

Remember our fight is with the "Anti's" NOT with ourselves. We need to keep setting the example to the new hunters, educate them so we can carry our tradition on.

I believe that if we don't police ourselves to a degree that allows us to all answer to our accusers without rebuttal , then we do need to begin fighting for what is right in order to maintain what we currently have in the long term.

I agree that we need to teach in order that our students can carry on into the future but without a defined and proper/safe path we are teaching nothing

I can show you sites and links that are so offensive as to cause a person to become ill after viewing for a short duration and our problem as a whole (as I see it) is that we do nothing to discourage this outrage.

When we insist that we should support each other simply because we are all hunters and that we need to stick together..... we take in many persons who's actions we would never partake of or condone in our own children or neighbors or selfs

I would suggest looking at secular organizations who (in the name of unity) have become extinct due to their own unwillingness to conform to the times, choosing instead to weather the tide of change

Change can either overtake you and leave you alone and helpless or you can learn to conform to it in order to survive

I suggest that there are things within that indeed must change or we will be destined to be left behind without a canoe or paddle

Just look at England

[SPIKER]

Bowtech wrote:
Heck!.....1/3 of the men I meet are only men in as much as the gear god blessed them with and would not be inclined to understand any better than Hillary Clinton would understand rush Limbaugh!

I knew there was a reason I liked you ;D ;D ;D

[BT]

Since I am fresh off the subject over at AT , I wanted to bring up this book that I mentioned.

For $6. it is a great read on the subject of ethics in the field and would make a great book for the beginner IMO.

Jim Posewitz is the founder of Orion....The Hunter's Institute, in Helena, Montana

www.huntright.org/