VermontHunter Posted October 24, 2005 Report Share Posted October 24, 2005 I came across this great article written by the folks at huntingnet.com, and thought maybe we could learn a few things from it. It sure has helped me with a few thoughts and where my head should be. So I thought I would post it here in hopes it would help out with some questions you all may of had... . This isn't meant to change anyones convictions, but may shed some light on what others may see as the light.... Hunting Sportsmanship and Ethics The following criteria should be the only one used for judging the status of any harvested deer: a trophy is in the eye of the beholder. Just as each sportsman must perform the ritual of the hunt alone and kill his own animal, he alone should be the judge of what constitutes a trophy. Actually, putting a definitive numerical score on an animal's size before it can be considered a trophy is not only misleading, but also often irrelevant. Here's a good example: in a hard-hunted state such as Pennsylvania, where the average age of a harvested buck is only 1 1/2 years old, it is quite an accomplishment to locate and kill a six-point buck that's 2 1/2 years old and scores 80 points. On the other hand, in sparsely populated Montana, the average age of a harvested buck is 3 1/2 years old and 120 points, and many bucks die of old age without hardly ever seeing a human. Consequently, if the definition of the term "trophy" is a recognition of exemplary accomplishment, the smaller Pennsylvania buck should rank higher as a trophy because it was much more difficult to accomplish. That's exactly how the Boone & Crockett (all methods) and Pope & Young (archery) clubs define their trophy qualifications. Even though Pope & Young's minimum requirement for entry in the record books is much less than the Boone & Crockett Club, this lesser score reflects the difficulty of getting within the effective 30 yard range for a bow shot. But generally, both clubs are set up to recognize superior animals who have attained extraordinary size. In other words, it is the animal that is being honored. The sportsman is just recognized as the hunter who harvested it. Hunting Ethics Hunting ethics is a term which defines the true standards, conduct and moral judgement of a sportsman. Some say that people's hunting ethics are also a mirror image of the rest of their personal lives. Ethics for the hunter can be broken down into personal and public ethics. The personal ethics of a sportsman deal with the way he treats his sport, the animals and other hunters. Though often distasteful, personal ethics do not usually entail illegal activity. On the other hand, public ethics deal with issues such as breaking game laws, trespassing on private property, poaching, etc. Personal Ethics Every ethical hunter should practice personal ethics as a way of showing respect for his fellow sportsmen and the animals. Instead of fighting over a particular hunting area, it is considered ethical to share the area or invite the other hunter to hunt it one day and then you hunt it the next day. Personal disregard for another hunter's right to be in the woods should also be avoided, such as making noise to chase away game because someone beat you to your favorite spot, or putting on a drive where other hunters are stand hunting. One of the most ethically irresponsible things a hunter can do is not follow up his shot. Always do everything possible to retrieve a wounded animal, including spending the entire day looking for it. Public Ethics Party hunting, shooting an animal for another hunter, poaching, or leaving a deer in the woods because it is "just" a doe or small buck are not only grossly unethical, but also illegal. If the sportsman is supposed to be in the deer woods to commune with nature and enjoy the animals we love so much, it is reasonable that an ethical hunter would not even consider some of the above mentioned ethical and legal violations. Today, hunters are waging a battle against anti-hunters. We're also waging a more discouraging battle against adverse publicity from those few unethical sportsmen who's actions give the majority of ethical, law abiding hunters a black eye. Ultimately, public opinion will decide whether hunting as we know it will continue. It is our duty to do everything possible to win this war. Remember this is just a little light reading, but definately made some sense to me.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedicast Posted October 24, 2005 Report Share Posted October 24, 2005 Re: Hunting Sportsmanship and Ethics great article Luke. I can't argue with a thing in it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VtBowhunter Posted October 24, 2005 Report Share Posted October 24, 2005 Re: Hunting Sportsmanship and Ethics Think, I'll stick this at the top. Hopefully all will read and learn something from this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted October 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2005 Re: Hunting Sportsmanship and Ethics WOW !! I got a sticky topic..... Now I know Im on the right track.... Im sure glad Steve B. and I had our little talk while he was here on his vacation,, he sure shed alot of light on a view things for me, and gave me some things to really think about... I to hope that this article helps us see things in a different light and can learn a few important things from it..... Hunt hard and be safe my friends,,, because at the end of the day we are all hunters and human.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodOlMossyHorns Posted October 24, 2005 Report Share Posted October 24, 2005 Re: Hunting Sportsmanship and Ethics That is a great article. It is very true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shockwave Posted October 24, 2005 Report Share Posted October 24, 2005 Re: Hunting Sportsmanship and Ethics Just because people read the post, that doesn`t mean their gonna go by it, not to sound pesimistic but, old habits are hard to change, thats all well and good for a post like that, but nothing takes the place of spending time shooting and honing your skills, so you don`t have to post about taking a bad shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted October 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2005 Re: Hunting Sportsmanship and Ethics [ QUOTE ] so you don`t have to post about taking a bad shot. [/ QUOTE ] Bad shots aren't planned, they happen, it's a part of hunting, wether it be with a bow or with a firearm,, and if you think you are above this,, your day will come,,, We post and talk about these happenings in order to learn from them,, some good constructive advice and stern warnings are tools of teaching,, and aren't to be use to demean they uneducated hunter...eventually a bad shot will happen to everyone that hunts long enough..... Wether you choose to learn from this post is your choice,, and you are entitled to your opinions, so long as they don't demean another hunter and their choices and opinions...everything will be fine.. But THANKS for reading the article... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldawg Posted October 24, 2005 Report Share Posted October 24, 2005 Re: Hunting Sportsmanship and Ethics (Quote)"Party hunting, shooting an animal for another hunter, poaching, or leaving a deer in the woods because it is "just" a doe or small buck are not only grossly unethical, but also illegal. If the sportsman is supposed to be in the deer woods to commune with nature and enjoy the animals we love so much, it is reasonable that an ethical hunter would not even consider some of the above mentioned ethical and legal violations. "(Quote) In general, this is a great post. However....It is very legal to party hunt, and shoot another person's deer during gun season in Wisconsin, as long as that person is within shouting distance, and licensed. I consider it ethical too, as long as that person so desires it to take place. Other than that, I agree with your statements. Dawg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted October 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2005 Re: Hunting Sportsmanship and Ethics [ QUOTE ] In general, this is a great post. However....It is very legal to party hunt, and shoot another person's deer during gun season in Wisconsin, as long as that person is within shouting distance, and licensed. I consider it ethical too, as long as that person so desires it to take place. Other than that, I agree with your statements. Dawg [/ QUOTE ] I can agree on that Dawg, This is just a general guideline, like life itself, every situation is a learning experience and nothing happens in life and hunting like it was a script to read from... If I made a bad shot and another was within follow up range to put that animal down, I would expect nothing less from him as a hunter.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshM Posted October 24, 2005 Report Share Posted October 24, 2005 Re: Hunting Sportsmanship and Ethics Great article....deserves a sticky...good post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTbowman Posted October 24, 2005 Report Share Posted October 24, 2005 Re: Hunting Sportsmanship and Ethics Good Read Luke. Glad to see you post something like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted October 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2005 Re: Hunting Sportsmanship and Ethics Thanks Shawn,, much appreciated.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted October 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2005 Re: Hunting Sportsmanship and Ethics [ QUOTE ] This a good post. A post that we can all learn from. Already we are learning from this post with all the discussions taken place with the different views. Again good post glad to see it. Kind a helps keep us on our toes. [/ QUOTE ] This was my intention and glad you enjoyed the read.... Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted October 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 Re: Hunting Sportsmanship and Ethics Glad to see the traffic to this post is fairly good... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shockwave Posted October 28, 2005 Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 Re: Hunting Sportsmanship and Ethics [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] so you don`t have to post about taking a bad shot. [/ QUOTE ] Wether you choose to learn from this post is your choice,, and you are entitled to your opinions, so long as they don't demean another hunter and their choices and opinions...everything will be fine.. But THANKS for reading the article... [/ QUOTE ] sorry if it sounded that way... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted October 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 Re: Hunting Sportsmanship and Ethics Nothing to be sorry for shockwave.... ,,, we all have our opinions and views which make us what and who we are....It's when we think those views and opinions are better than someone elses and the only way to look at things, when things go down hill.... We just need to remember we are all hunters,, we may just be hunting for a different reasons and objectives.... but we are still all on the same team... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shockwave Posted October 28, 2005 Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 Re: Hunting Sportsmanship and Ethics that was a very bad week. How many posts were there from guys hitting deer, and not recovering them ? personally, I try to make every effort to shoot as much as i can, so every deer dies within 100 yards of shooting them, maybe i`m expecting the same from everyone else, like you said everyone is different.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted October 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 Re: Hunting Sportsmanship and Ethics I totally understand whee you are coming from..... I was one of those post early on that hit a deer and never recovered her.... .... seemed like a good hit as she carried off my arrow.. Mind you I can group my arrows within a 4" diameter bullseye from 40 yrds consistantly... I searched for this deer for 4-5 hrs after the shot... and then another 5-6 hrs with a tracking dog, with no success, we finally called it off at 3:30 am.... You can practice and practice,, but when it comes down to live and upclose personal action things can happen that don't happen in your backyard.... To this day that hunt still haunts me,, I replay the shot and the hit in my head on a dailey basis, and still can't give you an ansewr has to why we never recovered her.... It just happened to be one of those thing I guess.... Like I said I do understand where you are coming from as Im sure every ethical hunter doe's..... Hunt Hard and be SAFE...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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