I have read a few posts here the last couple of years and thought ARE YOU KIDDING ME and this one is right up there. First off you would shoot him when it is not legal shooting hours then you arent hunting ethically, and I am not attacking you because you are being honest but the fact that you didnt use "no bait or Bullsh*t" but you are proud that you would shot a deer illegaly. What a joke!
I've never looked at the times around here, but I know its 30mins before and after. Way too dark to shoot when its still legal, so I have no issues. If I can make an ethical shot, then its during legal time for me.
There is a flip side to this coin...legal and ethical/ moral aren't always synonymous. Plenty of things that are legal that I don't consider moral. shooting a deer in the season 15 minutes before " legal time" isn't something I would hold against myself or someone else. If it was a safe situation and you can make an effective shot then I am ok with it. It is legal to take bad shots with bad angles, at distances that shouldn't be attempted .....legal yes...Moral and ethical no. I will make my own judgments and answers to my own conscience. In the situation described in the original post. I take the shot. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have to say that I am really shocked and pretty disappointed to see how many people that seem to be avid bow hunters but would shoot a deer outside of legal shooting hours. Really disappointed. To me, that is cheating to win. Just never been a fan of cheating.
That same situation has happened to me several times. Yeah it stings for a while but in the end, you know it was the right thing to do. It is said that your real character is what you do when no one is watching. I would say that you sir have great character. Well played fellow Hoosier! Blessings.......Pastorjim
Tough to pass in that situation...I am glad I haven't had to worry about legal shooting hours when/where I hunt. In fact the other night I was waiting on a doe to get into the right position and running out of light - which I did to the pt where I couldn't have seen my sights well enough to shoot 2 minutes before shooting hours ended(1/2hr after sunset)...it was also dark to the pt that I couldn't see the spikes on the buck that was with her(may have resulted in shooting an illegal buck for my tags) and could have led to me shooting the wrong deer. I also would not have been able to see any small whips or twigs in line with my shot which could have resulted in a badly placed arrow if it hit her at all. My decision to not shoot would not change if it was the buck of a lifetime...Kudos to you btw.
I'm shocked that most feel that you shouldn't shoot. This law, especially with a bow, in my opinion is silly. I'm sure I'll be looked down upon, but I would have taken the shot no doubt. The deer does not know what time it is. If I can see clearly through my peep and see my pins, I'm shooting. What is the different between shooting a few minutes after a predetermined legal shooting time (and it is my understanding that this is a safety law), and hunting in heavy fog, snow, or even shooting a deer in the rain that you stand a better chance of losing if the shot isn't good? This law in my opinion should be reserved for gun seasons. I've hunted with a gun and I know that when it gets really dark, you can still make out deer in the scope, but not all that well, especially at longer distances. The chance of accidentally shooting at someone is far greater than when you have a bow in your hand. The ethics of hunting to me is far more than shooting a deer after a set time of the day. If its too dark to shoot, its too dark. If its not, why can't you hunt and shoot?
I agree. I don't think legal light is anything I need to worry about. Law here says 30min prior to sunrise and 30min after sunset. Its dark enough 30min after sunset that I don't have to worry about it, I can't see my pins anyway by then. Same thing in the AM, 30min prior to dawn its still pretty dark. I wont have to worry about legal light, if I can see my pins then its legal. Some people here seem to be confusing legality with morality. Everything is not black and white, the world exists in shades of gray. Just because something is legal doesn't make it moral and just because something ia illegal doesn't make it immoral or unethical. You cannot legislate morality, nor should we try. I can legally cheat on my wife, that doesn't make it OK to do so.
Do not confuse morality with legality. I said if I can see well enough to see my pins then I'd take the shot. What's unethical about that? 30min is a long time and its dark enough in the evening that legal shooting light extends PAST the time I can see my pins. So you're saying its ethical to take a shot without enough light, just because its still "legal light"? Shame on you.
No one, and I mean no one is saying you should take a shot no matter what if in legal light. Those of you stating cases where it's a terrible decision to shoot during legal light like heavy fog, pouring rain or shoot a solar eclipse () are absolutely right. A hunter who respects the animal they are hunting will never under any circumstance take a shot on an animal they don't feel they can put a good clean shot on and have a good chance of recovery. That said though, yes it was about 45 minutes before sunrise, yes we have the 30 minutes before sunrise rule...but yes I could most definitely see the deer, I could even make out the leg crease to know where to put the arrow, yes I could have put the hurting on him...but the same thing that kept me from shooting in dense fog, low light, or pouring rain even during legal light stopped me from shooting him in this situation as well: respect for him and the laws set before me in this "game" I choose to play. Muzzy I wish I had an answer for your last statement but I don't...I too believe we should simply be told we can shoot when an ethical and safe shot presents itself without the help of any artificial light casting upon the deer. However, that's not how the laws for hunting are written at least in my area...I choose to follow them. (thanks again, I really appreciate your opposing thoughts and think unlike some you have not an ounce of attack in them)
tyinimiller, I applaud you for doing what you felt is the right thing. Mad respect for you. However, in this case, if you would have shot and killed that buck and said it was a little after what the law says is legal shooting time, I would have applauded you all the same. Again, to me, thats not unethical. What is unethical is poaching deer out of season, baiting where not legal and a host of other things that are far worse than hunting an extra 15 mins during season.
Muzzy, you are a guy I've known on these forums for a long time and have a ton of respect for. While I totally get what you are saying and agree 100% that the legal shooting time laws are a bit silly when it comes to archery since you have to get so close and be able to see your pins in order to make a shot which is much more difficult than seeing the target it doesn't change the fact that the law is the law. Whether the law makes good sense or not it is not for us to decide which laws apply to us and which do not. That is for the lawmakers to decide and while they may make bad decisions we have to respect those decisions or we lose the dignity of what we are doing as sportsman, stewards of the outdoors, and hunters. This is not a quesiton of ethics, but legality. If a deer is shot outside of shooting hours it is just as illegal as shooting it over bait where not allowed, shooting a deer out of season, or shooting a deer out of your truck window with a spotlight on it. While the severity of the infractions may not be equal they are all breaking the law and that is where the line is drawn. If you break a law, no matter how stupid the law may be, you are doing something wrong.
By some of your reasoning, the states that dont allow Sunday hunting make no sense and you should just ignore that law. Go ahead and hunt on Sunday because its just a game law. Picking and choosing which game laws to observe is a slippery slope. Fudging legal shooting times will get you in BIG trouble if you are shooting waterfowl. So, why would it be okay for deer? Because nobody can hear your bow? I guess we can debate this all day long, but bottom line is, if you shoot past legal shooting hours, your deer is not eligible for entry in to any records because it is considered to be poached. That's good enough for me.
