It is not "hogwash " and it is my hope this will remain civil. Monster Raxx stated his view and I hope he watched the video of the subpressed 30-06. Yes poachers would like one and they would work well on a .22 mag. Food plots are a bit different then baiting by dumping grain in one spot (including mechanical feeders) . I guess as CWD increases we may learn things just like States outlawing doe piss scents. High fence areas have an increase in it. But I know for sure we have more deer today then 40 years ago.
I'm a 100% rule follower. I live in NY and home to some of the most strict game laws there are. I agree with you and I follow the rules. I'm not out here to try to one up my buddy. I enjoy the sport. Unethical and legal are 2 different things as well. But for me if its legal I'll do it. Unethical is opinion based but a law is a law. By the way for unethical, I just today had a guy I work with tell me that he went and asked for permission to hunt a piece of land. He told me that he told the land owner "If I shoot one I will give you all of the meat, I just want the head". Now that is unethical!!!!! And this is from a guy who hasn't gotten a deer this year yet, wounded 2 last year and lost then and wounded 1 so far this year and didn't get it.
I think ethics should play a larger role than it does. There are many laws, some that were made for ethical reasoning, other for different reasons. There are lots of things I could do that would be legal. For example, I could kill as many does as I want to buy tags for, but I don't. I take as many as I feel I "need" for food, but none extra for "fun". Legally, I could, but ethically I could not. There are many laws across the country that I think are stupid, for example there are states that don't allow lighted nocks. There's no ethical reason these should be illegal. They only help see the impact of the arrow or find the arrow after the shot so you can make a judgment about the shot placement. I think there needs to be a more common sense approach to what is legal and what is not. We are way over regulated these days, so much so that it's hard to know what is legal and what isn't. However, I do still believe that the laws need to be made at the state level, since each state has it's own challenges.
LOL.....I grew up and still do make a "hunting living" on hunting small tracts of land (some as small as 2 acres).....some simply don't do their homework or put in the time. (also baiting is illegal here)
I agreed with you up until this point. There are trophy hunters out there and there are meat hunters, one in the same as long as they are doing so legally and not wasting the animal. If he just took the head and left the carcass for the coyotes I would call that unethical. Nothing wrong with donating the meat to someone who appreciates it(not that I am saying you said that), which in this case if the landowner accepts his offer then he has every right. I know people who won't shoot a buck over 2 1/2 because it's only good for sausage. Not unethical, yet it is not what a trophy hunter wants to hear either. Neither is right or wrong, nor are they unethical. Ethics are moral rules where laws are just that, laws.
Whether or not you agree with the topics discussed in this thread, I am personally happy that all of you take the time to think about situations like these for yourselves and determine the right course of action. Whether or not something is ethical, I think in our society many people see others partaking in a specific act and follow suit without even thinking for ourselves about whether it is right or wrong. Bravo!
Absolutely. My moral compass has kept me from doing a lot of stupid stuff over the years. I have a very simple way to determine if something is moral or ethical. I just think to myself, "what would my mother think if she know I was doing this?" I don't want to disappoint my mom, and she has high standards.
Just think about how much better the of the animals we hunt live their lives and what the lives of the animals the majority of the world consumes, what kind of lives they lead I think a person that walked into a field of cattle and picked out and animal and killed it and quartered it out is still a bigger man than the anti hunter going through a drive thru.
Yup, most anti hunters eat meat, yet they are too stupid to realize just how hypocritical that is. Kinda scary how out of touch with reality some people are.
So is this how you kill all of those nice animals? Over bait, with a headlight at night, using a suppressor ? Shame on you!!!! ( WHEN CAN I COME OVER?) LOL
Lots of food for thought here.. there is a big difference I believe in ethics and laws. Ethics go beyond the laws altho just abiding by the laws is ethical. We all know unethical hunters and i think almost every hunter has shot a deer and not been able to recover it doesn't necessarily make u an unethical and horrible hunter. But when its done time and time again with no regard for the animal and no respect then u become unethical. Ther is one thought that i havent heard here yet and i dnt want to stir up to much controversy over this lil paragraph but none of the outdoors is YOURS. Unless ther is a high fence you dnt own the deer. All animals, houses, land, family, possessions, ect arent yours or ours ther only borrowed from God and wer strictly stewards over them. When people disregard God and that ther jus stewards they loose sight of the big picture.. Now that being said ther are ethical people that dnt believe in God. So im not sayin all unethical people arent godly. Just for me personally its Gods and i need to treat it with respect. When u follow the guidelines (laws) and respect the things given you then ther is no wrong doing. Jus thoughts i thought i would share
ethics are nothing but personal beliefs. mine may/may not agree with yours. my ethics have changed 180* since i was a youngster
I personally think if its legal go for it. For example in Virginia I can not bait and don't but in North Carolina I can bait and do. I consistently kill more deer in Virginia than North Carolina. If I break the law to take an animal I feel like I am cheating them. Its just not worth the guilt. I check the time tables every day and exit my stand the moment legal shooting time is over. If I see a nice deer walking out, he walks on. This whole in fighting between hunters is ridiculous. We should not hate or judge each other because we do things differently. For example trad guys, rifle hunters, muzzle loader hunters. If you can legally carry that weapon and are proficient with it. Great, I am happy you were successful. Ultimately you have to live with yourself at the end of the day.
Haha. I know you are joking, but I still want to make it 110% clear that I do not and will not do any of these things. I do hunt over foodplots and I don't see an issue with them. I wouldn't be able to brag about an animal I killed illegally or unethically without feeling guilty. I hunt for the fun and challenge. If I only wanted a nice rack I would simply go on eBay or Craigslist. Sent from a piece of paper, tied to a rock.