Ethics Test by the Hunting Gods

[dhoover]

A friend of mine was moose hunting along the Yukon river and in the middle of the night he heard something moving outside his tent. Figuring it was a bear he grabbed his rifle and slowly unzipped the tent. 20’ away was a good bull moose which was clearly visible in the full moon light. He shot it and it ran 50yds and fell dead. In Alaska there are no shooting hour limitations, You just cant use any artificial light.

I have an unused Moose and Bear tag from Alaska this fall. I would have absolutely shot out the tent door.

 

[farmer_john]

I think a better ethics question would be something like.

You have 2 deer all things being the same except. One you can take a perfectly clean shot. The other is maybe a good shot but the distance or some brush or other obstruction might make it high probability of not a good/clean shot.
Do you take the questionable shot. Or pass on the shot because you cannot garuntee and clean ethical kill.

Vs blind or house. Alotnof folks walk from car to blind and car to house. Mindset is functionally only difference.

 

[KEC]

Maybe im just ignorant on the intricasies but
I dont see how a blind = woodsmanship or stealth? A blind is a pre positioned box. (Kinda like a house ) designed to give the hunter greater comfort and advantage in the field.
And for clarity of deffinition im assuming some kind of comercial style blind.

And i never mentioned antlers buck or doe the process is the same

You're referring to box blinds; we don't use them. Blinds are any type of "hide" usually natural on our land.
I hunted from my son in laws box blind twice on their farm and felt disconnected like I was hunting from inside a house, nothing wrong with it just not for me.

 

[farmer_john]

You're referring to box blinds; we don't use them. Blinds are any type of "hide" usually natural on our land.
I hunted from my son in laws box blind twice on their farm and felt disconnected like I was hunting from inside a house, nothing wrong with it just not for me.

Just curious if you have any photos of blinds folks commonly make that are not like your commercial types?
Iver never hunted with them or treestands.

 

[Hunt anything]

This is a homemade version, the black triangle in the upper middle is my shooting port.

 

[Sabre]

Has anyone felt their hunting ethics were tested by the hunting gods?
Mine were tested twice this year:
The first one was 3 weeks ago while hunting a specific buck on our property. Two bucks were full out fighting behind my stand 15 minutes before sundown, 75 yards over the line on my neighbor's property. They broke up after their fight to go in separate directions; the larger one (the one I had been after) headed towards my property only to stop 35-40 yds still off my line. I had my safety off, and a clear broadside shot but did not shoot because I had not met my new neighbor and don't have an agreement with him regarding matters similar to this. I lowered my rifle, the buck hung out for a short time and wandered back into the brush- Test #1 Pass!

The second test was 2 evenings ago. I was starting to prepare our dinner when I caught movement in our back yard from the kitchen window. I was shocked to see walking through my yard, in the wide open most likely one of the largest bucks I had ever seen! He wandered through the yard and up to a spot where I had dumped our pumpkins from Halloween and started to paw, kick and eat at them for 10 minutes just 45 yds from the back door. At that point while he was busy with his business I would have had plenty of time for an easy shot from my back door but instead opted to watch him instead, it just didn't seem right for him to go this way. I might be a fool, but we will call it -Test #2 Pass!

Does anyone else have an incident that could be an "Ethics Test" that makes you proud of the hunter you are??

I think a higher power likes testing me constantly. I don't have the best luck. I would say I have had many more times where my ethics were put to the test than I have had clean opportunities at trophy animals. Some of it is self imposed, but of course some of it is legally imposed as well.

But the number of times I have had very large bucks or other target game come in a minute or two past shooting time and I'm still packing up, those instances alone far outweigh the number of times I've seen trophy animals well within the legal limits. I know a lot of people would just take the shot, I know this based on all the shooting around me every year on neighboring properties after legal time. But, for me, I'd just prefer to do my best within the limits outlined.

 

[Bandera]

I moved a shooting box to a place for my buddy to hunt. He hates ladder stands. I picked a spot and set up the box and decided to sit in it to make sure the angle for shooting was right. Figured I would see a few does. This bad boy walked down the trail about 20 yards from the newly placed shooting house.
I did not pull the trigger.

 

[Flbt]

Couple of years ago I had three Bucks in my pasture, sizes small medium and large. They were seen almost daily browsing right up to the fence line maybe 25 yards away from a small porch which I could step onto and watch them feed.. They were there during Archery, Rifle and Muzzle Loading seasons...

*** For "me" shooting one of them would have been just that shooting.. not hunting....

For me those are the ones I want gone they eat to much clover

 

[Ridge Runner]

I have a camera set up on my back fence and a floodlight that illuminates a large oak tree behind my property. I throw some corn out and nearly every day I see some sort of wildlife. I am in the city limits, therefore can't shoot anything. Lots of temptation though.

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Depends on how close the neighbors are.

And the possibility of getting a special permit.

If baiting is legal, then: The porkers and geese; in season; opt for archery equipment and shoot as many are legal limit. Or opt for live trapping the porkers.
No love loss on ridding out porkers and geese. Just don't waste the meat.

That many porkers it would be doing the neighborhood a protective service:

a. by reducing the spread of swine diseases to domestic animals and humans, and swine - human conflict.

b. by having one very big neighbor: pig picked, bbq, Ham supper, etc.

If baiting is illegal, then: No Go

Deer at night that's a definite No Go.

 

[Ridge Runner]

A friend of mine was moose hunting along the Yukon river and in the middle of the night he heard something moving outside his tent. Figuring it was a bear he grabbed his rifle and slowly unzipped the tent. 20’ away was a good bull moose which was clearly visible in the full moon light. He shot it and it ran 50yds and fell dead. In Alaska there are no shooting hour limitations, You just cant use any artificial light.

I have an unused Moose and Bear tag from Alaska this fall. I would have absolutely shot out the tent door.

This would be an ethical vs legal individual ethics decision.

Just because it's legal is it ethical?

IMPO I would have done the same thing since it is legal and to me it's more about having meat in the freezer and on my plate than hanging a trophy on the wall.

 

[Hunt anything]

Depends on how close the neighbors are.

And the possibility of getting a special permit.

If baiting is legal, then: The porkers and geese; in season; opt for archery equipment and shoot as many are legal limit. Or opt for live trapping the porkers.
No love loss on ridding out porkers and geese. Just don't waste the meat.

That many porkers it would be doing the neighborhood a protective service:

a. by reducing the spread of swine diseases to domestic animals and humans, and swine - human conflict.

b. by having one very big neighbor: pig picked, bbq, Ham supper, etc.

If baiting is illegal, then: No Go

Deer at night that's a definite No Go.

The geese would be a definite no go as well. No baiting of migratory birds whatsoever anywhere in the US. You can’t even manipulate crops for ducks, geese or cranes. Doves yes but not waterfowl or cranes.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Just curious if you have any photos of blinds folks commonly make that are not like your commercial types?
Iver never hunted with them or treestands.

Think of a leopard blind.
I use natural cover; ie tall grass, weeds, downfall, etc, any thing natural around that will help brake up my shape and/or cover any movement I need to do to get into a good shooting position.

 

[Ridge Runner]

The geese would be a definite no go as well. No baiting of migratory birds whatsoever anywhere in the US. You can’t even manipulate crops for ducks, geese or cranes. Doves yes but not waterfowl or cranes.

Yes. My bad. I should have better proof read and edited the porkers and geese into two separate categories; placing the geese in the No Go; as they would be illegally baited.

Here in Tennessee doves can't be baited. Doves can be hunted in/over agriculture fields. Placing an other than planted food source into the agricultural field is considered baiting.

ie legal to hunt dove in/over a cornfield. Illegal to hunt dove in/over that same field if commercial bird seed is spread in the cornfield.

Or

Hunting dove in/over a millet field and that same field has corn spread around that wasn't typically agriculturally planted.

 

[Datchew]

When I was dove hunting this fall I saw very few and hit only a small portion of the ones I fired upon

Yesterday evening, walking the dogs in the neighborhood and suddenly there were massive flocks of dove everywhere. In December!!!

I'm standing there with 2 Labradors and no shotty. Ugh.

I barely resisted taking my old 870 wingmaster on "one more loop" around the block.
Test passed.

 

[Inkgardener]

I feed the deer year around on my property because I like to see them, and they get a pass. Somewhat like guests.

I do hunt on the next property over, but again, if they cross the fence to my place, they have asylum.

 

[1dirthawker]

have a camera set up on my back fence and a floodlight that illuminates a large oak tree behind my property. I throw some corn out and nearly every day I see some sort of wildlife. I am in the city limits, therefore can't shoot anything. Lots of temptation though.

you need a suppressed rifle!

 

[Hunt anything]

I feed the deer year around on my property because I like to see them, and they get a pass. Somewhat like guests.

I do hunt on the next property over, but again, if they cross the fence to my place, they have asylum.

For the most part I do as well, I think in the 30 years we’ve lived here I’ve killed 5 deer including the 2 last year but my neighbors work on them pretty good. I hunt behind the house probably 3-4 times a week and only shoot if the freezer is empty late in the season. Except I don’t feed I just plant a ton of stuff for them, I may shoot a duck or goose every view years of if I have some show up.

@Ridge Runner the one thing I don’t understand about the migratory bird hunting regulations, I can mow (manipulate) a corn field and hunt doves but I can’t hunt waterfowl in the same field. The exception is voluntary grain that has been planted for over 1 calendar year, mostly small cereal grains such as millet, sorghum and rice. Just can’t sweeten the field with extra grain.

I feel like I’m pretty well versed on the regulations as I hunt with a Federal Warden a few days every year or so and can always ask him any questions about the regulations.

 

[Sabre]

the one thing I don’t understand about the migratory bird hunting regulations, I can mow (manipulate) a corn field and hunt doves but I can’t hunt waterfowl in the same field. The exception is voluntary grain that has been planted for over 1 calendar year, mostly small cereal grains such as millet, sorghum and rice. Just can’t sweeten the field with extra grain.

I feel like I’m pretty well versed on the regulations as I hunt with a Federal Warden a few days every year or so and can always ask him any questions about the regulations.

Sort of on the same subject. Not allowed to hunt certain migratory birds in some states, and many states have strict limits. Then if you go south of the border, the same birds are shot until your arm falls off and the barrel melts.

 

[Hunt anything]

Sort of on the same subject. Not allowed to hunt certain migratory birds in some states, and many states have strict limits. Then if you go south of the border, the same birds are shot until your arm falls off and the barrel melts.

Yep, I get tired of hearing of people going to the Mexican side of Laguna Madre’ shooting redheads and pintail until they physically cant shoot anymore but on the American side it’s 2 redheads and this year 3 pintail and probably going back to 1 pintail next year if not a closed season on pintail.
I get that the US has way more hunters but that duck is just as dead if it’s shot in Mexico or Texas.
Back to the original post about ethics, mine won’t let me do that even though I’ve been invited a couple of times.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I will tell a story about my predecessor, Inspector General Of Forests Yusuf Salauddin Ahmad back when he was my lecturer while I was studying Principles Of Forestry in the Pakistani Forest Institute at the University Of Peshawar.

During his entire life, Yusuf had only one regret- He had never been able to bag any of the species of Asian bear. He often joked about this misfortune with us. One day in 1970, He & the other lecturers had taken my batch on a field trip to the Kharan District of Balochistan in South West Pakistan. During an evening when I was returning to our rest house from a nearby tea vendor's stall, I spotted a Balochistan black bear sleeping in a tree. It was a petite little thing, probably measuring not more than 31'' from snout to tail. Being a hot-blooded & impulsive 19 year old, I excitedly rushed back to our rest house and told Yusuf that he would finally get his chance at bagging an Asian bear tonight. Yusuf seized his .450/400 Nitro Express (along with plenty of cartridges) and I took along a 5 cell torchlight. I led him back to the tree where the black bear was still soundly sleeping. But when Yusuf saw the sleeping bear, I simply could not get him to fire. I whispered in excitement "Quickly, Sir ! Blow that sleeping beast out of the tree before he has a chance to awaken !" Yusuf angrily slapped me in the back of the head and said "Habib, you barbarian ! Have you no shame ?! Are these the values which I have instilled in you over the last three years ?! To shoot sleeping game is not the act of a sportsman, but a criminal of the highest order. I would rather never bag a bear at all". And so, Yusuf never did get to bag an Asian bear. At the time, I was quite bemused by his refusal to pull the trigger & bag such an easy trophy.

But now, 55 years later... I understand why he did what he did. A real sportsman not only knows when to pull the trigger. But he also knows when not to pull the trigger.