About ethics

[SteelerFan]

Maybe semantics. If those actions are due to ignorance, I wouldn't see it as a breach of ethics. If you do it despite knowing it's the wrong thing to do, for a host of reasons, I'd consider it an ethical breach.

& 

[wvmntnhick]

Shoot the dog. Run off the trespassers. Improving the property often improves the population. If that keeps the game animals on your land, so be it. If the neighbor can't afford to do the same, they'll do what I've done for years. Hunt the fringes of your property and theirs. Ethical? You decide. Everyone does it. Heck, I turkey hunt the edges of several properties. Bird or deer crosses the fence, I let the gun eat. Do I intentionally set up in hopes of ruining someone's day? Nope. Does it happen? Occasionally. Two years ago I had a great turkey and now season. Now, I've got tree stands placed along well travelled corridors by the neighbors. Does it suck? Yup. Will I do anything about it? Nope. They've got their rights too. Stopped to fish yesterday. Was only me and one other guy at the hole when I got there and he was about to leave. Before I left, there were 9 guys trying to fish a hole not much larger than a full size truck. Was it ethical? Think they cared? Nope. Not going to say anything to them either. Again, they've got rights. Would I do that to someone? Only if they were a friend and I was having a really bad fishing day. 

[Greg Massey]

Amen...Amen...Bill...well said with just a few words..

[davisd9]

I can certainly respect someone's opinion while still debating a different one. It's really one of the best ways to grow as a sportsman.

Best post I have seen.

[Farmboy27]

So I start a thread and state some situations that I know some people would find wrong or unethical. I finish by saying that we all have to do what's ethical in our minds and respect others for the same. And I get attacked for it. I guess I hit a heck of a big nerve on this one!!  I never bashed anyone. Heck, I kill every coyote I can and I have planted food plots in some corners before. Never leased or bought hunting land but some good friends have and I'm glad they can afford to do so. But in every case I know tons of people who would call it cheating or unethical to do any of the things I stated. I guess I should have just said that we are all hunters, grow the heck up, hunt like ya want, and let others do the same. Would that have been better?

[Happy]

Why shouldn't we discuss ethics? We are conservationists and hunters or should be. Now I am talking an honest and civil discussion where everyone wears their big boy pants. We are in the eye of the public and our image should be very important. I am not talking about using the word harvest instead of kill or hiding blood in pictures. We hunt to kill. That's reality and I am not the least embarrassed about it to anyone. Now how we conduct ourselves had better be important to all of us. I wish that all "hunters" were mature enough to have some ethics but since a decent amount of "hunters " aren't even grown up enough to follow regulations I can't put any faith in it. So maybe we should discuss it more and do it with maturity instead of condemning everyone who doesn't do it our way. The one thing I have never liked about the " old school" mentality is the pride and selfishness. If we want better we need to teach better . And we all have room for improvement.

[Marc]

With all the talk about ethics around here lately I was wondering a few things. I hunt coyotes but I'm not really serious about it. My best friend is. So is it ethical for me to shoot a coyote while turkey hunting even though I wasn't hunting for it?  Most guys would say "yes kill them all".  What about the fact that it might be a female with pups and the pups will suffer and starve.  Cruel to say the least. How about buying or leasing ground where others hunted and telling them they can't hunt any more. Because someone can't afford to buy or lease ground is it ethical that they can't enjoy their favorite hunting spot?  How about food plots. Is it ethical to try to keep the wildlife (which belongs the people) on your property and off your neighbors. I'm not bashing any of the above. I'm simply trying to say that every one has their own "code" and that ethics are far from cut and dry. That's why we follow laws and not ethics. So many times I read "I wouldn't do it unless it was the end of season" or "I would do it if I really needed a bird".  If it's wrong in good times then it's still wrong in bad times. Every person has to have his own ethical code and live by it and let others live by theirs. So long as it's legal then we all should be sticking together.

If you want to shoot a coyote, I see no reason not to while you are turkey hunting....  If I am quail hunting and a pheasant jumps up in season, I guarantee I will be shooting (at) it.  On the flip side, I derive no pleasure from shooting yotes, and unless they are posing an issue, they get a walk from me.

I have no issue with purchasing or leasing ground where others have hunted...  Now if a buddy of mine takes me out to a spot, and I go behind his back and lease it from under him, that would be a NO NO...

As far as food plots...  If more property owners put out food plots and addressed healthy wildlife management, it is likely there would be more wildlife for all of us.  Now, laying down 2000 lbs of corn during hunting season is not habitat management...

I am a member of a duck club, and we manage the property to provided the best habitat possible to attract, feed, and protect the birds we are hunting.  By improving the habitat, we both improve our own hunting, as well as the conditions for the wildlife that use our property.

But I will never agree with the "it is legal, so it is alright" attitude.  Hunting regulations address both conservation of wildlife and ethics of hunting (which often cross paths).  Just cause something is legal, does not make it "right."  When I see an issue or means of take that I truly feel gives us too large an advantage, I see it as an obligation to voice my opinion to whatever person or agency is appropriate... 

[Farmboy27]

If nothing else this had reinforced an article from a few years ago in turkey and turkey hunting magazine. In the article, the author was talking to a member of PETA who told him that they weren't really worried about hunting because hunters themselves would destroy hunting within a few decades. Way faster then what they could. I see it happening. If we can't accept each other's methods and believes and quit arguing over what is fair and what isn't, then we truly are playing into their hands. The non hunting public doesn't care what we consider fair chase. And most of them would consider killing an animal and letting it's young starve to be totally cruel. Many would find food plots to be baiting. We can't keep thinking that our word is the gospel and start looking at the bigger picture. We will never all use the same methods. We will never all have the same code or values. We will never all have the same income or resources. But we are all hunters. And as hunters we have a much different code of ethics from none hunters and anti hunters. That is why I said that the ethics discussion will never work. And it was proved in just a few posts.

[SteelerFan]

Kinda like debating politics & religion...

[Greg Massey]

I don't agree as hunters we are destroysing hunting. I see us having a better education in the way we hunt. This day and time with hunting regulations, education of our hunting resources compared to our ancestors we have been better educated in conservation and wildlife management.  Hunting is the practice of killing or trapping any aminal. This could be for food or recreation. If it's more for recreation today I see these people who donate these aminals to food banks to feed the hungry etc. IF we want to maintain our hunting tradition for generations to come we must come to terms with three things: we as hunters must act with care, speak with care and cooperate with non-hunters as farmboy27 said. We must have respect for all of nature and the quality of life for our wildlife in habit improvements. This could be with controlled burns and wildlife food plots and forest mulching and planting these areas for game. Today hunters have a lot more management tools in wildlife restoration. Ethics today is a lot better than what our ancestors called ethic ...

[nosaj]

Another great debate to help me get to May 3rd when I can stop talking about turkey hunting (which I love) and start doing it!

[greencop01]

                                  Well let me wade in here.....hmmmmm  Have you ever set up on a bird you've been hunting on state land off and on for two years, finally have him working to your gun, 45 min into this hunt and two guys are snooping and pooping into the path of the gobbler and booger the bird and then walk over to you and tell you you messed up their hunt, hmmmm.....The law in your state doesn't have a law about shooting birds off a roost, your hunting a gobbler on this roost and about 80yds away, a yahoo sneake past you, waves goes about 30yds from the roost, shoots and yells out, 'I got mine......hmmmm......in your state the law says planting food plots specifically to hunt game is against the law and you do it anyway...hmmmm....I'm not commenting on any of this except to say that there is a place and a need for a set of ethics for all of us, whether or not  the other guy has any. And in closing there is no better feeling in our sport than calling in a gobbler from a far piece and have him 20yds off your barrel while your 'staring down the rattle' to borrow a phrase from Mark Strand.   

[CMBOSTC]

I would be more than ok to log on this site without seeing someone complaining about ethics.


Sent from the Strut Zone

Kinda the reason I posted this dude!  Getting tired of the ethical argument.

Sorry, I honestly did not read the whole thing.

Then why voice your opinion on something that you didn't read?? Just getting your post count up?

Why do people on here feel that they need to be a jerk to others? I see this kind of thing on just about every thread.

[srmturk]

Anonymity breeds contempt.  That's why.  Everyone's more brave behind a keyboard.  That said...this site is mild compared to others.  You ought to wander by a trapping forum sometime.  WOW.   It's one of the reasons I love this site.  But obviously it still happens. 

[CMBOSTC]

Anonymity breeds contempt.  That's why.  Everyone's more brave behind a keyboard.  That said...this site is mild compared to others.  You ought to wander by a trapping forum sometime.  WOW.   It's one of the reasons I love this site.  But obviously it still happens.

I totally agree with you. However, a grown man knows better. Grown men teach their children to be respectful of others, but when they get on a forum like this they loose the manners that their parents taught them. I would like to learn from others about different aspects of hunting that I'm not exposed too. But, if you ask a question, you get some disrespectful person "trying" to make you feel stupid when they are the one that look stupid to those of us who are secure in themselves. I guess on forums, the old rule that there is no such thing as a stupid question, doesn't apply. Beware, post at own risk, there are immature men just waiting for the opportunity to jump on someone.