For example, on one end of the curve are those who, if they wound an animal, will search for days or even weeks, then punch their tag and end the season if the animal isn't recovered.
On the other side are those who shoot an animal, it doesn't fall in sight, they make a cursory search, and if they don't find the animal quickly just shrug and go on to the next one.
My good friend, a retired professor, has a theory that I believe is somewhat true. He theorizes that people's propensity to obey rules and laws decreases the higher in altitude they are. Now that I live at 8,400', I see more and more evidence of that.
Point being, ethics are relative, and for many, it's a sliding scale depending upon who is around and their chances of being caught doing something questionable, or outright illegal.
Many years ago I heard a quote that has always stuck with me: "If you have to hide it, it ain't right". You can apply it to just about any situation.
Also, on occasion, I might have broken the letter of the law, but never the spirit/ethics. For example: legally the first thing you do when you kill an animal is tag it. On my private ranch, behind a locked gate, has that always been done? Probably not, but we have NEVER taken an animal and not tagged it.
I don't shoot unless I know positively without question I can make the shot.
Sounds obvious doesn't it?
While working in my office this last week with the Outdoor channel on I've seen 1)a PSE guy Juan something take a questionable shot...2)another bow guy on a different show fling a prayer shot on a bull staring him down at long range because "he was a great bull"....3)and a rifle guy shooting "beyond my comfortable range"
Its hard to stick to your limits when those animals are in front of you.....
Edit; A bit of context after rereading my comment; it wasn't intended as it sounded, a "Holier than thou" commentary. Its worth mentioning that I wasn't always so definitive on when to shoot and when not to. As a young man I stretched it many times and after self reflection I have come to realize my personal limit. I did not have a father that taught me to hunt instead learning by trial and error with a group of young friends, so to say some mistakes were made would be an understatement.
I never take a 60 yd shot when I've said countless times i will only take shots out to 40. It's temping because you try to talk yourself into it. Nobody is watching, he's big. I know I can do it. He's right there.
Anybody else ever had that conversation in their head??
The "right" thing may seem harder at the time and it may seem easier to take some shortcut or another, but I would counter that I'd imagine the personal disappointment to be harder. Like Poe's Telltale Heart under the floorboards, I'd imagine the unethically obtained trophy would call to you and mock you. The meat would not be as sweet.
A fine line between "I can make this shot" and "I think I can slip it in there..." and the decisions have to made in split seconds. I'd be the first to admit mine haven't always been 100% the right ones over the years. Made some mistakes I like to call "experience". Hopefully learned and moved on. The mistakes theoretically come fewer and fewer.
My efforts however, in my view, are unquestionable.
Oh.... you mean hunting.... yeah, that too....
I live by the Bowsite rules when here and by the hunting regs when hunting and by the laws when in society.
"Ethics is not definable, is not implementable, because it is not conscious; it involves not only our thinking, but also our feeling"
I only take unforced shots though it is difficult at times to talk yourself out of a bad shot on a monster animal when it is the only shot there.
"Even the most rational approach to ethics is defenseless if there isn't the will to do what is right"
orionsbrother's Link
Lou - Remind your friend that Chicago, New York and L.A. are at lower elevations. People at altitude may have a greater propensity to ignore ridiculous, nonsensical laws...they may remove the tags from their mattresses and leave notes or small objects in each other's mailboxes, but I would aver that your neighbors at 8400ft are statistically much less likely to be unethical, thieving dirtbags than those that surround me in Chicago.
We all know right from wrong.
Do what's right and you won't be wrong.
1. Obey the laws, both in intent and spirit.
2. Become as proficient as humanly possible with your weapon of choice, and then ONLY attempt shots that you know 100% are within your personal effective range.
3. When you do shoot an animal you do everything you possibly can within the limits of the law to recover it, whether it takes hours or days. Even if you don't find it what you will learn on that trail will be of great value on your next trail.
The Scout Law.
That would keep from redefining everything or waste time soul searching for the truth.
Bowriter: That may work for folks like you and I, but I've seen how some of these bozos act when a TV cam is on them and it ain't pleasant to watch!!
There is nothing you can do about other's ethics. Don't worry about it. Ethics are completely personal. How do you want your ethics to be regarded?
I have used that idea personally for several years. It seems to work for me.
Not long ago a fellow WSF Director and I coordinated in writing a new Ethics Statement for the Wild Sheep Foundation.
Here's what we came up with and which the Board adopted:
"We believe great organizations must follow the principal, first, last and always that, 'Character matters.'
We believe this applies in all we do as an organization and as individuals representing the organization and the hunting community.
We will strive to set an example which other sportsmen and sportsmen's organizations will be inspired to follow.
As hunters, we must hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards. Just because something is legal does not mean it's ethical. It goes to follow that rationalizing an unethical action does not make that action ethical. We encourage our members to let their moral compass be their guide and to ask themselves daily,
*"Have my actions in the field today reflected the actions of a conservationist?"*
Similar situational ethics apply to age of game. A lot of hunters consider it unethical to shoot a young deer but have zero qualms with shooting young squirrels or releasing "pan sized" catfish into a deep fryer. They actually prefer the young of species for their table fare. Illogical.
I disagree with the folks that also equate legal with ethical, as well. In some states, it is illegal to finish a deer with a knife. If you were at the end of a blood trail an hour after dark and came upon your weak and suffering prey, would you walk away because it was illegal to perform your duty?
Point taken! You are correct.
In all seriousness I sum up my ethics two ways: Hunt in a way that would make your dad and his dad proud. Hunt in way that would make your kids proud to call you dad. The rest is all gravy.
When hunting on public (or private) grounds where there is a high likelihood of encountering others, do your best to yield and steer-clear of others. You are likely not the only hunter in the woods that did pre-season scouting and "worked your butt off to find this spot" . . . treat each hunter with respect and come up with a plan so that you both may enjoy the area without spoiling the hunt.
Don't stretch the size of an animal to be legal "this fish is 11 3/4" long . . . make that 12" long, throw him in the cooler)". It's a 3-point area and points must be 6" long to count . . . "I can't tell, third point or twig behind him . . . I'll shoot and look him over on the ground". How about . . . "Looks like she has been nursing, but I don't see any cubs . . . boom". All of these things . . . unethical and happen all too often because people think they have valid arguments to substantiate their harvest.
Shooting Time . . . The regs say "30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset" (or whatever they say for your particular hunt area). . . they don't say nearly pitch black to nearly pitch black. Sunrise and Sunset is provided on multiple websites as definitive times for each and every calendar day of the year. The reason that it's important is (for one reason) to keep young hunters from taking marginal shots due to low light . . . it's not just to keep you from killing more game because that's when they are up and moving. Shooting in low light conditions leads to poor judgement of distance, flight-path obstructions/deflections and (for evening shots) really difficult tracking for the inexperienced hunter (who you are gearing your article towards).
Just because something is legal does not necessarily mean that it is ethical, the two should never be mentioned in the same breath. For instance, a high-fence operation with an 5 acre enclosure, legal in some areas but ethical?
Still ethical it's just not hunting.
Yes. X2
Ethics are in many ways where one person feels their's are superior to all others.... and those are the ones everyone should employ. Everything and everyone else, doing it any other than a way they themselves approve is unethical.
Owl, I've been scolded on this very site for taking a knife to the throat of a ram I spined. Even though it died faster and cleaner than pretty much any other way. It was "unethical" to do that rather than try to put another arrow into a flopping sheep flipping and sliding down the mountain.... not to mention busting up a perfectly good arrow for nothing.... =D
Your Ethics are what you have to live with in the end. Not a bludgeon to use on others to make one feel superior.
When hunting on public (or private) grounds where there is a high likelihood of encountering others, do your best to yield and steer-clear of others. You are likely not the only hunter in the woods that did pre-season scouting and "worked your butt off to find this spot" . . . treat each hunter with respect and come up with a plan so that you both may enjoy the area without spoiling the hunt.
Don't stretch the size of an animal to be legal "this fish is 11 3/4" long . . . make that 12" long, throw him in the cooler)". It's a 3-point area and points must be 6" long to count . . . "I can't tell, third point or twig behind him . . . I'll shoot and look him over on the ground". How about . . . "Looks like she has been nursing, but I don't see any cubs . . . boom". All of these things . . . unethical and happen all too often because people think they have valid arguments to substantiate their harvest.
Shooting Time . . . The regs say "30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset" (or whatever they say for your particular hunt area). . . they don't say nearly pitch black to nearly pitch black. Sunrise and Sunset is provided on multiple websites as definitive times for each and every calendar day of the year. The reason that it's important is (for one reason) to keep young hunters from taking marginal shots due to low light . . . it's not just to keep you from killing more game because that's when they are up and moving. Shooting in low light conditions leads to poor judgement of distance, flight-path obstructions/deflections and (for evening shots) really difficult tracking for the inexperienced hunter (who you are gearing your article towards).
