Ethics, Tradition, and the Modern Hunter

Well, as I write this, the snow's a blowing, the dogs curled up at my feet, and I'm beginning to see the infinite appeal of ursine hibernation. Particularly after a festive holiday season, where feasting can indeed resemble a bear trying to store enough fat for winter.

For many of us the recent open seasons were fairly good, and offered opportunities to harvest some game for the freezer, as well as enjoy some much needed camaraderie out in the field. Which is really why many of us hunt. After all, if was just about the meat, we'd take a quick look at the aggregate cost of licenses, gear, fuel, etc, and quickly come to the economic realization that a trip to the grocery store would indeed yield us a freezer full of rib eye roasts and T bones for what we spend on hunting.

Which comes down to the discussion....

Ethics, tradition, and the modern hunter.

Most of us are not economically destitute enough to say that "if it's brown, it's down". I've enjoyed enough squirrel stew, and gumbo to in fact state that if I'm going out for them, it is in fact because the little chittering, Maple Rats are indeed darn delicious.

We often have a clash of ideals however, and it causes much discussion, and in fact much conflict in the hunting community.

Generationally we have a range of hunters, who at the older end of the spectrum, may not have lived through the great depression, but certainly were raised by those that knew its hardships. To those hunters, it's about limiting out, getting as much in the freezer, and doing so with minimal fuss. These are the skybusters, the sitting duck shooters, the hit 'em where you find 'em hunters. Of course the opposite end of the spectrum are the newer hunters, those who may have come by hunting as a nobler pursuit. The idea of taking and accumulating game is far less important than the experience.

Many of us will fall into more of a "middle ground" between the two. We know the rules, we appreciate the bag limits set out, and the intent of both. We tend to enjoy our game meat more than a regular person might, because it was our efforts that put it on the table.

It's when the two ends of the spectrum meet, that the discussion gets heated. One hunter will happily shoot a grouse standing next to a trailside ditch, where some may take exception. Did the shooter violate the rules? No, was it ethical? Well, to some yes, to some, no. Some upland hunters eschew shooting any bird that isn't "on the wing". Now, being an avid upland hunter myself, I can say there's no finer moment in hunting, than swinging up on a covey of birds, and knocking down a true double, out of the sky. Truthfully however, most of my miles spent hunting upland have been a mix of knocking down single birds, and occasionally taking the odd ground shot at roughed or spruce grouse, in Northern environments where you almost have to kick them to get them to wing.

Shoot at a running buck, vs. standing? Well that may very well be argued that it's completely up to the skill of the shooter. Many Eastern deer hunters know all too well that the optimal "standing broadside" shot is just what you see in books, or what Western hunters in open country get to see. Many times the shots made on whitetails in the Eastern Canadian brush, are not optimal, and take place if not on the run, at least while moving.

Bait? Well, therein lies an entirely separate article altogether. Many States / Provinces have loosened the rules and regs around using bait, or attractants. What could be considered "ethical" by some, most hunters of a certain generation would have a large problem with.

It comes down to this. Ethics are subjective. Most can agree on a baseline of practices that are ethical, but certainly the world of hunting is no stranger to deviance's. It's how we treat each other, and the mutual level of respect we have for others that unify us as a community. There are already enough anti-hunters, anti-gun advocates out there, let's try and keep it civil, and respect one another as a member of this fraternity. ( that includes lady shooters / hunters too).


Enough reading....go shooting.