Personal ethics

[heronblu]

I am an adult onset hunter with half a dozen seasons under my belt so far. I've put in the work and have been rewarded thus far with a successful deer hunt every season I have hunted. This year I decided to try bow hunting after scoring a nice compound bow in a firearms trade with another HuntWa member. Prior to making the switch to bow I have harvested primarily young forkie bucks and spikes. Had I continued to rifle hunt this year I would have limited myself to an older age class buck to try and help the genetics in my area. Now that I am limiting myself even more by picking up the bow I am conflicted, because though I would rather hunt an older deer I also know that my chances of connecting with one at the range I am comfortable with are severely limited. I passed on a spike this weekend and am kicking myself a bit for it now. I realize that these are all personal choices but I am curious if there are other people out there who faced similar questions when making the switch from rifle to bow. Do I stick to my original plan of hunting an older age class buck or do I go backwards in my ethical choices because of limits in my weaponry? I appreciate the input.

[DOUBLELUNG]

Only you can decide what is right for you, however I don't believe any hunter should ever feel bad about legally harvesting an animal.

[pianoman9701]

  I passed on a doe at 15 yards this weekend because she still had milk on her lips. I knew it would be the last chance for meat in the freezer. Make your own decisions about what legal animal to shoot and then be happy about it.

[Bushcraft]

Make your decision based on how you imagine you'll feel after having killed it.  Ultimately, that's the decision you'll have to live with after having taken a life....and it's your decision alone.

Personally, I applaud your interest in helping the genetics of your deer herd.  I've had many opportunities to take "legal" bucks so far this year, and felt fortunate for the opportunities, but passed on all of them, including some pretty decent 4x4's.  None of them turned my crank.  I need a full body cape for a taxidermy project and am looking for a mature, massive bodied muley buck.  Admittedly, the mileage and elevation gain/loss/gain/loss/etc. was a determining factor as well.  Assuming they make it through the winter, the area should have more mature bucks to choose from and there's already limited vacancy in my household's freezers.  I enjoy and require large amounts of lean organic wild red meat in my diet, but I'm getting to the point were photographing and "guiding" new hunters is more satisfying.

[jstone]

I passed on numerous cow elk this year due to they had this years calves with them. Some where small. I had cows 5 yards to 40 every day. Plus I was having fun hunting and didn't want it to end. Wanted a true spike anyway. Some people that I know think I was crazy.

[Jpmiller]

I can chime in on the other end of the spectrum. I took up bow hunting because it opened up the pool of legal animals so vastly. I love hunting almost as much as I love eating wild meat so I never pass up a legal animal. I've taken does and yearling bucks exclusively since switching to archery. I don't feel bad about it at all but I get that it's not everyone's cup of tea. I think it all boils down to what your primary motivation is.

Mine is meat

[Stein]

I wouldn't confuse ethics and preference.  Shooting a forkie when it is legal is perfectly ethical in any book I subscribe to.

[WA hunter14]

Remember they have the same genetics at a year old when their a spike as they do at 3 years old and a 4 or. If you shoot the first "older class" buck you see you are not changing the genetics. You would have to selectively pass bucks with good genetics and kill a buck with poor genetics wich you may or may not be doing anytime you shoot a young buck.

[heronblu]

Remember they have the same genetics at a year old when their a spike as they do at 3 years old and a 4 or. If you shoot the first "older class" buck you see you are not changing the genetics. You would have to selectively pass bucks with good genetics and kill a buck with poor genetics wich you may or may not be doing anytime you shoot a young buck.

My thinking about older class bucks is more about letting younger bucks reach breeding age to provide more diversity into the gene pool. I'm not quite at the level of management that I can be selective about antler growth etc. though I hope to be at some point.

[heronblu]

I can chime in on the other end of the spectrum. I took up bow hunting because it opened up the pool of legal animals so vastly. I love hunting almost as much as I love eating wild meat so I never pass up a legal animal. I've taken does and yearling bucks exclusively since switching to archery. I don't feel bad about it at all but I get that it's not everyone's cup of tea. I think it all boils down to what your primary motivation is.

Mine is meat

My primary motivation is meat as well. I happen to have a doe tag as well this year for the islands which I will fill easily.

[kselkhunter]

I'm a meat hunter.  If it's legal for the tag I hold, and I have an ethical shot in a range that I'm proficient at, I'm harvesting.   

[Seahawk12]

I wouldn't confuse ethics and preference.  Shooting a forkie when it is legal is perfectly ethical in any book I subscribe to.

I don't see a question of ethics here.

[JeffRaines]

As many have said, its all on you.

This year I really want a buck so I've held out on numerous does during early archery. I have MS, I plan to hunt with a muzzleloader the next few weekends and then rifle if my tag isn't filled. If I happen upon a legal deer with my muzzy, I may just drop the hammer on it regardless.

If I still haven't filled my tag, I will take the first legal deer I can in late archery for the freezer.

[OutHouse]

Excellent comments all around. When it comes to taking the shot and ethics one of my primary concerns is my shooting ability. A few seasons ago I had a brute of a mule sighted and stalked on three separate occasions but I could never get closer than 50 yards. My shooting ability is 40 yards. Sure I could've gotten lucky and hit him square but then again what if I didn't? Then you have a wounded trophy walking around until he dies of his wounds --which is unacceptable.

I passed on a spike and a small three point already this season but I have the MS tag. When muzzy rolls around if I can get out I'll shoot the first legal deer I see.

[boneaddict]

It's all up to you.  If it's legal it's good.   I can tell you, you won't shoot big bucks if you shoot the first ones you can though. That's a given.   Big bucks might be more important to you than freezer faire, maybe not. Changes can happen yearly.  I didn't notch last year for the first time in 33 years I think it was, because I didn't need a buck, and I felt the herd could use a break.   Trust me, I could have notched.   My choice.

[KFhunter]

It's all up to you.  If it's legal it's good.   I can tell you, you won't shoot big bucks if you shoot the first ones you can though. That's a given.   Big bucks might be more important to you than freezer faire, maybe not. Changes can happen yearly.  I didn't notch last year for the first time in 33 years I think it was, because I didn't need a buck, and I felt the herd could use a break.   Trust me, I could have notched.   My choice.

You do all hunters credit 

[acnewman55]

Take the meat.


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[Magnum_Willys]

I enjoy the experience as much as the meat so I’m prone to passing up most everything until the last days of the season so I don’t lose hunting days.  This also gives me a better chance at a mature animal but it also means I get tag soup sometimes.   In the end whatever eats well is a trophy to be proud of.

[bearpaw]

I view ethics as being variable based upon personal opinion and what is lawful. I generally figure there are two primary types of hunters, meat hunters and trophy hunters and then there are hunters who are somewhere in between in one way or another. Sadly, too often hunters who lean towards one group are critical of the other group and fail to consider that it's a person's choice what type of hunter they choose to be. I fully agree with both types of hunting and wished all hunters would respect each other's right to hunt as they choose as long as it's within the law.

The meaning "trophy" is judged differently by each individual hunter!