Thread: Summer hunting .....a question of ethics??

Just waiting for the invite mate, bow is ready to get on the plane!

Yep they'll probably pay him as well!

Originally Posted by Maca49

Yep they'll probably pay him as well!

Moneys money, The gun I'd buy doesn't need to know how I got it

This thread was an ethical dilemna about cervus - not cervix you randy bastards!!

let it be known I did not de rail this thread
On ethics I just shoot meet animlas that walk into my barrel, every last bit of meet is harvested eaten and appreciated and upmost respect is given the animal .I have a big family and it keeps the freezer full.

Fire one get two, man your in,plenty of lube for the first and keep your barrel clean between shots!

Very good Lentil, lateral thinking!

Most of this has been interesting reading on when and what to shoot, i myself wont shoot a hind at this time fo year till about
begining of March, also wont shoot in velvet. But why does everyone shoot yearlings for meat in my mind they will be for my kids to shoot
when they are full grown. And what do you guys class as a trophy? myself a trophy is what ive worked hard to out smart and stalk in close and feal proud to show. I like hunting private land as i get to see good numbers and sit watch and learn, But when on Doc land
working my arse off to get one it is much more rewarding.

I shoot yearlings because they are generally best eating and at this time of year hinds have fawns to look after that will be next years yearling and so on.

There will never be management as such on our public land because we as hunters all have a different ideal outcome.
Trophy hunters want the hinds shot meat hunters want the yearlings new hunters want anything they can get.

I don't mind who shoots what really. I try to "manage" in areas i hunt but everyone else has access also so if they are all trying to "manage" for a different outcome we are all doing the exact opposite and everything is getting shot at about the same percentage.

I shoot yearlings because they are to me, the best eating and are easy to handle and carry a fair distance if you have to. I would never shoot a meat animal where I trophy hunt, not even a hind.

I can usually tell and cant stomach meat that has been butchered on the hill. I will only eat an animal that has been handled the way I was taught. If I do ever put a knife in a hot carcass, it is generally what gets saved for giveaways and bludgers

Its very easy to be selective, I'm lucky if I shoot <2% of what I see. No hinds at this time of year, they're your breeding stock. Why kill something that is carrying, or mothering the next generation of animal for a herd? If it is obviously a dry hind or very old I might cull it out. When hunting for myself I consider myself a trophy hunter, but sometimes I will shoot a number of deer a week at times, this is generally with people I take out hunting, or for meat for friends and family.

On private land I'm pretty selective, generally hunting for a younger meat animal or a decent buck/stag. Bombing up everything you see doesn't generally please the landowner, a few guys I know have lost good hunting access because of there trigger happy attitudes! When carrying out pest control/culling in private blocks I'll generally shoot whatever I can but even then I won't shoot hinds October thru February or stags in velvet, unless its antlers are obviously malformed, or inferior.

On public land I won't shoot a "meat" animal unless we need meat for camp, or its very handy to my vehicle, and then it will be selected, usually the youngest deer - they are easier to handle and taste nicer. In the roar I generally aim for something better than I have shot previously - it took a few years of hunting and a number of deer to reach this point however. I have stalked and left dozens of stags that I consider to have potential, hoping to one day meet with them again. Some you do, but most you never see again.

Selective culling to produce a superior animal has been happening for generations on farms. I am a firm believer that with selective culling and strict rules about which animals a hunter is allowed to shoot, that in a wild herd, one is able to improve herd quality and overall trophy potential. I have seen and been involved with this personally on two large stations and some smaller properties where selective culling of their wild herd with helicopter/foot hunting has been carried out over a number of years and the quality of stags being seen and shot in recent years is clearly improving. It is so obvious its not funny.

Good thread guys, as a newbie, my original intention was to hunt for meat, but after joining the forum & Deerstalkers i now would like at least one set of timber on the wall....as when you declare your a 'Deer Hunter'
they usually start looking around your place for one!....

I will be doing a few recce's in the coming weeks for the roar, but will look out for hinds with fawns as even though i havent dropped a wild DOC deer yet
i would like to consider myself an ethical hunter, but if i was 30 years younger i would probably drop anything i could get a bead on......just being honest

Originally Posted by Scouser

Good thread guys, as a newbie, my original intention was to hunt for meat, but after joining the forum & Deerstalkers i now would like at least one set of timber on the wall....as when you declare your a 'Deer Hunter'
they usually start looking around your place for one!....

I will be doing a few recce's in the coming weeks for the roar, but will look out for hinds with fawns as even though i havent dropped a wild DOC deer yet
i would like to consider myself an ethical hunter, but if i was 30 years younger i would probably drop anything i could get a bead on......just being honest

As I said at the start, there are different actions for different people, based on a number of factors. I did a bit of stalking in my teens, and a couple of forays later, but it has only been since my son kicked me up the arse, that I have been going out 4-5 times a year. We have only ever hunted public/DOC land. During our early attempts, we saw stuff all, but the last few years, we seem to a deer every second time out or so. My attitude has changed with age and the knowledge that we have a 50/50 chance of getting a deer. I also get a bigger kick out of videoing things now ( duckshooting especially), but I totally understand newbies dropping the first deer they see. The first few deer are trophies to be remembered, no matter what they are. Those who have shot a good number of deer, and are now trophy hunters for stags, have their own motivations to exceed the head they already have, unless they need meat.
It has been interesting to read the various attitudes to summer hunting, and the reasons behind the decisions that people make prior to making that shot. I guess their is no neat fit, or right answer. I think it was Aldo Leopold that said someting along the line of "the true test of a person is the actions taken when there is nobody around to see", and I guess we all live with our decisions and actions. Some on this thread have said they shoot anything they see, and who am I to judge their actions. If may be the right decision for them. Others have obviously shot a heap of deer and have access to private blocks and can afford to be selective.
For me, I don't get out often enough to pass up on many deer, but orphaning a fawn is just not my style.
By the way, I have never shot a decent stag of any type, but I keep hoping. I hit the big 60 this year, so I better get out more often!!
Thanks guys for your honest answers.

Good thread, each to their own I guess. Apart from shooting hinds when they have dependant fawns at foot; I am very disappointed to see others being judged for shooting what they see as appropriate - no offence, but it is usually from people who place a high value on animals shot primarily for their antlers. Like others have said as you develop as a hunter and a man you usually start being a bit more selective - but then again as you get a bit long in the tooth and the trips are far and few between you change your approach.

The thing about hunting I like the most is the freedom - the last thing I want to see is more regulation and rules.

Live and let hunt...

Originally Posted by craigc

Good thread, each to their own I guess. Apart from shooting hinds when they have dependant fawns at foot; I am very disappointed to see others being judged for shooting what they see as appropriate - no offence, but it is usually from people who place a high value on animals shot primarily for their antlers. Like others have said as you develop as a hunter and a man you usually start being a bit more selective - but then again as you get a bit long in the tooth and the trips are far and few between you change your approach.

The thing about hunting I like the most is the freedom - the last thing I want to see is more regulation and rules.

Live and let hunt...

That's on the money for me.
It does depend a little on what area I'm in when it comes to velvety's . Id just add that a lot of the time the fawn wont be at foot, mum can stash them away for hours at at time so I don't shoot hinds till feb.