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

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.