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

If you have a hind lined up at this time of the year, do you think about the consequences of shooting that hind?
ie: Does it have a fawn?
Has your opinion/actions changed with age, or the number of animals harvested?
What if you are after a meat animal, and don't get out much?

What about shooting spikers instead - is that the answer, when you could be future shooting a potential trophy.
Could we end up with a herd out of balance by protecting hinds?

Could we be subjecting a herd to a horrible death by 1080 poison if we don't take hinds and reduce the numbers.

Do you even give it a thought?

My own personal approach - If I do go out in summer (not usual), and I am lucky enough to get onto an animal, I try and take a yearling if I can. So far I have been lucky enough to judge correctly, but I have not shot a whole lot of animals either, so maybe my results are just luck. In my younger days, I probably would not have given it a second thought, and just harvested venison. I have shot hinds that have a slinky, and although I am disappointed when that happens, it doesnt stop me from going out in spring.
Or maybe I just think too much!!!!

Personally I leave the older Hinds alone.

That said Yearling Hinds and Spikers are delicious

Cheers
Pete

the key to any herd management is taking hinds as they're always in higher proportions than males. Really you should be taking old hinds that are past their most reproductive stage but I won't shoot a hind if there is even a chance at her having a fawn, I don't need meat that badly to make her poor fawn die of starvation.
I won't shoot spikers anymore either unless there is pressure from an outside source to do so e.g. archery sponsors wanting something.

Then there are the blokes who say "well I hunt for meat not trophies", fair call but lots of people do hunt for trophies so why's it hard to show some respect for them and their hunting goals.

What bugs me is soft velvet stags, I can't congratulate someone who shoots a soft velvet stag...sorry, but no way from me.

I leave the hinds alone this time of year, just shoot yearling hinds, rubbish stags and tooth pic spikers.

Guys I would not angst too much about taking a hind with a fawn after mid to late February as the fawn would very likely survive without mum as by then the have learned to graze and know what water is. I weaned fawns cold turkey at three months old for years with zero mortality.

Thanks Rushy. I wondered how old the fawns had to be to survive on their own.

My look on animals has changed a bit as I got older. As to the shooting side that depend on lots of different things

Originally Posted by Bavarian_Hunter

What bugs me is soft velvet stags, I can't congratulate someone who shoots a soft velvet stag...sorry, but no way from me.

Would you hold that opinion even in areas with rubbish heads?

Originally Posted by Toby

My look on animals has changed a bit as I got older. As to the shooting side that depend on lots of different things

I agree Toby. Do you actually think about these things as you go out?

I don't begrudge anyone shooting anything.
I try not to shoot hinds Nov-Feb but if the freezer is empty(never is) or taking someone else for a hunt go for it.
I don't consider myself a trophy hunter(i wouldnt live in nelson if i did) but have let stags go that looked like they had potential(for nelson) that anywhere else in the country a trophy hunter would shoot on sight as a cull lol.

Originally Posted by Bavarian_Hunter

the key to any herd management is taking hinds as they're always in higher proportions than males.

You got funny water over there that produces more females than males??? I would have thought a 50/50 mix would be the norm, rushy would no.

Anyway the key to heard management as the majority of people see it (wanting more deer, not to fussed about heads) is to shoot stags.

The key to trophy management is to cull shit stags and keep the number of hinds in check...

If I'm hunting on a doc block I take anything, if private I'm very selective. It all depends on the situation tho

if I didn't see a yearling I would. either you shoot it or...... someone alse will, 1080 will or a chopper will smoke it.

Originally Posted by Toby

as I got older.

Hark you young man. Older ha ha ha ha Pengy, Maca check out our geriatric teenager.

Originally Posted by Lentil

I agree Toby. Do you actually think about these things as you go out?

Yeah it normally plays on my mind at if I saw a hind am I going to let it go. Normally spook shit before I can shoot though

I'm pretty much what Perazzi said about doc/private land

Originally Posted by Rushy

Hark you young man. Older ha ha ha ha Pengy, Maca check out our geriatric teenager.

Aging is aging Rushy weather its 15-18 or 59-60

At least My pecker still works at my age