Being a good hunter -- being a virtuous hunter? -- comprises many factors. I imagine you'll get quite a shopping list from others, and I'll add my own shopping list myself.

A good hunter is a safe hunter. The good hunter takes a care for others . . . and also for himself. A careless, unsafe hunter who dies falling out of his tree stand robs his children of their father and his wife of her husband. Be safe.

A good hunter respects the animal he hunts. He doesn't waste meat. If he doesn't enjoy eating game meat, he assures that he gets it to a donation center in good condition for distribution to the needy. He learns and employs proper field care of animals. He has a plan for getting the dead animal out of the field in good condition. A good hunter knows his capabilities and restricts the shots he will take to those with a high probability of success. The goal should be a quick, clean kill of the animal. The hunter must be willing to follow up on all shots and track any wounded animal. You shouldn't be taking shots at running animals unless you have skill in this area -- for example from having practiced.

A good hunter obeys game and gun laws.

A good hunter practices fair chase. Someone who legally takes game but does not utilize considerations of fair chase may not, in my opinion, be hunting. This may be OK. For example, if I raise cattle, it is time to butcher a steer, and I walk up and shoot it in the head, this may be practical and OK, it just isn't hunting. I can't define what "fair chase" is, each hunter has to define it for himself. Of course, you can take guidance from such as Boone and Crockett or Pope and Young, the record book keepers, who prescribe the rules of fair chase that must be followed to qualify for their record books. Is shooting deer over a pile of corn sporting? Is shooting deer from a luxury box type of shooting blind sporting? Let each decide for himself. After you bag your animal you will know whether you employed fair chase or not by the satisfaction that you feel.

A good hunter respects the environment and cleans up after himself. A good hunter does not wantonly destroy nature or animals. This implies taking care to avoid preventable "accidents" which destroy nature, such as starting forest fires by carelessly flipping a lit cigarette butt or failing to put a campfire fully out. A good hunter does not take pot-shots at animals just for the pleasure of blasting something. In my opinion you need to have a reason to deliberately take a life, and that doesn't include just hearing your gun roar.

I think a strong argument can be made for the above definitions. Also, they are worded flexibly so they can be adopted for different circumstances. The following are more desirable rather than necessary qualifications of a good hunter.

A good hunter brings others into the sport and mentors them in the ways of hunting. Take a youngster to their hunter safety course. Take them to the shooting range and teach them how to shoot safely and then with skill. Teach them how to take care of firearms -- cleaning after use and storing safely. Take them to the field and teach them what you know about hunting. Give them the best ambush points. I don't know how you got started in hunting, but I definitely got my start because others welcomed me into the sport and shared their time with me and their hunting spots.

A good hunter cherishes their right to keep and bear arms guaranteed in the second amendment and is a zealous defender of this right. They monitor gun control legislation and write to their representatives to voice their concern about gun legislation. They may join one of many gun owner organizations which collectively lobby for sensible gun laws.