The problem is where do you draw the line? When is it ethical, when is it cheating? By cheating I would assume you mean poaching, and there are laws for that. If you don't agree with them then try to get them changed. I agree with some of the others, who decided you were the one that chooses what is ethical or cheating for someone else? Oh, you did I guess, I certainly didn't bestow that burdon on you.

And I think everyones version of ethical is different. To me being ethical is about how you treat the animal. Like doing what it takes to insure that the animal suffers the least. Like not taking high percentage shots like too long of a distance or shooting at moving game. A gun hunter could argue that bow hunting is not ethical becuase it is not as effective. And a compound hunter could argue that traditional shooters are unethical because you have less power and don't use sights and stuff. Making it much easier to wound an animal. You can take this line of thinking in any direction you want really. There will always be someone that thinks the other is wrong.

I highly doubt the people doing these things are coming on here asking these questions or looking for sympathy or forgiveness . If they thought what they were doing was wrong they would not do it. And they certainly wouldn't come here and let everyone one know if they were doing something they thought was wrong. While I don't care much for some of the things you mentioned like hunting off a buss or shooting penned animals I don't consider it cheating or unethical. It's not much different than raising pigs and cattle and killing one to slaughter. I have never met anyone that did this or took a guided hunt and lied about how they obtained the animal. If they were happy with what they did, then more power to them I guess. If you don't want to do that, then don't.

I hunt from a treestand and bait, because it is legal where I live and I will do what ever is legal to harvest deer. I didn't pay for deer tags to go nature watching, I could do that for free. And the state doesn't issue tags so you don't shoot deer. Why do you think the laws in some places get easier? Because we are not harvesting enough deer. I could argue that it's because of trophy hunters, but I don't. I don't think a few handfulls of corn on the edge of a 200 acre corn field is going to exactly make the deer flock to my stand. Baiting is not that effective. I use it to get the deer to stop so I can make a clean shot on a relaxed animal. If you don't agree with that then I don't think you are a very ethical hunter either.

I gun hunt as well, so I guess that makes me evil and my opinion probably doesn't even count.

Dan, I agree with you, personal attacks and just being mean to someone is not a great thing. However he posted this thread looking for these sort of responses so I wouldn't get too upset when it actually happens.

Paul