Smartened up how ? What was so dumb and stupid with Fred Bear and people like that ?
It wasn't stupidity, it was ignorance--not knowing the limitations of the equipment, not knowing what shot would give the quickest kill, etc.
Good point, because while Fred didn't hunt for the meat really, he was hunting for dual purposes. He got millions of dollars in free advertisments with his hunting exploits.
I don't know about "millions", but I get the point. My point is back then a lot more people had a lot more hands-on experience with killing animals. Lots of folks butchered their own beef, pork, lamb, chicken, etc., and a lot of folks hunted specifically for the meat. I'd guess the term "trophy hunter" was unheard of back then.
But you gotta admit, some great shots go bad, some bad shots end up with a very quick kill ......... I'd hazard to say most deer shot at and wounded were the faithful broadside shot - the shot that is suppose to be the best to take.
There's a lot of things that can make for a bad shot--most of them due to human error or poor/lack of judgement. Based on my experience at least.
So we, as hunters, have had to change who we are and what we do because of ........... fear ?
I'd call it concern over giving the non-hunting public the wrong impression and loosing hunting priveledges.
Think about that ........ killing humanely ? Is that possible ?
Of course it is. A properly placed broadhead is probably the most humane way any whitetail will ever die--often they don't even realize they were shot, travel a short distance if at all, and basically go to sleep. No animal that dies of "natural" causes will ever go that peacefully--they will die from disease, starvation, parasites, or be eaten (usually while still alive if it's coyotes or wolves).
Bowhunting and killing deer with compassion ? Do you launch arrows with sympathy ? Are considerate when you slice through the lungs of a meat doe resulting in her bleeding to death ?
I don't cry and send a card to the family, but I will pass on a shot I'm not comfortable with, work to be competent and confident with my gear, and do my best to make a quick, clean kill. Like I said, putting an animal to sleep quickly and virtually painlessly is much more humane than what nature gives them.
Now, I HATE wounding deer. Why is that ? Is it because I didn't do what I wanted to do ? Is it because an animal is wounded ? Did Fred Bear ever feel remorse for shooting and wounding ?
If you've got that same feeling ...... then you know everytime you draw and shoot you could be wounding deer. Why then is it worth is to even try when the possible wounding is so bad ?
Kinda of a paradox isn't it ?
I can't speak for Fred, but I'd guess it did bother him to wound an animal. I did a stupid thing once and shot when I wasn't sure, and the results were awful. It's called experience--we try to learn from it.
I know it's possible whenever I get in my truck that I could hit a deer between my house and the 2 mile stretch to the highway (lots of deer crossings on the way)--that doesn't keep me from driving. I know what I am capable of, and what my equipment will do, and go with full confidence. You can't focus on not missing and expect to hit. If I ever make another bad shot, I'll deal with it then. When I am in the woods, I am part of nature.
Its almost refreshing to read about Fred Bear and the love he had for wildlife, and the respect for Hunting that he had, and the continuing reinforcement that its the HUNT and not the kill .......... and yet he took a lot of shots at animals I wouldn't have
The hunt is important to some degreeto anyone that takes part in the sport, regardless of the weapon used. There are no guarantees, and most leave the woods empty-handed a lot more often than not. If it was about the kill, period, there would be a whole lot less people in the woods. The hunt is more important to some than others obviously, but that's the name of the game--that's why it's called hunting, and not killing. Killing is, however, a undeniable part of hunting--otherwise you would just go sit in the woods without a weapon.
Chad