Posted on NAHC by Shiloh on a similar topic.


"What this post shows as well as all similar posts on these topics is that "ethics" and "morals" regarding hunting are heavily influenced by our own upbringing in the sport/lifestyle. You get guys from PA where their State outlaws anything except flintlocks during muzzleloader season that will rail violently against even a cap-lock muzzleloader, but especially any scoped-in-line muzzlelaoder as somehowe being un-ethical, im-moral, or even a scurge placed pon humanity by Satan himself. You will have a guy in Canada where gun ownership is terribly restricted and semi-autos are outright banned for its subjects rail against any US hunter who would dare use a semi-auto hunting-style rifle for deer hunting. Meanwhile, a guy that hunts the swamps of LA cannot fathom carrying a scoped bolt-action on a deer hunt simply because it is virtually impossible to get a 1-shot kill on a deer in that thick stuff and a scoped bolt-action will prohibit him from even geting into the swamp in the first place. A guy that hunts muleys and elk in MT is used to long-range hunting with high-powered scoped bolt-actions and will scoff at any easterner that would hunt from a tree stand and ambush deer as they walk within 50 yds. Mention "coursing deer" with dogs and probably 75% of hunters will gasp and feint at the thought of it and condemn any "hunter" that they'd hear of doing this to many years in prison and loss of all hunt priviledges for life. But, culturally, this is a legal legitimate very exciting hunting method in some regions still and only doing it once can disuade the non-believers of their prejudices against it.
We are all in the same sport/lifestyle whether in TX or ME, CO, AK or Canada and need to learn to learn about eachother with a more open mind and accept that their are indeed differences. The goals are all the same - kill an animal. Umm, pardon my open honest observation, but what exactly is "ethical and humane" about our end-goal? Yes, we owe it to the game, even ourselves, to make the kill as quick and panless a possible. Yes, we owe it to our lifestyle and eachother to follow the established regional regulations. But, pouncing on another person that is doing something that you have learned based on your own regional and cultural differences is un-ethical gets nothing accomploished except to divide our already persecuted side of the debate in the face of our many enemies. It is better to step back before posting something attacking or questioning someone else's methods and just pose the statement you want to make more of a question to try to learn about it more."

Really, a lesson for ALL OF US going forward IMO !