Serious Question
 

I have a serious question for everyone here, but I want you to give me a no b.s answer.
Be honest and don't worry about trying to sound good. I want to hear your opinions, not hear you bash any other members for theirs. O.K., and there is to be no mention of any type of guns...

So here it is

Your an ethical hunter with many years of hunting behind you, you enjoy your time hunting as both.. A. a chance to get out and spend time with good friends away from the concerns of family life, and B. a chance to enjoy the solitude, time for reflection, and personal grounding you get from hunting alone. You buy, or draw for your license every year, and are happy with the amount of game you harvest every year.

So now the Government comes to you and says, I think I am going to give you the right to hunt year round , with very little restriction on what game animals you can hunt, and the amount of these animals you can harvest.
Do you take advantge of the offer?, does it change the person you where before you were offered the rights?, are you going to become unethical?, shoot everything you see?, hunt out of season?.

Take some time and answer this as truthful as you can. If you would hunt year round say so, if you would shoot every big buck you see say so, You will not be persecuted for your answer.

RE: Serious Question
 

I would hunt year round if I could. After a few years I might get totally burned out & stop hunting entirely???

RE: Serious Question
 

I may not be the type of "hunter" that you had in mind as my physical condition no longer lets me hunt very hard anymore. My hunting style was always" tree um" and let them run again another day. Bears, lions, bobs, and coon in that order. Guns were only taken if we had a young hunter who had never killed an animal yet, or if there was reason to believe the quarrie was a real trophy animal. I would support a longer season ONLY if the game population was such that it could handle the increased pressure and continue to maintain a constant number of quality animals.

RE: Serious Question
 

thanks for your input Snooky..

However I did not want consevation to have anything to do with it, weather or not it can be supported was not something I want weighed into the reply. Basicly just if you where given the right, not everyone, just you.. would you abuse it? would it change who you are? ..that kind of stuff.

Again thanks for your reply though.

RE: Serious Question
 

I too would hunt year round but I would not kill everything I saw. If I harvested a deer that would be it until I finished off all the meat. Than maybe a while later I would take another. The same goes with rabbit etc... I would only take what I could eat at a given time. I just can't imaging shooting all those animals and then not eating them. As it is now it's almost as if you have to shoot as much as you can so you have enough meat to last you until next hunting season (which of course I never do :D) I would also still respect what time of year it is as well. For example if the does were dropping their fawns I wouldn't shoot them as the young ones are still dependent on their mother. This again would hold true for most game.

RE: Serious Question
 

If it were me the only thing that would change would be every year their would be a Moose Hunt during the rut and I would have a full elk in my freezer by the end of the fall each year. My family now eats wild meat mostly and in a perfect year I don't need to buy a steak for the q come summer;). I certainly wouldn't bang additional game, if it can not be used it is better to be left for another year or man IMHO. Abuse will only hurt myself in the long run, in one way or another. I would not use my right to fill others freezers either, my family is all I need to provide for and if I have a right given to me than it is for me not anybody I might know. I would also still hunt fall as I just love being in the woods this time of year and doubt I'd need more than that to fill the freezer for a year. If for some reason I couldn't then sure I would hunt when required, it would be a right given to me to sustain not just b/c I can kill!

I have never had a problem with those who can hunt and do hunt for food use only...but I have always had a problem with those who hunt just cause they can and only take a few choice cuts as they don't need to use all the meat b/c tomorrow, next week or next month is another hunting day! Not something I will ever be a part of, I love the game I hunt to much to ruin my future and others as well....we don't own the animals, god made them and I relish that fact it is privilege not a right to hunt, chase, harvest and ultimately enjoy them in both appearence and via tastebuds.

RE: Serious Question
 

YES


NO

Why would I?

No... Just keep hunting for big Booner Animals

Yes... I would treat it like a replenishing Governor's Tag.

I'd hunt prime areas during the prime times... I'd keep hunting 82" Antelope, 190"+ Mule Deer, 375"+ Elk & etc until I had my fill...

Btw, I can gaurantee you that the first few years... some sheep would be dying...

RE: Serious Question
 

Yip, sounds like our government alright, First they tell me that I can hunt year around, BUT then find a way to catch me "hunting out of season"!

Coyotes can be hunted year round here, and I don't do it! I like to hunt when it's cold and when my freezer is about empty!!

RE: Serious Question
 

This is an easy one for me. When I was a younger guy we hunted for meat. It didn't matter what time of year it was. When we needed meat we went hunting. There were not many seasons, or if there was, we didn't know about them. If it were ok for me, I would do the same thing again. I would however never shoot what you would call a trophy animal. I would shoot meat animals only. To me the does and cows taste much better. It really makes me angry when anyone shoots a trophy size animal illegally. How could that ever be a trophy. I am not a trophy hunter at all. I love to see the big bulls and big bucks stay out in the wild .

RE: Serious Question
 

If anything I think I would become more ethical. Knowing the oppotunity is there whenever I would certainly become more selective. Whereas in a two week season coming down to the last couple days your not so selective.

RE: Serious Question
 

I hunt hogs year round now, but I'm glad that there is a deer season. It allows me to look foward to something. I agree that you could burn out if everything was available. I would definitlty become more selective and wait for even more ethical shots if the opportunity was always there. I would love to do that with the hogs I shoot now, but if I don't HARVEST them, they are left to rot. I'm forced to shoot everything I see cause other guys see them as a nuisance and shoot and leave them. To avoid this, I shoot'em all and put them to good use. In my mind I feel that I'm giving the one's I can, an honorable death.

RE: Serious Question
 

I would not think a person is unethical. I myself would not shoot everything I saw. As for deer, i really don't care to shoot does, but i do it for the meat. this last year i passed up several bucks because i want a wall hanger. i would still do the same. But for me, i do hunt year round. I hunt hogs evrey chance i get. there is no limit, no specifications on sex, i can hunt day or night with a spot light etc... I agree with you, i would hunt actual game animals as i needed for meat.

RE: Serious Question
 

First of all I must say that I am opposed to the situation in Alberta that you are refering to. Allowing a group of people to have special "privilages" to hunt and fish in this day and age is not right. Maybe I shouldn't of even mentiond this as I wold guess you don't want to get into a big discussion on the specifics of it.


However I love hunting deer. Particularly big white-tail bucks. Last fall I shot a buck on opening day that was not as big as I thought he was. I was happy to get him and to have him in the freezer. But I would have liked the opportunity to be able to hunt for another white-tail buck in the areas I normally hunt. If I could legally hunt more than one white-tail on a general tag in all of Alberta I would do so. There is no shortage of white-tails in Alberta at this time and I don't think harvesting some more bucks would hurt the over-all population.

RE: Serious Question
 

My answer is no I wouldn't hunt year round. Like another said, spring brings the dropping and raising of young. Animals coming out of winter in the North need 4-5 mos. of good browsing in the woods just to get back in full form. They can be pretty worn down by end of winter here. Those in mixed ag. land come back sooner. But I have no desire to go out in the hot weather and shoot big game or birds for that matter. You also come into the problem of how do you cool off and keep a large animal once you kill it, if it's not at least down near freezing.

I'd hate like anything to get a nice deer, moose, Elk, whatever and not be able to cool it down and it spoil before I could get it processed.

Fall and early winter up in the North seem made just for hunting and keeping big game. I love going out in the cold and snow hunting for them then. That's my view.

RE: Serious Question
 

For any ethical Hunter worth his or her salt, I believe greater freedom would immediately trigger a greater sense of personal responsibility. Your scenario would likely increase my time afield but not my quantities or selections.

RE: Serious Question
 

I agree with MinnFinn. Give wildlife a little break, give them time to renew life. Antlers are still growing, raising young etc... I truely love and respect all wildlife, I wouldnt like to see them pursued all year long. Although I love to hunt, when I started photographing wildlife I learned a deep respect for all creatures. www.pbase.com/mlo3135127

RE: Serious Question
 

One set of rules for me and a different set of rules for everyone else... are you calling me a Democrat.. I suggest you take that back... No way... I hunt when everyone else does Thank You...

RE: Serious Question
 

I know where you're going with this. I have to totally disagree with the situation in Alberta. I don't think anyone should have those rights. We as humans are selfish and history supports me here. Look at our records people. Look at the buffalo, look at the elk populations in the eastern US. Look at all wildlife in general. We can't help ourselves. Before game laws we nearly wiped out every single animal on the continent.

I can sit here and tell you that if given those rights I would be the most ethical hunter you ever saw. the problem with that is: With no Boundaries or guideline or as we call them laws, who is to say what is ethical and what is not. Heck, with no boundaries who's to say that shooting a nursing doe is unethical. Hell, what if I was really hungery. What if my freezer is empty. I would hope that I would keep my morals, but who is to say. If our history has proven anything, its proven that we as a race can not be trusted to self regulate. Its a pandora's box people, better left unopened. There I said it. I quarantee you that the wildlife populations and populations of trophy animals in particular will be depleted if not seriously damaged.

RE: Serious Question
 

As long as we are discussing this lets dig a bit deeper:
Lets assume that you have these rights. So after a year or two of hunting "ethically" your wife suddenly loses her job. Its the start of a long winter and as a construction worker you prospects of work over the winter are slim. You're a proud man and accepting welfare is out of the question. There is a herd of animals that winter close to you. Are you going to remain ethical, and let your family suffer? Or say you know of a man who will pay top dollar for trophy horns. What are you likely to do? Its an awful temptation. So you justify selling one set of horns. Then school starts. Your wife hasn't found a new job. Your kids don't have new clothes or shoes. What are you going to do? Heck, whats one more set of horns? Heck, its better than your kids doing without. Now lets say that your oldest is accepted to college. He/she has a chance at a better life than you ever had. But, you can't afford to pay for college. What to do?

I know these are all grave examples. But, none are out of the realm of possibilities. Food for thought.