RE: Question of ethics...."First light"
 

I appreciate most of your comments.....evenmany that disagree with me (and others).

For the record....I am a first yr bowhunter. I tend to do things to the extremes.....and when I got my new Mathews this year.....I started practicing a LOT. I have a ladder stand set up within my 3 wooded acres (adjacent tothe house) and my son and I practice on 3d and dot targets almost every evening. We have a power pole light in the middle of our back yard.....and this gives us "sufficient" light to practice....even after last shooting light. I also practice shots to 60 yards. I shoot my bow.....every day.

I've been hunting for 25 years. I've never limited out and kept hunting (ANY game)....and I've never killed a trout (I used to be a BIG TIME flyfisherman). I've taken hunter's education courses....and I've taught them.

I've never had anyone that KNEW me bring my hunting ethics into question.

In order for people to criticize my "intentions" in this model......they've had to interject "situations" that just simply aren't relevant to the situation I presented. There was NO WAY this animal wasn't a deer (Do we really need to discuss this if we're honest with ourselves?????). There was NO WAY I could hit a "twig"/"limb"/"branch".....because there were NO limbs below me (not even on the adjacent trees inmy set). There was NO WAY I was going to shoot at this animal....if I couldn't see through my peep (Which ....by the way...is my new 'definition' of sufficient 'shooting light'....if within prescribed times).

I tell my 13 yr old....ALL THE TIME.....

Son....there's 2 ways to do things....1) the right way....or...2) the wrong way.

I appreciate the conversation, guys. Have a Merry Christmas.

Jeff

RE: Question of ethics...."First light"
 

And BTW.....

"It" never showed.:)

Jeff

RE: Question of ethics...."First light"
 

OMG yall dont quit do you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



It is to fricking dark to ID the target. Bottom line. Dont fricking shoot. End of subject!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or shoot,but dont you dare post it under a topic like "I screwded up"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RE: Question of ethics...."First light"
 

I can hunt 30 minute before sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset. If I am confident I can make a shot I will. A lot of times I can see the deer fine, but when I draw back my bow, I can't see anything. When there is enough light to se through my bow, then there is enough light to easily identify everything on the deer, and I will take the shot. And yes, it's within shooting light.

The law was put in place to not take bad shots when there is too little light, and of course keep out the spot lighter from hunting.

RE: Question of ethics...."First light"
 

This and the posts made by Blogd and davidmil are, in my opinion, very, very valid posts on this subject.

Davidmil's one comment is especially appropriate in this situation...the peep sight can become almost useless in lower light situations. Even if you can see the pin, without having it properly squared in the peep, you've increased the chance of wounding the deer at almost any normal hunting distance. Davidmil is also very forthcoming in his comments about having wounded a deer in just such a situation; I've done it too and as he said, its not worth it.

Until you've done it you'll probably ask the marginal questions like the one you posed in this thread...and you'll probably take the marginal shot. I say that with all due respect because we've all made mistakes and hopefully learned from them.

Make no mistake, I don't question your ethics, or the legalities, I question your need to shoot the animal under what surely sounds like marginal light.

RE: Question of ethics...."First light"
 

OMG some one finally seen the light!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RE: Question of ethics...."First light"
 

The only way to know it is lawful or not is to read the state regs and see when exactly shooting hours open.

RE: Question of ethics...."First light"
 

Repeating much of what has been said, and to further beat this topic to death (from my past 17 years experience as a volunteer tracker on a military base - if they double lunged 'em, they didn't need my services):
- any shot taken within one's capabilities, even under ideallighting,takes on the risk of a miss- perhapsthe deer jumps the string, the archer flinches, or something mechanical happens as a sleeve or twig getting in the way. If you can miss a deer, you can make a marginal hit.Thenadd the low-light conditions that can exist within legal hunting time and the adrenaline rush of having a deer in range. Even thoughyou can make out your target and can center the pin near the kill zone, I believe you havegreatly increased yourchances for a bad outcome.I know several bowhunters who tried to make an end-of-day shot and will (or at least have stated such) never try it again. E.g. one friendhad the buck of his dreamsat close range said while he thought he was looking through his peep, thinkshe may have beenlooking throughthe gap in the string above his peep...a mistake not likely made in good light. There is no end to what can go wrong with a low-light shot while there is very little to contributing to it going right. Certainly your first question after making a low-light shot is going to be is "did I hit him/her?"; duh,is there a clue there? A responsible bowhunter will endeavor to makea clean kill, we owe it to the deer and the sport.
-fsh

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.
Douglas Adams

Good judgment comes from experience, and often experience comes from bad judgment.
Rita Mae Brown

RE: Question of ethics...."First light"
 

Guys I'm not hardheaded on this subject....and I appreciate ALL of the constructive comments....including the CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.

I've seen people post comments about taking 60 yd shots on this board. While I say I can hit my mark at 60 yds......I sure as HECK wouldn't attempt a shot like that in the field. BUT......I'm not them. I'm not there. I don't REALLY know thier abilities.....nor their ethics.....nor their situation. On the surface, though.....I'd say a 60 yd shot isn't optimal. I don't think I'd get too big of an argument from anyone on that.

"First light"........now that's a different story.

When I was duck hunting a lot.....they'd give us a timewhen we could shoot. Shoot before that.....and you were breaking the law.....ethics be damned. But what if it's legal time??? Can I fire away??....LIGHT be damned???? When you MUST be able to identify your species of duck before shooting....you'd better be SURE. ButMYsituation above posed no question like that.....really.The animal in question was a deer. Period.

I suppose....after MUCHhas been written about this.....that I should pose THIS question, then:

Ifthe target can positively be identified.....(DEER) &
The target can be zeroed in on (Kill zone in sights...through peep ...if applicable) &
Shootingwithin legal time has been established &
The hunter has a legal tag for the animal......

DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN HELL IF ITS A DOE OR A BUCK?

Just kidding.

Merry Christmas.

Thanks

Jeff

RE: Question of ethics...."First light"
 

Good point.