How honest are we?
 

I visit another site regularly and will post there at times as well. That site is a little less moderated than here so some different points of view tend to surface there that wouldn't be allowed here. (Not saying that is a bad thing) Overall the folks who post there seem to be a good group of hunters. Recently there was a "hypothetical" question asked, as well as a poll. It was a situation where you are allowed one deer per day, you kill a buck 2 miles away from your vehicle, and on your way to get your vehicle to load the deer up you spot the "buck of a lifetime" for an easy shot, would you shoot.(remember, you've already shot one 2 miles away, and your only allowed one per day) Well the guys who took time to write a comment, 90% of them said they would have to let the buck of a lifetime go and hunt him the next day. But, and here is the kicker, on the poll which lets you remain anonymous, barely half that answered said they would not shoot the "monster buck". Granted, only 30 something people have answered the poll which isn't a great # to base any true percentages on. But it still blew my mind. I always thought the overwhelming majority of hunters were legal, but maybe I am totally wrong. It just got me to thinking about how that same poll would come out with the guys/gals on this site. Of course it would almost have to be done anonymously because anyone who has visited this site for longer than a couple months knows there are a lot of true die-hards here etc, and they would never answer honestly if their nickname appeared beside their answer.
Their were some guys that answered honestly with their words and nicknames, and their justification for doing it surprised the he!! out of me. Maybe I just think different than most hunters or I am truly ignorant of the real number of hunters who aren't totally honest in how they take game, I don't know. I just take hunting, and the future of hunting very serious. I don't think there are degrees of poaching, and there is no justification whether it is a buck of a lifetime, or a yearling doe. Just made me wonder what the results would be if the same thing was asked here. I'm not asking anyone to answer the question, just venting a little bit. If a person wants to poach (which is what that hypothetical situation was asking) then there probably isn't much I can do about it other than make the proper phone calls if I know of it. I just have no tolerance for people that poach. Doesn't matter to me if they are spotlighting with a rifle, or shooting 2 deer when they should only take one. To me, it's all the same.

--Man who fish in other man's well often catch crabs--

RE: How honest are we?
 

I answered honest over there and I'll give an honest answer over here.
If I were hunting a state that allowed a buck a day and that happened , I would take the &quot;buck of a lifetime&quot; and have someone else tag the smaller buck<img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle> I would then go ahead and enter it in the books , build a website , and tell my story , only to be ridiculed by other hunters and live the rest of my life in shame<img src=icon_smile_blackeye.gif border=0 align=middle>

I cant imagine living in a state that allows a buck a day<img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle> If they have that many deer.....oh never mind , I'm sure I'll catch hell for being honest anyway.

Indyhunter , either your a lurker over at SHF or the exact thread is going on in another board. I dont see your name anywhere. Just curious , where did you see it?



Edited by - bowfanatic on 09/18/2002 03:52:25

RE: How honest are we?
 

Bowfanatic, wouldn't that depend upon wether or not it was legal to allow someone else to tag the first buck?

RE: How honest are we?
 

Expecting an honest answer for that question will be hard to get from most. It's like whether you would pull the trigger on a man, you may never know until it happens. It's hard telling the truth or anything on here or any message board. If you don't type your story down to every little grunt and circumstance, folks jump on ya without knowing the whole story 1st. Instead of asking to clarify what the reader reads, they just open fire and jump in your &quot;shtuff&quot;. Then when you clarify, they ain't got the decency to apologize. Here's an example of not knowing what was said, but was typed:

&quot;I didn't say you stole it&quot; has several meanings and each reader can see it differently without typing additional stuff and making a book like I am now. Capitalized words are accented.
&quot;(I) didn't say you stole it.&quot; (somebody else did)
&quot;I didn't SAY you stole it.&quot; (I could have implied though with different vocalization)
&quot;I didn't say YOU stole it.&quot; (but somebody did)
&quot;I didn't say you STOLE it&quot; (but it's in your possession)
&quot;I didn't say you stole IT&quot; (but you did steal something)
Sorry for venting but we need to realize that we can't take everything as gospel based on what we read here. If someone states something you don't agree with, ask for clarification before you preach your soapbox. Thank you and I hope I didn't change the subject Indy. But I feel it relates to replying &quot;an honest answer&quot;.

Indy, this had nothing to do with what you posted, just why folks may not be so honest. I agree with you about poaching.

Edited by - jetblast on 09/18/2002 07:00:31

Edited by - jetblast on 09/18/2002 11:05:22

RE: How honest are we?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>you kill a buck 2 miles away from your vehicle, and on your way to get your vehicle to load the deer up you spot the &quot;buck of a lifetime&quot; for an easy shot, would you shoot.(remember, you've already shot one 2 miles away, and your only allowed one per day)<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

I honest to God would not shoot it. I am far too fearful that I would get caught. Knowing me, I WOULD get caught. Driving home, it would be just my luck that I would wind up running through a sobriety check point or something similar. :)

I would definitely try to hunt that deer the next day though and would most likely pass other good deer in the hopes of seeing him again.

I hate to say it but dishonest hunters are all around. I know of people who still throw out apples, corn, etc even though baiting is illegal here in NY. I know of some that &quot;forget&quot; to tag their deer, or send in the tag, etc. Heck I know some that don't even bother with tags at all! It's a real shame that a few bad seeds have to make the rest of us look bad.

-Mike

RE: How honest are we?
 

I wouldn't shoot it because I wouldn't have had the opportunity. My bow or rifle would have been shouldered, I would be walking a brisk pace, I wouldn't be looking for other deer, etc.

In addition, if I took an animal earlier, it is my trophy. I shouldn't have shot it in the first place if it wasn't good enough so to speak.

RE: How honest are we?
 

I will be perfectly honest and say no. That is just me, I know others who would, they have to live with themselves just like I do. I do count myself lucky, in Va. you are allowed two a day.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

RE: How honest are we?
 

Bowfanatic, maybe are are talking about 2 different sites? I've posted on that subject a few times on the forum i'm talking about. I know of a few guys from here that post there as well, so maybe the same guys have posted that question in another forum. The forum i'm talking about is TSO (Southern Outdoorsman).
Jetblast I understand what you are saying. I don't expect everyone to be honest, especially when posting on the internet. And I wouldn't call someone out personally because I thought they were lying (unless it was an attack on me personally). Sometimes it is tough to figure out what a person is saying simply by reading it. Also tough at times to understand if a person is serious or joking. I was more appalled at the justification guys gave for poaching. I understand your point about not knowing until the situation happened, although I personally don't buy that excuse. It isn't a &quot;fight or flight&quot; situation. If a person doesn't have enough control over theirself to stop and recognize that they have already killed a deer, and taking another is illegal, then they probably shouldn't be in the woods at all. I'm just saying it is not an unconscious reaction to shoulder the gun and shoot. At least I hope not.

--Man who fish in other man's well often catch crabs--

RE: How honest are we?
 

I would not shoot the second deer, because I personally will not willingly break any law that could result in me losing my lifetime hunting and fishing license. That may not be the most moral reason you will hear but I worked my butt off saving for two years to get it and it will have to be pryed from my cold dead fingers when I go.

RE: How honest are we?
 

I would like to say that I wouldn't shoot the buck. But I may shoot it, I've never been in that situation and wouldn't know how I'd act until I was actually in it. Dang though...a buck of a lifetime would be awfully tempting...

My mind belongs to my work...
My heart belongs to my family...

But my soul...belongs to the woods.