Are Big Buck contests unethical?

Gatehouse

Gatehouse

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It has been propesed that our club host a "Big Buck" contest.

Entry fee woudl be $25, payable prior to huting season.

The largest buck takes home 50% of the entry fees, club gets the rest.

A question about ethics has come up, though.

"Do these sort of contests intice hunters into unethical behaviour because of a cash prize?"

I have my ideas, but let's hear yours first.:)
 
There is deffinately a chance that some people might do unethical things to win such a contest. some people will do anything when money is involved.
 
My way of seeing thigs is that killing should never be a contest, what does it matter who shot the most birds or the biggest buck of the season a friend who I hunt with regularly gets pissed and sulks if he does not shoot the biggest buck of the season in his family. Hunting should be enjoyable but and not a competition.
But that's just me
 
From a herd management point of view it is better to shoot the young bucks than the old ones. I agree, however that "competitive hunting" is like fishing derbies- not good for the stock or the sport. Why not have a hunters sharing session and a random draw to the participants for prizes- after all, it's the experience that matters, not the shooting of the game.
 
as long as the meat was taken ,with antlars..:) i believe it would help on the conservation of the deer..
the reason being...every one would be after the big bucks and leaving the does alone
 
Make it a monster buck contest for the love a ...I go out every hunting season with the chance of a wall hanger always in the back of my mind. It don't change a thing, I don't burn down one end of the forest hoping it will run out the other side. Or cry if I bag a 4 point, or worry if I fire off a shot.

Boy oh boy , ok heres an idea what about the smallest toughtest stinkiest gamey ,not even close to bambie looking disney 4 legged deer contest.
Frank
 
from a taste perspective, nothing tastes better than a bambi
but man its kinda cruel taking a youngin.....
but did i mention tasty!
 
What about a heaviest deer contest? I don't think, maybe I'm naive, that an ethical hunter could be turned into an unethical one just because of a couple of $. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the point to raise a little $ for the club, I mean more so than being the "champ"?
 
Gatehouse said:
It has been propesed that our club host a "Big Buck" contest.

Entry fee woudl be $25, payable prior to huting season.

The largest buck takes home 50% of the entry fees, club gets the rest.
Click to expand...

Not sure how you're going to score the biggest buck Gate but consider a hidden score prize in there too to calm down the naysayers.

I don't think such a contest means boom all to the sizde and number of deer that will be taken in your area, and have no problem with such a contest FWIW...
 
OK, I have to chime in here. Big buck contests are common where I live and they do indeed result in a a bunch of poaching, pit lamping and what have you. The local game wardens know it as well. The locals all know it.

I am not against the contest as a whole...........as long as it is done in a manner that only awards a plaque or trophy to the biggest head. NOT a huge monitary prize.

You want to attract people and encourage hunting and ethical behaviour. You want a high attendance rating at your big buck contest. I would encourage you to hold a big buck contest. Have a rifle or something as the grand prize.....to enter you have to bring your antlers from your buck in and enter them, but any size deer will do. As long as you bring in a set of antlers with the cancelled tag and pay your entry fee, your name is put into the draw for the grand prize.

Score the antlers by Boone and Crockett rules. The biggest rack gets the trophy or plaque. The Grand Prize goes to what ever name is drawn out of the entry box. A guy with a fork horn has just as good a chance at winning the grand prize as the guy with a 190 class buck. This eliminates any advantage to the guy with the big rack in winning the rifle/cash/what ever.

This also allows for kids to bring their first buck in and have a crack at the grand prize (well OK, if they win theDad can hang on to the rifle on paper until they are old enough).

The contests are a good idea but you can avoid the poaching problem when the big reward is a draw and not given to the highest scoring rack. They just get the glory of knowing it was the biggest and hanging the plaque on the wall.
 
This topic has been on a few forums and I have looked at quite a few different alternatives, so far my vote goes with Sasquatch's suggestion.

I however don't think that the contests can be totally to blame for Poaching and illegal activities. Contests don't make bad people, bad people make bad people. Contest or not jerks will be jerks. They'll be doing it regardless of the contest.

Maybe the deer are to blame to. If they would stop growing those beautiful racks then we wouldn't want them so badly:D Sure would save me driving 3000 miles round trip to hunt the elusive monster whitetail;) Even with that much driving, time, money invested I could never bring myself to poach an animal I have too much respect for them and myself.

That last part really seems touchy feely but I don't know of a better way to type it out so you'll have to put up with it:rolleyes:

Plus the story never seems right when you have to tell your friends that you reached down for your 10,000,000 candle power light which is plugged into the cigarette lighter of the truck while knocking over your beer and finally burning the retinas out of the deer. Grabbing your already loaded rifle off the dashboard rolling down the window and having to shoot it in the ass as it turns away to run because you accidently hit the horn with your elbow while trying to get a rest with your rifle:rolleyes:

Maybe I'm missing something but it doesn't sound sporting
Brambles
 
Human Nature is such that there are scumbags in every sport and ours is no exception. I have seen the cheating and illegal behaviour that can result from these types of contests... the bigger the prize the more likely that someone will cheat.
There are ways you can make it harder for these maggots to enter your contest. Third person verification that the kill was legal is a given... and pictures of the whole animal (tagged) with the shooter and firearm in the picture should be mandatory.
You should also get the Local Conservation Officer involved in your contest... he will be glad too... it is in their mandate to help. If you can get permission to use the Provincial Fish and Game Dept. logo on the ticket and say that a C.O. will be giving out the prize it will go a long way to keep the poachers in check.
I have been involved in many Big Buck Contests and have won some nice prizes over the years. A well run contest can do a lot to further the sport and make some money for a worthy cause!
Good luck with the contest Gatehouse... How big a rack do you want me to ship to you.... :)
 
Poachers poach.Take the contest away they will still poach.They cheat the rules no mater what.
Most of the big buck contests here are run by community centres and fish&game clubs.The profit from these contests go towards a good cause.
As for it being ethical who is to say either way.If you think it is unethical dont join the contest.Thats easy is it not?
 
Yes poachers poach regardless, but put some cash or rifles up for grabs and you give them more reasons to poach.................there are big buck contests in every town where I live and some guys make a killing at them each fall taking trophy heads from one contest to the next.

If you make it so that everyone in the contest has an equal chance at the grand prize because they came and participated by entering a buck, regardless of size, then you take away the main focus of the poaching and that is the biggest set of antlers will win the grand prize rifle or cash.

As long as the poachers know they will win the money with the biggest head they will be out there killing deer.

I had a guy approach me wanting me to let a friend of his use my unused tag to put a rack in the big buck contest...they had taken enough big deer to fill all their tags and their wifes tags etc.....needed another tag or two so that he could enter a bunch of big racks to clean up at a couple of local big buck contests. The prize money can total thousands of dollars. (I informed the game warden and he is well aware of the people involved but has been unable to actually catch them in the act due to not enough man power.)

The same guy had his hunting cabin broken into and guess what was stolen out of the cabin (reported in the newspaper)....night vision binoculars and a night vision scope. Gee I wonder why they needed those?
 
It <can> be ethical, but the line is pretty thin. Regarding the poaching situation, I think there needs to be anonymous "tip lines" with significant cash prizes to encourage people to turn in/provide information on poachers. A similar thing was done around here to encourage people to report outdoor grow-ops. A <lot> of farmers went for it, as well as the accasional pilot. Outdoor growing in open fields has been reduced to virtually zero by now, thanks in large part to the tip lines.
 
Hmmm, never would have thought about the negatives of a contest like this. I think that guys who bend rules and write thier own version of what is legal will do what they do no matter what. Guys that play by the rules and uphold thier ethics will continue to do so. I see it as a good thing if your club benefits from it.
 
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