The Dying Art of Hunting

Definition of hunting...

You buy a license.

You use whatever is legal firearm/bow/crossbow/muzzleloader you want.

You shoot an animal.

You tag an animal.


As long as you do NOT violate hunting regulations anything goes.

Forget about ethics.

Quads, Boats, Bait, Calls, Decoys, Range-Finders etc etc etc. if it is legal to use then by all means use it.
 
In my mind there is a great distinction between, hunting and shooting. Someone on these threads once referred to, "Hunting gophers." He was quickly corrected and told you don't hunt gophers, you shoot gophers.
In my mind the same can apply to big game. When backroads are driven by vehicle until a moose appears, then the hunter jumps out and shoots it, this is not moose hunting. Sadly, modern day moose "hunters" seem to aquaint hunting, with filling their freezer with meat. Period.
I started hunting when every hunter took to the bush on his two feet, and hunted. Ideal conditions were when a bit of snow covered the ground. One such morning I started out from our house after deer. I soon saw a good buck staring at me from behind some brush, thinking I didn't see him. I slowly raised my rifle and fired at his neck. However, that long barreled 94 was pretty heavy for a barely teenager, and I missed. By end of daylight, I had seen that buck about four times more, never got another shot, but had only ¼ mile to walk back to the house! That is hunting.
Later, I discovered that a bull moose is extremely hard to track down and shoot. My first success at it came when I picked up fresh tracks in the snow at 8:00 in the morning, and shot the bull at 3:00 in the afternoon. After a few times I was able to figure out their strategy, and became quite adept at beating them at their own game.
Ok you guys, how many of you can honestly say you have had similar experiences.
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Well I don't know if I qualify in your idea of what hunting is all about from your definition ... but I do go outland alot by snowmobile in winter (major cold weather) or ATV 4x4 in summer or in my boat during summer. I hunt tuktu(caribou) on foot on baffin island from time to time(several yrs in a row falltime) ... walk in over their rolling hills with a friend and shoot tuktu, cut them up and backpack them out ... we usually do anywhere from 5-10 miles or more walking all day. My atataasiaq(grandfather) lived a nomadic life-style and travelled by dogteam from area to area back in the day ... however, usually on foot did most of his trapping and hunting ... sometimes waiting for hours on end for a seal to poke his head up thru a breath hole. I've learned to be patient and hunt seals this way ... however, did not walk out onto the sea-ice but travelled by snowmobile. As for hunting and SHOOTING ... all depends on your OWN definition of hunting today. :D Cheers,

Otokiak
Rankin Inlet, NU
CANADA
 
Otokiak said:
Well I don't know if I qualify in your idea of what hunting is all about from your definition ... but I do go outland alot by snowmobile in winter (major cold weather) or ATV 4x4 in summer or in my boat during summer. I hunt tuktu(caribou) on foot on baffin island from time to time(several yrs in a row falltime) ... walk in over their rolling hills with a friend and shoot tuktu, cut them up and backpack them out ... we usually do anywhere from 5-10 miles or more walking all day. My atataasiaq(grandfather) lived a nomadic life-style and travelled by dogteam from area to area back in the day ... however, usually on foot did most of his trapping and hunting ... sometimes waiting for hours on end for a seal to poke his head up thru a breath hole. I've learned to be patient and hunt seals this way ... however, did not walk out onto the sea-ice but travelled by snowmobile. As for hunting and SHOOTING ... all depends on your OWN definition of hunting today. :D Cheers,

Otokiak
Rankin Inlet, NU
CANADA
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I think it'd be pretty hard to begrudge any one up there the use of any kind of transportation for anything. Just when it gets abused it can get old.
 
Senior, My ethics may not be the correct ones. I didn't say they were. But a life lived without any ethics is sad, in my opinion. I stand by that opinion.
 
Are our laws based on ethics?
Can it be legal & still unethical?
It may seem unethical to you to use or shoot from a moving snowmobile, but if you had lived in the far north all your life & the meat you just shot may be needed to sustain your wife & kids??
I think you took his comment a little out of context.
I think he meant more like to keep your ethics to yourself, who are we to judge others if it's legal.

IMHO anyway :)
 
I try not to impose my ethics on others, but I also enjoy a good discussion. In my opinion, laws are the bare minimum of behaviour guidelines. I believe it is up the the individual to decide what additional limits to one's own behaviour are appropriate. Much of ethics is about respect - for oneself, for others, and in this case, for the animals we hunt. I meant no disrespect when I commented on the "forget ethics" quote. But I do think that ethics are important to society and to a life well lived.
 
and there just so happens to be many different styles of how to hunt. some people may like to sit in a tree all day and shoot pointy sitcks at animals. some may road hunt. i dont think theres a dying art, more like many new ways.
 
Longwalker said:
Wow that's sad. Ethics are what gives life meaning and makes living worthwhile. I hope you really don't mean that.
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Listen...I used to think like you and then understood that not everyone has the time, or skill to be the absolute best hunter out there...therefore he may need to use something in order to be successful and make hunting actually worth while.

I could make an argument that using ANY technical advantage could be deemed unethical.

Hunters using the following could be considered unethical...

Bait, decoys, dogs, range finders, telescopic sights, electronic calls, quads/vehicle=road hunting, all these things give you an advantage over game.

Best to leave ethics argument to the antis.

We are all hunters as long as you follow the game regulations.
 
In all honesty ethics are what make you follow the hunting regulations. Even when nobody can see you. All anybody should expect is for hunters to obey the laws and be respectful of other hunters, land owners and the game they hunt. I like to sit in a tree with pointy sticks, and you don't so what? If hunting were banned do you think us tree hunters will be left alone? or only people who stalk will be allowed to hunt? The way I see it is we need to try to put the best foot forward when hunting. I've had some talks with antis before and they are often taken back when you are clear rational and calm. It drives them nuts. I will admit it dosn't warm my heart to read about all the I hate this type of hunting or bow, rifle, shotgun, etc. Antihunters don't care what way you hunt only that your stopped. So back to my first statement ethics are a big part of hunting just not the way most think. my 2c worth
 
After reading all the posts on this thread I think the original meaning of the poster has been lost. The thread to me wasn't about legality or ethics or hunting practices in general, but more of a statement about the real art of hunting and tracking. 350 Mag hit on it when he mentioned rangefinders,electronics etc. Modern technology has made it a lot easier to hunt and tag an animal. The old ways of hunting are being lost as our dependance on equipment increases. Nothing is wrong with the way anyone chooses to hunt, it's just that some valuable woodlore is being lost as the older generations of hunters move on to better hunting grounds.
 
Big Game said:
After reading all the posts on this thread I think the original meaning of the poster has been lost. The thread to me wasn't about legality or ethics or hunting practices in general, but more of a statement about the real art of hunting and tracking. 350 Mag hit on it when he mentioned rangefinders,electronics etc. Modern technology has made it a lot easier to hunt and tag an animal. The old ways of hunting are being lost as our dependance on equipment increases. Nothing is wrong with the way anyone chooses to hunt, it's just that some valuable woodlore is being lost as the older generations of hunters move on to better hunting grounds.
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I can agree with that. New isn't bad, old isn't bad, it's just different. As it goes, a lot of the older generation value woodcraft more highly than the younger one.

I have to say though, a sizeable part of this discrepancy rests on the older generation's shoulders. A lot of the younger generation has never had a chance to learn any of this, and those of us who want to learn can't find anyone willing to teach us unless we enroll in their "100% authentic wild ways tracking course, for only $500 for two days, transport, food, lodgings are your problem"....:rolleyes:

I know I'm beating my drum pretty hard on this, but like with the rest of shooting sports, it's suffering because the knowledge isn't being passed on. Hunting and shooting aren't things that can be easily, or at all, learned from a book or video, so without teachers it naturally suffers.
 
For the young guys posting in this thread (yes I'm one too), the best thing you can do is find a mentor to teach you things.

Now, this doesn't mean you have to get out in person with the guy. If you can, then great. Finding someone who is willing to explain their hunting strategies/methods is just as helpful. I've honestly learned more from asking/PMing people on this forum than I have from the people who originally introduced me to hunting. And I am now a much better hunter because of it.

A lot of "bushcraft" you can learn from books. Read a LOT. Through all your reading, you will have questions and need clarification. Ask your mentor. They will clear things up for you. Read, get confused, ask, repeat.
 
You want to learn the way things are? Spend time outdoors and not on a computer. The only way your going to learn is to get out there and teach yourself. Talking to a guy in BC, a guy in Manitoba and a guy in the Maritimes will only tell you 3 different ways things work in their part of the World. Take up fishing, buy a pair of binoculars, hike alone. Invest in a good pair of boots and put the miles on. Only you can teach yourself what you need to know. And the only way your going to learn is when you learn to shut your mouth, open your eyes and ears. You need to see everything, not just what your looking at. You see now whats easy to see. Movement, familier colours and shapes, etc. You need to see behind those colours and shapes, to be able to pick out things that others overlook. Hoof scrapes on downed logs, turned over leaves, depressions in the snow and grass. Learn to listen to the World. The sounds around you tell you a story. Chattering squirels and birds that go quiet can mean there's somthing moving over there. Don't rely on someone else to school you, that's why the next generation will let it die. There is too much dependacy on schools to educate and nobody left to accept responsibility for themselves.
 
treebutcher said:
In all honesty ethics are what make you follow the hunting regulations. Even when nobody can see you. All anybody should expect is for hunters to obey the laws and be respectful of other hunters, land owners and the game they hunt.
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Now that right there is a good straightforward, honest, truthfull answer.
Thank you....... well put......treebutcher<-- :eek: nice handle :p
 
As far as I'm concerned the explosion of ATV's or quads have totally ruined the experience of "hunting". I have one and thought ATV's were the best thing since sliced bread. Great for getting kills out of the bush and getting to out of the way spot's. These days more and more hunts are totally ruined by morons tooling around at prime hunting time on prime hunting areas. Park the da*n things and hunt will ya! A guy's not even safe on private land these days.
 
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