Heading to Maine Saturday for my BB hunt..

[Graybeard]

You said you wrestled with the decision on whether to continue to hunt or not. The outfitter said do it, no laws broken and clearly it met your personal code of ethics after thinking on it. That's all that really matters.

Ethics are not a hard and fast written code and one person's personal ethics ain't the same as the next persons. That's what too many seem to forget they want to apply their personal ethics to others as if it was a hard and fast written law. It ain't.

If you are at peace with the decision and it was legal then that's the only thing that matters. What others think is not of importance.

[wild country]

I enjoy reading all that everyone has to offer on a subject that goes straight to the heart.  dukkillr is right on the money with the fact that some places will charge for wounded game, or your hunt is over as it would be in the great state of Texas.  I run a limited operation.  I hunt year round, and big bear are what I look for.  Limited yes, when a bear is wounded, and not found, I too am very upset.  Big bear are a limited resource..............In the state of Maine...As an outfitter you haveto tak the good with the bad, and move on...

BBF your passion is I'm sure what drives you.  I understand how this would and should upset any hunter.  That would be the human side of us all.  Opinions are sometimes best kept to ourselves.  I know I have made comments that have come back to haunt me down the road.  I'm not saying your opinion is wrong, you, and we all, experss ourselves diffrently, not wrong just diffrent.  This site I might add is a great place to learn and also post events that have happened to us all in the great outdoors.  I think at some point, we all fail.  I know we were ment to fail, that's the plan I believe and follow.

Ethics......The unwritten code as Mr. Gray beard stated......

If you knew the person Redhawk is. I mean had a chance to sit and talk with him.  You would know that his heart, soul and spirit are nothing but pure.  You would know that this man holds true to his values and ethics as a human.  You would know that he stands strong for our rights as outdoorsmen and woman.  If you knew Redhawks heritage, you would never question his integrity or the values he places on wounding any animal. 

 I spoke with Redhawk telling him many people place a value on game.  It was I who told him all game big or small is of great value and should be to everyone.  I don't think it is to most.....I know it is of great value to him.  That very night I watched in amazment the video footage that Redhawk showed me..........His mental edge, his ethical side his human nature call it what you want.  Redhawk passed......I'll say that again.....PASSED on a book bear.................I mean 400+++ and I knew what was going through his head and everyone asked him the same question.....Why didn't you shoot....... So to all who wish to judge, I say "MAN UP"  Tell the story........Have the guts to let the world know you are human and we humans were born to fail......

I would go into any battle with Redhawk, and I pitty the poor fool who veiws him as a target.  I have watched him rattle off 5 rounds in that 4" .500 s&w as well as all the other handguns he has.  Understand this.......You don't want to be on the wrong side of this man.....

My hats off to Mr. RedHawk.......Now lets hear about the one that got away from the rest of you

[teddy12b]

Now lets hear about the one that got away from the rest of you

Here's a sad story I posted years ago.  I had the bear of a lifetime in my sights and blew it.

http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,125131.0.html

Everytime I think about hunting it takes me back to the moment in the post above.  I still cringe when I think of woundign that animal and that's why I push myself and my equipment for the best accuracy I can get.

[Redhawk1]

I enjoy reading all that everyone has to offer on a subject that goes straight to the heart.  dukkillr is right on the money with the fact that some places will charge for wounded game, or your hunt is over as it would be in the great state of Texas.  I run a limited operation.  I hunt year round, and big bear are what I look for.  Limited yes, when a bear is wounded, and not found, I too am very upset.  Big bear are a limited resource..............In the state of Maine...As an outfitter you haveto tak the good with the bad, and move on...

BBF your passion is I'm sure what drives you.  I understand how this would and should upset any hunter.  That would be the human side of us all.  Opinions are sometimes best kept to ourselves.  I know I have made comments that have come back to haunt me down the road.  I'm not saying your opinion is wrong, you, and we all, experss ourselves diffrently, not wrong just diffrent.  This site I might add is a great place to learn and also post events that have happened to us all in the great outdoors.  I think at some point, we all fail.  I know we were ment to fail, that's the plan I believe and follow.

Ethics......The unwritten code as Mr. Gray beard stated......

If you knew the person Redhawk is. I mean had a chance to sit and talk with him.  You would know that his heart, soul and spirit are nothing but pure.  You would know that this man holds true to his values and ethics as a human.  You would know that he stands strong for our rights as outdoorsmen and woman.  If you knew Redhawks heritage, you would never question his integrity or the values he places on wounding any animal. 

 I spoke with Redhawk telling him many people place a value on game.  It was I who told him all game big or small is of great value and should be to everyone.  I don't think it is to most.....I know it is of great value to him.  That very night I watched in amazment the video footage that Redhawk showed me..........His mental edge, his ethical side his human nature call it what you want.  Redhawk passed......I'll say that again.....PASSED on a book bear.................I mean 400+++ and I knew what was going through his head and everyone asked him the same question.....Why didn't you shoot....... So to all who wish to judge, I say "MAN UP"  Tell the story........Have the guts to let the world know you are human and we humans were born to fail......

I would go into any battle with Redhawk, and I pitty the poor fool who veiws him as a target.  I have watched him rattle off 5 rounds in that 4" .500 s&w as well as all the other handguns he has.  Understand this.......You don't want to be on the wrong side of this man.....

My hats off to Mr. RedHawk.......Now lets hear about the one that got away from the rest of you

Pete, I want to thank you for the kind words, coming from a friend means more to me than words can express. In my opinion you are one of my friends, and I consider a friend someone I would trust with my life, and I only reserve that title for a few people, and you are one of them.

[wild country]

REDHAWK.................I speak the truth brotha..........

[ihookem]

Hey Redhawk, I don't mean to make light of what happened but that bear almost for sure is still alive. I always felt if it isn't recovered it's most likely still running. I have lost a few deer. Once I hit right about where you did on a nice buck and never found the arrow or any blood. I hated myself, swore at myself, told myself I was the most useless bow hunter on earth, should hang myself with my own bow string because that buck is dead somewhere and am not  the hunter it takes to recover a deer. Even slapped my own face a few times over it. (don't laugh, everyone has done this over a wounded animal). I decided to go sit in the woods a week later and watch deer go by and not shoot one cause I don't deserve a deer anyway. About an hour goes by and here comes a buck, sure enough the same buck heading down the same trail like it never had a worry in the world. I draw back and shot way high, this time I spined it and it falls. I got the deer and was so happy the deer didn't die from the wound. I even got my groadhead back. Don't  be mad about a 130 lb. bear, by first bear was 80 lbs. gutted. Don't loose too much sleep guy, it happens to the best of the best sometimes. A dove that falls and can't be found is a dead dove, and a goat that falls 1000 ft off a cliff is a dead goat, a bear with a broadhead in a bad spot is not surely a dead bear.