LET US DISCUSS HUNTING

[williamlayton]

What do you call hunting, and I guess I am trying to pick a fight here, with those who have a concern about Fat assed lawyers, which I am not, well a lawyer anyway, and rich folks who hunt.
Seems like it always boils down to them not not being much of a hunter, as in lacking ability or manliness, and only good ol boys being REAL HUNTERS.
If it is real hunting skills that is the measure let's take away bullets, blinds, tree stands, fenced range, feeders, and dogs. That is the only way we can measure real hunters. The rest of us are just shooters.
Folks hunting (shooting) is for pleasure, personal pleasure, togetherness, getting away from it all, having fun, looking at it all, experiencing things. It is not about proving anything.
Blessings

[FWiedner]

Technically, it's the process of utilizing established or repeatable techniques and method to locate, select, and harvest game animals for subsistence, commercial gain, or sport.

I don't consider lifestyle or economic resource to be defining factors.  How much money a fellow spends to hunt his favorite way matters not a bit to me.

Personally, I hunt for sport.  I consider fair chase on free-ranging animals to be the type of hunting that I most prefer.  But out of respect for both tradition and my fellow hunters, I can accomodate a certain amount of "When in Rome..." as long as Roman territory doesn't extend to blatantly unsafe or illegal activity.

My version of fair chase invloves a combination scouting, tracking, still-hunting, setting up feeders (if necessary to attract or pin down game), and hunting from tree stands and ground blinds.  Whatever it takes to put meat in the pot.

I try to be an ethical and moral hunter in the woods, and to show a proper respect for other folks who may be sharing those woods with me, whatever they may be doing.

Sometimes I scrounge for a place to hunt.  Sometimes I shell out and buy one.

I find the whole "canned hunt" phenomenon to be curious and sad, and I personally wonder how anyone who considers themselves to be a hunter can possibly find pleasure or satisfaction without fair chase.  There is an aspect of honor involved in permitting your game to have a fair opportunity to defend itself and escape.

I consider "high-fence" and "canned hunt" to be nearly synonymous, with a realistic qualifier being how much acreage is fenced.  For example, if the King Ranch was high fenced, it'd be hard to argue that there's no fair chase because of the fence.

If a fellow scouts, locates, and harvests his own game in open woods or on open range, he's probably hunting.

If a fellow has a penned animal led out on a leash, parked on a big "X" to  take a few pictures, then he shoots it and walks away to have few drinks and get slaps on the back while someone else does the dirty work, I have a hard time calling that hunting.  But that might just be me.

[vernonp]

The only way for me to get complete enjoyment from deer hunting is to have my own lease, where I make all my own decisions as to where to place stands, how to hunt, what to shoot and so on.--------------------------One time I booked a hunt where I stayed in a Motel, get up in the morning and go to the ranch and they take you to a stand pick you up and even want to bring your game back in and field dress it for me. I did not feel like I had hunted anything. It was one of those no kill no pay deals and I did not shoot a buck because I did not see a mature buck. I did not feel right about that either, because I had taken up their time and I felt like I owed them something but the owner would not take payment. But it was his rules, not mine.---------------------------------------------------I live in the heart of high fence country and spend a lot of time out looking at game and talking hunting with wild life biologist game wardens and other hunters. I had never heard the term "canned hunts" except on these forums. I know what the guys are talking about. Their are unscrupulous people involved in everything that will do anything to make a dollar. It does not take place on any of the high fence ranches around here that I have heard of.--------------------------------------------------------If a land owner wants to regulate his hunting, year round feeding, culling the deer heard for inferior bucks, excess does, Etc he would be a fool if he did not put up a high fence. If the land owners around him choose not to do this, that is their choice. The high fence is the only way he can accomplish his goals. There is nothing unethical about the high fence.------Almost all of the bucks killed, 95% are one and two year olds. If the high fence is not there, these young bucks cross over to the adjoining ranch and are shot. The fence keeps his deer in and the deer from the adjoining ranch out. That way both owners are left with the game situation on their land that they created. Sounds fair to me. I do not understand why this high fence thing creates the commotion that it does.If the man with the high fence's hard work good management and huge expenses allowed these deer to become trophy animals then power to him. I sure will never have the money to hunt on the ranch but I enjoy seeing them and photographing them. As I said at the beginning I still enjoy having my own lease and trying to manage it as best I can. The enjoyment is still being in the woods and enjoying the animals and nature in general. good luck and good hunting-vernonp