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Post by caretaker on Apr 28, 2008 20:05:25 GMT -5
I wuzn`t sure where to post this . I figgure this is as good as any. I`ve heard a lot through the last year or so about fair chase. What does fair chase mean to you. Huntin puplic property. Huntin a lease. Huntin a family farm. A guided hunt? A fenced hunt? Drive hunts? I wonder if it changes from place to place, person to person,hunter to hunter. I know what hunt/fair chase means to me and will post after I have received some responces. Please give this some thought and respond. Thanks.
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Post by Buckskin Billy on Apr 28, 2008 22:28:56 GMT -5
fair chase to me means letting the critter you are hunting have the advantage. most time they do. you come into their enviroment and try to out smart them. my dad had taught me that they are smarter than us, we are just at the right place when there luck runs out. i'm a still hunter. and i hunt with some form of a firearm. weather its a muzzleloader, a blackpowder cartrigde gun or a modern made gun. and most all of my kills in the pass have been less than 50 yards. so when hunting that close you really have to have your shit together. i don't use any scents or scent blocking clothing. i hunt with the wind. i have 3 different stands on the lease i hunt on, set up for different wind dirrections. so which ever way the wind is blowing deciedes were i hunt. i hunt on a lease cuz there is no open land here to hunt on. i'm not lucky enough to own any hunting land. the public lands is like taking your life in your own hands, and on the lease i hunt on, no one can hunt within 300 yards of me. or me them. last year i was forced to change my hunting style cuz the timber company wiped out the area i hunt in. instead of me sitting in a stand i went looking for them. i killed 2 deer doing that a doe and a nice 8 point. and seen a bunch others that i could not get on. to me its always in the favor of the game. to many times have i had a deer in my sites and at the last minuet they walk behind a tree, or the wind shifts and they smell me, or what ever. i have hunted many hours, and many times i don't see nothing. i'm not saying mine is the right way or the only way to hunt but i feel that the way i have been taught to hunt is just one of the ways to hunt/fair chase
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Post by 3balls on Apr 29, 2008 17:25:05 GMT -5
Fair chase. An ethical, sportsmanlike, Lawful pursuit and taking of any FREE-RANGING wild animal in a manner that does not give a hunter an improper advantage over an animal. I think it mostly, has to do with Ethics. I think each individual has to set there own ethical standards. just because it's legal don't mean it's ethical.
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Post by Buckskin Billy on Apr 29, 2008 21:25:10 GMT -5
amen. 3 balls
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jug
Button Buck
Posts: 60
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Post by jug on May 4, 2008 20:16:51 GMT -5
I dont' like fenced hunts or canned hunts. And I'm not much of one for a tree stand. Only because I like being on the ground so's I don't get all jittery and jumpy and fall out of the tree. ;D
I do bear hunt and coon hunt with dogs. And I have "still" hunted bear. But somehow "still" hunting seems to put me and the bear at a disadvantage. If I can sthneak up on a bear and he not know I'm around....I have the advantage. If I'm alone "still" hunting and just happen to step into a field and there are bear eating berries...this happened to me "still" hunting...the bear has the advantage.
Dogs and bear hunting seem to go together. In my area bear do not tree like they do other areas. They are more likely to turn on the dogs and fight.
And it seems the older I get the more inclined I am to give an animal the advantage. I like meat on the table but I'm not a trophy hunter.
I used to bow hunt. And I felt bow hunting was the most likely way to hunt giving the animal the advantage.
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Post by phoenix1967 on May 5, 2008 5:17:45 GMT -5
I never use dogs. I hate canned hunts. I never shoot anything I dont intend to eat, unless it's tryin to eat me. I do not trophy hunt. I DO use as much of the animal as possible, even if it's for dog food. I never take more than I can use. I bow hunt, or use a short range rifle like a .35 or 30.30. I hate the taste of Bear meat, but would shoot one if it wandered into my hunt, 'cause an 800 lb smart omnivore is a hazard, and that's a hell of a lot of dog food, as well as one super bed spread.
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jug
Button Buck
Posts: 60
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Post by jug on May 5, 2008 7:51:58 GMT -5
I don't bait for an animal. In my younger/foolish days I did anything I could to get a deer, bear, turkey or anything else I as hunting. As I got older and much wiser? Things changed. I think most of us change our hunting activities as we age. I may go bear hunting with my dogs just to hear the races. And only kill a bear if it's a have to kill situation. Same with coon hunting. I don't eat coon but my dogs love it cooked and fed to them. I've pretty much lost my taste for deer. We have a lot of deer around the house and I would never hunt them on my land. We feed them corn and cat food. ;D At this point in my life I dont' have to hunt to eat. Looks like those days may be coming back soon!! And I'm ready to face the challenge.
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Post by caretaker on May 5, 2008 9:49:03 GMT -5
We`ve had some intresting responces. Most like me prefer to give the animal the advantage. To me fair chase is precisely that. To face the animal on its turf and its terms. I enjoy the hunt much more than the kill now days and am just as likely to take a pic. Satisfied that I could have the animal. I like venison and am inclined to take a doe over a buck when legal for eatin. Ethics seems to be a big factor with most of you as it is with me. Will it stand up to the scrutiny of those who tought me to hunt and my own scrunity. I will not shame myself by compromising my values. Each hunter must make this decision for his/her self. I will not fault another hunter although I may choose not to hunt with them ......... Fair Chase is exactlywhat it`s name implys.................................................................................Fair Chase.
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jug
Button Buck
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Post by jug on May 5, 2008 13:26:20 GMT -5
I agree Caretaker. I'm inclined to carry a camera in hopes of getting that great shot. I just like to be outdoors, sidle up side a tree and just look and watch things around me.
There's a natural salt lick pretty close and I like to go there, find a nice tree to lean against and watch the deer and other wildlife come to the lick. It's in a stand of Lob-lolly pines. Just sit in the peace and quiet and watch the goings on.
There's not but a week or so of bear season in Tn and it's in Upper East TN, not in my area.
I've done some things as a hunter I'm not proud of in my younger days but that's youth. And the thrill of the kill.
And I don't hold it against young hunters. To each his own as long as they are safe and sound.
The only thing I really cannot stand is for someone to tell me "I's taking a sound shot"...makes me want to kill them. LOL!!
And I hate it when a big limo pulls up and hunters start shooting at a deer from the car. Makes me what to kill them too.
And it happens around here when deer season opens. These high faluting guys who won't take the time to really hunt. Just cruise the roads looking. SHEEZ!!
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Post by Buckskin Billy on May 5, 2008 22:16:27 GMT -5
what i can't stand is those want to be high fluting hunters, that look down there nose at me for takeing a doe or a small buck. i'm a meat hunter. a big racked deer would just be a added bonus to a good time. i shot a 3 point this year. i was and still am just as proud of him as the 8 point i got. i had a couple of fellers i know say you should had let that walk. he'd been bigger next year. maybe, maybe not. i know some guys that will shoot smaller buck like spikes and not even take the horns. they are all trophies. even if it's a small spike with 3 inch horns be proud of him and give him the respect he deserves. mount those horn on a small board and smile every time you look at it remembering a sucessful hunt. but i'm preaching to the choir here. thanks for the good topic caretaker. glad to know that there are still some proud meat hunters out there
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Post by caretaker on May 6, 2008 11:41:16 GMT -5
Definately a meat hunter Billy. I don`t know anyother reason to take the life of an animal. I give thanks for the animals I take. Ipray for a clean quick kill. The one thing that upsets me is a wounded animal that I cannot find. I almost quit huntin years ago becouse of that. My brother,cuzin and uncle had to really help me through that.
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Post by phoenix1967 on May 6, 2008 14:26:07 GMT -5
Caretaker, that is the reason for my preference in weapons. I went hunting with a buddy up in MT about 20 years back. Mac had a brand new, $2,300 .270. I hit a deer 5 times with that rifle, 3 times at over 400 yds. Problem was, I HAD to hit it that many times to bring it down. The first shot was through the heart, less than 100 yds from the truck. I Dragged him back 3 miles. (NOT something you want to repeat with a 290 lb mule deer.) When all was said and done, I handed mac his ,279 again, told him it was a sweet shootin weapon, but I'd never shoot anything other than varmits with it again. I've never had to chase an animal more than 3 FEET with my .35. There's a big difference between a 135 grain ballistic bullet, and a 280 grain blunt nose. When I hit 'em with the .35, they die. Right then.
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jug
Button Buck
Posts: 60
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Post by jug on May 6, 2008 21:31:24 GMT -5
Ain't that the truth. No way am I goin' to shoot at something and not make the KILL right then. Dang this running around trackin' somethin' just wounded. And I'm somewhat like Caretaker. I made a grave error bear hunting several years back and I've never gotten over what happened.
I still hunt but not like I used to hunt. And I eat what I kill. Why go squirrel hunting if you don't like squirrel. Personally squirrel is m favorite wild meat. And Grouse.
I coon hunt but my dogs get fed on coon meat.
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Post by caretaker on May 7, 2008 9:04:48 GMT -5
My bad experience came many years ago. I had purchased a new whitetail ll compound bow. I got to practicin wiff it and got to where I could Robin Hood. (put a shaft in a shaft). I felt pretty confident in my ability. first time out bow huntin I hit a 5or 6 point. Looked to be a good shot but my arrow got slightly deflected by a small twig. What should have been a double lung tuened out to be a gut shot. Trailed the deer and found where it had rolled and broke off arrow in pool of frothty blood. Trail disapeared. No blood drops, no tracks,nuthin. Uncle found deer bout 3day later. only animal I ever lost and pray i never loose another.
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