Ethical Decisions - an internal struggle? Should it be?

[DaveT1963]

I am bored waiting for a meeting so thought I would post something I have been mulling over lately. Please keep in mind I am only posting some out loud thinking and not making a judgment..... we all have the right to draw our lines (boundaries) in the sand. Some of mine may move.

Over the course of 35+ years I have witnessed a lot of changes in the woods.... especially when talking bowhunting for deer. I have heard it many times that most enjoy the challenge and often compare it to a good chess game. But then I got to thinking about all the technology we chase to erase most of the natural defenses/advantages deer have. Its almost like we are wanting to play a game of chess where we have reduced the opponent to only using pawns while we stack our side with Queens, Rooks, Bishops and Knights?

It is making me question some of the tools I personally allow and wondering where I should draw my personal boundaries. Especially in light of some recent posts on cellular cameras, ozone, crossbows, etc. So I guess I am struggling with how far should things tip towards our advantage before we cross some "ethical" boundaries? Curious if any other Beasts struggle over such things? Perhaps I think about these things as I "remember when"..... some newer hunters may not even have this struggle?.

[DeerDylan]

I understand what you're saying but have to admit that I don't have an ethical internal struggle with the way I deer hunt.

I'm a bit younger than you though so we haven't experienced nearly the same things.

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[FRH]

This is going to vary to a large degree for everyone. As long as you hunt within the legal limits I'm ok with how anyone hunts. I think that line will change as you grow as a hunter. Right now I would never use a crossbow to hunt but as I get older that might be an option that keeps me in the woods so my line will have to change if I ever get to that point.

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[kripp53]

I think of it this way, if you were to drop me naked into the deep woods all by myself, I would probably die. Unlike deer and other animals, humans are slow and weak creatures. What we humans have on our side is our intellect. We can make fire, weapons and tools (which you can argue is technology). Unlike other predators I cannot kill a deer with my bare hands, I need a weapon. So I think of it as the deer is using all of it's senses and physical gifts that God gave it to avoid predators and I am using the one gift God gave my, my brain. The funny thing is we think we are such an evolved creature, and no matter how much technology I use, the bucks are still winning. Maybe I'm not as smart as I think!

[Dewey]

If I started killing multiple big bucks every year I would start to question that but so far it's not really a concern. The bucks are still beating me more often than not in the chess game every year.

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[john1984]

Well if a hunters conscience is really bothering him , he can change his ways to have peace of mind IF he truly wants too. But even with all this technology, the buck still wins more than not.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Hawthorne]

It would be a breath of fresh air if they ever passed a something that favored the deer in Michigan. Ban baiting would top my list because it's an easy trap for 1.5 year old bucks or go to a one buck rule. My personal observations is the deer hunting has gone downhill for bigger bucks since they passed the crossbow. Other have said they have not noticed anything

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[Swampbuck]

If I started killing multiple big bucks every year I would start to question that but so far it's not really a concern. The bucks are still beating me more often than not in the chess game every year.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Sums up how I feel as well. If it's still hard as heck it's pretty ethical imo...

I think alot of our ethics in this topic fall under our own preferences and what we are used to as it tends to be human nature to resist change, or to think the way we do it is best.

[ Post made via Android ]

[vermonthunter16]

I think deer are very adaptable and pattern human habits much like we pattern them. Not to the same extent, but they have instincts that keep them alive. I have the same thought process. I do not run cameras at all, I will glass, but I like to be surprised by what walks out. I am also not to the same level that some on this site are at of targeting specific bucks.

We may hunt similarly, but we all have different styles that allow us to be successful or not.

[whitetailassasin]

I think it's our job to kill an animal as quickly and humanly as possible, to lesson the odds of injury, so for me rangefinders, compound bows, a good broadhead, those things are evolutions of technology that when used properly as intended, aid hunters in doing just that. As far as crossbows, ozone, cell cameras, etc, I look at it this way...it's an attempt at making hunters have better odds at killing the animals they pursue. It isn't hurting the animal or the environment. They are tools used to aid in educating hunters as well as raising success rates. I don't see anything un ethical about it. I know to some guys it maybe, but to me, it's not. It still takes work to kill a deer, with or without those tools. When it starts infringing upon a deers health, or the environment then I'll have to rethink my position.

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[BassBoysLLP]

Well if a hunters conscience is really bothering him , he can change his ways to have peace of mind IF he truly wants too. But even with all this technology, the buck still wins more than not.

[ Post made via Android ]

Agreed. It really comes down to the hunter to define the challenge he is willing to accept. I personally find advancement of technology/gear just as exciting as hunting. I'm a bit of a nerd and like to stimulate my brain. That being said, I have an alternate hunting personality that likes traditional archery from the ground. No tree stands, no fancy gear. Primitive hunting.

[ Post made via Android ]

[headgear]

I think your title says it all, its internal and personal. It's all up to us to decide, we probably all once hunted with a rifle but that was too easy so moved to a bow. If you don't like something I say don't use it, challenge yourself, its really up to you. Some guys moved to trad, I might do that someday, heck I might build my own bow and arrows from scratch just for fun.

I knew a bunch of laid off miners way back in the day poached deer to put food on the table, I wouldn't call that wrong at all. A lot of things depend on our perspective.

[stash59]

I can remember when hunting from an elevated position was illegal in some Midwestern states. Then you could climb in a tree but stands were illegal. Even on private.

I gotta agree to each his own as long as it's legal. But at the same time I really wonder about some stuff. The way some people use some technology takes away from the skills and woodsmanship. That real hunting involves.

[DaveT1963]

All valid points guys. I do wonder what will be next.... projectiles fired from a drone? laser guided arrows? Thermal imaging weapons? Somehow I think we all have our personal lines - probably shaped by when we started. However, I don't think it should be left up to each individual hunter and their conscience as I have seen some folks that really don't display much ethics and very little conscience. But that is my personal observation/call.

[Dewey]

Just wanted to add although many of us use advancements sometimes to our advantage it's up to you how to limit it to what you feel is right. There is the limit of the law and then there is your own personal ethical limits. Unfortunately some do not have ethical limits and that is where it crosses the line. I started hunting way before when things were simple and woodsmanship was above all skills to kill a deer so like many I know and respect how things were back then. Whenever I find myself getting carried away with modern technology I take a step back and remind myself of the simpler times. Never want to rely on modern technology so much that I forget that.

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