I have to admit...this feels like cheating...

[Rifleman1776]

I wouldn't call that hunting. It is just harvesting. On any day I could kill deer just 10 yards out my back door. If we had a need for meat I would harvest one. Otherwise, they are left alone.

 

[Walkingeagle]

20 years ago when we decided to fill our bull moose tags (over the counter, before draws), we said we were off to harvest our moose. Seeing 40-50 each morning wasn’t much like hunting. The only reason we passed was based on the amount of work it would take to recover.
Walk

 

[andy52]

20 years ago when we decided to fill our bull moose tags (over the counter, before draws), we said we were off to harvest our moose. Seeing 40-50 each morning wasn’t much like hunting. The only reason we passed was based on the amount of work it would take to recover.
Walk

I envy you I wish we had moose here in Missouri it's one of the best wild game I've ever eaten.

 

[zerosprk]

Yes, you are guilty of cheating. As such you must vacate the area immediately. In addition, you must forward the pictured firearms and property deed to me!

 

[Walkingeagle]

I envy you I wish we had moose here in Missouri it's one of the best wild game I've ever eaten.

Ya, we got lots of opportunities here in Alberta from over the counter tags for Bighorn sheep to big Whitetails, black bear and elk, to draw for all mullies, moose, goat. Not sure on Antelope regarding draw or not, they are a ways South of me and never hunted them. I’m a Northern bush guy. We do not have a special muzzleloader season though. The best days are 15-25 years in the past though, before tick infestation, warming winters and resulting draws. When grizzly was still able to be hunted and those that don’t know anything got awarded social intellect through social media.
Walk

 

[Long monday]

I agree with others. It is absolutely historically correct. If you think they did not take meat when it was presented you are kidding yourself.
Cheating? That depends on your own set of rules not others.
We have a feeder (that was found on our property) not far from our barn. Our unwritten rule is that we don’t hunt over the feeder.
A good friend of my dad has hunting property fairly close to ours, he only hunts over feeders.
Not my idea of hunting but it fills his freezer and that is his goal.

 

[brazosland]

In Texas 80-90% of your hunting is at, or near, a feeder. Just the way it is if you expect to see anything.

There are some areas, and sometimes if the weather conditions are right, that you can successfully hunt on the move...but most times and most places that is just not an option.

I killed a nice buck in November with an M1841 by pretending to be a tree with the right wind and favorable light...but the deer were coming off a feeder not too far away. It is what it is.

In this thread I was really referring to how comfortable I was, and being warm and toasty and out of the “suck.”

My son got a nice doe this morning, but with my ‘03-A4. Tomorrow will be front loader day again for him.

 

[longcruise]

Not cheating! Hunting methods vary all over the country. You are in tx and doing it tx style. Not unusual for folks from other places to denounce the methods of others. Just human nature.

We don't hunt that way in Colorado. Blinds yes, but no permanent ones. At least not on public property. And no feeders. Feeding any wildlife for any purpose is unlawful here.

Last year at this time I was Hunting over a feeder in tx for hogs. Dang I was cold! Would've been thrilled to have heat and a better wind break. It was fun to do it different. Would have done it again this year if it weren't for the rona.

 

[smo]

My views on hunting depends...
If feeding is legal, then do it. If you don’t you won’t be very successful..

As far as hunting from ones home, it depends on the situation.

If I were on the frontier , struggling too survive.... don’t walk by my camp.

Here’s a pic from a couple years back of a deer I could have easily killed, but didn’t.

My Wife, Myself & our 9 year old Grandson watched these two out of my double full widow doors.
60 yards at the most , we watched as they browsed and courted...for 45 minutes!
I explained too our Grandson the difference between hunting and killing for self preservation..
We didn’t need the meat, and the buck deer wasn’t thinking clearly....

I hope he remembers that lesson one of these days....
and not as the one that got away!

 

[flashpoint]

Fair chase?

 

[brazosland]

Fair chase?

Really? Are you 12? Am I suppose to use an atlatl?

 

[Greg Blackburn]

Most of us envy you!

 

[Ponderosaman]

Really? Are you 12? Am I suppose to use an atlatl?

I figured that you opened this thread to start a discussion? You have to know that on a muzzleloader site you’re going to find some die hard fair chase advocates that maybe think there is a place for the atlatl in fair chase hunting. I didn’t start hunting until I was 35. I have the lust for it in my character. Some people kill to eat, some kill for sport. Fair chase is a fair question and deserves a fair answer.

 

[longcruise]

I figured that you opened this thread to start a discussion? You have to know that on a muzzleloader site you’re going to find some die hard fair chase advocates that maybe think there is a place for the atlatl in fair chase hunting. I didn’t start hunting until I was 35. I have the lust for it in my character. Some people kill to eat, some kill for sport. Fair chase is a fair question and deserves a fair answer.

To be fair, (pun UNintended) fair chase is subject to interpretation.

 

[Ponderosaman]

Absolutely, that’s why I think Greg’s post is a legit question.

 

[smo]

Fair chase in my opinion is hunting as required by State and Federal Regulations.... Whatever they may be. If it’s Legal, then I would consider it fair chase... as long as the animals being hunted are not fenced in...
Limiting or Restraint of the animals ability too escape in my opinion is not fair chase hunting....
However if that’s what floats your boat, more power too you. Go for it!

 

[longcruise]

Absolutely, that’s why I think Greg’s post is a legit question.

I see now where you are coming from.

 

[flashpoint]

Thank y

To be fair, (pun UNintended) fair chase is subject to interpretation.

Thank you.

 

[flashpoint]

Really? Are you 12? Am I suppose to use an atlatl?

atlatl?

 

[Ponderosaman]

Fair chase in my opinion is hunting as required by State and Federal Regulations.... Whatever they may be. If it’s Legal, then I would consider it fair chase... as long as the animals being hunted are not fenced in...
Limiting or Restraint of the animals ability too escape in my opinion is not fair chase hunting....
However if that’s what floats your boat, more power too you. Go for it!

I think that is a great definition. I do think fair chase should include some purely ethical and personal choices too. Like I won’t shoot upland game unless it’s on the wing. Or take more than 2 birds in a quail covey in a day.

My pop has a soft heart for animals and I think where I got my don’t shoot animals in camp ethic was when we were turkey hunting and a rabbit rolled through our camp right after we had parked and were setting up. Then it froze up when I snapped around to see what it was. I love hunting and am not bothered by killing as much as my pop. It’s not that I’m heartless, but the excitement of it keeps me wanting to be out there. I said if the rabbit was still there by the time I could get my gun and ammo out and load up we’d have him for supper. My pop agreed, but I could tell he was rooting for the rabbit. That thing stuck right there while I wandered around, even changing my choke. When I leveled my gun on him, my pop hollered at me,”Awwww, why don’t you just let the poor thing go!”. I’m not going against my pop, he’s a true man of character. I guess that’s why I say it’s bad juju. Because my pop wouldn’t like it. But that’s me and each person should make their own decisions about ethics, so long as they are working within the definition quoted above.