Sad Story

[Runner]

We were out shopping for a new grinder since the old one did not make it thru the season when a person that worked at the store told us this story.

He said he put in a food plot, watched the buck all year, went out at 5:30, shot the deer, dressed it, and was home by 7:00 opening day. Then he caped it, keeping the head and horns. He donated the rest to the food program at the local locker.

To me that is about as sad a hunting story I have heard in a long time.

 

[Rebel]

Don't sound much like hunting does it?

 

[jim gray]

Not much of a hunter either. It's more of a disgusting story than a sad one.

At least the meat went to a good cause.

 

[gmww]

Sounds like farming. Planting seed, watch it grow, harvest and distribute.

 

[jdixon]

You should probably introduce that guy to the concept of "Fair Chase" hunting - which is defined as:
"the ethical, sportsmanlike, lawful pursuit, and taking of any free-ranging wild, native North American big game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper advantage over such animals."

See -[url] http://www.huntfairchase.com/index.php[/url]

 

[Halftail]

Well,He just sounded lucky to me.Sounds like everything he did was legal.Not much differant than those so called T.V "hunters" hunting and fishing in fenced in or closed areas.

 

[mikee51848]

Right! I'd like to see Jackie Bushman hunt a PA state game land on opening day! :rotf:

 

[lockjaw]

...i have to agree...tho' i believe in the tradition of a hunter providing meat to the old, sick or widowed of the tribe, it does not excuse this or any other individual that he donates the meat to the poor, to me killing a deer is sacrament that involves thanking the animal, and the spirit of all the animals for providing you and the people who depend on you with life giving food...

 

[Bob J]

Consider this; the guy put in a food plot (which benefits more than one buck, does,fawns and other wildlife benefit), watches a buck all year (scouts), and happens to harvest it on opening day. The meat is not wasted, neither are the horns or hide. And the problem is?

 

[Runner]

If you don't see the sad part in that story, then I doubt I can explain it. It has to do with hunting and what that means for me. That is hard to put into words. I have lit sage and given thanks on my knees after a kill, altho I do not do so every time. I put in food plots. I scout. I process my own deer and all of it is eaten by us or friends, but the needy would be a worthy choice also. If you don't see what was lost in that hunting story, we see some things differently.

 

[cptleo1]

I just returned from a 5 day ML hunt in Alabama.

The first evening my host put me in a shooting house on the edge of a food plot.

Was it hunting - YES -

Did it feel right - NO -

Deer hunting to me has always been about scouting up a place in the deers NATURAL environment
then attempting to harvest him on his own ground.

I see nothing wrong with this fellows method of hunting and praise him for all the effort he put into it.

Just doesn't FEEL right to me.

IMHO

 

[gmww]

I've had similar experiences. I'm used to hunting on foot spot and stalk. Went to Tx. thinking I'd be doing the same. I found myself sitting in a blind in 115 degree heat staring at a feeder. Big surprise!

Anyways, I soon found out that is the way they do it in those parts. Also found out it isn't all that simple. They had 80 feeders on 25 square miles of ranch. Sometimes you'd sit there and nothing would show. Rancher said its the only way to keep the animals on the property. I figured it was a feed issue.

I thought I'd never see it here in Wa. Last hunt I found myself sitting in a blind staring at an apple tree waiting for Whitetails. According to the outfitter he found that by limiting his clients to stands and blinds, they have had a better success rate.

He said they used to allow spot and stalk but after bow season and ML season the animals were all pushed off the property and the Modern hunters had nothing to shoot at.

He now enjoys a high success rate for all three seasons with his clients because the animals are remaining. Turns out it's partially a feed issue but also an animal not being spooked all the time issue.

After seeing it first hand, I now reserve judgement on other styles of hunting. The other positive side to all this is it allows more hunters to be part of this sport.

One exception is the fella who wanted to set up real time remote computer hunting.

 

[roundball]

That is about as sad a hunting story I have heard in a long time.

I respect your view...and I'll share a different view:

1) I scout / locate heavily used trails to a food source such as an Oak flat, a persimmon tree, a pear tree, sumac grove, soybean field, corn field, apple orchard, etc.
2) I watch those food sources before hunting season;
3) I pick stands overlooking trails to them;
4) I kill buck(s) coming to those food sources;
5) I load them onto the hitch-haul on my Blazer and spend my time and money delivering them to needy families out in the country where I hunt.

From a wildlife management perspective, from a fair chase perspective, from feeding needy people perspective...it makes no difference whether I own/lease the land which already has food sources on it, or I go buy and hunt a farm that a farmer had already planted food sources on, or if I own/lease a tract of land and plant/farm food sources on it myself.

:v

 

[oomcurt]

Having read the above postings...I have come to the conclusion that what the fellow did is no different than what most farmers/ranchers would do. They work the land year round and know where they have seen deer appear most often and when. So...opening morning they make it a point to be in position to take the deer. Nothing wrong in that. Now...is it hunting in the sense that they did not scout, track, the way someone that did not live there do? My feelings are they got the deer perfectly legally and ethically. As far as doing anything ceremoniously over a deer...no, I don't do that but that does not mean it is wrong or silly to do so. Matter of fact, taking our life style as a whole nowadays....I feel a lot has been lost in a spritual sense. I guess the real bottom line is what one hunts for? The reason they hunt.... I hunt because I want the meat...does that mean I will pass on a trophy? Not on your life. Now...will I kill for a trophy amimal? Depends...say I went to Africa for a lion...dang right I will. But...I will also make sure the meat is not wasted. I will also kill a coyote...because I want the hide. The idea is...the animal has something I want. I do not in anyway condone just killing something for the sake of just killing it. Unless, it is a pest or something that is doing crop damage.

 

[sidelock]

SICK----- If one wants to help others buy them some gro. If one wants to hunt eat what you harvest.Otherwise kill paper. I NEVER take something (fish or game) for others. just my HO :shake:

 

[Pork Chop]

Never take something for others?? Well, I guess that the blind should never taste venison. Those who have lost their hands should never again taste trout. That mentality just is a bit narrow for me.

There are many ways to hunt. I used to think that hunting deer with dogs was akin to shooting fish in a barrel. That is, until I went with someone to see it done. The deer have a much better chance that way than with a still hunter perched over their trail.

I never liked the idea of hunting over a feeder, and have not yet done it. That having been said, is that really any different from shooting Dove over a millet field? Is hunting over a food plot any different from chumming while fishing?

I understand and respect those that stalk, but there are areas where that is not possible. I would not have done what that fellow did, but the deer did not go to waste, and he took the deer ethically. I think that he did a much greater good by providing meat to those that may not otherwise get any.

Now, if you don't believe that anyone should kill anything for anyone else, then ranchers should all be banned. To follow that train of thought, then farming - other than subsistence farming - should be outlawed. They are harvesting crops for someone else, aren't they?

 

[KyFlintlock]

I guess I don't really see anything wrong with it either. I'd rather he processed the meat himself and eat it, but some folks don't like venision for some strange reason. :youcrazy:

Maybe he didn't have a nice oak flat on the place with acorns...so he created a place for them to eat?

I am not sure how much time he spent scouting...he could have spent many days, even weeks this summer and fall scouting and watching the game...watching the sun rise.

I had a similiar hunt with my boys this fall on the youth season. I didn't share it here, but now I will. I spent time scouting and knew where a few 1.5yr old bucks were. We setup on the day of the hunt and they shot both of them in about 30 minutes....we all sat at the base of a ancient white oak. My oldest did try his flinter as the first buck moved into range at daylight...but it is a cheaper model and did not fire....he primed it in the dark so who knows. (I primed it and fired it straight off on the way out) He killed the buck with a modern weapon as the buck was fixin to run that my younger son had along. That was the only disheartening time of the hunt for us.... It happened fast, but sometimes is does....

Good luck and safe hunting.

 

[roundball]

SICK-----

I think that's a ittle "over the top" there sidelock...you're certainly entitled to a different opinion but to make a personal attack calling someone else's opinion "sick" is really out of line here on this Forum.

 

[jernestc]

I'm not exactly sure where or when the 'hunt' took place but it almost sounds like he shot it before the season opened for the day. Perhaps there were no laws broken. Anything can happen once but what irks me is when this kind of thing 'happens' to somebody every year.

 

[Dave K]

Food plots wrong? In agriculture country you either have food plots (corn, beans, wheat fields) or you have 5-50 acre wood lots. Is hunting near a field not fair chase? Is hunting a oak stand, hunting over bait? Is using a buck lure, grunt tube, doe bleat, promising the buck sex if he shows up, not baiting? If you hunt near an active scrape or make a mock scrape, it is not fair chase? Some of you guy wonder aimlessly around calling it hunting? Heck no, you use your head and senses and go to where the animal has the best chance to be present or approached. If you love to hunt, you will also return something to the wildlife by supplying them cover and food. In my agriculture area, it would be an ecological desert, if cover wasn't planted and food sourses maintained. Clean farming has eliminated the cover that was there 30yrs. ago. Don't be jealous of a guy who has the acreage and ability to take game because it is different than your enviroment. We don't all live in forested country and if we did we be hunting the oak flats or other food sources that are in that region. (opps, is this baiting again?) Now if you eat meat today from a resturant or store, don't make the farmer feel guilty for you consuming it.