To shoot or not to shoot? Unethical?

[Eric Krewson]

Back when I was duck hunting there was no such thing as steel shot, I did have all the duck stamps though.

 

[Einsiedler]

I do not hunt deer anymore. A yearly elk provides all my cervid needs. But I do love to hunt wild hogs. And I am blessed with more locations to hunt them than I have time to visit.
(Possibly the fact that all I use are traditional muzzleloaders may have been my advantage with landowning family and friends). I digress.
My point, the "suggestion” of if you don’t at least take a shot at any hog seen (tongue in cheek) don’t bother coming back!
I’m a bit more ethical than that. And I realize they can be a bit of a nusiance. But after 35+ years of killing and trapping wild hogs I still look at them as manna from heaven on my smoke pit. My perfect pigs are the shoats, approx. 20-30 lbs, or less. And my little .40 flinter is more than adequate.
This weekend we are after a “problem” boar. I will take my .54 “Gertrude” as I like to carry her in the woods!

May all your shots be true!

Der Einsiedler

 

[Straekat]

Prior to the middle of the 19th century there were few laws in the United States that restricted how/when/where hunting was done. Meat hunting (in North America) during the flintlock era was along the lines of the ends justifying the means. That said, modern day hunting is different from what early colonists and settlers practiced to put meat on the table.

Few of us think about how ecological conditions have changed over time, and we're seeing second or third growth forests and altered habitats. Game population sizes, behavior and other factors have changed radically over time.

Now that I've said that, my response to the question is, when hunting today if your method is legal where you live and you can kill it cleanly, quickly, and eat what you've killed, then I don't see a problem.

I'm not a trophy hunter, and my personal point of view is aim for the head. It's a small area, and likely to be a hit/kill shot, or a miss. I don't mind Bambi getting away, there are plenty more out there.

 

[FishDFly]

"I am not a sporting shooter, when I hunt I hunt for food. I don't care if the duck is still on the water, I am not there to be fair or sportsman like. I need to put meat on the table.
Keith."

How many shooters here who own a computer and pay for internet access are in dire need of food???

Wondering minds are curious, especially me.

 

[BrownBear]

"I am not a sporting shooter, when I hunt I hunt for food. I don't care if the duck is still on the water, I am not there to be fair or sportsman like. I need to put meat on the table.
Keith."

How many shooters here who own a computer and pay for internet access are in dire need of food???

Wondering minds are curious, especially me.

Our Safeway (only local source of beef) gets the lowest possible grade of choice beef and charges prices higher than prime in most places. How bout $14/lb for hamburger. And it's a day worth marking on your calendar if you see steaks for under $20.

If that's not dire need for venison, it must be time to buy a whole lot of Safeway stock!

 

[FishDFly]

Our Safeway (only local source of beef) gets the lowest possible grade of choice beef and charges prices higher than prime in most places. How bout $14/lb for hamburger. And it's a day worth marking on your calendar if you see steaks for under $20.

If that's not dire need for venison, it must be time to buy a whole lot of Safeway stock!

 

[FishDFly]

That is why I live in Texas, much cheaper here. You pay for meat where you live.

 

[hanshi]

I've killed only one buck in his bed; I'll always remember that adventure. I saw him; he didn't see me. Nothing "unethical" about shooting bedded deer.

 

[Black Hand]

That is why I live in Texas, much cheaper here. You pay for meat where you live.

Montana has plenty of cattle - unfortunately, the meat is shipped out of state then shipped back in for sale. We pay for it twice and pay dearly. Hamburger is somewhere around $5-7/lb and steaks $15-30/lb...

 

[Juice Jaws]

"

How many shooters here who own a computer and pay for internet access are in dire need of food???

Wondering minds are curious, especially me.

That is why I am in dire need of food, all my money goes to computer's, internet access.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I have eaten deer as my primary red meat for the last 45 years, bottom line if you like if you really like it, same with squirrels and ducks, money doesn't factor into the equation for me.

 

[Danny Ross]

Someone saying you should not shoot a bedded deer, is about as stupid as someone saying, you should not shoot any deer unless it is looking at you . First off if you are stalking and you can get in that close or closer to a deer, bedded or not, without its senses picking you up, that is shear stalking skill. I would screw it up for sure. Someone has no idea of the difficulty of what you did. DANNY

 

[Wisconsin Relic]

I’ve killed 3 deer in the beds and see nothing wrong. One nice muley buck I shot from about 8’ straight above him. He was bedded, watching the valley below. I circled behind and came above him on some rim rock. He was directly below me, very easy shot-straight down.

Two others were does I still hunted to within 35yards or so in lodgepole pine forests. In my opinion, besides ethical and very difficult, it’s also very exciting.

 

[Stumpkiller]

My adventures were in the early 70s when I was 23-25 years old, those were the days. Everything I shot went straight to the dinner table.

Still the case here. I hunt deer for meat. Appreciate a good buck, but I appreciate a large doe as well. If I wasn't eating them I wouldn't bother them.

And a further comment. I would say shooting a bedded deer is very much more sporting than baiting one and/or shooting it from a blind or tree-stand. Have you ever tried to walk up on a bedded deer? Traditional muzzleloaders (and bows) have very limited range and anytime you connect on foot is a trophy (IMHO).

 

[tenngun]

Ive never stocked a deer. I scout their area then find a hiding spot along their trails, best where three or four come together and take a shot at an unsuspecting deer walking through the woods. When I have shot them bedded it was raining or snowing. So I don’t see shooting unsuspecting deer A is different then B. And although I have no desires to shoot at 1/4 to half a mile at any thing or use a gun that shoots that way I don’t see walking deer at 500 yards as any different then 25.

 

[S.Kenton]

Shoot..... that’s why your out there Hunting.. bedded or not it’s fair game.

 

[matttdalton]

A bedded deer presents a smaller kill zone to aim at unless you are neck or head shooting.

To me, shooting a bedded deer is like shooting ducks on the water.

I can see why you might feel this way. If you’re a stalking hunter and have nearly perfected your craft, it can almost seem too easy at times. But the fact is that if you can get into range and take a clean killing shot without the animals noticing, you earned it and/or got lucky. Isn’t that what Hunting is about? It doesn’t matter if you prefer stalking, calling, rattling, scents, decoys, or just sitting and waiting for them to walk or fly by; it’s all hunting and if you’ve mastered it, it’s going to be effective. Baiting, wanton waste and wounding animals are unethical.

PS: best water shot stalked geese 5 birds 2 shots at 25 yards. Best part about water shots is there’s no pellets in the meat!

 

[johnwm]

Considering all the other detail points of hunting that cause discussion and disagreement among hunters, I'm a bit surprised that I've never heard this one before. Long-range sniping vs close range stalking, sure. Shooting over bait, always a contentious point. Choice of the "best" caliber is always good for an argument. But shooting a bedded deer? Who on earth would find fault with that?

I think there are two groups who would cry foul. First off, the folk who couldn't do it even if their life literally depended upon it, of course. "I can't...so no one should!" And second, people who are simply repeating a notion that they may have heard so often that they don't really even think it through.

My one and only Mule Deer (we don't have 'em in my area) was shot in his bed after a carefully planned and executed stalk. I took some extra care to place the shot simply because I wanted to make sure I knew the location of the vitals within the animal in that uncommon position to place the shot precisely. He never stood up; I was thrilled then, and still am.

 

[Wisconsin Relic]

I think shooting deer in their beds yields better meat. The 3 which I shot in there beds just laid their heads down and died. Very peaceful, no thrashing, running or adrenaline pumped meat.

I think spooked, panicked or chased deer don’t necessarily have the best flavor meat. Just my opinion based on my experience.

 

[bud in pa]

If you are good enough to walk up on a bedded deer you have the right to take them right them right there. Why would you kick them up and take a chance of wounding them?