Thread: Long-range hunting: is it sporting?

Originally Posted by Spudattack

Here is my take on it....

I think people are getting mixed up between "is it ethical" and "is it sporting."
The two are separate issues and neither are absolutes.

Ethics: In my mind ethics has mainly revolved around doing everything in your power to minimise suffering, now this depends on your abilities as a hunter, fitness, tracking and stalking skills and marksmanship. Basically it is can I be reasonably certain that my shot will be a clean kill, obviously mistakes do happen no matter how good we are, ethics then to me says that we make a quick follow up and end the suffering.
The long range aspect only comes in to me in the second part here, if a well practiced shooter can consistently produce clean kills at whatever range then it seems there is no issue with placement. With following up a wounded animal, the standard practice has been to give it 15 to 20 mins to let it settle, adrenalin ease, and let the wound stiffen anyway, rather than charging after it and making it run, so perhaps this is not an issue with long range anyway, taking into account the terrain obviously.

Sporting: Now, here is where it gets interesting, I think it only needs to be sporting if you want it to be sporting, let's be honest, killing deer on a deer farm is not sporting, but no one really worries about it do they? If the main goal is to put meat in the freezer then why are we even arguing? I don't care that my homekill is not free to fair chase, I do care however that it is killed humanely, which is more to do with ethics.
Now I hunt for sport, I will not go hungry if I don't hunt and I know the antis will crucify me for saying this but I enjoy it, not only the kill but the whole aspect of fair chase in the bush and pitting my skills against the animals senses to get close enough for a shot.
In my opinion long range hunting is not sporting (in the traditional sense) only due to the fact that the animals do not see you as a threat at extended ranges so you are not engaging and defeating their senses, but, I do acknowledge the skill it takes to make a clean shot at those ranges so in that sense I see it as a different kind of "sport" due to putting in the hard yards to get in position and get set up, judge the wind and range and atmosphere and make the shot.

So all in all, while long range hunting is not my thing, I do see it as a sport in a way and provided the work has been put in to ensure a clean shot and all aspects taken into account it can be ethical too.
I believe the issue that most have is neither of these but rather the fact (nobody can refute this) that it is not traditional.

Well said spud I agree people are mixing ethics with "sporting" I grew up using a shotgun & solid slugs , goats to deer then my old man got me a p14 303 when I was 15 with peep sights those days were awesome boy vs beast , long range is a completely different skillset I don't think its sporting in the sense that the animal has much of a show of detecting danger beyond 500m but I think it takes a lot of practice & confidence to knock over deer consistently at that range & beyond im trying to dabble in that my self but its not sporting in the true sence

Who cares? It is a choice some people make and unless I have missed the news, those people are completely entitled to make that choice.

People are entitled to bludge of the the tax payer as well thats not sporting either , everyone takes what ever they want out of a hunt for some just making it up a hill is the challenge but that wasn't the question

Spudattack nailed it on the head, what he said +1

I look at it this way.

When they were using rocks & clubs, knives weren't sporting.

When they were using knives, spears weren't sporting.

When they were using spears, bows & arrows weren't sporting

When they were using bows & arrows, muskets weren't sporting

When the were using muskets, metallic cartridges wren't sporting

When repeaters showed up they weren't sporting either...

When semis showed up they weren't sporting, (still frowned upon if they are black guns)

When scopes showed up they certainly weren't sporting.....

So unless you walk ten miles to work because a car isn't sporting, you should be very quiet........

How is roaring in a Stag sporting......would be come up to you in September if you roared at him...

Each to their own....

Technology is always moving forward whether we like it or not & whether we choose to embrace it or not....

Originally Posted by Kiwi Greg

So unless you walk ten miles to work because a car isn't sporting, you should be very quiet........

I only live 1.9km from the office, please advise

I worked in the UK for a few years game keeping and guiding on a large shooting estate.

The pheasant drives that took place were run under "sporting ethics". There were many strict rules for conduct, most in the view of being "sporting". One such example was not shooting easy birds, or taking a shot at low birds -they booed and greeted any such behaviour with ridicule and mocking towards the perpetrator. In their eyes, taking an easy shot where the odds were all but guaranteed was not "sporting".

So by definition, an easy guaranteed shot with minimal chance of the animal getting away isn't sporting. So thinking of the inverse of that, a harder more challenging shot, where the animal can/maybe/sometimes be missed or wounded or on a lucky day be killed clean is considered "sporting" because it greatly increases the variables.

It could be perverse logic to try make things "sporting" simply for your own enjoyment. Its weird to purposely shoot beyond your own abilities in the hope of gaining some kind of title for yourself as "sporting".

"Sporting" people can go fuck themselves for all I care. I stick to practicing and becoming better at shooting further and if an easy one pops up... I'll unsportingly kill it too, as they taste the sweetest!

Kj

Originally Posted by gimp

, please advise

Stop nit picking.....it will make you bald

Originally Posted by kimjon

I worked in the UK for a few years game keeping and guiding on a large shooting estate.

The pheasant drives that took place were run under "sporting ethics". There were many strict rules for conduct, most in the view of being "sporting". One such example was not shooting easy birds, or taking a shot at low birds -they booed and greeted any such behaviour with ridicule and mocking towards the perpetrator. In their eyes, taking an easy shot where the odds were all but guaranteed was not "sporting".

So by definition, an easy guaranteed shot with minimal chance of the animal getting away isn't sporting. So thinking of the inverse of that, a harder more challenging shot, where the animal can/maybe/sometimes be missed or wounded or on a lucky day be killed clean is considered "sporting" because it greatly increases the variables.

It could be perverse logic to try make things "sporting" simply for your own enjoyment. Its weird to purposely shoot beyond your own abilities in the hope of gaining some kind of title for yourself as "sporting".

"Sporting" people can go fuck themselves for all I care. I stick to practicing and becoming better at shooting further and if an easy one pops up... I'll unsportingly kill it too, as they taste the sweetest!

Kj

oh yes the deer that carry the stupid gene are undoubtedly the tastiest.

Originally Posted by gimp

I only live 1.9km from the office, please advise

Go there and back 5.26 and a smidge times

Shot a Fallow at 128 metres last night, off the shoulder standing, I thought the deer was unethical putting me to this task!

Originally Posted by Maca49

Shot a Fallow at 128 metres last night, off the shoulder standing, I thought the deer was unethical putting me to this task!

Shit that was lucky. Two metres inside your eyesight max range.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Stop nit picking.....it will make you bald

too late

Originally Posted by Rushy

Shit that was lucky. Two metres inside your eyesight max range.

Lung/liver = dead!

Question is, do you go hunting or shooting?
It’s the same as, do you go fishing or catching?
The answer will be different from person to person even if you do the exact same thing and will likey change as time passes by.

Majority of the time I go hunting and I always end up fishing, lots of fishing.