Thread: Summer hunting .....a question of ethics??

Originally Posted by R93

I seen 11 deer and 25+ chams in a couple days hunting when I was home over the last couple weeks and never fired a shot. Had a ball though.

My hunting mate came back from our spot X last week. Said he saw 12 deer - 11 hinds and one stag in velvet. He never fired a shot either. That got me thinking and was the catalyst for this thread.

I well remember the first deer that my son had an opportunity to shoot. It was a hind in summer, and he spent a bit of time looking, and spotted a fawn. Said "not going to shoot it". I was one very proud Dad!!

Originally Posted by Rushy

Hark you young man. Older ha ha ha ha Pengy, Maca check out our geriatric teenager.

We've gotta stop mixing with him, next he'll be chasing our women!

Originally Posted by Maca49

We've gotta stop mixing with him, next he'll be chasing our women!

He will have a fair chance then specially with pensioner chicks

Yep they'll probably pay him as well!

Originally Posted by Neckshot

He will have a fair chance then specially with pensioner chicks

Ha ha ha ha they don't tell, they don't swell and they are as grateful as hell. Go for it Toby.

Originally Posted by Maca49

Yep they'll probably pay him as well!

Moneys money, The gun I'd buy doesn't need to know how I got it

let it be known I did not de rail this thread
On ethics I just shoot meet animlas that walk into my barrel, every last bit of meet is harvested eaten and appreciated and upmost respect is given the animal .I have a big family and it keeps the freezer full.

Fire one get two, man your in,plenty of lube for the first and keep your barrel clean between shots!

This thread was an ethical dilemna about cervus - not cervix you randy bastards!!

Very good Lentil, lateral thinking!

Most of this has been interesting reading on when and what to shoot, i myself wont shoot a hind at this time fo year till about
begining of March, also wont shoot in velvet. But why does everyone shoot yearlings for meat in my mind they will be for my kids to shoot
when they are full grown. And what do you guys class as a trophy? myself a trophy is what ive worked hard to out smart and stalk in close and feal proud to show. I like hunting private land as i get to see good numbers and sit watch and learn, But when on Doc land
working my arse off to get one it is much more rewarding.

I shoot yearlings because they are generally best eating and at this time of year hinds have fawns to look after that will be next years yearling and so on.

There will never be management as such on our public land because we as hunters all have a different ideal outcome.
Trophy hunters want the hinds shot meat hunters want the yearlings new hunters want anything they can get.

I don't mind who shoots what really. I try to "manage" in areas i hunt but everyone else has access also so if they are all trying to "manage" for a different outcome we are all doing the exact opposite and everything is getting shot at about the same percentage.

I shoot yearlings because they are to me, the best eating and are easy to handle and carry a fair distance if you have to. I would never shoot a meat animal where I trophy hunt, not even a hind.

I can usually tell and cant stomach meat that has been butchered on the hill. I will only eat an animal that has been handled the way I was taught. If I do ever put a knife in a hot carcass, it is generally what gets saved for giveaways and bludgers

Its very easy to be selective, I'm lucky if I shoot <2% of what I see. No hinds at this time of year, they're your breeding stock. Why kill something that is carrying, or mothering the next generation of animal for a herd? If it is obviously a dry hind or very old I might cull it out. When hunting for myself I consider myself a trophy hunter, but sometimes I will shoot a number of deer a week at times, this is generally with people I take out hunting, or for meat for friends and family.

On private land I'm pretty selective, generally hunting for a younger meat animal or a decent buck/stag. Bombing up everything you see doesn't generally please the landowner, a few guys I know have lost good hunting access because of there trigger happy attitudes! When carrying out pest control/culling in private blocks I'll generally shoot whatever I can but even then I won't shoot hinds October thru February or stags in velvet, unless its antlers are obviously malformed, or inferior.

On public land I won't shoot a "meat" animal unless we need meat for camp, or its very handy to my vehicle, and then it will be selected, usually the youngest deer - they are easier to handle and taste nicer. In the roar I generally aim for something better than I have shot previously - it took a few years of hunting and a number of deer to reach this point however. I have stalked and left dozens of stags that I consider to have potential, hoping to one day meet with them again. Some you do, but most you never see again.

Selective culling to produce a superior animal has been happening for generations on farms. I am a firm believer that with selective culling and strict rules about which animals a hunter is allowed to shoot, that in a wild herd, one is able to improve herd quality and overall trophy potential. I have seen and been involved with this personally on two large stations and some smaller properties where selective culling of their wild herd with helicopter/foot hunting has been carried out over a number of years and the quality of stags being seen and shot in recent years is clearly improving. It is so obvious its not funny.

Good thread guys, as a newbie, my original intention was to hunt for meat, but after joining the forum & Deerstalkers i now would like at least one set of timber on the wall....as when you declare your a 'Deer Hunter'
they usually start looking around your place for one!....

I will be doing a few recce's in the coming weeks for the roar, but will look out for hinds with fawns as even though i havent dropped a wild DOC deer yet
i would like to consider myself an ethical hunter, but if i was 30 years younger i would probably drop anything i could get a bead on......just being honest