People (non-hunters) are surprised when I tell them we hunt elk on foot pack them out of public land on our backs or with a rented horse and do all the butchering ourselves. The fact that we eat elk instead of factory farm raised beef is appealing to younger people who like the idea of wild and organic. The amount of work and uncertain outcome isn't necessarily how they perceive hunting based on TV and news exposure.
The idea of lazy hunters with big checkbooks on ATV's shooting planted animals to stick a big head on a wall isn't just unpopular with the ethical hunting crowd. It diminishes our reputation with the general public and frankly isn't that good a choice vs. any number of guided hunting opportunities without farm raised game involved.
Not having the time to take 10 days or a week to hunt might mean you don't succeed on several hunts making success all the more enjoyable when it happens.
Might not be a fair analogy and I'm way out of date but to me it seems like a young single guy choosing to pay a prostitute rather than working to win the attention of a woman who might say no until she actually knows and likes him.
A most excellent post, it would be perfect and germane to the discussion, but with enough "poison pills" of inaccuracies and emotion, detracting from it's message.
Ethics are a lot like the SCOTUS definition of pornography as in "you'll know it when you see it", not to mention the very word "ethics" is I think often-times transposed with personal preferences.
As SLM astutely pointed out, to the stick and string bowhunter, those who used the compound or scope rifle are frowned upon (notice I did not say ethical). I would take the other view in that hunting with said bow and arrow significantly increases the chances to would and lose and animal, so personally I would not do it. Same for you "turret turning" long range aficionados, not to mention running down and treeing a cougar of a bear, then unceremoniously knocking him down from it's helpless perch. Same goes for varmint calls on coyotes or wolves.
As to the lazy/fat checkbook comment, it wreaks of another of the seven deadly sins, suffice to say I am not lazy nor is my checkbook that fat, but I am fortunate to be able to PAY for HUNTS given my limited time. As to the head on the wall comment, well there again it just paints all hunters who put a head on a wall in an unfair light. I will confess however, coming home empty handed SUCKS.
Lastly, I really enjoyed the prostitute analogy and one I can comment on
. Like all hunting, I've done both, from hunting bear alone in the Maine wilderness, to deer and hogs here in the south, to the ultimate wilderness of Africa (with a PH of course) and on the female chase side, culminating in courting and marrying my lovely wife of 34 years.
But, I would not be honest to say , those of you that have not been to such paradises like Olongapo in the "PI" or Patya Beach in Thailand, let's just say you have no idea....
