Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game No one to applaud your behavior

I have alway liked Leupolds stance that while in the field there is no audience to approve or disapprove one's behavior, it is left to one's own conscience.<P>With that, I thought this was an interesting read by a game warden I have met in Wyoming; a top notch gentleman:<P><BR>Wyoming Warden <BR> By Jay Lawson <BR>To my knowledge, every Wyoming game warden is a hunter and angler. There are probably few states that can say the same thing in this day and age. There is no prerequisite for participating in these activities. We simply attract a breed of wildlife manager that appreciates the tremendous opportunities for outdoor recreation that our state offers. <P>As a fellow hunter, wildlife professional and law enforcement officer, the game warden has a unique perspective on the behavior of sportsmen in the field. It is a cumulative view, based upon hundreds of observations and encounters� and though rarely quantified through anything more than arrest records, it may be the most accurate gauge of trends in both legal and ethical behavior. <P>Aldo Leopold, wildlife manager and ardent hunter, told us more than 50 years ago, �A peculiar virtue in wildlife ethics is that the hunter ordinarily has no gallery to applaud or disapprove of his conduct. Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience, rather than by a mob of onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of this fact.� <P>Though it is true that there is generally no audience to monitor our hunting behavior, the game warden can usually describe the general adherence to an ethical code in the field. <P>As chief game warden, it is possible to monitor the concerns of wardens regarding legal and ethical behavior. During the past few years, the chronic lament of Wyoming game wardens has been the misuse of high-tech weapons and vehicles. Given their perspective, this tells me there is a serious problem. <P>In particular, shooting within proper range and operating all-terrain vehicles in a responsible manner are the most significant issues in the minds of many wardens. <P>Effective shooting distances, based on hunter proficiency under actual field conditions, have changed little in recent years. Yet, the continued hype of magnum gauges or calibers often goads the hunter into taking unreasonable shots at long range, with the upshot being a lingering death for a buck or bull long after the unethical hunter has returned home. <P>Several wardens described such out-of-range shooting this past fall, and in nearly every case the hunter was placing unfounded faith in some oversized weapon or optical device. The same story came from the waterfowl areas, with excessive ranges being the norm for some individuals who lack restraint or have failed to learn proper range estimation. <P>Firearms proficiency means more than cranking off a few rounds over sandbags at the rifle range. It means carrying a weapon you can truly handle, learning to estimate range and shooting at distances which are realistic given the light conditions, type of rest you have available and your physical state at that moment. It also means avoiding shots at moving animals or animals in a herd or group. <P>Range conditions are a far cry from field conditions. Take the average hunter, walk him up a steep slope at dawn or dusk and have him select some form of natural rest or shooting position, and the effective range of that individual is much reduced from rifle range distances. The game warden sees this over and over again. <P>There is a parallel to high-tech weapons in the vehicle arena. An individual who drives off established roads, violates closures and damages a small part of the landscape can often rationalize his actions as only a minor misdeed. But taken as a whole� that is the game warden�s view� the cumulative impacts damage both the land and the experience of other hunters. <P>Two years ago, I watched from a hilltop vantage as hunters on ATVs entered the national forest in southern Wyoming during opening day. Several of them were too lazy to walk and drove their vehicles directly into the most secure hiding cover. They not only violated road closures and damaged the small riparian areas they were using as �roads,� but in short order, had driven most of the deer and all the good bucks onto private land. It was a sad sight taken as a whole. <P>The temptation to misuse the latest technology can only be curbed through adherence to an ethical code. As Leopold told us, �Voluntary adherence to an ethical code elevates the self-respect of the sportsman, but it should not be forgotten that voluntary disregard of the code degenerates and depraves him.� <P>Many would say that the game warden�s area of concern should be confined to legal issues. I would agree with that thinking to a point. But when collective behavior becomes a threat to the future of hunting, the warden has a responsibility to offer constructive criticism. <P>While there are some individuals out there who abuse technology with intent, there are many more sportsmen who will modify their behavior when it is pointed out to them that, in context, they are part of a larger problem that threatens their sport. <P>As we enter the new millennium, we can all do our part to set a new tone to the hunter image by limiting our use of technology. By voluntarily confining ourselves to reasonable ranges and existing roads, we can insure that the hunting tradition will continue. <P>Jay Lawson is Game and Fish�s chief game warden. <P><BR>

Spike: An excellent post. Our party makes a sincere effort to hunt only road closure or wilderness areas for many of the reasons you mentioned. I'm sure there a many responsible 4-wheeler users out there, but it ruins my day when I have to ream someone out for motoring into an area that I just spent half a day walking to. I have the same feeling for those packing around 2 boxes of ammo in the field. I'd be comfortable if we were restriced to one round for the season, as it would probably weed out about 85% of the slob hunters out there.

Hey 1Minute:<P>I agree and it's getting nothing but worse.<P>Hey, I see you're from Burns. I have some very good rancher friends that live near New Princton and the other just North of 'The Junction'. How are you holding up weather wise? I talked with one friend the other day and he says they have two foot snow drifts outside their house. Do you do any coyote hunting? I'm hearing they are already paired up. Might have to give it a try next weekend.

Good to see this kind of info being passed around on this site. Hunting is not just about calibers and optics, although they're the most fun to talk about. I usually hunt with a small group so anything we do is seen by a small audience. Several people who've joined our group have been asked not to hunt with us after questionable hunting practices. <BR>With the technology in firearms and optics at a hunters disposal needless suffering should be all but eliminated.<BR>

Spike: We have a bit of snow, about a a foot or so in the basin, but no problems getting about. Much more in the hills and quite a few folks snow moing up in the timber. Haven't done any dog chasing this year,but there a quite a few about especially in the remote and expansive portions of the valley. Cattle are beginning to calve too so they will be in the fringes of the feed grounds looking for afterbirth. No hunting since late October for me this year. We recently moved to a larger home and have been busy with house things. Working on tuning up a couple of rifles now, but its going slowly. Can't really test things with the stormy weather. Good luck.