Hunter ethics an interesting subject

MOSES LAKE - This is the first of a two-part series about hunter ethics.

When the topic of ethics is discussed among a group of hunters, many different points of view may be thrashed about. The subject of hunter ethics is both interesting and complex.

Washington master hunters have developed a vision statement of: "Develop a Corps of sportsmen dedicated to preserving the heritage of hunting by giving back to the sport, displaying the highest standards of conduct, and working to conserve wildlife habitat and hunting opportunity."

The word ethics is not included in the statement, but it is there, just the same.

There is a term called fair chase, which is defined by the Boone and Crockett Club, as "the ethical, sportsmanlike, and lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild, native North American big game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper advantage over such animals."

The term called ethics is defined in the dictionary as: "a system of moral principles, such as the ethics of a culture. Also, the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group or culture, such as medical ethics; Christian ethics." Thus we have an expression called hunter ethics.

The Boone and Crockett Club offer these guidelines for hunter ethics:

"Fundamental to all hunting is the concept of conservation of natural resources. Hunting in today's world involves the regulated harvest of individual animals in a manner that conserves, protects, and perpetuates the hunted population. The hunter engages in a one-to-one relationship with the quarry and his or her hunting should be guided by a hierarchy of ethics related to hunting, which includes the following tenets:

1. Obey all applicable laws and regulations. 2. Respect the customs of the locale where the hunting occurs. 3. Exercise a personal code of behavior that reflects favorably on your abilities and sensibilities as a hunter.

4. Attain and maintain the skills necessary to make the kill as certain and quick as possible. 5. Behave in a way that will bring no dishonor to either the hunter, the hunted, or the environment. 6. Recognize that these tenets are intended to enhance the hunter's experience of the relationship between predator and prey, which is one of the most fundamental relationships of humans and their environment.

The key words in the fair chase statement are improper advantage. Let's consider several scenarios:

There is a small natural pond on my property. Every hunting season I position a ground blind near it, because the deer will be needing water sometime during the day.

Is this considered fair chase and ethical?

There is no pond on my property, but a cattle man wants to pasture his cattle on my land. He puts a stock tank on the land and leaves it filled all year long, even though the cattle are gone by October. I position a ground blind near the tank, because the deer also use it for water.

Is this considered fair chase and ethical?

There is a 300-yard long and 100-yard wide flat on my property with soil good enough to grow alfalfa, so I plant the field. Water from the stock tank overflows and flood irrigates the alfalfa enough to provide fine growth. The crop draws in even more deer and I'm happy, when seated in my ground blind near the tank and at the edge of the field.

Is this considered fair chase and ethical?

The same flat exists, but I don't want to plant it. I buy a digital feeder, buy wheat seed and have it programmed to go off six times a day for 60 seconds. My blind is 50 yards from the feeder.

Is this considered fair chase and ethical?

In the same flat, I dump a 5-gallon bucket of wheat seed 50 yards from my ground blind. In my ground blind I study "Beyond Fair Chase" and enjoy the afternoon.

Is this considered fair chase and ethical?

I place my blind near the edge of a winter wheat field, which has a natural pond nearby. The deer love the winter wheat and they need water.

Is this considered fair chase and ethical?

I place my blind close to an apple tree located on an old homestead. The original stock tank still contains fresh water.

Is this considered fair chase and ethical?

I could go on, but you get the idea. In my eyes, all of these scenarios provide fair chase and are ethical. A couple of other items. Number two above, "Respect the customs of the locale where the hunting occurs." In my mind this means local hunting laws and customs should be respected. In Alabama it is legal to hunt deer and feral hogs with a spear.

Their hunting regulations state, "Spear: Deer and feral swine may be taken by hand thrown spear during the open bow and arrow season on these species.

The hand thrown spear shall have a sharpened blade a minimum of two inches in width.

The spear shall only be hand thrown.

 Antlered bucks: Bare antlers visible above natural hairline, statewide, one a day. White-tailed buck limit, three during all combined seasons. Unantlered deer, except spotted fawns, during the unantlered deer gun, special muzzleloader, bow and arrow, spear, and special youth, under 16, seasons, two deer per day, only one of which may be an antlered buck.

A hunter can take either two unantlered deer or one unantlered deer and one antlered deer.

Next week we will drill deeper into the hunter ethics dilemma.