A message to future outdoor-minded people

This is a two-part series about the future of outdoor activities.

Dear future outdoors-minded people,

Let us have a one-sided conversation about the outdoors; a bit of the past, the present and what may happen in the future.

We, as lovers of the outdoors, are a varied cluster with multiple objectives. Basically we are of two groups; non-consumptive and consumptive. Although the definitions are seemingly straight forward and easy to understand, such is not the case. Ethics, morals and principles play a part in the lives of both units. Some aspects of playing in the outdoors are more difficult, expensive and physical than others.

The non-consumptive group doesn't take anything from the outdoors. An example includes birders or bird watchers, who enjoy finding various species of birds and maintaining a list of the bird species discovered. Nothing is removed from the outdoors.

This group also contains the camper who enjoys traveling to a camping spot to enjoy a few days in the outdoors. This group may hike in the area, enjoy a daily campfire, cooks meals over the fire or on a camp stove and enjoy the view of the mountains. Nothing is removed from the outdoors.

The consumptive group takes one item or more from the outdoors. A 5-year-old catches her first fish at Park Lake, her mother cooks it in the evening and it is eaten for supper. This young angler is of the consumptive group. While camping, a family of four picks huckleberries and are, therefore, consumptive also.

Hunters are different. The goal of a hunter is to kill game. Obviously, hunters are consumptive by definition. A goose hunter is allowed to kill four Canada geese a day during the regular goose season in the Columbia Basin; a pheasant hunter, three rooster pheasants; a dove hunter, 10 mourning doves a day. Of course, a hunter doesn't always shoot a limit of birds, sometimes doesn't shoot any, so this is why the sport is called hunting instead of killing.

At this point the simple definition of non-consumptive and consumptive outdoor-minded people become muddled. An angler may travel the world with a desire to catch and release fish with a fly.

They may fish Argentina, New Zealand, Montana, Dry Falls Lake and Rocky Ford Creek where a fly is cast to catch and release trout and other fish species, with the desire of not killing one. However, this pure pursuit of non-consumptive fishing can become perplexed at times. For example: While fishing Dry Falls Lake a non-consumptive angler may hook a fish in the tongue, which Fish and Wildlife regulations suggests the fish be kept if legal to do so.

The angler who catches and releases hundreds of fish a year is now faced with a dilemma. If the fish is released, it will most likely die. If the fish is kept, it will fill the daily limit of one fish. The ethical thing to do is keep the fish and refrain from fishing for the rest of the day. The non-consumptive angler has suddenly become consumptive, like it or not.

Hunting is more difficult and expensive pursuit than fishing and most other outdoor activities. The firearm is expensive, the ammunition is expensive and the licenses are expensive. The nature of the sport requires physical demands beyond the requirements of fishing.

The 5-year-old angler, who is able to sit on the dock at Park Lake and catch fish after fish, would be hard pressed to hike three miles around a farm field in search of pheasants. Carrying a loaded shotgun of any gauge would be impossible. Sure, this little hunter may be able to sit in a duck blind for a while, but handling the shotgun would again be impossible.

Outdoor ethics

We accept certain responsibilities when we participate in outdoor activities. The hike to the Lake Lenore Caves is free, meaning the hiker doesn't pay a fee to hike the trail. However the hiker is obligated just the same.

Thou shall not litter on Fish and Wildlife lands, but an outdoor-minded person should not litter anywhere. Instead picking up litter left by unethical buffoons is a worthwhile action.

The angler who stops fishing after catching a fish hooked in the tongue on a one-fish-limit lake is practicing proper outdoor ethics. An angler who places a salmon egg on the hook of a fly while fishing a fly-fishing only lake where bait is not allowed is not an ethical angler and should receive a citation if caught.

Hunting ethics can become even more confused. Some hunters consider it unethical to shoot a duck on the water, but other hunters consider such a duck to be fair game. Both examples are legal.

Next week: The outdoor ethics discussion continues, hunting wolves included.