Ethics of blind hunting?

[Randy F]

Being from South Africa, we dont have bears, so take this stupid question with a grain of salt, can you eat bear meat?

I can only speak to black bear but yes it's got a great flavor when cooked correctly. Sometimes however it can be pretty tough. If so it can be ground up for some great sausage.

 

[Elton]

I can only speak to black bear but yes it's got a great flavor when cooked correctly. Sometimes however it can be pretty tough. If so it can be ground up for some great sausage.

Will have to come visit for a taste?

 

[Randy F]

Will have to come visit for a taste?

What are you waiting for? Get on a plane?

 

[Elton]

Have you seen the rand dollar?? Its cheaper for you to come visit me... I'll take you hunting as well like the locals do it and where the local hunt. Will worknyou out a 1/4 of the price compared to the hunting farms that loves you US owks

 

[Randy F]

Have you seen the rand dollar?? Its cheaper for you to come visit me... I'll take you hunting as well like the locals do it and where the local hunt. Will worknyou out a 1/4 of the price compared to the hunting farms that loves you US owks

Be careful, I might just take you up on that. However, that won't help you get a taste of bear meat. Travelling with bear meat might just land me in a bit of trouble.

I hear you on the exchange rate. I've got a buddy that lives in Brits (moving to Pretoria soon) that I had planned to visit last October after a hunt until covid intervened. He always busts my chops over the rates.

 

[Elton]

Be careful, I might just take you up on that. However, that won't help you get a taste of bear meat. Travelling with bear meat might just land me in a bit of trouble.

I hear you on the exchange rate. I've got a buddy that lives in Brits (moving to Pretoria soon) that I had planned to visit last October after a hunt until covid intervened. He always busts my chops over the rates.

Rather leave the meat at home. I would strongly recommend visiting your mate and have him take you hunting, its crazy what the "US hunting" prices are. That said, it is way more luxurious then the places we hunt, not to take away from our local hunting farms. But still each to their own

 

[Nyati]

Blind hunting bores me, but some like it, and for others it´s the only way they can hunt.

I have no problems with its ethics.

 

[MarkB]

Will have to come visit for a taste?

I also say be very careful. I would quickly trade a BC black bear hunt for a rough SA safari at severely reduced costs. But we must be a relative or you a Canadian before I can host.

As for eating them, they taste good mostly, must cook well done and I prefer meat rare. No baiting here in BC but some use blinds on trails. I have no issue with any legal means of hunting. Different styles, rules, ethics and traditions in many countries. All work and are awesome to try.

For most antis or even non hunters any style of hunting that hurts "their" feelings, emotions or vision are shunned, miss stated and lied about so I can understand why they don't agree with certain hunting styles. Cant win with most of them.

If its legal, I'm in. Feels crazy shooting of the truck back in some places, fines and jail here at home, hanging zebra 1/4 s for leopard, again illegal to bait here but so much fun.

MB

 

[Rocked and Loaded]

Which outfitter offers this option, now that sounds like fun - depending on style of hammer, is a framing hammer better suited than a ball peen hammer, is a tack hammer too light? is a black smiths hammer too heavy? is a half hatchet hammer cheating? will Brass hammers reduce toxic shock?

It’s well understood that a gentleman will only use a rock hammer for such a pursuit. Preferably estwing.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

Great topic; especially when it can be discussed like gentlemen. In most cases, I think the baseline for ethical hunting is established by licensing laws and regulations. After that, it is governed by local customs and culture. We all have our "personal ethics" based on our own personal customs, cultures and experiences. Yet still, we must be careful to not leap to conclusions and emotionally condemn other methods of legal hunting. If you don't like it; don't participate. Or, after arming yourself with knowledge, seek to change the practice or law.

Here are some great quotes for thought:

“Ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one else is watching- even when doing the wrong thing is legal.”
- Aldo Leopold

"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."
- Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac.

Safe hunting.............LL

 

[Elton]

Great topic; especially when it can be discussed like gentlemen. In most cases, I think the baseline for ethical hunting is established by licensing laws and regulations. After that, it is governed by local customs and culture. We all have our "personal ethics" based on our own personal customs, cultures and experiences. Yet still, we must be careful to not leap to conclusions and emotionally condemn other methods of legal hunting. If you don't like it; don't participate. Or, after arming yourself with knowledge, seek to change the practice or law.

Here are some great quotes for thought:

“Ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one else is watching- even when doing the wrong thing is legal.”
- Aldo Leopold

"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."
- Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac.

Safe hunting.............LL

Well said

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Around here (Illinois) a lot of people have to hunt small plots of land. When you are hunting a 20 acre farm, stalking is not much of an option. So tree stands and blinds are normal here.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

For me personally, it depends on a number of factors. How big is the property, how wild are the animals, hunting with gun or bow, what are we hunting? For free range whitetail deer I have no problem perching myself over a massive corn pile with my bow. I think hunting on a water hole at a reasonable size game ranch with a bow is still pretty sporty. I really wouldn’t want to rifle blast animals at a water hole.

I saw a video the other day which was just really a turn off for me. It was a girl shooting a Cape buffalo at some place in the Eastern Cape with an air rifle that shot an arrow. They were hunting from a blind over hay or alfalfa which had been dumped on the ground to feed the Buffalo like domestic cattle. Thats just not the kind of hunt I have any interest in doing.

The deer in my freezer get shot from the loft of my barn. It’s the safest shot available and until the deer come on schedule in a truck and dropped off in the chute, it isn’t a slaughterhouse. Is it an easy shot? Yep. I’ve spent plenty of time at water holes, too, and enjoyed the hell out of watching the animals come and go. Shot a few along the way as well. Don’t really care if someone thinks it’s not hunting. It’s a good time. If someone wants to argue that it’s too easy, no skin off my back. I don’t need to climb mountains and crawl over rocks through thorn bushes for every hunt.

As far as shooting a buffalo from a blind,
I don’t think she’s doing any disservice to the animal. A nice steady rest from a blind gives the best chance for a clean shot and an arrow beats any “natural” death an animal is going to get. But she is doing herself a disservice taking dangerous game without putting herself in at least some danger. I’d rather for the money shoot 10 plains animals vs one buffalo that doesn’t present any risk to me. Even if the risk is realistically small, facing it is what makes dangerous game worth the price of admission, at least to me.

 

[Quest#1]

Just get out there and enjoy yourself in a legal fashion. We all know the saying about opinions! Hunters against hunters is what they want!

 

[mark-hunter]

Which begs the question that can blind hunting be considered hunting?

There are few types of recognised hunting:
- from blind, which sometimes includes baiting
- stalking
- driven hunt, by dogs or beaters.

Not all animals can be hunted with all three methods. For some animals are either to be hunted from blind, or not hunted at all.
And then you have game mangament programs, and annual quotas, that must be followed. So, there it is.
Above mentioned is only western type of hunting.

Imagine now for example traditional way of hunting by some tribes: like poisened arrowes?
Hardly acceptable for average westerner, hunter or non hunter.

But how I see it, if it is traditionally done by local hunting communitiy, and if it is legal, then it is ethical. Same for hunting from the blind.

In my country hunting bear is legally done only by hunting from blind, and usually at night, by baiting.
It is not my cup of tea, but it is legal requirement. So, i dont take it against those hunters that do it in this way. It has to be done that way. So, it is legally done that way, and hunting community considers it ethical and, of course, legal. Similar examples you can find around, for example in Africa.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Now i am sure this will stir some feathers. I would love to hear your opinions on bow hunting in a blind vs walk n stalk. Now i have no issues with either, and think that if you can walk n stalk with a bow it truly makes you a great hunter, not that i have reached that level yet. I am going to try again at the end of June, but with this hunt coming up i can't help but wonder the point of blind hunting.

Let me explain what got this all started. I have heard numerous times about hunting ethics from NON HUNTERS who always seem to know more than the hunters themselves. Now i respect people's opinions and beliefs on not hunting, yet they can't seem to respect ours. Its always the same argument that the poor creatures don't have any choice in the matter and its not fair and they are at a disadvantage (generally referring to rifle hunting and blind bow hunting).

Obviously we as hunters disagree for various reasons. But the last time i heard this was two weeks ago where the person said "you might as well hit a pig in the back of the head with a hammer".

And i wondered if they realized how pork and beef are processed commercially? As that is almost close to what happens, thise animals REALLY don't have a choice regarding them living or not. Whereas when hunting (walk and stalk) there are so many factors that have a role to play. Both from how aware the animal is, and how good a hunter you are. Not to mention the "luck factor" that sometimes things just goes wrong and the animal is off never to be seen again.

In my mind the animals being hunted have a hell of a lot more choice (not sure choice is the correct word, but you get what I am saying) towards living then commercially processed animals?

And that is the LONG story of how i got to this point of wondering if Blind hunting isn't similar to commercially processed animals? Because as i was asked about my upcoming hunting trip by my local bow shop when i ordered new broadheads, i mentioned that I will be in the hide the first day to make sure i have meat in the freezer and then i will try and walk n stalk the remainder of the trip. As i said this i realized that we often accept that when you hunt in a blind, you almost gaurenteed of a kill (Almost being the operative word).

Which begs the question that can blind hunting be considered hunting?


Ok enough of my ranting, let me know what you think.

@Elton
When I hunted Namibia my first few animals were walk and stalk but then I had problems with my legs and feet and had to hunt blinds.
To ME both are ethical. Walk and stalk can be physically demanding but blind hunting can be mentally demanding.
Sitting in a blind built from thorn bush for 6 hours in 34 degrees Celsius waiting for just the right animal and wondering if the one you just passed up was the one you should have taken is no picnic. I found I was more fatigued after blind hunting
Bob

 

[Sarg]

Being from South Africa, we dont have bears, so take this stupid question with a grain of salt, can you eat bear meat?

Oh yes Black Bear's that I have eaten that have been fating up on berries before denning are fantastic eating & I would shoot my quota each year to eat if I lived in the US, I think can carry a few things bit like wild pork ( Trichinosis. ) you see scat/shit all over & looks like some one dropped a Blue Berry pie !

Blind hunting, wow big topic, great fun for some animals & almost necessary if a visiting hunter to get his game in the time he is in country (and financially) love watching the game & yes is a bit cheating but I think better than this new super long range sniping we are getting here now & all over, heck sneak up on your Baboon or Monkeys lol

On the hunting with bud in SA, not totally legal & you need a PH/Outfitter to sign off on any game you need/want to export, watch out as some of the locals might even shoot a TOPS animal to eat or control .

I'm sure no one on here does that of course !

PS & not even drinking yet thanks !!

 

[NE 7x57]

Ah, the anti hunters always have some comment about the game not having a chance, but then again they've usually never hunted anything. What they're clueless about is how many times the hunter might go out and come home without anything but the memories of the day (a good reward in my opinion).

For example, calling coyotes. Some days it all works and they come roaring in but other days or weeks, you call, they come in and hang up 400 yards out. (I usually limit my shots on them to 300 or less obviously this information has been sold to the coyotes)

I appreciate the possibility of failure, to me that makes the hunt interesting. Non hunters don't get that and evidently think we always bag what we're after, never miss a shot and never spook the game with some bit of stupidity.

So as long as it's legal I have no problem with it. There are some types of hunting that don't interest me so I don't take part in them. Personal choice is nice.

(Tip..... to make your life more enjoyable don't enter into hunting discussions with the anti hunters or gun discussions with people who hate firearms. )

 

[Sarg]

@NE 7x57
"For example, calling coyotes. Some days it all works and they come roaring in but other days or weeks, you call, they come in and hang up 400 yards out. (I usually limit my shots on them to 300 or less obviously this information has been sold to the coyotes)"

Lol funny that is !

 

[Rickmt]

Different quarry, different terrain, different traditions, all add up to a wide variety of hunting techniques. Hunt the way you prefer in your neck of the great outdoors. Be a good manager of the resource and have fun !