Ever OK to shoot from a truck?

[CBH Australia]

What would people think if a person or people collected deer heads from animals shot on an aerial cull that day and had them taxidermied for trophies ? You know, hypothetically?

 

[Mekaniks]

What would people think if a person or people collected deer heads from animals shot on an aerial cull that day and had them taxidermied for trophies ? You know, hypothetically?

who cares? its their trophy and their money to spend. If someone sees them as trophies and wants to hang them on the wall, shed, gate post, or hood of their new diesel pickup, good for them IMO

 

[Ty Howard]

I LOVE Safari Style

If folks don’t agree with shooting from a truck, don’t do it

 

[John Telford]

I shot a steenbok out of the truck at night with my bow and to me it didn't feel that I hunted him it felt more like I took unfair advantage. It was more killing than than hunting. A steenbok is high on my list but not that way, I didn't even bring the horns back.

Yes agreed Jeff many a Hunter is dissatisfied with a “cheap” trophy. Unless you are physically not able to Hunt or there are other compelling reasons a true sportsman will not be satisfied with a truck trophy. Other don’t seem to care as long as they have the trophy to boast with. What’s next hunting from a heli?

 

[Zambezi]

You phrased your thread title perfectly! It is perfectly acceptable to SHOOT from a truck... just don't call it HUNTING!
(disabled hunters aside)

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Well, the just subject of this post ought to elicit some strong responses.

I've always seen, and agreed with, the opinion that shooting from the back of a safari vehicle is unacceptable and unsportsmanlike. However, we all know that there are no absolutes in life. So, the question is not really if it is ever OK, but when is it OK to shoot from the truck? If you saw a very sick or injured animal, that you could not approach on foot, would you shoot from the truck to put it out of its misery?

I once found myself in a situation where I finished my hunt early, but had a few days until my flight home. The first thing that happened was that the manager (who was also my PH) told me that they needed some meat for the staff and we'd go out and shoot some. To give a little more context, it was a late season hunt 9early November) and the vegetation was leafing out, so visibility was becoming a problem.

We drove around until we spotted a gemsbok. It was an old, mature bull with a broken horn. Out came the guns and we had one gemsbok for camp meat. After lunch, we went out again and this time, it was a blue wildebeest. In both cases, the elevation afforded by the truck made it quicker and easier (possible?) to make the shot. They had a hunter coming in a few days for a leopard hunt and needed bait. So, warthogs (his preference for bait) were next on the list.

So, by this point, I'm pretty sure that many folks are already thinking about how strongly to word their flaming response. But, seriously, how wrong was it? These animals were not taken for sport. It was just a job that needed done and shooting from the truck was the most efficient way to do it.

Have fun with this!

Charles deer Ribeau.
Shooting from the back of a truck for meat hunting is perfectly acceptable to an Australian. We have professional roo shooters who spot light and shoot out of their trucks to make a living. Spot lighting foxes and rabbits is also perfectly acceptable to an Australian.
On the whole hunting is done on foot in a fair game chase here for deer, pigs , goats and other game.
When I hunted Namibia we were going to pick up one of the hunters when the PH and property owner spotted a beautiful impala. I was told it was magnificent and to take it. I had no problems shooting it from the back of the truck as it was the only shot available at the time. The range was around 250 yards. There was no time to get get down and set up and if we did we would not have been able to see him. It was either then and there or not at all as he was ready to bolt.
I feel it's up to each person and the occasion.
Cheers mate
Bob Nelson

 

[flatwater bill]

I shot an impala from a truck. It tasted great........FWB

 

[Tgood1]

Yes, it is rather sporting watching your ph hold your drink his drink and try to plug his ears simultaneously

 

[Spooksar]

The problem is some PH’s want you to shoot everything of the Bakkei, I’ve been very firm with them that I’m here to hunt not shoot. There may come a time when I’m to old or crippled to do a long stalk but I can still get off the truck and onto the sticks. One thing some PH’s don’t understand is I don’t care if I get all the animals on my list.

 

[Von S.]

Ok...

What is a hunter and what is a shooter?

....and what's the difference?

 

[Paul Raley]

Ok...

What is a hunter and what is a shooter?

....and what's the difference?

Firstly - the original question was “ is it ever ok to shoot from a truck” , I believe the answer is yes . For me it is acceptable to shoot off a vehicle when culling or following up wounded game to put them out of their misery as quickly and as ethically as possible . I can also understand and accept if a physically handicapped person that is not able to hunt uses a vehicle to shoot from , but in my opinion none what I have said thus far can be called hunting .
The difference between hunting and shooting is simple in my opinion .
Hunting by definition entails the physical actions of looking for , searching , pursuing , chasing , tracking etc of wild game in their environment in the fairest way possible where the hunter and the hunted have to use all their skills , senses and their own physical abilities in order to be able to make a kill or to survive . ( Obviously this is never 100% fair as we humans have to use firearms and bows to make up for our shortcomings when it comes to physical ability and our senses )

Shooting for me is just that , shooting ! Whether one shoots from a vehicle , shoots from a hide or participates in so called “long range hunting” , it is all just shooting , there is no hunting involved , the main action involved is simply shooting . Anyone participating in this type of shooting , in my opinion , cannot say they participated in a hunt . The animals were shot not hunted .
On two occasions I have shot off a vehicle and this was on two separate corporate hunts where the hunting packages were paid for up front . On both hunts I actively hunted game for three days and on the last day I was still short of one animal , the choice was either I shoot off a vehicle or let someone else do it for me . On both occasions I had shot my animal within 30 minutes of getting on the vehicle , no challenge at all and no hunting involved . As a hunter I felt like I had cheated , because I had , there was no enjoyment or satisfaction of a good hunt , just two buck in the cool room , clinical and quick.
Lets be honest , any of us can go to the supermarket and buy meat , there is no real reason for most of us to kill animals ourselves in order to get meat , so why do we hunt ?
For me hunting is about enjoying nature , enjoying my hunting rifles and enjoying a fair “walk and stalk” hunt ending in a quick and clean kill , but the kill is only a small part of the hunt for me , if I happen not to get my quarry that is also fine by me , as long as my time in the bush was enjoyable .

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Firstly - the original question was “ is it ever ok to shoot from a truck” , I believe the answer is yes . For me it is acceptable to shoot off a vehicle when culling or following up wounded game to put them out of their misery as quickly and as ethically as possible . I can also understand and accept if a physically handicapped person that is not able to hunt uses a vehicle to shoot from , but in my opinion none what I have said thus far can be called hunting .
The difference between hunting and shooting is simple in my opinion .
Hunting by definition entails the physical actions of looking for , searching , pursuing , chasing , tracking etc of wild game in their environment in the fairest way possible where the hunter and the hunted have to use all their skills , senses and their own physical abilities in order to be able to make a kill or to survive . ( Obviously this is never 100% fair as we humans have to use firearms and bows to make up for our shortcomings when it comes to physical ability and our senses )

Shooting for me is just that , shooting ! Whether one shoots from a vehicle , shoots from a hide or participates in so called “long range hunting” , it is all just shooting , there is no hunting involved , the main action involved is simply shooting . Anyone participating in this type of shooting , in my opinion , cannot say they participated in a hunt . The animals were shot not hunted .
On two occasions I have shot off a vehicle and this was on two separate corporate hunts where the hunting packages were paid for up front . On both hunts I actively hunted game for three days and on the last day I was still short of one animal , the choice was either I shoot off a vehicle or let someone else do it for me . On both occasions I had shot my animal within 30 minutes of getting on the vehicle , no challenge at all and no hunting involved . As a hunter I felt like I had cheated , because I had , there was no enjoyment or satisfaction of a good hunt , just two buck in the cool room , clinical and quick.
Lets be honest , any of us can go to the supermarket and buy meat , there is no real reason for most of us to kill animals ourselves in order to get meat , so why do we hunt ?
For me hunting is about enjoying nature , enjoying my hunting rifles and enjoying a fair “walk and stalk” hunt ending in a quick and clean kill , but the kill is only a small part of the hunt for me , if I happen not to get my quarry that is also fine by me , as long as my time in the bush was enjoyable .

Paul
I go to the range to shoot bit I go bush to hunt.
Bob

 

[Paul Raley]

Paul
I go to the range to shoot bit I go bush to hunt.
Bob

That about sums it up for me Bob !

 

[Areaonereal]

This opens Pandora’s box.....how is shooting from a truck different than from a blind over a water tank, bow hunting from a blind over a tank or feeder, deer taken over a feeder, Ducks or geese over decoys, birds over a pointing dog or flushing spaniel, rabbits over a beagle...I understand both sides of the questions and see one side as hunting..the other shooting, both have an acceptable place under certain circumstances. I had a neighbor once pick up a road kill deer and had the head mounted...he just wanted a mount over the fireplace..he was not a hunter.

 

[BigJohnx13]

I hate shooting from the back of a vehicle. I prefer to hunt the bushman way, bow or gun in the hand, feet in the soil and use your skills to get close.

However, I have hunted (shoot) a few animals from a vehicle. The areas where semi desert, you drive about 2 to 3 hours just to get close to the animals, about 300 m and then they get skittish. The bakkie high bushes prevent you from seeing anything further than 30 m while you stand on the ground. You need to be elevated to see over the bushes. Shooting 300 m with an unrested (stabilized) rifle is not possible anymore at my age and disabilities. Whenever I recall those days it is put in the shooting box and not the hunting box category. Whenever we discussed hunts this is never brought up as I don't class this as a hunt, but merely shooting for meat.

 

[Philip Glass]

Culling and night hunting come to mind here. In most cases trophy hunting should not take place from the truck but I am not going to be overly judgmental here. There are a myriad of circumstances that can and do arise. I would hope that our goal as hunters is to enjoy the experience of a challenging hunt.
Regards,
Philip

 

[thriller]

I do believe it depends on what your doing. If its wounded take whatever shot you get, if its a cull animal like a feral hog in the us take the shot you get but if your hunting and not trying to eliminate something as a pest you should get out the truck if you are able to physically do so. That being said all areas are different and customs are different so I hold no disrespect for anyone as long as it conforms to normal practices of the area and is not just riding up on a creature that is not afraid of the truck and wacking it out the window. I occasionally use the roof of my polaris as a blind in slightly grown over clearcuts and it is legal as long as the polaris is off and all forwad motion has ceased(helps me see out into clearcut where i have no stand).

 

[Art Lambart II]

The question is not would you ever shoot off of the truck but what do you consider hunting and what do you consider shooting. Is arriving at your whitetail stand before sun up and watching a 1-acre food plot all day hunting or shooting? Is working behind a pointer and flushing a pheasant after your shotgun is shouldered hunting or shooting? Is standing on station in the Arden forest waiting for driven boar to run by hunting or shooting? Is being helicoptered to the top of a mountain in New Zealand to get closer to Red Stag or Tahr hunting or shooting? Is hiking up a mountain side to glass for Elk at 400 + yards hunting or shooting? Is driving to the exact same spot to glass for Elk at 400 + yards hunting or shooting? Is waiting on a river bank for a bull Hippo to expose his brain hunting or shooting? Is waiting in a blind for a Leopard to come to the bait with your rifle firmly supported by a portable shooting bench hunting or shooting? Is sitting in an established ground blind or tree stand watching a waterhole 20 yards away hunting or shooting?

In my opinion they are all hunting but some of the hunts are more challenging than others and that is where the difference come in, what I find challenging you may not and visa versa. On our family hunting land in Michigan we have several elevated shooting shacks and several tree stands to hunt out from, when it is 12 degrees and the snow is falling and unlike my father and brother who choose to hunt in one of our insulated shooting shacks with a propane heater and I choose to “Man-Up” as we call it and hunt from one of our tree stands does not mean that my father and brother where not hunting. No, it just means that my hunt was more challenging and a lot colder than theirs.

What you find challenging in your 30's you may find impossible in your late 60's and 70's does that mean you should stop hunting or just change the way you hunt.

 

[35bore]

The question is not would you ever shoot off of the truck but what do you consider hunting and what do you consider shooting. Is arriving at your whitetail stand before sun up and watching a 1-acre food plot all day hunting or shooting? Is working behind a pointer and flushing a pheasant after your shotgun is shouldered hunting or shooting? Is standing on station in the Arden forest waiting for driven boar to run by hunting or shooting? Is being helicoptered to the top of a mountain in New Zealand to get closer to Red Stag or Tahr hunting or shooting? Is hiking up a mountain side to glass for Elk at 400 + yards hunting or shooting? Is driving to the exact same spot to glass for Elk at 400 + yards hunting or shooting? Is waiting on a river bank for a bull Hippo to expose his brain hunting or shooting? Is waiting in a blind for a Leopard to come to the bait with your rifle firmly supported by a portable shooting bench hunting or shooting? Is sitting in an established ground blind or tree stand watching a waterhole 20 yards away hunting or shooting?

In my opinion they are all hunting but some of the hunts are more challenging than others and that is where the difference come in, what I find challenging you may not and visa versa. On our family hunting land in Michigan we have several elevated shooting shacks and several tree stands to hunt out from, when it is 12 degrees and the snow is falling and unlike my father and brother who choose to hunt in one of our insulated shooting shacks with a propane heater and I choose to “Man-Up” as we call it and hunt from one of our tree stands does not mean that my father and brother where not hunting. No, it just means that my hunt was more challenging and a lot colder than theirs.

What you find challenging in your 30's you may find impossible in your late 60's and 70's does that mean you should stop hunting or just change the way you hunt.

If this post doesn't change the tempo of this thread, nothing will. Lol.

 

[ActionBob]

Last trip I shot a lot from the truck, used it as a stand in fact. Called in several jackal and shot I think 5. Well actually I classified one as a Chupacabra to which the outfitter got very excited until it registered and came back as a Chupa-Chupa-Chupawhatthefuck? Shot a whole family of porcupines on the run with a 12 gauge OU. Reloading as we bounced over bumps. Shot two young male impala for meat to gift to nieghbors.

Also ran behind dogs after a very pissed off leopard. Walked 10 miles through sand and brush after elephant, stalked through thorns to within 10 feet of cape buffalo. And most recently climbed on all 4's up a snowy mountain for a goat. Made several stalks on mule deer through sage and snakes. Clamored over rocks and after several blown attempts got within 15 yards to take an Aoudad on top of a small mountain.

Sat in trees and heated blinds and waded through swamps after whitetails. Actually had my coveralls freeze to a tree once.

Enjoyed most of it but the best are experienced with friends and family. The most memorable are definitely the ones that were most challenging. But most if not all were fun!