The Unwritten Law: Understanding Hunting Ethics

1. The Unwritten Law(hunting ethics) The Third Step • hunting ethics are personal codes by which we live by • ethics deal with what is safe,proper and fair. • Ethics are sometimes known as morals and morals are generally right

2. An Example • it may be legal to shoot many times at an animal, hoping to hit it with one of the shots. But, is it ethical? Ethical hunters will not take shots outside of their effective range • Another way to look at ethics is the “4 C’s”.

3. CAREFUL • A hunters commitment and attitude to basic rules of safety

4. COURTEOUS • A hunters behavior. To be courteous means to be polite or gracious

5. CONSIDERATE • A hunters respect for others

6. CAPABLE • A hunters ability including marksmanship, outdoor skills, knowledge level and good judgment.

7. Who enforces the unwritten law? • ALL OF US DO • just like peer pressure can encourage us to violate laws and ethics, peer pressure can help us act responsibly

8. Alcohol and Drugs • important to make responsible choices about these two things • Responsible hunters never go afield while they are intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

9. Body Functions Affected by Alcohol • fine motor control(marksmanship) • judgment(safe zone-of-fire, background,foreground) • hearing(locating game or other hunters) • color perception(game identification) • reaction time(quickness) • vision(game ID, safe zone-of-fire) • coordination(aiming,muzzle control)

10. PERSONAL CHOICE- The Fourth Step • Hunters who follow safe, legal and ethical practices come to the level which allows them to make personal choices • personal choices are influenced by many things • how and where you were raised • your experience with hunting traditions • your understanding of conservation

11. Examples of Personal Choice • Baiting deer with corn or protein pellets • shooting birds on the ground or in trees • shooting from a vehicle/boat • shooting animals which are harmful or cause damage

12. INVOLVEMENT (the top of the mountain) • This means obligation, cooperation and dedication • obligation means duty • cooperation means working and talking with each other, landowners, non-hunters and agency people such as game wardens • dedication means working for a cause

13. Landowner’s complaints about hunters • hunters think landowners owe them free hunting • don’t get permission to hunt • don’t tel the landowner when they arrive or leave the property • make too much noise • leave litter

14. carry loaded firearms in vehicle • drive off ranch road • leave gates open • shoot too close to neighbors homes • leave fires unattended • violate game laws • drink alcohol to excess • complain about poor success

15. Safety Dilemma • You are hunting quail. You and your companions just flushed a covey of quail and are now heading towards the spot where a few landed. You are in the middle and one companion on your right. The companion on your left disappears behind the thicket. Suddenly three quail explode from in front of you. Two quail head toward the thicket to your left. One flies toward an area in front of your companion on the right.

16. What would you do? • Shoot at one which flew left • Shoot at one which flew right • Not shoot

17. Legal Dilemma • You are blood-trailing a deer that you shot two hours earlier. You look up ahead and see the blood trail cross onto posted property on which you do not have permission to hunt. Both trespassing and game waste are illegal in your state. You know that the deer could not go much farther. IT STARTS TO RAIN! • What would you do?

18. Go into the posted property • attempt to reach the landowner • attempt to reach the game warden • consider that you made every effort and leave it go

19. Modern Firearms