Hunting ethics

[Powder]

I shoot everyday. (barring weather).

I am never "happy" with my accuracy.

I shoot 10/ 15/20/25/30/ and 40 yards.

I do most of my missing at 30-40

But I hit a lot more than I used to. However, longest shot in the woods I took was about 18 yards.

We all miss, we all botch shots. My last one was botched. She still went down, but instead of lungs I hit the shoulders. Point I am trying to make is that I don't know if there is EVER a time when one is absolutley comfortable and satified with their accuracy. I personnaly am never completley happy.

But the more you practice ALL the skills, shooting, stalking, woodsmanship, etc., the more you narrow the chances of a miss, and broaden the chances of sucess.

Personnaly, I think we tend to over focus on just accuracy. Or speed.

I think woodsmanship, old fashioned hunting skills, location choices, scouting, scent control... All of those have equal places in the game. As well as accuracy, quietness of the bow, good release, etc.

I think if a person makes the choice to walk off into the woods for the intention of killing game, he/ she owes it to the game, to nature, and to themselves, to be as good, as efficient, as accurate as they can be. I am also a man that fears thinking he is now "good" or "good enough". I think there is always an avenue of improvement, and a need to travel down that avenue.

I realize this isn't quite what you were asking, but someone messed around and left me a soap box to stand on...



Jim

[Wudstix]

Jim;
I would have to echo your thoughts.  Accuracy and arrow speed don't matter if you never get to take a shot.
 

[Powder]

@ Wudstix

Yessir. I like to approach it, (hunting), from all improvable aspects. Accuracy gets practiced more, because of the ease of going out in the yard and flinging some arrows... But it all needs attention in my opinion.

[M60gunner]

I am another of the “first shot” group. Something I picked up that Fred Bear talked about in one of his books. Your first shot of the day weather it’s a critter or a target should be in the kill at your effective range. Weather that’s 10 yards, 15 yards or? I am also of the “what if” group, what if I flinch? What if the critter moves as I release? These “what if’s “ you may not have control over all the time. Obviously things like flinching should be taken care of in practice. But shooting at a living thing does cause some guys to flinch, ie; Buck fever. That can be over come by small game hunting like has been suggested already. I read all day long about newbies buying their first bows and saying how they want to eventually hunt deer. That’s fine but who’s going to teach them about hunting? YouTube?

[Roger Norris]

I am another of the “first shot” group.

Awesome post, simple to agree  with.

That's why we're never satisfied with our shots. After all calculations of the countless variables.

We cannot control all variables.

So... what should a president do?

I haven't read every word on here, so forgive me if I missed it.....but how long have you been shooting a traditional bow? What was your experience before that?

[FORKS]

I haven't read every word on here,
[/quote]

I haven't thread every word in the good book either. So I respectfully understand that others won't read this post.

Don't wastebyour time, just shoot

[Roger Norris]

I haven't read every word on here,

I haven't thread every word in the good book either. So I respectfully understand that others won't read this post.

Don't wastebyour time, just shoot
[/quote]

I must be missing something here.....

[Maclean]

I haven't read every word on here,

I haven't thread every word in the good book either. So I respectfully understand that others won't read this post.

Don't wastebyour time, just shoot

I must be missing something here.....
[/quote]

You're not alone Roger.  Nearly impossible to follow.

[LookMomNoSights]

Seeing this type of thing too often past couple years

[M60gunner]

I think what “trips my trigger” about posts like this is a thread on another trad site about losing wounded animals I saw a couple seasons ago. I guess it was how many that answered had lost wounded critters not once or twice but a few times. So what is really lacking, shooting skills? Ethically shots? Or woodmanship in recovering a wounded animal? Or a combination of all ?

[Even]

I HAVE read through all this thread, and don't really see the need for some of the paranoia.   A bit disjointed yes, but I think the OP is only trying to get other people's perspectives on a very big question every hunter should ask themselves before going hunting.

Its my thought that if one is struggling with this question enough to come post about it... wait a while, and practice more, until you're confident enough that the question doesn't NEED to be asked anymore.

The best thought I took from this was from Powder: 

"I think if a person makes the choice to walk off into the woods for the intention of killing game, he/ she owes it to the game, to nature, and to themselves, to be as good, as efficient, as accurate as they can be."

Everyone is going to have a DIFFERENT impression of where this is, and I don't know if you can say "At X distance" or "under these circumstances", and have it apply to someone else.  Perhaps this is where the confusion in this thread comes in?