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A joke in another thread about not ID'ing birds before shooting made me curious about something;
For those of you that spend a lot of time outdoors, and this is mainly for the hunters,
What do you do to ensure you are practicing principles of good stewardship of the land?
Or do you even care?
Is it something you've ever given more than a fleeting thought, or is you main concern you immediate need and everything else can go to hell?
I strive to be a good steward of the land. As an outfitter and guide, I am always under watch of the USFS, MFWP, BLM and other agencies that I have permits to operate on their lands. I go beyond Leave No Trace Ethics. I pick-up after others and report areas that need attention. I want my young son to inherit a Montana that is even better than what we've got now.
My outdoors time is mostly hiking and fishing. I observe the fishing regs without fail. (No more spearing lobsters or anything like that.) :lol: Haven't been hunting in years, but hope to again, soon.
I always respect the land - leave no trace. But, in a survival situation? I recently read somewhere, can't remember where, that Mother Nature is a *itch who will kill you without remorse. Writer even noted that beavers, who are part of nature, do what's necessary to the environment to survive.
In a survival situation? I'll do anything necessary to make it out alive. Even if it means cutting up Mother Nature a bit as she tries to kill me.
I think the OP is asking about the ones who pop birds just because they have a gun and they can, not survival situations.
I've never been hunting (but would like to as deer are just big rats with antlers around here). But the object of taking the biggest and best buck in the forest seems counter to the usual law of natural selection or rather survival of the fittest. Where does the hunt for game meat end and the trophy hunt begin?
Actually LowKey there is alot of debatable points about your post...
Some would say True Trophy Hunting is far more ethical than meat hunting.
By "true Trophy" hunting I mean harvesting animals that are officially catagorized as "trophies" by Pope & Young and Boone & Crockett.
In a sense...meat hunting is about killing, trophy hunting is about hunting. Here's what I mean.
Meat Hunting is opportunistic...meaning 100% of the hunted species is available for harvest and hunters will bag the first available animal... from delicate tasting young females to tough, chewy old males. The goal is meat for the table with minimum effort expended. This was the style of hunting in the early to mid 1900's. Game animals were decimated throughout much of the US do to these ethics, and by WW II many states had all time low numbers of game animals.
Trophy Hunting on the other hand shows restraint. Only about 10% of any population will ever reach trophy status and be available for harvest...that means every year 90% of the species could survive hunting season. Also, this mean "hunting" opportunities are expanded. Since so few animals will statistically be harvested- hunting seasons can be lengthened, and allow dedicated sportsmen more days in the field in search of their quarry.
As far as "the strongest surviving" that would still happen, because animals don't reach "trophy" status until late in their lifespan, meaning they would have several years as viable breeders before reaching trophy size, insuring that their seeds are planted. In a world with meat hunters, most likely those same animals would have been harvested before ever getting a chance to breed.
This style of trophy management has been being utilized by progressive game management agencies for several decades now, the results...more larger class animals available for harvest, huge numbers of other gender, and age class animals making up sustainable populations, and end-result creating more trophy class animals.
"kill a crow save a duck....." Yep that about sums up how i steward my land. i also protect grouse nests and try to kill gray squirrels and wild dogs as they can do lots of harm to local wildlife. always chasing birds and steeling eggs.
I really think of the land as being my steward. Guiding me to places I'd like to return to and to UNSPOILED lands I've yet to see. I try to scar the land as little as possible using previous campfire sites when I can or not building a fire if I don't need to. I bury natural materials like fire pits and...well...you know and carry the rest out. I even try to cart garbage out that I find along the way.
As for hunting and fishing, limits are established to maintain viable populations so I try to adhere to them.
I wasn't talking about the 1900's, or the strict trophy licenses for certain game animals as a means of population control.
I was more thinking the hunter out there in the woods given the choice between the number of points on a buck, he's going for the bigger animal. I'm all for thinning the deer population. But maybe not to the detriment of the health of the future offspring. If I'm saving seed for planting next year, I leave the fruit on the biggest, best specimen in the garden.
So to speak. :)