Naughty, Naughty Uncle Ted!

[desidog]

Hunt, verb: to search for animals to capture or kill them; to seek; to try to find

In the UK, the term is used quite differently. When you shoot ducks or driven pheasants it's called "shooting". When you shoot deer from a stand it may be called "culling" or shooting.
It's only when you go out and spot and stalk game that it's "hunting".

I don't have any issue with shooting deer from a stand, baited or not, but it's not really hunting, it's just harvesting meat.

+1 There is a fundamental difference to these pursuits that the US commercial market and TV shows really choose to ignore. Similarly, I think that "hunting" in enclosures for captive animals is not the sporting event that hunting non-fenced areas with free-ranging game is, whatever the acreage, just based on the high fence.

But, I will say that I am not opposed to the idea of hunting non-trophy class animals. When a pack of wolves or a mountain lion culls a deer from the herd, they typically don't go after the strongest member of the herd. Instead, nature chooses the weak members for food, and eliminates these weaker genes from the reproductive pool. The stronger deer/elk is thereby afforded a greater opportunity to reproduce, and is less likely to be preyed upon by its natural enemies.

Well reasoned and well written.

Personally, I believe that bait might get the quarry to stay in your kill zone a bit longer, but mutant-antlered abnormalities won't just start materializing behind the stand like some bait commercials would have you believe. Setting up overlooking a feeder is like setting up overlooking a waterhole, how it got there is somewhat immaterial.

For someone who aspires to be a mouthpiece for hunting advocacy, Ted Nugent really royally shot himself and his cause in the foot. Since this type of article is likely to draw in many more readers of many more mindsets than a strictly pro-hunting article including Ted, this incident has probably hurt his cause much more than all the good stuff he's done to date has helped. That's a tough one to quantify though. Still, incredibly irresponsible and lazy of him (or his producers!) not to check the regs.

 

[FLAvalanche]

Similarly, I think that "hunting" in enclosures for captive animals is not the sporting event that hunting non-fenced areas with free-ranging game is, whatever the acreage, just based on the high fence.

I agree, but it too has it's place.

I'd love to shoot an axis deer. I can't afford to pack my bags and head to India to shoot one in it's native environment. I can, however, afford to head to Texas or Florida to a game preserve and get one.

No they can't run away because of the fences. No it's not very sporting. But obviously people are willing to do it and it's putting money in the local economies (ammo, food, lodging, tax, hunting licenses) so there IS some good in it.

Now, there is a downside...

Here in Florida, we already have enough invasive species on our land and in our waters. If those animals get out it can wreak havoc. Axis deer have already managed to escape and are multiplying since a preserve's fence was blown down during Hurricane Charley. I had 13 of them at my feeder a few months ago.

That's the point of the high fences. When it comes to exotic game fence height is usually regulated by state law. The high fences aren't really there to keep the animals in to make them eaiser to hunt they're there to keep them from escaping to places they don't belong and can do more damage than good.

 

[desidog]

I agree, but it too has it's place.

Yes, it does. I didn't say it was Wrong on Unethical, just fundamentally different.

I don't think that these two, albeit similar, pursuits should be held in the same merit or esteem, based on the differences. I'd love to see a "pen-raised" vs. "wild/never seen people or a trough" disclaimer on every trophy buck picture in the magazines and on tv. It might bring some easily influenced folks back to reality a bit.

 

[beeenbag]

I believe if you take the time to setup/build feeders and keep them stocked. All while eliminating your scent and setting up shooting lanes, you are hunting. You are setting up the kill by "out smarting" the prey.

As far as under sized deer... This is exactly why I hunt early muzzleloading season vigorously. My family eats all the deer meat I am allowed to harvest. I take the smallest possible for steaks ( I carry some out over my shoulder after field dressing) and take an old doe or a over mature buck for burger. We stay well fed and the deer population is running rampid around here.

 

[chas08]

I'd love to shoot an axis deer. I can't afford to pack my bags and head to India to shoot one in it's native environment. I can, however, afford to head to Texas or Florida to a game preserve and get one.

No they can't run away because of the fences.

Actually there are large populations of free ranging Axis deer in pockets all over Texas too.

I have a work friend who has killed several over the years on his non-highfenced property. Where they came from is anyones guess but they seem to be thriving.

The biggest roadblock in Texas however is gaining access to them since someone owns almost every square inch of the state. That is the one big difference between Western state hunters and Eastern/Southern state hunters. We hunt the way we do because we have to.

I personally don't care for "Deer Ranching" and wish high fencing was non existant but there is big money in it and people willing to pay it. And in most cases the native species benefit from it.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

I personally don't care for "Deer Ranching" and wish high fencing was non existant but there is big money in it and people willing to pay it.

Same here but since they don't force their methods of harvest on me,it is none of my business how they hunt. As long as they conform to our game laws,more power to them.

 

[Art Eatman]

This thread was about Ted Nugent, once upon a time...