The Unwritten Lawhunting ethics The Third Step

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

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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 Cs.

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.

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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)

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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

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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

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Landowners complaints about hunters

• hunters think landowners owe them free hunting
• dont get permission to hunt
• dont tel the landowner when they arrive or leave
  the property
• make too much noise
• leave litter

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• 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.

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

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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?

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• 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