Top 5 Hunting Ethics You Should Know as a New Hunter
Hunting can be fun. It can be a good way to test one’s skill and prowess. Hunters can enjoy flavorful wild game, and they get to enjoy the outdoors. But some hunters, because of their behavior, give hunting a bad name and ruin the sport for others. Novice hunters should therefore learn the ethics of hunting.
1) Obey the law
Ethical hunters obey all laws and regulations concerning hunting. They don’t exceed bag limits, hunt out of season, or hunt on private property without first securing the owner’s permission. They realize that many regulations exist to help ensure other people’s safety. They know very well that hunting while drunk or stoned greatly increases the chances of a hunting accident. Other regulations exist to protect vulnerable and endangered species. Ethical hunters therefore obey them.
2) Fully use the animal
“Fully use” means that the hunter at the very least cuts off the edible parts of an animal and takes them home. They don’t just cut off the head and leave the body to rot. If they are hunting a large animal like a deer, they plan ahead to make the necessary arrangements to either butcher it on site or bring the carcass home.
3) Make clean kills
Ethical hunters do their best to minimize the animal’s suffering. They kill the animal as quickly and humanely as possible. If they wound an animal, they track it down so they can put it out of its misery.
4) Give the animal a fighting chance
Ethical hunters follow the principals of fair chase, which means they allow the animal a decent chance to escape. The principals of fair chase balance the hunter’s chance of success with the prey’s chance of survival. These principals maintain that while some practices might be legal, they are not ethical. Canned hunts, in which an animal is caged or otherwise incapacitated, are examples of an unethical practice that violates fair chase principals.
5) Know your capabilities and those of your weapons
Ethical hunters know what they can and cannot do. When hunting a given animal, they know what weapons are appropriate. They know how accurate they are, and they avoid taking long range shots. Ethical hunters realize that taking a long range shot increases the chances of missing the animal, or worse, wounding it. Similarly, ethical hunters make a point of knowing how to safely use their weapons.
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