buck460XVR
New member
Shooting animals in the woods and leaving them to rot is unethical.
Maybe yes....and maybe no. As has been said, many folks shoot 'yotes and leave them lay. Same goes for Pine squirrels, Porkies possums and other "pest and nuisance animals". I remember as a kid going to the dump and shooting rats. Never once thought about takin' them home.
The thing is, ethics and what is or is not ethical is highly subjective. What may be considered "unethical" to me may be the norm for you. For example, hunting deer with the use of dogs......or bait. Something that is not only taboo ethics around here, but also illegal. To me, that is where the line is drawn in the sand. If it's legal, then the ethics used is not an issue. Animal rights folks think that leg hold traps and drowning sets are unethical....but they are the basic tools for many trappers and legal in most areas. Houndsman around here many times "shake" a coon outta the tree or let the dogs "run down" a 'yote and chew 'em to pieces in a frenzy. To the houndsmen, it's perfectly ethical and a great training aid, even tho it's cruel, inhumane and basically illegal. Powers that be determine what's legal and what's not. We as individuals decide for ourselves what's ethical. I tend to avoid hunting with folks who's ethics don't mirror mine. I hold myself to the level that makes me comfortable and is the image I have as a safe and responsible hunter. While I may not agree with the ethics of others, if it's legal I won't take issue. The minute they break the law....I have a problem. That's how I see the "shoot squirrels and let them lay" question. If it's only a question of ethics, you as a hunter have to decide for yourself if that's the type of hunter you want to be. If it's illegal and you do it....you are a poacher, plain and simple.