Fair Chase?

B

Blev

New member
Hi, folks.

I went hunting for the first time last year (deer hunting)so I admit up front that I am pretty new to this. I am teaching myself by reading and asking questions of folks when I get the opportunity. I have recently came across the term "fair chase." I heard it on a hunting show and I read it somewhere. I imagine that it has something to do with not taking shots you are not sure of and following hunting laws but I have never seen an actual explanation, just a couple of exhortations to "follow the rules of fair chase." Would y'all please enlighten me?

Thanks,
Blev
 
To me, fair chase means that the animal has the opportunity, and ablitity to run away, that it isn't just penned in and shot. Spotlighting, and other illegal activities violate the "fair-chase" creed.

In my experience, whitetail deer pretty much take care of the fair chase part themselves (I've seen them clear 6' "game-proof fences"). Where you run into issues are game ranches that release a pen raised animal to a small pasture, essentially ring the dinner bell, then let some yahoo shoot the critter. This is certainly not the norm for game ranches, but it does happen. The one operation that comes to mind is an outfit in Colorado called Avery Ranch. According to a "Hunting" show I saw a while back, you are guaranteed a 6x6 bull elk for $4995. You don't even need a license, presumably because you are shooting some guys livestock. He (Avery), raises elk in a pen (they even showed him feeding them from his hands) then releases them on a 1100 acre pasture, and Avery calls them in for some shooter to shoot. SAD!
The second "Avery" show I saw featured Keith Warren, a hunting and fishing show host popular here in Texas, shooting a small 6x6 bull elk with a crossbow. They set up a "stand" next to a "good lookin' spot" about 35 yards from a feed trough and hay bales. Suprise suprise along come about 1/2 dozen smallish 6x6 bulls (I think they were on the "Clearance rack" or some such). They pick a bull, and Keith shoots it with the crossbow. The shot is a little far back, but the animal just hangs around. They show the animal laying down, then getting back up, then laying down again in the growing pool of blood. They edit it to only a few minutes of tape, but it is apparent the the animal took quite a while to die. There is never a follow-up, or "mercy" shot. Growing up, I rarely missed Keith Warren in "Fishing Texas", and was a huge fan. Now, well, he can bite me.

Note: I do believe Mr. Avery has the right to own whatever livestock he wants, and do with it what he will, but letting the animal die slowly when you have the ability to put it out of it's misery is cruel, and selling this crap as hunting is just a damn lie.

Oooh, sorry for the rant.
 
Its hard to define "fair chase" since hunting takes place in so many areas and under so many different conditions. For example, its probably quite reasonable to hunt deer with dogs in south florida because its a veritable jungle. It wouldn't be right to do that in Kansas or Texas.

Fair Chase just means you don't cheat. You obey the law, you hunt honestly so that you feel good when you take an animal. Bait, lights, enclosed spaces, long shots, etc, aren't fair or ethical and you won't feel good if you hunt like that.



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Keith
The Bears and Bear Maulings Page: members.xoom.com/keithrogan
 
I'm with Lonestar on this one. It makes me sick to see an animal linger like that when the political climate is already so volatile for hunters. Aside from that, I have been sleepless for weeks after wounding a deer and not finding it afterward and knowing that it probably died a slow and painfull death.

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Think!
 
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