laws and ethics are not interchangeable and anyone that argues contrary has obviously not spent much time in history class.
I've yet to know of any history class that teaches Game Management and hunting regulations. Again, comparing modern hunting practices to the Revolutionary War is BS. Stating that breaking any law you don't agree with is perfectly fine is a snub and a kick to the groin of any brave soul that fought in that war to give us that right to govern ourselves. You're right tho, ethics and laws are different. One can use poor ethics while hunting that are legal and just be considered by many to be a slob hunter. Break the law while hunting and you are a criminal....period, no matter what the personal justification is. Consequences if caught are much different.
gaseousclay, the system of the OP has created the problem, so it's obvious that "hunting season" shooting of the deer fails to deal with the problem. If anything, it makes the problem worse.
Art, the scenario the OP presents is basically non-existent anywhere in modern America. With the popularity of hunting, the modern tools available for use and the multitude of seasons, the only reason this could ever happen is on private land that is not accessible to other hunters. Modern hunting bag limits and game management everywhere in the country allows for the harvest of female and juvenile animals when needed. State agencies can only control game populations in areas of public access, so if an area is overpopulated, it is because the private land owner created it themselves. Now you think they should be able to shoot animals outta season because they mismanaged their land? So much for them knowing better than the state as for carrying capacity. If this is a fantasy scenario, then the answer should be fantasy, but if one wants it to be realistic, they themselves should be realistic. Again, every poacher alive justifies to themselves why they poach, problem is, that reasoning don't float to the general public and game wardens.
I guess it's that I believe that rational killing for what is factually "the good of the species" or "protection of an ecosystem" is not poaching.
I believe the key word in that statement is
Factually.
How factual is it that an average person can estimate game populations driving down the road @ 70 MPH? How factual is it that the majority of those claiming they are doing what's best for the land are just slob hunters justifying their poaching? I doubt that anyone here would tell another not to do what is right for "the good of the species" or "protection of an ecosystem", but the fact is, giving folks the right to hunt as they see fit is what decimated many game populations and drove others into extinction. Remember, if you're better qualified to manage the game in your state than wildlife officials, than so is your neighbor Bubba, and his nephew and the 14 others that hunt next door. The real facts are, that game laws and wildlife management as lame as they can be at times, are the only reason you and I have game to hunt at all.