Fair Chase

Al33 brought up a point on another thread about hunting/shooting pen raised pheasants. Someone felt it was not fair chase, and it got me thinking.

First, I will say that I try hard not to judge how another hunts. If your not breaking the game laws, what you do is your business. We are blessed with freedom in this great nation.

Second, I suppose I'm biased( aren't we all somewhat) in that I'm going on this pheasant hunt/shoot Al was talking about.

I try to hunt animals that are as wild as possible. Free range and with the ability to escape. Yet I try to hunt areas with the highest game populations that I can find. I don't want them in a fence, but I sure do want a bunch of them around.

I have no problem baiting hogs, or a bear where legal. But I don't bait deer; don't like the idea of it. Kind silly isn't it. I sure will sit over a hot acorn tree with deer sign under it.

I don't want to hunt in a fence, but then again it depends on how big the enclosure is. I would love to someday hunt in Africa. I know most areas there are fenced to some degree.

Does anyone else think about this stuff? Certainly not trying to offend, just curious what other's opinions are.

Todd, the vast majority of places in Africa are NOT fenced in any manner. That idea comes from TV hunting shows, usually bow hunting shows. Those shows are usually filmed on fenced places in South Africa, where the majority of fenced properties are found. But the majority of South Africa is not fenced....just seems that way from watching TV shows....

Zimbabwe, Zambia. Botswana, Namibia, CAR, etc, have very little fenced hunting places. That is why most bowhunters(and a LOT of gun hunters), go to South Africa.

The place I hunted in Zimbabwe is called fenced, BUT, it is several million acres with a half down fence around it. Elephants, Rhino and the big cats don't fence well... and no one keeps the fence repaired....

As it relates to fenced animals, I have often asked others if the entire state of Georgia had a fence around it would you hunt in Georgia? Everything is relative.

Also, the question must be asked if you are hunting or just shooting, or perhaps a combination of both.

I am not one that says; "If it's legal then it's fair." I think fair chase has to be decided by each hunter as to what is fair and what is not based on the circumstances and the game being pursued. I would much rather hunt with my bow than a rifle, and most, even non hunters, believe hunting with a bow is more fair. However, if I am hunting to provide meat for my family I know my chances of success are much higher with a firearm and will take one but my intents and purposes are not the same as when I am hunting for sport with my bow.

In a nutshell, what is fair chase to me will not be for someone else so there is no pat answer. Too many variables to have to apply one set of standards dictating what fair chase is. These variables include location, weapons used, terrain and environment, type of animals, etc., etc..

I always thought it was odd that when you could not legally bait for hogs to shoot them you could bait traps to catch them. Once trapped it was legal to shoot them inside the trap. I understand that it was illegal because LEO's could not prove someone was actually hunting deer over bait versus baiting traps for hogs, thus the law, but still found it odd.

All this from a fellow that loves to shoot chickens, outside of a pen of course and with my bow and arrows.

I agree with fair chase completely, but agree with Al that it is a very personal view.
The property I hunt is bow only and is between 2 neighborhoods. I would never see deer in the afternoon because they were in the front yard, not the woods. The homeowner encouraged me to hunt the front yard (it's a 5 acre front yard) but I felt it wasn't fair chase. After much persuasion I reluctantly hunted the front yard. Needless to say there was still PLENTY of fair chase for me, sure some of you would have tagged out there, but I ended te season empty handed.

I have shot servile tower shoots with a shotgun.....don't go out there thinking your gonna wack a whole bunch, those things are hard to hit/kill with a gun... If it's unfair for anyone it's you not the pheasant!

Yeah, I wouldn't shoot a fox that got in the chicken coup because the coup is fenced in. Ya'll going to have a great time. Kill a few for me. mikE

I am a live and let live kinda fella. If it is legal, then have at it.

When it comes to high fence hunting, I dont have to agree with it to respect your right to do it.

As for baiting...I was opposed to it for my entire hunting life until 2005 when I went to TX and experienced it. Now if its legal in the areas I am hunting it doesnt bother me in the least whether corn is on the ground or not. Who am I to tell entire states that they are wrong and unethical and have been wrong and unethical for their entire hunting lives????

We used to chase on the playground. Fair or not, I can't say, but some of them girls didn't run too fast...

Fair chase? Well I guess those birds have a very slim chance of survival once they get tossed from the tower but they were hatched to be targets and protein is the bottom line. Just like live stock. I've done a number of tower shoots and my dogs have done mop up work on many more. Some birds will hit the ground running but most act like they just landed on the moon and bury themselves under a grass clump or jump on a limb to look around. If the dogs don't find them the predators will.

dutchman said:

We used to chase on the playground. Fair or not, I can't say, but some of them girls didn't run too fast...

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Didja catch any?

I would think a pheasant hunt would be a blast. If you do this type of hunt I would think you would go for the shot challenge but mostly for the fellowship.
As far as a fence goes I would not like to hunt something that can`t get away. That said I would bet you would be a top of the line predator if you could kill a sure nuff wild pig that had been hunted before in a 200 acre fence that had cover in it, with a stickbow under 15 yards. so being able to get away means out of shot range if he knows your there to me. In or out of a fence would`nt be the difference so much as if the critter was "wild" with a survival instinct and did`nt just stand there and look at you. I could`nt shoot one like that.
I killed a deer over corn this year. can I tell you they are some kind of wired and the doe was a slick as any critter I ever shot . I enjoyed the hunt as well. As much as an hour walk with a stand on my back finding a hot tree and climbing right then for a kill? Not even close. Will I do it again....you bet.RC

Todd Cook said:

Didja catch any?

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I probably did and didn't know what to do with them. Turned them all loose...'cept for one. I've been with her for quite a while now.

I've shot at a couple of "tower shoots" and had my dog retrieve at a whole bunch of them.

Here's my take: It isn't hunting. I don't tell folks I'm going on a pheasant HUNT, I tell them I'm going on a pheasant SHOOT. That is what it is and it is legal and fun and my dog loves it. He doesn't know the difference, he just likes to fetch 'em up. It can be a challenge for the shooter and even for the dog (some retrieves are easy, some are not), but it isn't hunting and that is OK.

Back in the day I used to put on a few tower pheasant shoots. Seldom would there be more than a 60% harvest rate. Lots will get away. If you hunt hard the next day, you may find another 5% maybe.
Remember, pheasants are not indigenous to the U.S. and they are fened in by the oceans. The only difference between currently wild birds and released birds is time.

BIgJim

Fair chase for a stick bow hunter takes on a whole different meaning, in compairson to doing it with a rifle. If in a fenced area that's 100yds x 100yds, if the critter stays beyond 20 yds., or so, it might as well be on the serengeti, where I'm concerned.

Have not heard the first one complain about the millions of dollars spent each year by the businesses and wealth, celebrities etc who rent the exclusive rights to hunt quail under the quail unlimited curtain. These are pen raised quail that are basically tame and placed out in strategic locations for the guides and the dogs to point so the hunters can dismount the wagons they are riding in approach the dogs and shoot at the birds when they flush them, usually by kicking at them to scare them to fly! They say that they love to watch the dogs work LOL mine works my backyard just fine, just watch where you step if you know what I mean. Then there are the pigeon shoots that the rich have and bet money on each shot ( if you do not know what I am talking about then why complain about a pheasant). The list goes on and on and on. The gw or leo will not even mess with the rich and famous for over the limit and other violations such as being under the influence while hunting etc etc etc. I hunt to provide for myself and my family if you do the same fine if not to each his own just stay out of my back yard with your lack of consideration for the game we hunt.

I say "Fair Chase" is kinda like ah huntin religion. Every body wantin ta put there own personal one on somebody else. Some folks hide behind those words just to force what they want on others. My Fair Chase goes like this.....I like stickbow but......Take the critters with ah stickbow, compound, xbow, gun, fence, no fence, Snare, Deadfall, pit, or ah dynamite bait pile. Ok maybe the dynamite was ah bit much.
Long as it's legal. If it aint and you want it to be then work to change the law.

As bad as I have been shooting lately, you could tie the animal up in front of my stand and it would be "fair chase."