Hunt Fair Chase

The Most Important Piece of Equipment is You - Hunt Fair Chase

The great conservationist Aldo Leopold reminds us that, “Ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one else is watching—even when doing the wrong thing is legal.” Leopold also made the point that, in the field, you are your own referee. There is no one else to “call the shot.” At the end of the day, the measure of the hunt is a measure of oneself.

Selfies - Hunt Fair Chase

Hunting, by its very nature, teaches valuable life skills such as problem solving and organization. It also instills character traits such as self-reliance, self-determination, self-discipline, and self-respect. It is because of these teachings that for centuries sportsmen were respected members in their communities, not only for their woodmanship skill in being able to provide food, but how they carried themselves in everyday life.

Is Legal Always Ethical? - Hunt Fair Chase

One of the best and worst things that has happened to hunting in the last 20 years has been hunting shows on television. On the best side, having shows about hunting on television started out as a vindication and validation after hunting on TV went dark when “Personal choice” is mentioned many times throughout this website. There is no escaping the fact that hunting itself is a personal experience, preceded by personal choices. The issue of legal versus ethical raises another very important personal choice question.

As Seen on TV - Hunt Fair Chase

One of the best and worst things that has happened to hunting in the last 20 years has been hunting shows on television. On the best side, having shows about hunting on television started out as a vindication and validation after hunting on TV went dark when the American Sportsmen show left the air in 1967. Hunting shows being aired on television again was viewed as hunting’s coming out party. After all, everything else was making it to television, why not hunting? On the worst side, well that’s a can of worms subject to differing opinions and evolution.

Talking About Why We Hunt - Hunt Fair Chase

As hunters, we all will inevitably be put in a position to explain, either in person or online, why we hunt. Sometimes this will be in response to someone who is simply curious. Other times we could be confronted by someone who has already made up his or her mind that they oppose hunting in general, or some form of it, and is just interested in winning an argument. How we respond individually and collectively will have a significant influence on how we, and hunting in general, are viewed and then accepted or rejected.

Skipping to the Last Chapter - Hunt Fair Chase

A clean kill of a game animal is of course the hoped-for goal of a fair chase hunt. But as anyone who spends time afield knows, there’s a lot more to hunting than just the kill. Pulling the trigger is, in fact, only a small portion of a tradition where the accent has long been on conserving our natural resources and respecting the game we pursue.

Referees - Hunt Fair Chase

While professional sports leagues continue making tweaks to their refereeing system and booth-review processes, it makes one wonder if hunting has had it right all along: We police ourselves and call our own shots.

Our Shield Against the Antis - Hunt Fair Chase

It would be tough for anyone who hunts not to be disturbed by the rhetoric being put forth by anti-hunting groups. They’re among that 10 percent of the population who not only does not hunt, but they are trying to make a living out of ending all hunting.

Our Permission to Speak - Hunt Fair Chase

All significant human activities, sooner or later, are conducted under a code, or set of guidelines, that direct appropriate behavior. Without this order there would simply be chaos and the activi...

Origins of Fair Chase - Hunt Fair Chase

“In a civilized and cultivated country, wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen.”―Theodore Roosevelt, founder Boone and Crockett Club An ethical code of c...