Ethics & Hunter Education Is The Glue That Holds Hunting Together

All people are bound by the laws of man to live by a code of ethics, but sportsmen have additional values to be considered if we are to be judged for what we believe are ethical actions.
Hunter ethics reach farther than many sportsmen believe. They include a feeling and a deep appreciation for the fish we catch, the animals and birds we hunt, the outdoor environment we and wildlife need and share, and the deep inner stimulation we feel when pursuing our pastimes in an ethical, legal and well regulated manner.
This personal ethics policy hinges on those deeply-seated feelings sportsmen must have for the well being and continued health, welfare and habitat improvement of game animals and birds as well as non-game animals and birds and fish. Sportsmen must care deeply about what happens to all wildlife, and not just those species for which there is an open or closed fishing or hunting season.
The habitat that the small warblers call home in Michigan is every bit as important to everyone in this state as that used by ducks, geese, pheasants, ruffed grouse, wild turkeys and woodcock.
But fishing and hunting ethics go far beyond this simple, yet personal, concept that govern our actions. Michigan laws place additional ethical demands on hunters, making our special-interest outdoor groups the most regulated in the state.
Young or older beginning hunters no longer can pick up a firearm and head for the woods, fields or marshes without lengthy and well supervised Hunter Education training class. The same rules apply to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1960. Any first-time hunter born on or after that date must possess a valid hunter education certificate to purchase their first hunting license.
These hunter safety certificates also are required to buy a nonresident license in other states and some Canadian provinces. Many tales are told about trying to buy a Colorado over-the-counter elk tag. Hunters without the proper certification must take an expensive test to prove competency or go home disappointed.
They must pass a rigorous examination and satisfy qualified instructors on their capability to hunt safely without endangering others, themselves or the property of landowners. They must understand the laws that govern their conduct while hunting, and now is when people should attend fall classes.
These training classes teach students how to handle bows and firearms safely, give explanations of wildlife management, teach game laws, and make certain that students understand the laws of safe hunting. They are common-sense rules that can help keep us safe.
All are necessary to obtain an in-depth knowledge of hunter safety, but ethics -- personal ethics -- are almost spiritual inner feelings, something that must come from deep within each individual. They are as much a part of fishing and hunting as carrying a fly rod onto a stream or a firearm or when hunting from a tree stand with a bow.
Hunting, and the freedom to hunt, is a part of our American heritage that should be as rich and deep as love of our family and this great country. The American Constitution guarantees us the right to keep and bear arms, but those arms must be used in a civilized and lawful manner.
This constitutional guarantee obligates sportsmen to abide by local, state and federal fish and game laws, and to have respect for themselves, the lives and property of others, and obviously, for the fish or wildlife they pursue.
Recreational fishing and hunting is a sound management policy designed to keep fish and wildlife around in desirable numbers for the enjoyment of future generations of sportsmen and those who have no desire to fish or hunt but enjoy the recreational value of viewing deer, elk and other game or a day on the water with rod in hand.
These pastimes satisfy a deep personal need for many people, and hunting can be a deeply moving experience. But they are as individual as our fingerprints. Each of us who fishes or hunts has a different viewpoint on how we should view our days afield.
Ethics, and the feelings hunters have for their sport and the wildlife we hunt, is an emotional package so deeply rooted and meaningful that it's difficult to put into words so non-hunters or anti-hunters can understand.
We, as anglers and hunters, must develop our own personal code of ethics which goes beyond those laws and rules established by any sporting agency or group. Our sport will be judged by its personal and collective sense of ethics, and the public actions of its many individuals.
Fishing and hunting actions and needs require a code of personal ethics to survive ... not only now but well into the future. How we behave now will determine whether we will have fishing and hunting in the not-so-distant future.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors