Question about "Fair Chase"

[grizzlyplumber]

I enjoy watching Eastmans TV show and subscribe to both of their magazines. They are constantly endorsing Fair Chase hunting. My question is: what exactly is fair chase? Do they mean anything not behind a high-fence? Does hunting from a ground blind or treestand qualify? Or is it just spot-and-stalk? Or maybe they are purposely ambiguous to leave it up to each hunters own ethics. Im just curious what most of you think of when you hear Fair Chase.

 

[BOHNTR]

I can't speak for Guy or Mike Eastman personally, but I would imagine their idea of fair chase is much like those defined by the Pope & Young Club. I've posted them for you from their website. Hope it helps.

Fair Chase

From its beginnings, the Club has grown to epitomize fair chase and sportsmanship in hunting. This fair chase philosophy reaches to the very foundations of the hunting spirit; it remains a dominant factor in the personal hunting ethic of every responsible individual; it is key to bowhunting's future with deep roots in America's hunting heritage. Simply defined, fair chase is the ethical, sportsmanlike, and lawful pursuit of free-ranging wild game animals in a manner which does not give the hunter an improper or unfair advantage over the animal. It does, however, extend beyond the hunt itself; it is an attitude and a way of life based in a deep-seated respect for wildlife, for the environment, and for other individuals who share the bounty of this vast continent's natural resources.

The term "Fair Chase" shall not include the taking of animals under the following conditions:

1. Helpless in a trap, deep snow or water, or on ice.
2. From any power vehicle or power boat.
3. By "jacklighting" or shining at night.
4. By the use of any tranquilizers or poisons.
5. While inside escape-proof fenced enclosures.
6. By the use of any power vehicles or power boats for herding or driving animals, including use of aircraft to land alongside or to communicate with or direct a hunter on the ground.
7. By the use of electronic devices for attracting, locating, or pursuing game or guiding the hunter to such game, or by the use of a bow or arrow to which any electronic device is attached.
8. Any other condition considered by the Board of Directors as unacceptable.

BOHNTR )))---------->

 

[HuntElk4Fun]

BOHNTR hit it on the head from a "politically correct" vantage point and terminology. To me, ideal/true fair chase is any hunting on public ground following your local states regulations.

To me, private ground, even without fences can be argued not to be fair chase. I don't think there is anything wrong with hunting on private land without fences, I just don't think it qualifies as true fair chase.

 

[Cannon]

Fair Chase certainly includes private land in my opinion.
To me fair chase is the way the animal is persued not where.

IE. Hunting public land during the rut with a high power rifle and 14 friends with cell phones and ATVs "VS" Private land muzzleloader with your 10 year old kid.

Both maybe fair chase but one seems more fair!!


CANNON

 

[HuntElk4Fun]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-20-05 AT 11:59AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Nov-20-05 AT 11:58?AM (MST)

LAST EDITED ON Nov-20-05 AT 11:57?AM (MST)

Let me remind you I don't think anything is wrong with hunting on private land(without high fences obviously), but I still think it can provide an advantage that borders the line of fair chase. Animals tend to find safe haven on private land. They aren't pestered there, etc.

Think of several of the CWMU's in Utah. They stand and look at you, you shoot them. Granted not all low fence, "state game", private land cases are like this nor this extreme, but I think most private land owners have an advantage over the game, that doesn't exist on public land.

Look at Colorado/Wyoming. I know of several places where the mulies plow out of the high country to the farmer fields. They are safe there. Here comes farmer joe landowner and/or his landowner tag hunting party. Fill their tags in a day, go home. We've all seen it. That's not fair chase IMO.

CANNON- I think you did hit it on the head:
"To me fair chase is the way the animal is persued not where."

 

[2_Point]

If you draw one of 20 tags for an early season, high country, rifle hunt in a public land unit that is 50 square miles; Is that fair chase? Probably not as fair as the same unit with 2,000 general season tags, but I'd take either and be happy with whatever resulted from the hunt. It is all fair chase as long as there are NO man made enclosures (high fence).

 

[PronghornHunter]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-20-05 AT 02:03PM (MST)[p]I do agree with some of you but in a lot of cases there are exceptions, probably more so than you think and not all people who hunt on private land are hunting unfair. We cannot stereotype either and I'm not implying you are. I'm speaking in general and my opinions vary depending on the hunter.
My opinion, I feel that someone who has lead there life of hunting and having to pay enormous fees to hunt on private ground where the animals do just stand there waiting for you to shoot them in my book can't even call themselves a true hunter and may be unfair.
Now if it's the little old lady or man or kid in a wheel chair who can't get out and beat the hills then get it on.

I consider myself an excellent hunter and shooter. My friends can tell you that too... depending on who buys lunch after the hunt.
This year I drew a late season tag for muleys and had the opportunity to hunt some private ground. This was the first time talking to this land owner and the second time I have ever asked permission to hunt on private ground in my twenty eight years of hunting. I did not have to pay a tresspass fee and the landowner didn't even want my landowner coupon to cash it in. Said he didn't care. If I would have had to pay would this have been unfair chase?
I hunted my a$$ off (on foot, no horses or atv's) and the deer were not standing there waiting for me to shoot them. There were very few fences and this was on a mountain and not low lying hay fields as some people picture all private ground to be. The only difference between the BLM land next to it and this private piece of ground I hunted was a fence any deer or elk could jump over. Did it keep them from going on to BLM ground? No. Did I have any advantage over the next hunter who was on BLM on the other side of the fence? I don't think so. It just gave me more of this area to hunt so the animals were being hunted on both sides of the fence equaly. As a matter of fact most of the deer and elk we saw were on public ground so if I were to had killed an animal on this private ground I would not have considered it unfair to my fellow hunter on the other side of the fence who was maybe jealous that he wasn't on private ground. If anything it may have helped him by pushing them his way.
By the way, I killed my buck the next day on public ground and it just so happened to be right next to a different land owners property. My advantage was catching them coming off the private land on to public land. Any good hunter knows this. I wouldn't call that unfair. They don't stay on private ground all the time. I didn't in any way notice if the behavior of the buck I killed was changed the minute he stepped off private and on to public ground. He took the bullet on public ground the same way he would have taken it on private.

 

[eweikum338]

Very good subject. I think the definition of fair chase is probably a little different for each hunter and depending on where you are hunting.
Is it fair chase to have a guide point out a trophy animal for you? In my opinion NO!
Is it fair chase to ride your snowmobile to find your Elk, deer? IMO NO!
To me, fair chase is out there hiking on public land in the general season, finding and stalking your animal.
Is it fair chase to shoot a buck or Bull
during the rut? IMO NO!
Fair chase actually could be any leagal taking of game. It is just a personal opinion.

 

[bittersweetmuleymeat]

This has been the big question (especially recently) as Montanas first Bison hunt in over 15 years has resumed as of last Tuesday. To make a long story short...

1. Too many Bison (nearing 5000, 2000-3500 is suitable estimate for Yellowstone range)

2. Bison leave park in search of food (or more food)

3. Limited hunters "harvest" bison following rules of all other Mt game animals.

4. Bison are understandably fairly tame (they grew up in Yellowstone Park)

5. Hunters get picked on and belittled by opposition because Bisons lack of fear (of humans)

Opinions or suggestions? Bittersweet

 

[bobcatbess]

FAIR CHASE:

MEANS HUNTING IN THE WILD,PUBLIC GROUND,SHORT FENCES,NO CORN FEEDERS,WITHOUT THE USE OF A LAWBREAKING IDIOT ON A WHEELER!!!

YUP,I LOOKED THE DEFINITION UP IN WEBSTERS DICTIONARY!!!

THE ONLY bobcat WITH A TRUE DEFINITION OF "FAIR CHASE"!!!

 

[kingfish]

FREE ROAMING ANIMALS.

 

[opportunist]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-21-05 AT 09:42AM (MST)[p]So now you have to hunt on public land, your vehicle hunt have a roof and a steering wheel and you cannot use guide, to be ethical. WHAT A FREAKING JOKE! You people are worse than PETA.

I see no one said a **** thing about there .300 MEGAMAG rifle with 14X light gathering scope capable of killing an elephant at 600 yards or there scoped magnum muzzleloaders with plastic tipped bullets and pellatized powder. 3 speed loaders in their pockets. Or nothing about their carbon arrows tipped with mechanical broadheads, 85% let off bow, 1500 yard laser range finder, 3d camo and scent elinator.

 

[B_F_E]

Easy there Opportunist, D13er gave me this definition in another post, I think it applies here.

Anything I do is fair chase, anything anyone else does is suspect.

 

[walltenthunter]

Fair Chase to me is the animal having the advantage, and hunting in a way as to not bring disrespect to the animal hunted. Obviously high fence hunts (at least here in Colorado) and their one day country club, the guide is there to quote prices, represents the bottom fishers of hunting image and fair chase. A customer of mine had a client whom hunted a bull trucked in from Minnesota to Colorado, the bull on consignment, hunter flown in for one day, the price being $37,500, proceeds split 50/50 between the Minnesota elk farm and the Colorado bottom fisher high fence elk ranch. Fair chase is nowhere to be seen in high fence hunting, again my perspective limited to Colorado. To the contrary, whitetail hunting in Texas is often high fence hunting, yet those whitetails can present challenges there.

Also, other issues/problems with fair chase should include 2 way radios. The guides near where I hunt in Colorado live by their radios. Perhaps that is one reason they do so poorly. Geting clients into remote places before breakfast might well be a better strategy. Fair Chase is more than 'in the eye of the beholder'. It is measurable by other hunters, regulations, and the at large public. I'll take hunting by foot as being about as close as one can get to Fair Chase.

 

[Hoosierbuck]

Hypothetically-say you hunt in a midwestern state where all the ground is private...do you have to leave your state to hunt fair chase?
HB

 

[AndymanSavage]

So basically, if YOU don't hunt private ground it isn't fair? I always get a kick out of how superior hunters feel when it comes to the way they hunt. I've done muzzleloader hunts on public ground that were WAY easier than rifle hunts that I've done on private ground. I don't think you can use a broad stroke to cover where you hunt. To me it's like Pope & Young said, the animal must have the upper hand. No high fences.

Andy