Short Truths #3: What is Ethical Hunting?

Ethics, being ethical, is something that is often debated online. Often that discussion boils down to peoples opinions and preferences and rarely does the conversation or discussion focus on ethics. The definition of ethics is your morals and principles around an activity like hunting, i.e., the ethics of the kill, ethical behavior, ethical conduct etc. In my opinion, the applied ethic overarching it all is tied to the treatment of the animal during the activity. So ... here's my answer.

[robertconyers]

Ethics is Moral Philosophy- the systematizing, differentiating, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong, good action and bad action. The principal concern of this branch of philosophy is how to lead a "well-lived" life, and the nature of human well being. The ethical dilemmas we as hunters are most often confronted with are Applied Ethics, such as the Long Range question. Having no knowledge of the opposing interlocutor's- definition of what is 'good' or 'bad', do right and wrong exist (MetaEthics), or the theory used to reach their conclusion- following specific rules, aspiring to a virtue, or expectation of consequences (Normative Ethics) there is no avenue to debate the flaws in the position. An applied ethics code can only be applied to people who have agreed to it, generally in order to be members of a group such as B&C. This is more of a member Code of Conduct than ethics. These codes are often arbitrary, capricious, or utopian ideals. Defending a conclusion that something is "ethical" or "unethical" your argument must be logical, universally applied, based in actual events, and possible outcomes. Here's an example based on the video- B&C holds long range hunting as unethical. Does that mean the closer I can get to an animal is more ethical? Would I be the most ethical hunter if I could sneak up on an animal and break it's neck? Is that what we should strive for? Is stabbing it with a spear in the heart or cutting its throat with a knife more ethical than shooting it with a bow? What about the fact that getting close to an animal can spook it, cause it distress or injury as it flees- if I can shoot it from 700 meters, drop it where it stands and it never experiences fear, why is that less ethical?

[deadreckoningoutdoors]

Ethics are only a privilege people who hunt for sport have. People think that people who had to live off the land years ago actually cared about ethics. Nature also has no ethics.