Hunting with bows

[Thunk]

It's all very well to talk about 'culling to maintain the ecological balance', but nature does that itself if left alone. It's us - mankind - who have upset that balance in the first place.

A life is a life, whatever external form it takes. It should never be taken lightly, and certainly not for fun - which is what 'sport' is.

[Little Miss Purple]

I have been with a pack of Beagle's to hunt hare's - the pack are employed by the farmer who is by law obliged to kill vermin. It is also the responsibility of the master of the hunt to inform whoever the governing body is, the numbers of hare observed on that day. This number in no way reflects the number of hares caught.

I have also been hunting on horseback where the hunt followed a scent rather than a fox etc - the thrill of this act is witnessing the hounds working and picking up the scent and following it.

Shall I start the 'ban fishing as it's cruel' thread???

[Tarkwin]

Shall I start the 'ban fishing as it's cruel' thread???

I think that sitting on a river bank up to your ankles in mud in the rain at 6am is punishment enough for fishermen.

[Field Archer]

I voted no, there would never be a need to hunt in this country with a bow of any type. There are far more efficient ways of despatching animals.

Although I mainly shoot field and 3D events, I have never associated it with shooting live animals. Someone in another post said that they saw it as the same thing, I can’t see it that way myself, a picture is a piece of paper and a live animal, is a live animal.

[Little Miss Purple]

Although I mainly shoot field and 3D events, I have never associated it with shooting live animals. Someone in another post said that they saw it as the same thing, I can’t see it that way myself, a picture is a piece of paper and a live animal, is a live animal

I couldn't agree more!!

[Macbow]

Hunting of any sort is always going to be a polarising topic that cannot be debated without people on either side getting very agitated. Already the moral/ethical judgements and generalisations are being submitted. There is some pretty balanced info on bowhunting at the following wikepedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archery#Hunting

[Max]

I voted no because I fear we would not be able to safely control it. I shot rabbits for the pot as a young lad (and would do so again if I had access to the land). I buy shot wild venison on occasions, so it would be a little hypocritical of me to denounce all hunting of wild animals, although there are a range of so called bloodsports that disgust me beyond measure.

Hunting with high power rifles is tightly controlled, mainly through limited access to the firearms, but the implication of a miss with a rifle is far more serious than a miss with a bow. However, the thought of camo bow hunters occupying the same tiny wood as my little girl picking bluebellls, would scare me to death. I simply don't think we have the room in our little country - there are enough hunting accidents in America and compare the size.

Mind you it does not stop the poachers - I talked to a ranger in Thetford forrest recently who told me that London gangs were coming inot the woods and filling trucks with deer, so maybe we are not as safe in the woods as we think.

[Tarkwin]

Originally Posted by Macbow

Hunting of any sort is always going to be a polarising topic that cannot be debated without people on either side getting very agitated.

There is nothing wrong with healthy debate, there is even room for strongly held views to be expressed as long as it doesn't degrade into a mud-slinging competition and name calling. I have seen some debates get close to this here and in other fora & newsgroups go as far as create schisms

It is for this reason that I didn't put the options

Yes - for personal use
Yes - for profit

though part of me wishes I had.

T.

[tel]

From where I stand (sit), this is an age old argument that can and will continue to the end of time with no conclusion because there will always be a substantial number of people who are passionate enough to make it so - on either side.......

[Tuck]

As others on the forum have indicated they do hunt with other weapons, to remove vermin or put meat in the pot - as have I.

I have voted if neccessary.

Perhaps a bit of a cop out as I do not see the ethical difference between a properly shot bow and a rifle. There is a greater difference to a badly shot gun!

The whole issue is need and efficiency. A compound bow at 60-70 # will despatch a game animal in a few seconds, in the right hands. A rifle does the same. Both rely on the integrity of the hunter to get into the right kill position.

This does NOT mean that I blur the line between target shooting and hunting. They are very separate activities.