I have read several comments lately about the "evil party hunt". I don't think that party hunting is a horrible thing. My family group, until the last couple of years, would have been considered party hunters. Our goal was to see that each hunter had a deer to tag. All of these deer were consumed and I can't remember giving any away. Fifteen years ago we had four or five young people with us who had purchased licenses and wanted a chance to get a deer. We tried to work them into the drives as both walkers and blockers.
Some times they got shots and some times they didn't but they were a part of the group and learned to hunt. There are always some people in a group who are in the wrong place, looking the wrong way, or who just couldn't hit a deer. Is it so wrong for these people to have venison to eat through the year. I can remember several times when the two deer for my son and myself made up a big part of our diet.
Another point is the harvest numbers. If the hunting seasons are to be partially population control, what can be wrong with filling legal tags. The vast majority of these deer were does and yearlings, and while it is true that some of these yearling bucks could become huge in 5 years, not if there are too many deer. My own experience has shown that very few big bucks are killed as a result of drive hunting. Most of them are smart enough to lay low or move arround the drivers. The only ones I have taken during drives have came in on blockers from the backside and were more of an accident. That doesn't make me any less proud of them. What happens to our herd numbers and buck/doe ratio if we don't harvest these deer? I see lots of possible problems.
There can be unethical excesses to any type of hunting, but I don't see this as any worse than hunter getting two bow tags, two shotgun tags, a late muzzelloader tag, and a special antlerless tag along with extra bonous doe tags. No one can eat that many deer and so must give some meat away. I don't think it is right for a shotgun hunter to carry tags for himself and his wife and his kids, and fill them under the party hunting rules. It is also against the law to do that. You can't shoot a deer for your wife while she is at the mall. She must be present to tag and transport that deer, and if she is present she is part of the hunt and entitled to the deer. There will always be some people who will bend or plain out break the laws, whether they are party hunting or going solo, but don't lump all party hunters as evil.
I don't mean to start an argument about this but I am very interested in other's views.
Some times they got shots and some times they didn't but they were a part of the group and learned to hunt. There are always some people in a group who are in the wrong place, looking the wrong way, or who just couldn't hit a deer. Is it so wrong for these people to have venison to eat through the year. I can remember several times when the two deer for my son and myself made up a big part of our diet.
Another point is the harvest numbers. If the hunting seasons are to be partially population control, what can be wrong with filling legal tags. The vast majority of these deer were does and yearlings, and while it is true that some of these yearling bucks could become huge in 5 years, not if there are too many deer. My own experience has shown that very few big bucks are killed as a result of drive hunting. Most of them are smart enough to lay low or move arround the drivers. The only ones I have taken during drives have came in on blockers from the backside and were more of an accident. That doesn't make me any less proud of them. What happens to our herd numbers and buck/doe ratio if we don't harvest these deer? I see lots of possible problems.
There can be unethical excesses to any type of hunting, but I don't see this as any worse than hunter getting two bow tags, two shotgun tags, a late muzzelloader tag, and a special antlerless tag along with extra bonous doe tags. No one can eat that many deer and so must give some meat away. I don't think it is right for a shotgun hunter to carry tags for himself and his wife and his kids, and fill them under the party hunting rules. It is also against the law to do that. You can't shoot a deer for your wife while she is at the mall. She must be present to tag and transport that deer, and if she is present she is part of the hunt and entitled to the deer. There will always be some people who will bend or plain out break the laws, whether they are party hunting or going solo, but don't lump all party hunters as evil.
I don't mean to start an argument about this but I am very interested in other's views.
