Catch and Release Hunting?

[ElkHntinMD]

Folks,
At the show in PA this past weekend I saw an outfitter selling hunts where the hunter actually darts the game and gets photos taken with it!!! I guess you can have some type of reproduction mount done or something. I didn't really look into it too much, but it was for rhino and some other BIG critters. A rhino hunt at the show was going for $38,500. I couldn't believe it! I talked to the outfitter selling the "what I call catch and release hunts" and he said they do it because nobody can afford to shoot these critters! Has anyone seen or heard of this!

 

[Ithaca 37]

Nope, but I suppose it's the thing of the future. Now, suppose you could shoot a tranquilizer as accurately and as far as a bullet. Would you do it? How long would the tranquilizer affect the animal? Suppose a wolf, coyote or bear came along and caught the doped up animal after you got done taking pictures and left? How ya gonna find the deer without a blood trail. Suppose you hit the tip of it's ear and the tranquilizer works. Does that count as a downed animal? Think of the possibilities! What's the limit on elk gonna be?

 

[ElkHntinMD]

Folks,
call me a dumb chit! I relized after I posted this maybe it should have been posted somewhere else! Sorry!
Ithaca, Some good points! But as far as other critters coming along I'm sure they give it a shot to bring it around before completely departing the scene! Good points in your post though! I didn't think about it but, is this the hunting of the future or the man with no money hunt? You made me think about some things! Is this the future outfitter? Hell Ithaca, this may be the next 100,000 dollar a year huntin business, what do ya think? The big question is is this unethical or unsporting?

 

[Ithaca 37]

Ethical? I don't know why not, but I'm sure plenty of opinions will arise. It's fun to fantasize about, but I'm not counting on seeing it in my lifetime. At least not the way I'd want it to be. What I'd need is a Star Wars ray gun that would just freeze then in place 'til I could get there and take my pictures with them standing next to me!

 

[Washington Hunter]

I'd like to see catch and release bird hunting! I'd do it for sure if they'd develop a shotgun load that would knock 'em down just long enough to give the dog time tot retrieve and for me to get a picture. Course, I can't guarantee the dog won't hurt the bird.

As far as tranquilizing rhinos, why not? Who would want to eat them anyway? And who would want a rhino head? Might as well shoot 'em and "release" 'em. I can think of better ways to spend my money though.

 

[Oak]

I've definately seen them sport hunting rhinos on TV with tranquilizers. Sounds like a good way to get your ass stomped into jelly. It seems that the AR folks would attack this even more than hunting, since you've taken away the obvious gain from normal hunting, ie. meat. If you think game farms are hard to defend, imagine trying to defend this sort of thing.

Oak

 

[Ten Bears]

I saw this on the outdoor channel last week. The outdoor channel is almost as funny as the comedy network.

 

[MarlandS]

How often could the animals be tranquilized before it becomes detrimental to their health?

I agree, something like this could end hunting.

 

[Washington Hunter]

I sure would't want anybody tranquilizing elk. Rhinos I don't care...that's another continent. But don't do it to elk! Or any other of our big game animals in this country either, for that matter. I'm sure it wouldn't be allowed anyway, except maybe on game farms.

 

[Ithaca 37]

Yeah! Game farms would probably think catch and release with tranquilizers is a great idea!

I just want a Star Trek ray gun that will automatically freeze the elk in place 'til I can take a picture then let it go just as good as brand new!

 

[Lostagain]

I saw a deal like this on the discovery channel. It didn't sink in til now, but the fellow with the trangun wasn't a biologist but everyone else was some sort of research person. The "shooter" apparently paid for the opportunity to help the researchers out with his skill. I would image as state F&G outfits now are so strapped for cash they will "sell" their own research opportunties.

 

[Washington Hunter]

Lost, Hey that sounds like a pretty good deal, for the wildlife agencies. I wouldn't have a problem with them making some money just for letting a guy do the shooting of an animal that's getting tranquilized anyway. I bet they could sell a hunt like that for a fair amount of money!

 

[danr55]

I talked with some guys at the Sportsman Show in Phoenix last year about this. They hunt them with bows and use special arrows with a quick acting tranquilizer. You have your picture taken with the bull, then they mark the bull with a paint on the rump. The paint is coded by color for the week. They say they don't let the bulls get shot more than once every three weeks. That's supposed to give the dope time to work it's way out of the system. For what they offered, it sounded like they were trying to cater to the Bunny Hugger crowd rather than to hunters. I didn't like the man I was talking with. He reminded me of a car salesman. All he wanted was money!!$$

 

[1_pointer]

I hope this stays as far away from mainstream as possible! I don't think it's good for hunters or the wildlife. Other than being a 'sport', we have to remember that hunting is also the biggest game management tool that we have.

 

[Ten Bears]

Wait until the junky rhino comes to camp looking for his fix, and there aint none.

 

[Tom]

I guided a guy for fallow deer once that did a dart rhino hunt once in Africa. He was an Exxon executive and could afford it on a rhino, white rhino I think. They only let the rhino get darted once a year where he was. I know other people that dart exotic animals here and get their pictures taken and then release them. Often its part of the transher of them from one place to another. It takes a while for the tranquilizer to work and you have to stick with them, that's harder than just shooting them dead. They stay with them until they come back too to make sure all is well. If the dart doesn't hit right, the dose can get screwed up, its dangerous to then dart them again. Its a touchy thing because of the dose issues and effective dose depends on body size as well as a good hit. Body size is hard to get right, just looking at an animal running around on the hoof, but they do it around here.

 

[ElkHntinMD]

Some interesting and comical post here!

I personnaly would hate to see hunting come to this! I didn't realize it had already been aired on T.V. 1-pointer had a good point as for it's our best management tool! True it is. I don't get the intent behind it! So big deal, you dart something and get a pic! Whats that? You don't eat it? But in todays world, it's all about different strokes for different folks! Man, I can only imagine what PETA would do with this! Ya gotta wonder, would they be for it because it does not kill and push it until it took hold. Then push to abolish it on the claim that it is cruel and unusual treatment?
I must admit the lazer gun thing would be really cool! I would use it on more people than critters though!

 

[MarlandS]

I think PETA's position would be that it harrasses game and causes undo stress.

 

[brokfut]

I can just see it: Elk with a junkies habit. They just hang out near camp waiting for the free high from the needle. When hunting season closes, they all go into withdrawl and start seeing weird things and hearing voices. Start raiding camp sites and wreaking trailers and camper.
What next? We have to set up rehap centers for wildlife.

 

[Tom]

I have a friend who sort of did a catch and release on an expensive animal. Lots of exotic ranches here have some cheap species and some expensive one. He got a shot on an expensive one that he could not afford with his bow. He used a blunt tip, thinking he would get to shoot it, but not have to pay. The thing coughed and chocked up and laid down in pain with its eyes closed. My friend went into a cold sweat thinking it might be hurt and he would have to pay for it. It delayed what he was hunting for, he waited. It finally got up and started walking around again. That was a chuckle for me, him in a cold sweat.

PETA doesn't like any kind of hunting, they are against it all. The white rhino was illegal to kill, but not illegal to dart, so the guy wanted to hunt one and the only legal way was to dart it.