Do we need more primitive hunts?

[choc dogs]

I’m absolutely in favor of choosing weapon and choosing a zone per tag. I have (potentially) a safe full of modern firearms, yet I apply for controlled hunts with black powder rifles almost every year. I don’t think I agree too much with using them to extend seasons, especially late into the year. I honestly don’t know how much longer we can hunt animals from late August into January. Ive got both traditional bows and compounds, and traditional muzzleloaders and inline. I like the challenge of cutting range with primitive weapons, passing on shots that are iffy and seeing animals that aren’t as disturbed. I would welcome more restrictive testing for black powder tags, preferably more than the bow hunting class that’s required here.

 

[EKYHunter]

Which is worse? The guy that poaches an elk and eats it or the guy that wounds 2 or 3 elk and may never actually recover any of them?

 

[kwyeewyk]

Until I see some hard data for all weapons (and I have done some light searching) I'm not convinced primitive weapons wound more animals than modern firearms. Some of the most irresponsible shooting I've seen was from rifle hunters, many times, taking pop shots across the canyon and never even looking for blood, or shooting a deer 8 times across the canyon until finally blowing the legs out so they could walk over and finish it off. All weapons are capable of wounding, if the shooter doesn't do all of their part to minimize the risk.

 

[thusby]

Early early slingshot season?

 

[44hunter45]

Until I see some hard data for all weapons (and I have done some light searching) I'm not convinced primitive weapons wound more animals than modern firearms. Some of the most irresponsible shooting I've seen was from rifle hunters, many times, taking pop shots across the canyon and never even looking for blood, or shooting a deer 8 times across the canyon until finally blowing the legs out so they could walk over and finish it off. All weapons are capable of wounding, if the shooter doesn't do all of their part to minimize the risk.

fair point

 

[Shortbowshot]

My intent was not to open a can of worms. But to help address the unfixable problem of many thousands of hunters in line for very few tags.
It seems to me that most mid and upper tier units for MSG elk and deer which are what most of us are waiting for already have very low hunter impact compared to otc animals.
If there were a way to work a few hundred more people willing to accept a tag with a primitive weapon through the system each year I think that would be a win.
I am not blind to the fact animals get wounded. Anytime an animal is not restrained and killed as in processing there is room for error. Whether with a longbow or 300 RUM at 500 yd. Actually come to think I have a not funny story of a pig kill that was botched even at processing. I think wounding animals is more of a hunter problem regardless of weapon. I've taken around 20 elk and many deer with archery equipment and truthfully in the early days there were hunts I'm ashamed of now. But it's a rare blood trail that goes long now mostly from maturity and experience I think.

 

[rwc101]

Only if it cuts down on the number of roided up jabronis with a space age compound and an Instagram.

 

[44hunter45]

My intent was not to open a can of worms. But to help address the unfixable problem of many thousands of hunters in line for very few tags.
It seems to me that most mid and upper tier units for MSG elk and deer which are what most of us are waiting for already have very low hunter impact compared to otc animals.
If there were a way to work a few hundred more people willing to accept a tag with a primitive weapon through the system each year I think that would be a win.
I am not blind to the fact animals get wounded. Anytime an animal is not restrained and killed as in processing there is room for error. Whether with a longbow or 300 RUM at 500 yd. Actually come to think I have a not funny story of a pig kill that was botched even at processing. I think wounding animals is more of a hunter problem regardless of weapon. I've taken around 20 elk and many deer with archery equipment and truthfully in the early days there were hunts I'm ashamed of now. But it's a rare blood trail that goes long now mostly from maturity and experience I think.

Its not on you. You walked into something I'm never NOT triggered about. I said I was out, and I am.

This is actually a good thread and an important one.

Don't mind me.