FAIR CHASE
The accepted definition of Fair Chase by those who care is: not
taking
unfair advantage of animals while hunting them in their native
haunts.
Boone and Crockett Club and Pope and Young Club have Fair Chase
Rules for entry of trophy animals into their records.
Fair Chase is a many-faceted concept — means different things to
different people. Most hunters have their own agenda — "fair chase"
is
whatever they feel comfortable with. Perhaps that is as it should be
—
to each his own. Those who hunt with concern for our image will be
discreet in their hunt and in their stories that follow. The
stuff-it-down-their-throats
advocates
will hunt with an entirely opposite look, and
write the story phrased in blood
and guts.
Recently I read in one of the national bowhunting magazines, an
interpretation which 1 thought had quite an odd twist: "That hunting
animals on the ground was not 'fair chase' — the animals could smell
you." How about that!
dangerous game
This is an issue that you don't hear much about. It never occurred
to us in the
early days that bowhunters would be hunting dangerous animals the
likes of grizzly, brown, and polar bears. Apparently, we
were not prone to look that far
ahead. We had enough problems convincing
the public and DNR that we should be allowed to hunt a
game with the bow and arrow and, later, proving the bow as a viable
hunting weapon even on non-dangerous game,
In my opinion, the bow and arrow has its limitations. It should
only be stretched beyond the norm into the area of dangerous game,
if
the bowhunter is willing and able to do it without the backup rifle.
I am
aware that backup is the accepted way — the bowman wants to live to
tell about it — there isn't time to do it the hard way and everybody
does
it, why shouldn't I? All arguments are well taken, but do not
justify claim to
the world of hunting that the bow is a viable hunting weapon in the
taking of
dangerous game.
In most other countries where hunting is allowed, a guide with
rifle at ready is the law of the land even while hunting
non-dangerous
animals. Guides are to carry rifles to keep dangerous animals away
from
you while hunting non-dangerous animals. Most bowhunters prefer to
have these guides give them plenty of room to stalk on their own
without
interference. There is a profound difference when you decide to
take on a dangerous animal, an animal that can easily do you in
during
the attempt. The guide now becomes your bosom pal — none
of this give-me-room-stance
—you want the comfort of knowing that the guide with rifle
is right there for you if needed. You have literally negated the
challenge, the
danger and, perhaps, terror. Thus, a kill will mean nothing more
than that
you shot it. Furthermore, you have exposed the fact that you and the
bow are lacking
— not a viable hunting combination in killing that dangerous
animal.