Thursday, January 28, 2010

Respect

A responsible hunter has self respect.
You are proud to be a hunter and accept your role and relationship with nature.
You learn and practice firearms safety and outdoor skills.
You recognize and do not go beyond your skills,and do not go beyond your strength and limits.
You select and use the right tools and keep them in good working condition.

Rules for hunting on private lands

Much of the land in North America is private property,meaning the owner controls who may come onto his land.
Public land is governed by a government agency.Although sometimes you will need a permit to go there.
Whether the land is private or public,the landowner or manager will decide who may hunt in the future depending on the past hunter's behavior.Always find out who owns the land you want to get on and get the proper permission.
The best way is going to the land owner himself and get written permission.
Your relationship is vital to the future of hunting.
Here are some rules you need to adhere to.
Always ask permission in advance of the times you want to hunt.
Do not knock on the owners door in the middle of the night or 5 o'clock in the morning on opening day.
Once you have permission,make sure you know the property lines,and where the land owner does not want you to hunt.
Leave all gates as you find them.Never assume you should close a gate to keep farm animals from straying.
If the gate is open,it is for a reason.
Never cut a fence or break down a gate.
Offer to do work or share your game with the land owner,and if he accepts make sure the game is cleaned.
Report any damaged property to the land owner to protect your hunting rights,and if you damage property,tell the land owner also.
Offer to pay for the repairs also.
Do not walk into unharvested fields,respect the property as if it were yours.
Never shoot at anything except the game you are hunting.
Do not litter and that means pick up your empty shell casings.Remove your trash and any other you see laying around.
Always check in with the land owner before you leave and thank him also.
Send a post card after the season ends thanking the land owner.
There are many other hunting laws besides trespassing.Read you hunting book thoroughly before you start hunting.
Don't hunt with those who break game laws because if they get caught and you are with them,you will get a ticket or arrested also.
Report violators to the fish and game.
Get as much information as you can without being seen such as what did the person do.License plate number,area of infraction,time of day,type of game,color of auto,what they were wearing.
Write it all down before you call the game warden.
Hunters must make many decisions in determing right from wrong.
If you don't know the rule about shooting an animal,don't shoot.
It is better to be safe than sorry.
The rules of ethics are to always follow the law and that will make the difference between a hunter and a sportsman.