I wish that every state game department would print these words on the back of every hunting licence sold.

ON HUNTERS
"A good hunter's way of hunting is a hard job which demands much from man: he must keep himself fit, face extreme fatigues, accept danger. It involves a complete code of ethics of the most distinguished design; the hunter who accepts the sporting code of ethics keeps his commandments in the greatest solitude, with no witnesses or audience other than the sharp peaks of the mountain, the roaming cloud, the stern oak, the trembling juniper, and the passing animal. In this way hunting resembles the monastic rule and the military order."

ON WEAPONS AND TECHNOLOGY
"...progress in weapons is foreign to the essence of hunting, reason is not a primary ingredient Of it, since hunting cannot substantially progress.

...as the weapon became more and more effective, man imposed more and more limitations on himself as the animal's rival in order to leave it free to practice its wily defenses, in order to avoid making the prey and the hunter excessively unequal, as if passing beyond a certain limit in that relationship might annihilate the essential character of the hunt, transforming it into pure killing and destruction.

HENCE THE CONFRONTATION BETWEEN MAN AND ANIMAL HAS A PRECISE BOUNDARY BEYOND WHICH HUNTING CEASES TO BE HUNTING, JUST AT THE POINT WHERE MAN LETS LOOSE HIS IMMENSE TECHNICAL SUPERIORITY -- THAT IS, RATIONAL SUPERIORITY -- OVER THE ANIMAL.

TO EXTERMINATE OR TO DESTROY ANIMALS BY AN INVINCIBLE AND AUTOMATIC PROCEDURE IS NOT HUNTING. HUNTING IS SOMETHING ELSE, SOMETHING MORE DELICATE.

       

Very nice Joe, thanks.  Reminds me of Aldo Leopold's philosophy on ethics and integrity.

A lot of wisdom in Gassett's words and writings.  Thanks for posting.

Meditations on Hunting

Excellent - and agree
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Unfortunately.... many don't feel or think that way.  Far too many feel that winning, at any cost, is winning.  Failure to win, means just that, you are a failure.

One large, very large, aspect of that view is the loss, complete or partial, of the term we call "smelling the roses" or just enjoying the journey.

When the end result, the ultimate destination, is more important than the journey itself and its many twists and turns, beauties and surprises, the result is what we now see.

CHuckC

"In our rather stupid time, hunting is belittled and misunderstood, many refusing to see it for the vital vacation from the human condition that it is, or to acknowledge that the hunter does not hunt in order to kill; on the contrary, he kills in order to have hunted."

My favorite Ortega y Gasset quote.

Very well said.

I write a simple hunter's prayer on the back of mine....Lord, thank you for every creature that takes pity encountering me in the wood, and is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for a wandering pilgrim, knowing I would go home empty-handed all the time were it not the case!

Thanks for sharing...

excellent thoughts-  

Thanks for sharing Joe.  Great insight and eloquence.

I fear that for many reading and thinking deeply is a thing of the past, which fosters our driven win at all cost mentality.

Always a good read

Thank you for sharing!

Yep, great reminder thanks. many of us get frustrated in what we see happening to "hunting" now days. As it looses those ethics hunting loses respect and support from non hunters i think. Which is a danger too us all.

QuoteOriginally posted by shankspony:
Yep, great reminder thanks. many of us get frustrated in what we see happening to "hunting" now days. As it looses those ethics hunting loses respect and support from non hunters i think. Which is a danger too us all.

That is an excellent point Craig. The "Big Tent" crowd would like us to think we should accept everything that is thrown at us and not worry about what everyone else is doing.  But even if we turn a blind eye to it technological advances can and WILL have an impact on our seasons and on the way we are viewed by non-hunters.