robert%isgtec@uunet.UU.NET ("Robert A. Osborne") (06/28/91)
Keith Boyd writes... > Joseph Crunk was asking for advice on rifle calibers to hunt BIG GAME > in North America. I believe that ducks and rabbits are considered to be > SMALL GAME here. Anyone who would consider using a .375 H&H Magnum to > hunt small game is being highly unethical in my honest opinion. Why? As far as I'm concerned it's only unethical to: + Take a shot where you are not sure of the target, the 'hit', or the backstop. + To harvest more animals than is healthy for the population IN THE AREA HUNTED. + To kill anything that you will not eat (or that isn't trying to eat you :-). + To damage the forest or ecosystem (I guess over-harvesting falls into this category as well). Therefore I don't feel it's unethical to hunt small game with any kind of rifle (I have a friend :-) who shoots rabbits with his 30-30 while hunting deer). I do, however, follow the law since I don't want to lose my gun/car/hunting license. > There is something called a shotgun to hunt SMALL GAME with you know. It's legal to hunt rabbits with a .22 in Ontario. I usually use a .410, but if I am using a .22, I only take standing head shots. > What's more, I believe it is illegal to hunt ducks here with a rifle anyway. It's illegal to hunt any fowl with anything other than a shotgun in Ontario. > If you ever do come to the United States please don't come to here to > South Carolina because we don't need this kind of hunter. So there. > Regards, > Keith Boyd. > > P.S. I may be wrong for publicly blasting Dominique and if so I apologize, > but I felt that hunter ethics have to be upheld and someone needed > to point this out. It might be better received if you left out the 'So there.' Rob. [Moderator's Note: I feel I must note that Keith sent a milder version of the above post shortly after the first. However, it arrived a bit too late as the original post had already been posted. I feel the entire misunderstanding is due to the fact that Dominique hunts in Australia where they have different laws, resources, and a different definition of a "rabbit". Basically, down under they can grab their rifle and head into the woods and live off the land while hunting big game. We (in the states and Canada, I think) do not have that luxury. tjr]