HUNTING ā WHAT are you talking about?!?
How do YOU define what HUNTING is?In our community we seem to use different definitions of the term "hunting."
It seems like we would all agree that we are talking about
ā "killing wild animals that are free" ā
[not tied down or tightly encaged].

Here are 5 of those requirements people demand of animal killing to qualify as "hunting":
(Note that we are not talking about legal requirements, since every jurisdiction is different. Instead the question is how we as hunters define what "hunting" is.)
Opinion

Some require that the hunter is actively pursuing the animal, "chasing" the animal, or at least walking through the animal's habitat in search of encountering the animal.
Sitting in a blind ("ambush hunting") and waiting for the animal to show up does not qualify for them as "hunting."
Opinion

Some require that the animal must remain "free" and cannot be influenced in any way, say through bait (where laws permit). Otherwise it's not "hunting."
Opinion

Some require that "hunting" is only done with "game animals."
When non-game animals are shot, it's not "hunting." In other words, unless the animal's flesh is consumed after getting shot (or it's fur/hide used), it's not "hunting."
So, for this group shooting a pest animal is never "hunting."
Opinion

Some require that the animal has to have a fair fighting chance to escape.
To define what "fair" is has notoriously been difficult, so people have taken to define what "unfair" is:
For example, using technical helps (where laws permit) like night vision, thermo, drone searches, and game cameras disqualify it from being called "hunting."
Also, long range shots where the animal could not possibly know the presence of the hunter "disqualify as 'hunting.'"
Also, using vehicles (cars, boats) to pursue animals (where laws permit) is considered "unfair."
Opinion

To some, "hunting" requires the want-to-be hunter to apply a David Crockett approach to the process, with "fair chase" and other principles to be followed in order to qualify the killing of the animal as "hunting".


Cheers,

Matthias
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