Summit County Citizens Voice

Hunting ethics are critical to the future of the sport. PHOTO COURTESY COLORADO DIVISION OF WILDLIFE.

Sense of fair play, knowledge of rules critical parts of hunting experience

By Summit Voice

Along with a cherished recreational experience, big-game hunting in Colorado is an integral part of wildlife management in the state.

A hunting license comes with a responsibility to hunt ethically and responsibly. State wildlife managers are asking hunters to answer the following questions and to remember the answers when they’re out in the field.
·         Are your hunting actions providing a “fair chase” scenario for the animal?
·         Would you behave the same way if you were hunting with a wildlife officer or being videotaped for the evening news?
·         Do you know exactly where you are hunting? Are you in the right game management unit?
·         Do you know the habits of the animal you are hunting?
·         Are you in good enough shape to be able to hunt in mountainous terrain and properly retrieve a harvested animal?
·         Do you know how to properly field dress a big-game animal?
·         Do you minimize the impacts of your camp on the landscape and do you leave a camp site cleaner than how you found it?
·         Do you pack out all of your trash?
·         Will you report rule violations – yours and others – to a Colorado wildlife officer?
·         Have you read the Colorado Big Game brochure to check the rules and regulations for the area in which you are hunting?

Ethical behavior is critical to the future of hunting. Please, consider how your actions impact wildlife, fellow hunters and the general public.

Filed under: Colorado Division of Wildlife, Summit County Colorado, wildlife Tagged: | Colorado, Ethics, Game, hunting, hunting ethics, outdoors, recreation, Summit County Colorado, Summit County News, wildlife