There is a furious debate happening in the hunting world, and it centers around the ethics of using relatively new technology in hunting: drones. While hunting assisted by drones is legal in some states, it is fully illegal in Texas unless the hunter has a special license from the TPWD. Even if this restriction were lifted, we would have to consider whether the use of drones can be part of how to hunt ethically in Texas in the first place.
A central tenant of ethical hunting is fair chase. The Boone & Crockett Club has declared that fair chase “is the ethical, sportsmanlike, and lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper or unfair advantage over the game animals.”
There seems to be no ambiguity here: using drones to spot game from the air with the plan to pursue them and kill them is absolutely an unfair advantage. No animal will see a drone and understand that it should hide or flee from a hunter in pursuit.
As hunters, we use all kinds of technologies to give us a leg up. We use blinds, camouflage, scent masking, binoculars, aiming scopes, and above all, guns that will drop even massive animals with one well-placed shot. None of these specialized tools mean that we do not have to wake up at 4, track our prey, hide strategically, then take our best shot.
In nature, animals have different strengths as well. While we have our intellect, our inventions, and our opposable thumbs, there is no denying that the wolf’s fangs and ability to chase prey as a group until the pursued creature drops from exhaustion are also an advantage. Similarly, the puma’s ability to hide, silently stalk, then pounce and bite with incredible power all give them the ability to take down virtually any land mammal in the lower 48.
This is part of the logic that makes it reasonable for us as hunters to arm ourselves to conduct successful hunts. Yet we must remain cautious and remember that the only difference between hunters and poachers is how they take down their prey. When we adhere to both ethics and the law, we remain in the category of hunters who observe conservation efforts.
At our best, hunters are part of protecting and promoting the safeguarding of wildlife and the wildernesses in which they live. At Nine Bar Ranch, we are strong supporters of both legal and ethical hunting. Thanks to the massive lands we are blessed to own, we have been able to cultivate huge roaming areas for our herds of wild boar as well as our beautiful exotic game animals.
If you are on the prowl for a thrilling, adventure-packed hunt in pursuit of game you have never seen before, we should be your first destination in North Texas. To reserve your hunting trip today, please contact us!