Ethics... is taking a tough shot REALLY that bad?

[300]

I'm curious to see what peoples take on running shots, bad angle shots etc. Lets say a hunter takes one of these shots and gut shoots the animal, can't find it, but obviously the animal will soon die.
Now a pack of wolves, grizz, etc. comes upon the dead animal and eats it. Fills them up for a few days, and therefore saves another animals life because they have no need for food until they are hungry again. Soooo.. where was an animal wasted? In my eyes it was all part of the cycle? Kind of like a life for a life. What are your takes on this?

[madrona sh]

I do not like to see any animal suffer needlessly. So I avoid hail Marys at game.
In a survival situation I would not hesitate though.

[Gateholio]

One of the things that *should* be very important to all hunters is ensuring a quick death with as little pain as possible. When you take a marginal shot, you are risking that.

Wolves aren't capable of being humane, but humans are.

My goal is to feed myself and family, not feed wolves.

[BlacktailStalker]

You're right that it goes to use whether it be scavengers, birds etc which IS fortunate but the whole point of shooting at an animal and our purpose when looking for one is to do it in the most ethical (humane) way and do your best to ensure a clean kill. But shit happens, excitement and adrenaline kick in, poor judgements are made in spur of the moment situations and life goes on... and at times you do your best and think everything is perfect and errors occur which is unpreventable at times, after all we are human.

[Foxton Gundogs]

I'm curious to see what peoples take on running shots, bad angle shots etc. Lets say a hunter takes one of these shots and gut shoots the animal, can't find it, but obviously the animal will soon die.
Now a pack of wolves, grizz, etc. comes upon the dead animal and eats it. Fills them up for a few days, and therefore saves another animals life because they have no need for food until they are hungry again. Soooo.. where was an animal wasted? In my eyes it was all part of the cycle? Kind of like a life for a life. What are your takes on this?

Sorry but I find that logic/justification just a bit twisted.

[hunter1947]

My take on this is you did loose an animal with a bad shot and predators picked up on the kill you lost they would have taken another prey animal anyways ,,I see it this way all balances out at calender end for what the predators eat during a 12 month period..

[Aheny]

I have never taken this kind of shot, and don't personally believe that they are ethical. The part of hunting that I enjoy, and believe the skill is in, is not just seeing an animal, but outsmarting it and getting the good shot on it.

[takla1]

A lot depends on how good a shot you are and knowing the capabilities of your weapon.Ive held up on shooting at a fleeing buck at under 70 yrd where my son next to me shot and nailed it in the back of the head dropping it.that said he's a crack shot,very confident having shot and practiced with many guns since he was 5 yrs old.Im primarily a meat hunter so id rather eat the animal than the local cyote or wolf so i will them run if i cant make an ethical kill

[Ron.C]

For me, knowing a predator/scavanger was fed because I couldn't find my animal gives me no comfort. I have lost game before where I made a poor shot and I was pretty disapointed in myself and considered it a complete waste of an animal. But if knowing you fed a hungry pack of coyotes makes it easier for you justify to yourself, to each his own.
Like already said, sometimes things happen that are beyond your control, sometimes they are perfectly controllable. If you choose to take the hail mary shot, in my opinion you are not too worried if this is the outcome.

[Philcott]

I agree with a few above that I would rather pass on a shot that I didn't feel comfortable with. If someone is comfortable with a long or a running shot and they make clean kills, I have no concern with that but if we all started taking hail Mary shots. If we all went on the theory that a predator will just clean up the wounded animal in a day or three so let the lead fly, we would soon have more game than the population of predators could eat, they would thrive and we would need to wound more game until the point where there was no game left for us to take home ourselves.

I just don't see Hail Mary shots as ethical for most hunters.