When Ray Scott started pushing catch-and-release in the early days of professional bass tournaments, do you think he ever imagined that one day that same ideal would be picked up by deer hunters?
Okay, maybe catch-and-release isn’t the best term for it. How about shoot-photo-share?
Greg Koch, founder of the American Whitetail Authority (AWA), is trying to take the killing out of deer hunting, and he’s recruited KVD as a spokesman for the endeavor.
Check this out:
The AWA Whitetails Pro Series creates a competition where no deer are killed, but digital images from the scopes are evaluated by judges. Hunters take an image of the deer each time the trigger is pulled. The rifle is loaded with blanks, which trips the shutter.
“The moment the blank fires the scope takes a digital image of what you are looking at with the cross hairs on the photo,†Koch said. Scoring will be based on shot placement, the size of the antlers and the age of the animal.
“Like pro bass fishing, we are creating a platform that allows these hunters, under difficult, but equal conditions, to compete against each other,” says former BASS Vice President and current AWA Series director Don Rucks.
Can this work? Is the thrill of hunting solely in the pursuit, or is it the kill and act of harvesting itself? Koch and company are banking on the hope that it’s the former.
You can check out the full press release, here.
If you’d like to compete in the series, you can apply, here. The link also features a sound byte of Kevin VanDam explaining exactly what ABA is all about. From the sound of it, the AWA is trying to become the Bassmaster Elite Series of deer hunting. They want to find the top hunters in the country, and then showcase their talents and abilities to a fan base.
What do you think? Is this the beginning of a revolution in how hunters approach the sport? Lots of people laughed at Ray when he told them he wanted to throw fish back, too.
8 Comments
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Jeff
October 19, 2010 at 4:36 pm
I hate to be the first to post on this subject, it seems like it could be a controversial subject with some hardcore debate. With that being said, I think that it is a good idea that could possibly materialize into something down the road. It is comparible to tournament fishing in the fact that you can still go out and harvest if you desire, but it gives you the opportunity to spend time in the woods on a competitive platform without harvesting. It could also quite possible get more people involved in the sport that may not otherwise participate for whatever reason. It wouldent really change hunting as we know it, but it would give sportsmen and women another option for strictly the competitive side of it.
BP
October 20, 2010 at 12:27 am
Kill the stupid deer before I kill them with my car.
(Sorry if this post is a grudge)
Why limit this to deer? Seems like you could go multi-species including cats and the neighborhood dog. Heck why not a hot chicks and fat chicks category?
admin (mostly Jay)
October 20, 2010 at 8:51 am
Awesome!
Jeff Hahn
October 20, 2010 at 7:37 am
I’m not certain about other parts of the country, but here in the midwest, we’re covered up with deer. There are auto accidents caused by deer every day. The herd definitely needs to be thinned. If there was a danger of hunting deer into extinction or below the level necessary for effective reproduction, then the “photo instead of kill” would be a viable option. Until then, thinning the herd needs to be standard policy. I won;t even mention how this proposed tactic plays into the hands of the bambi huggers!
admin (mostly Jay)
October 20, 2010 at 8:53 am
Agree that here in NJ the towns and DNR would probably pay you not to do this because too many deer…except that the AWA seems to be talking about trophy animals only, which is different. I think it’s kind of cool.
Jeff
October 20, 2010 at 4:27 pm
This could open up competitive opportunities outside of normal seasons. I dont think that this would or should change hunting seasons. Hell, if you put a round in your gun and not a blank how would anyone ever know. You would still get the pic. The camera itself is cool and Im always game for any type of competiteve outdoor sport………….as for the fat chicks category above, I dont think I’ll participate in any competitive hoggin!
ClemBass
October 21, 2010 at 1:41 pm
If the thrill of hunting is solely the pursuit, then take a camera.
Jason
October 21, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Good point, Clem. And I know a few folks who do just that. At one time they were die-hard trophy killers, but now all they do is sit in the stand and shoot pics and vids of impressive bucks… then, of course, they make you sit in front of the computer watching 45 minutes of grass blowing around just to see 30 seconds of a rack tucked behind a bush.