Hunting Ethics and Hunter Etiquette – Illinois Learn to Hunt

Hunting ethics and etiquette are two terms that are often used interchangeably, but while the two concepts have some overlap, it is important to understand their distinctions and how they apply to you.

Ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one else is watching — even when doing the wrong thing is legal.

Aldo Leopold

A Sand County Almanac

Hunting Ethics (“Fair Chase”)

Hunting ethics are generally rooted in the principles of ‘fair chase,’ which is defined by the Boone and Crockett Club as “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.”
- Balances the skills and equipment of the hunter with the abilities of the animal to escape.
- Beyond the basic fair chase principles, though, hunting ethics are personal in nature and based off of your own morals and culture.
  - Shades of gray: what constitutes fair chase for one hunter may not for another. This is often based on skill level and personal circumstances.

Hunting Etiquette

Etiquette is the customary code of a group that guides member actions and behaviors. It varies by culture and place, but we will focus on Midwestern American hunting etiquette for obvious reasons.
Hunting etiquette primarily comes into play on public land, as you are more likely to encounter other hunters you don’t know.
Keep in mind that private land has hunting etiquette associated with it, too, and good private land etiquette is key to maintaining your permission to hunt on that land.

Check out this podcast episode, where we address common questions and concerns that new hunters often have about hunting ethics and etiquette, to learn more.

How to be an Ethical Hunter and Why it Matters

One of the key elements of being an ethical hunter is following the state and federal regulations (if applicable) that are set out for hunting your species of choice.

Beyond that, though, a good rule of thumb is to treat your quarry, the land, and your fellow hunters with respect. We outline some of these ideas in the chart below. At the end of the day, a successful harvest requires that an animal lose its life, so treat that sacrifice with respect and honor that animal as best you can.

Ethics generally govern behavior that affects public opinion of hunters, so making unethical decisions while hunting can not only have a negative personal impact, but also negatively impact hunting as a whole. For this reason, unethical hunting is widely regarded as one of the biggest threats to the continuation of hunting moving forward.

Hunting Ethics and Fair Chase Examples

You might be hunting before work and are preparing to pack up when the buck you’ve been waiting on walks by. Shooting that buck would be ethical only if you’ve got the time to dedicate to trailing (if necessary), tagging, field dressing, dragging it out, and then processing it (or taking to a processor), even if it means you have to call out of work to do so. If you aren’t willing or able to spend the time to get the deer squared away with the time you have, it would not be ethical to take the shot.
A very skilled hunter might consider using traditional archery equipment to harvest a deer to be more ethical for them, personally, because they have the skill level and have put in the practice to make a clean kill with it. For someone who is less skilled or has less of an ability to practice with traditional archery, using the same methods would be unethical because they would not be able to ensure that they make a clean, ethical kill. Instead, choosing a different means of take better aligned to their abilities and circumstances would be the more ethical choice.

Read more about hunting ethics and fair chase:

If the hunting traditions we cherish, and our systems of wildlife conservation and management that depend on hunting are to remain, what we do now and the image we project will either positively or negatively affect this future.

Boone and Crocket Club

Hunting Etiquette

Private Land Hunting Etiquette

Generally, you are less likely to encounter other hunters when hunting on private land. However, if you do, please keep in mind the concepts outlined below for public land hunting etiquette. Otherwise, private land hunting etiquette is generally more focused on your behavior towards the land and the landowner and being considerate to both.

Important elements of private land etiquette include:

Shutting any gate you open after you walk through
Parking so you don’t block gates
Picking up your trash
Staying far from livestock and structures
Conducting yourself safely
Hunting species other than those you have gotten permission for from the landowner

Public Land Hunting Etiquette

Some hunting etiquette is species-specific in nature, but general concepts to keep in mind include:

Keeping your distance from other hunters
Hunting spots are ‘first come, first served’
- Be prepared with a backup plan if the spot you wanted is taken
Picking up your litter
Using your flashlights to communicate your position and avoid one another
Try not to travel during peak hunting hours for that species
Approach your spots quietly so you don’t ruin someone else’s hunt
Wear blaze orange (even if not required for the species) while traveling from spot to spot to communicate your position
Don’t scout during peak hunting hours

Remember, you have as much right to be present and hunting on public land as the other hunters out there.

To learn more about hunter etiquette as well as hunter ethics, please review our past webinar on the topic.

Read more about hunting etiquette: