Fair Chase Movie

[sodak]

Has anyone watched the movie "Fair Chase" on Netflix?

It is a documentary film on runners hunting antelope in New Mexico. Their tactic was to run the antelope with a team of long distance runners to the point of exhaustion and then to harvest it with a bow (if it was still alive at the end of the run). Only one of the runners had a tag and he carried the bow. They were unsuccessful in the film.

I had a real ethical problem in documenting a hunt if an animal was forced into an exhaustive state and then harvested. When I see firearm or archery hunters chase game in vehicles I shake my head. I know this happens, but my view is that vehicle hunting gives most of us a black eye. I'm not trying to defend my hunting (or any hunting) to anti-hunting advocates, just use my views of ethics as I apply them to my hunting activities.

I've read "Born to Run" and the book does talk about a guy that participated in these hunts in Africa. But, the movie put it in a more visual format and got me to thinking.

I use my sense of humane hunting and ethics when I pursue game. Will I be able to take a clean shot? Am I giving an animal a humane harvest? Have I followed all of the laws as they apply to hunting?

Just wondering your thoughts.

 

[Graves14]

They way they attempted to hunt was pretty much the key to our survival as a species. The source of our success. Bipedal beings are exceptionally well suited to long range running and our intelligence allows us to predict and in many cases determine the routes and direction our prey would run. Chasing down a Sable for instance until it was too tired to take off allowed people to get within spear throwing range and finish harvesting the animal. It is a long and difficult task to track and run an animal all day and I know for certain that I don't posses the skills needed to accomplish it but you peeked my interest and I will definitely check out the film.

 

[weaver]

Haven't watched the film but I'd say there's a huge difference between hunting from a vehicle and running down an animal on foot.
My hats off to anyone who could accomplish it.

 

[MuleyFever]

My only concern is that in todays age we only have a tag for one animal. While hunting heard animals this way what stress does it put on the rest of the animals? In ancient times a tribe would have have been able to take all animals that ran until they could no more and used them. Today, you would have to leave all but one. Would the others recover? I have not watched this movie or seen the tactic so I may be wrong and they somehow single one out of the heard. IF they do not put too much stress on the whole heard then I have no issues with it. A lot more of a challenge then sitting in a treestand or blind.

 

[zman]

This is as old school and traditional as it gets.
If you can run down an antelope then you deserve to eat that antelope imo. You are officially a bad***.
Doubt there is going to be more than a couple people who will ever try it and even fewer who have the combination of endurance and tracking skills to be successful.