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Hunting Lexicon
This dictionary is intended to give
animal activists a look into the nomenclature of hunting to further their
understanding of this activity, and better rebuke efforts by hunters to justify
such atrocities.
- Antlers
- Antlers are the bone like growths atop the
head of a male deer. Antler size depends in part on genetics and the
composition of his diet. Simply, better nutrition equals increased antler
growth. Age also plays a factor as very young or extremely old males do not
develop large antlers as do their middle aged counterparts. Antler growth
begins in the spring and ends in the fall. Once growth has ceased to occur the
antlers begin to harden. Once hard, deer use their antlers for marking trees
(called scrapes) and for sparring or fighting with other males. During winter
months, the antlers fall off (sheds) and the process begins anew come the
subsequent spring.
Antler Types
- Bag Limit
- This is the number of the particular animal
being hunted that each hunter is allowed to kill or “bag” daily. For instance,
if the kill limit for squirrels is seven with a total possession limit of
fourteen this means that hunters can kill seven squirrels before they are
legally barred from killing more. Hunters must then take the squirrel bodies’
home before they can return to hunt. However, upon their return they can kill
seven more squirrels. At this point hunters have reached their total
possession limit for squirrel bodies. Hunters must then reduce the number of
squirrel bodies in their possession before they can kill again. Once the
number of squirrel bodies is below the possession limit of fourteen, the
hunters can return to kill more squirrels. In this way there is no limit as to
the total number of animals that can be killed in any given hunting season.
The exception to this is if a permit is required. Some species, generally
larger animals, - such as white-tailed deer- require a permit before they can
be killed. This permit limits the hunter to one kill per permit.
- Bait Station
- A bait station is a place where food or
“minerals” (salt licks etc.) are kept by a person and continually replenished
so as to repeatedly attract animals to ease in the kill of that animal.
[1] Individual state laws
provides for how long prior to the hunt a bait station can be established.
Let’s use bear in an example of how a bait station is operated. Prior to the
hunt a person places food in a designated place so that it may be found by the
bears that inhabit this area. This spot is continually replenished with food
so that the bears of the area alter their daily routines and begin to frequent
this bait station for a free and seemingly easy meal. The bears become
comfortable with this scenario and used to the fact that every so often there
is food to be had in this place. On the day of the hunt numerous bear wander
by the bait station looking for their normal ration of food. When the hunter
finds a bear he likes all he need do is wait for her to get within range and
fire (with a high powered rifle this range can be 200-300 yards away).
- Beam (Main Beam)
- The beam is part of the antlers of a animal.
It is the section of antler that all other structures branch off. Accordingly,
it is sometimes referred to as the main beam. When hunters speak of a deer’s
main beam spread it is the innermost widest point between the two beams that
they are referring to. Generally speaking, the wider the spread between the
two beams the greater trophy status the animal will hold.
- Boone and Crockett
- Boone and Crockett is a club that has
established a system of measuring what are considered to be trophy animals.
Based on the measurements taken each animal body is given a score; the higher
the score the better the “trophy.” Measurements are taken from the antlers or
horns of the dead animal, on a walrus the tusks are measured and on animals
without either, such as bear and jaguars, the skull serves as a source of
measure. [3]
- Broadheads (Fieldpoints)
- These are arrowheads with razors mounted in
them and are designed to penetrate the body of a animal. They are sometimes
referred to as field points because they are used in the field (hunting
environment) while hunting. Some broadheads extend the razor blades out to the
tip providing a cutting action as soon as the arrow contacts the body of a
animal, while others have a metal tip, usually designed to split bone, so that
the razor portion of the arrowhead can reach the organs where they are
lacerated.
- Buck
- This is a term used to designate a male deer.
- Buckshot
- There are two types of projectiles used for
killing a deer with a shotgun. One is a shotgun shell containing a single
projectile known as a slug; the second is a shotgun shell containing a small
number of very large lead balls known as buckshot. Buckshot can be purchased
in a variety of diameters depending on hunter preference. Shotgun shells
containing small diameter buckshot can hold more pellets than can shells
containing bigger shot. From smallest to largest, the sizes and diameters of
buckshot are as follows:
#4 buckshot 6.10mm/.24in
(approx # of pellets in 1oz. of shot = 21),
#3 buckshot 6.35mm/.25in (approx # of pellets in 1oz. of shot = 19),
#2 buckshot 6.86mm/.27in (approx # of pellets in 1oz. of shot = 15),
#1 buckshot 7.62mm/.30in (approx # of pellets in 1oz. of shot = 11),
0 buckshot 8.13mm/.32in (approx # of pellets in 1oz. of shot = 9),
00 buckshot 8.38mm/.33in (approx # of pellets in 1oz. of shot = 8),
000 buckshot 9.14mm/.36in (approx # of pellets in 1oz. of shot = 6.2).
[10]
0 is pronounced “ought” so the sizes read “ought buckshot,” “double ought
buckshot,” and “triple ought buckshot” respectively.
- Check
- A animal which requires the purchase of a
permit to hunt must be also “checked” once it is killed. This is to verify
among other things that the hunter followed the limitations on the issued
permit (only to kill a female, male etc.). It also provides the state with a
number of animals killed for each regulated species. Demographics of the
animals killed and future expectations for population size as well as
available number of permits next year can be reasonably determined from these
mandatory checks.
- Canned Hunt
-
Canned hunting is a form of
hunting that many people, even hunters find objectionable and immoral. What
canned hunting means, is that people pay a great sum of money to kill confined
animals bred and born in captivity and who have never been out in the wild.
Many of these animals have been sold by zoos or by circuses who find that
these animals, many of whom are older, are nothing but a commodity that can be
sold even if the sale results in a violent and senseless death. Trophy
hunting is also a term used for canned hunting. Killing a normally “difficult
to hunt” animal, is one of the major reasons why people canned hunt. Another
reason is just the simplicity of a canned hunt, knowing full well a “kill” is
ensured. Canned hunters are looked down upon and criticized by hunters, who
hunt in the wild, because it violates their "ethics of hunting". Many also
believe canned hunters, canned hunt, for just the entertainment purposes, and
not the patience and "rewarding" feeling that comes along with hunting in the
wild. For these reasons canned hunting, is a subject of controversy, and
debated on whether or not it should be made illegal, based on the overwhelming
amounts of petitions, and many who completely oppose of this form of hunting.
A few states have already banned canned hunting, because of already
established laws in those states. (States that have banned canned hunting are
California, Delaware, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Wisconsin, and
Wyoming. States that have canned hunting, banned, to a lower extent are New
Jersey, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin)
Zoos play a major role of the, somewhat success, of canned hunting. Zoos
continuously breed “money making” baby animals, which result in overflowing
amounts of a certain animal. Zoos sell their “excess” or older animals and
make their small restitution. Zoos, in their defense, say that they do not
know what happens to the animals they sell. However, some zoos are known to
sell to canned hunting facilities on a regular basis, and some even have them
as active members of the zoo with influence to how the zoo operates. (These
zoos include, but are not limited to, San Antonio Zoo, San Francisco Zoo,
Kansas City Zoo, Houston Zoo, and Great Adventure)
-
A great amount of controversy
has come from the recent events from Dick Cheney, during his canned hunt of
quails. The quails were bred specifically to be released en masse so that
hunters, who paid a great deal of money, could use them as targets—like skeet
shooting. During Dick Cheney’s Canned Hunt, he inadvertently shot one of his
friends. This has created much ridicule in the media, because of the fact that
there is no real danger during a canned hunt, especially quail hunting. Canned
hunting is most commonly advertised in hunting magazines and prices for a kill
vary from animal to animal.(Prices for axis deer go up to $1,350, $1,500 for
auodad sheep, $1,350 for fallow deer, $3,500 for elk, $4,500 for red sheep,
and for the “penny pinchers” $50 for a easy boar kill.) Many believe hunting
is for the thrill and randomness the wild brings to the experience, and not
for just the kill, which makes many feel that Canned Hunting is nothing, but a
blood sport.
- Contest Hunt
- A hunt such as this is a type of game hunters
play. Contestants have a specified length of time to kill as many animals of a
particular species as possible. Participants are required to cut off a
particular body part from the animals they kill and produce it as evidence
(such as the ears or tails of coyotes). [56]
This is so a particular contestant cannot lie about killing an animal in order
to win the contest. The winner is the person who kills the most animals, and
prizes are often given. Contest hunts often involve the killing of coyotes,
crows, and prairie dogs to name a few.
- Doe
- Pronounced “dough” this is a term used to
designate a female deer.
- Drag Hunting
- Often recommended as an alternative to fox
hunting, drag hunting involves a volunteer human runner with around a 1-2 hour
head start along a designated course. The runner often carries a rag with
scent so that the hounds are able to follow. Traditional attire remains for
the riders, but the pace of the hunt is faster, covering more distance, and
incorporates jumps and individual stages. During long runs horses are replaced
between some stages. [8]
- Dress(ing)
- To dress a animal is to prepare its body for a
purpose which is usually storage but sometimes includes consumption.
- Drive
- A drive is a concerted effort on the part of
hunters to expel their prey from hiding in an attempt to kill them. For
instance, when deer hunting, a drive is conducted by a number of hunters
(drivers) entering a span of timber at one end while other hunters take
positions at or near likely escape routes that the fleeing animals will use.
While walking through (driving) the timber, the hunters make no effort to
silence their movement because the intent is to scare the animal out to the
awaiting shooters where it can be killed. Some hunters use this as a
supplemental tactic when normal animal movement is low on a given day, or as a
primary tactic practiced regardless of animal movement. Sometimes all terrain
vehicles are used to scare out animals but this varies according to the
governing laws and hunter ethic.
- Estrous
- If a animal is in estrous (in heat) then she
is ready to find a partner (mate). [7]
- Field Dress
- To field dress a deer (or any animal) is to
remove its organs while still outdoors, usually close to where the deer was
killed. Failure to remove the organs soon after a kill will result in the
spoiling of the flesh. The body temperature remains high after killing a
animal. By removing the organs the body can cool to the ambient air
temperature faster (which is usually cooler and in some areas below freezing)
and prevent spoiling.
- Fieldpoints (Broadheads)
- These are arrowheads with razors mounted in
them and are designed to penetrate the body of a animal. They are sometimes
referred to as field points because they are used in the field (hunting
environment) while hunting. Some broadheads extend the razor blades out to the
tip providing a cutting action as soon as the arrow contacts the body of a
animal, while others have a metal tip, usually designed to split bone, so that
the razor portion of the arrowhead can reach the organs where they are
lacerated. See "Broadhead" for picture.
- Fill A Permit
- To fill a permit is to kill a animal that the
permit was issued for. If someone is deer hunting they must have a permit to
kill a deer. If you have “filled your permit,” it means that you have killed a
animal that your permit allows. Subsequently, a portion of that permit is also
used as a tag to place on the animal.
- Flush(ed)
- A term used to describe the disturbance and
subsequent fleeing of a animal from its ground cover. In hunting some species
of birds, hunters have to flush birds because they often cannot be seen in
their natural habitat. Often a dog is used to locate birds in the ground
cover. Once the dog finds a bird it points (stance indicating to the hunter
that it has found a bird) then the hunter walks up scaring the bird so that
he/she may shoot at it. If no hound is available then the hunters kick and
disturb the brush when they pass hoping to flush birds from within.
- Grunt
- A sound made by a male deer which indeed
sounds similar to a low pitched pig grunt. It is not known why deer produce a
grunt call, but hunters use man made grunt calls to aid in killing individual
deer. A grunt call can lure a deer closer or cause a deer to pause while
walking or running, allowing a hunter a better chance to kill it. Some hunters
have also successfully used grunt calls to lure wild bores in for a kill.
- Gut
- To “gut” a deer is to remove its organs. See
also Field Dress.
- Gut Shot
- A animal that is “gut shot” has been shot in
an area of her internal organs that is lethal, but not immediately so.
Lethality in this case depends of the size of the animal shot and the size of
the wound. Smaller animals die more quickly because a rifle shot causes more
damage than it would on a deer or elk. Usually a “gut shot” involves the
stomach and/or intestines.
- Harvest
- Harvest is to kill or murder a animal. Every
area of animal exploitation has its list of euphemisms that try and obscure
what really goes on behind the scenes; hunting is no different. By denoting it
as something benign, like picking corn, harvest denies the fact that killing
is a mainstay in hunting.
- Heart-lung Area
- The heart-lung area is the region of a animal
that hunters try and aim for in order to kill him/her in a relatively short
period of time. As you may have guessed the “heart-lung” area includes the
heart and lung. This term is usually used in conjunction with discussions
involving large animals. This area is also referred to as the “sweet spot.”
- Honker(s)
- Slang for a goose or geese, this term is used
because some language of a goose is reminiscent to a horn being “honked.”
- Non-typical Antlers
- Typical antlers are tines (points) that extend
upwards from the main beam with no other tines branching from them.
Non-typical antlers then are anything but the aforementioned design. They may
point downward, sideways, or any other conceivable angle. They may have
numerous tines branching from a single tine. Some, non-typical antlers are a
mass of bony structure without the slightest semblance of order.
Antler Types
- Permit
- A permit is sold by state agencies allowing
hunters to kill a certain species of animal (one per permit) for a variety of
reasons. First, a permit allows such agencies to control the number of animals
from a species, white-tailed deer for example, to be killed each year. While
agencies claim this insures a proper balance, it also ensures that a certain
animal is not over killed, thus providing an ample selection of animals
(moving targets) for the next hunting season. Second, it allows the
demographics of the killed animals to be controlled. It also serves as a kind
of deterrent against illegally killing animals. Any dead animal that requires
a permit to hunt must have the accompanying tag with the body. In some states
even the meat taken from a animal must have the accompanying permit. Because a
permit is often necessary postmortem it helps to enforce possession laws which
determine the number of dead animals a person may keep as a food source at any
given time. Some permits allow only male or female deer to be killed while
others are indiscriminate. Last, and ethically by far the least, it allows for
a greater generation of revenue by the state departments, thus continuing
their existence.
- Points
- Otherwise known as tines, points branch from
the main beam of antlers. When someone refers to a deer as an “eight pointer”
they are saying the deer had 8 tines long enough to be counted. What length
qualifies as a “point” is subject to a variety of standards and scoring
systems, but it seems as if most hunters count anything over 1 ½ inches.
- Pope and Young
- The Pope and Young Club is a bow hunting
organization in North America which serves as a recording house for animals
killed with a bow and arrow. Members take recordings of animals considered
worthy and derive a score based on these measurements. If a hunter wants his
kill to be recorded he must pay a fee and then it will be listed in the Pope
and Young records. In this way the Pope and Young club asserts that it
“records for posterity scientific data.” [6]
Yeah, right!
- Rack
- This refers to the antlers of a animal,
usually a deer.
- Rattling (Rattle)
- Rattling is a process by where a hunter takes
two opposing sides of antlers (one left and one right side) and meshes them
together so as to produce a noise similar to that generated when two male deer
fight. Fighting amongst two males will sometimes result in the occasional
onlooker. Hunters hope that by rattling they will draw another deer close
enough to their position so that they may kill the deer. Rattling is done with
both real and artificial antlers. Some hunters believe that real antlers loose
their tone over time and must be replenished with new ones. Real antlers can
be found when they are naturally shed each year or taken from the body of a
deer once it has been killed. If a male deer has been killed and the antlers
are not of sufficient size to be considered “trophy” status, then the hunter
may saw the antlers off and use them for rattling.
- Rub
- When a deer uses his antlers to scrape away
the bark of a tree it is referred to as a “rub.” Rubs occur when a deer is
ready to begin mating. Along with removing some bark from a tree, a rub
usually also contains scent markers left by a deer to help advertise his
domain as well as his readiness to begin breeding.
[5] Sometimes a rub is
accompanied by a scrape which is an area of ground that has been scraped by
hoof until only dirt remains. A scent marker is usually placed on this scrape
through urination. [4]
- Rut
- The “rut” is slang for what is normally
referred to as mating season. It is usually used to signify that the male deer
have entered mating season, such as when someone says, “The bucks are in rut.”
- Scrape
- A scrape is an area of ground that has been
scraped by deer hoof until only dirt remains. A scent marker is usually placed
on this scrape through urination and signals to other deer territorial and
mating information. [4] Hunters
often search for scrapes to hunt near. Since larger dominant deer generally
leave scrapes and frequent them to renew their territorial claim, a hunter may
hunt near a scrape to better his/her chance of killing what is considered a
"trophy" buck.
- Sheds
- Each year the antlers of a male deer fall off,
or are shed. Hunters have come to know the antler remains by the term "sheds."
Some hunters look for these shed antlers each year. They are used for making
craft items or tools and are sometimes used during hunting season to rattle
with. Rattling attracts deer so that they can be drawn in close enough to
shoot. Sheds used for rattling must be replenished often because as they age
the tone generated by rattling changes and is thought, by some hunters, to be
less effective. For further explanation see "rattling."
- Shot Shells
- Shot shells are a type of ammunition that
contain many small projectiles called pellets or shot and are meant to scatter
on exit of a gun barrel creating a wider shot pattern. When the shot spreads
out it covers a wider area enabling hunters to hit smaller objects with
greater proficiency.
- Slugs
- This is a single projectile fired from a gun.
It is commonly called a bullet. A slug is also the name given to a type of
shotgun shell that fires a single lead projectile. Shotgun shells such as
these are generally used for hunting deer. The opposite of a slug would be
what is called a shot shell. Shot shells contain smaller projectiles called
pellets or shot and are meant to scatter on exit of the gun barrel creating a
wider shot pattern enabling hunters to hit smaller objects with greater
proficiency.
- Spike Buck
- A spike buck is a young male deer in his first
antler bearing season. When he is young his first growth of antlers will
consist of two antlers (spikes) about four inches in height, one on each side
of his head. Subsequent years will bring larger growth and a branching of his
antlers. [2]
- Spread (Antler Spread)
- A spread is the distance between two
corresponding structures on the antlers of a deer. There are numerous
structures that are measured. A main beam spread measures the widest distance
between the two beams. This measurement is taken from the inside edge of each
beam. The tip to tip spread takes the leading or foremost tips and measures
the distance between them. A total spread measurement takes into account the
farthest reaching structure on each side of the antlers and measures the
distance between the two. All of these measurements, along with others, are
meant to generate a score that the hunter can rate his kill against the kills
of others. [9]
- Sweet Spot
- This is slang for the region referred to as
the “heart-lung area.” The heart-lung area is the region (the spot) of a
animal that hunters try and aim for in order to kill him/her in a relatively
short period of time (sweet meaning a short time until death as opposed to a
longer). As you may have guessed the “heart-lung” area includes the heart and
lung. This term is usually used in conjunction with discussions involving
large animals.
- Tines
- Otherwise known as points, tines branch from
the main beam of antlers. When someone refers to a deer as an “eight pointer”
they are saying the deer had 8 tines long enough to be counted. What length
qualifies as a “point” is subject to a variety of standards and scoring
systems, but it seems as if most hunters count anything over 1 ½ inches.
- Trophy Animal
- This is a animal that is thought worthy of
acclaim and considered to have the best attributes that can be seen in its
species. Usually this is in reference to the body of a (dead) animal because
only then can a wild animal be possessed by a hunter (rendering it a trophy).
In deer, an equal number of points on each side of its rack and a maximum
number of points possible determine trophy status. Turkeys are judged on the
length of their beards or the spread of their tail feathers and fishes on
their size.
- Typical Antlers
- Typical antlers are tines (points) that extend
upwards from the main beam with no other tines branching from them. There does
not have to be perfect symmetry on each side for antlers to be typical, just
ideal.
Antler Types
- Velvet
- When deer begin to grow antlers in the spring
the new growths are sheathed in skin covered with small hairs which feel
similar to velvet, hence the name. This velvet is packed with blood vessels
that continually feed the antlers nutrients needed to grow. In about four
months the antlers have ceased growing and begin to harden. At this point deer
will find the velvet to be an irritation and start to remove it by rubbing
their antlers on any structure they find conducive to this purpose. Some deer
have been observed to remove all of their velvet within ten minutes while
others can be seen carrying the remnants of the covering for weeks.
[2]
- Wings Locked or Set
- In the process of landing on a body of water,
waterfowls often position their wings so that they are no longer flapping but
are held stationary in a gliding position. This reduces the lift generated and
the birds can now glide onto the surface of the water using their feet as a
type of skid until they have slowed enough to settle into the water.
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