.455_Hunter
Member
The issue is not when people choose to abstain from hunting related activities, but when the same people think everybody else should be forced to abstain from hunting related activities.
Coming out of the closet
- Thread starter Brutuskend
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Deus Machina
Member
At the first point I could hold a gun, my grandfather taught me "never shoot at something unless you're going to eat it."
Of course, he kept a loaded shotgun behind the bedroom door, so if anyone ever broke into his house there were going to be questions.
But that's where I stand. No dishonor in shooting something if you use it. My family were hunters growing up, and every ounce of meat was eaten, organs were used where possible, and antlers became knife handles. Same with the bone where possible, and the dogs got them otherwise.
Me, maybe I'll go hunting with my dad sometime for the meat. If he didn't pull me along, I don't think I could shoot something unless I was starving.
That kind of comes not from a direct moral belief, but from my belief that this is all we get. Makes this life all the more important.
Of course, he kept a loaded shotgun behind the bedroom door, so if anyone ever broke into his house there were going to be questions.
But that's where I stand. No dishonor in shooting something if you use it. My family were hunters growing up, and every ounce of meat was eaten, organs were used where possible, and antlers became knife handles. Same with the bone where possible, and the dogs got them otherwise.
Me, maybe I'll go hunting with my dad sometime for the meat. If he didn't pull me along, I don't think I could shoot something unless I was starving.
That kind of comes not from a direct moral belief, but from my belief that this is all we get. Makes this life all the more important.
Obturation
Member
This year was going to be my first season deer hunting... But things didn't work out- thanks 2020!
Didn't have parents or grandparents that hunted and besides the tree rats , skunks, opossum, racoon and invasive bird species that hang around suburban neighborhoods I haven't ever hunted. I'm looking to change that and start a hunting tradition in my family for my daughter's. Not because I like killing, I don't . to me it's about nature and self reliance , feeding your family with your abilities . not because of money (it'll likely cost me more for the same amount of meat if bought at the store) but because it's a way to reconnect with reality . I'm confident that I can shoot a deer if presented the opportunity but I guess you never know until it's standing right in front of you.
...next year.
Didn't have parents or grandparents that hunted and besides the tree rats , skunks, opossum, racoon and invasive bird species that hang around suburban neighborhoods I haven't ever hunted. I'm looking to change that and start a hunting tradition in my family for my daughter's. Not because I like killing, I don't . to me it's about nature and self reliance , feeding your family with your abilities . not because of money (it'll likely cost me more for the same amount of meat if bought at the store) but because it's a way to reconnect with reality . I'm confident that I can shoot a deer if presented the opportunity but I guess you never know until it's standing right in front of you.
...next year.
Legionnaire
Contributing Member
Nothing weird about your position. I got into shooting through hunting and still like to hunt--although I haven't hunted in TX. I started out hunting the wooded hills of PA and NY on public and private land; I'm not interested in paying a lease to shoot scrawny whitetail over bait here in TX. To the point, my story is different from yours. So what? I enjoy target shooting, too. I find all kids of sport shooting enjoyable. Focus on what you enjoy.
WestKentucky
Member
I ride the fence. I thoroughly enjoy hunting, but I no longer get anything from the actual kill. I would prefer to sit out in the cold and watch the deer play, and I have done just that a number of times. Then along will come a deer and I just feel like that is the right one for whatever reason and that is the one I take home. It’s usually the really dumb one that hangs around too long or runs into a tree and falls over. Once it was a spike buck that got spunky and acted like he wanted to charge me from about 10ft. With small game, it has lost its appeal, but my kids are starting to ask questions and want to go so I will take them and teach them I suppose.
bassjam
Member
When I was 7 or 8, Grandpa made me a slingshot out of an inner tube. Well, not long after I got bored of shooting at soda cans and decided to shoot at a bird, and hit a bluejay. It flew off, but left a ton of feathers behind and I got that sick pit-of-the-stomach feeling that I had killed something. While Grandpa was a hunter, Dad said he hated killing things and got that same feeling whenever he had shot a squirrel or rabbit while hunting as a kid.
I decided that I also didn't want to kill anything for the time being, until at age 12 we moved to a farm that had a barn infested with pigeons. A neighbor told us how dangerous their poo is, and the 2ft high mound of bird poo up in the loft under one of the roof vents confirmed there was a lot. So dad, who still didn't want to kill anything himself, paid me $2/pigeon to get rid of them. The neighbor decided to up the bounty and paid me $3/pigeon to get them out of his barn too. Armed with my Red Ryder, which didn't put holes through the corrugated metal roof but also wasn't powerful enough to kill a pigeon, I learned that if I hit them in the wing they couldn't fly and would fall to the ground where I could pop them with a club. I got over my dislike of killing pretty quick when I became a "contract killer", I think I made a little over $150 that first summer in 95.
Not long after my family got some animals like pigs, sheep, and goats, and with those the pests like coons and possums, and I became the dispatcher after they were trapped. Hunting was a natural progression after that.
I decided that I also didn't want to kill anything for the time being, until at age 12 we moved to a farm that had a barn infested with pigeons. A neighbor told us how dangerous their poo is, and the 2ft high mound of bird poo up in the loft under one of the roof vents confirmed there was a lot. So dad, who still didn't want to kill anything himself, paid me $2/pigeon to get rid of them. The neighbor decided to up the bounty and paid me $3/pigeon to get them out of his barn too. Armed with my Red Ryder, which didn't put holes through the corrugated metal roof but also wasn't powerful enough to kill a pigeon, I learned that if I hit them in the wing they couldn't fly and would fall to the ground where I could pop them with a club. I got over my dislike of killing pretty quick when I became a "contract killer", I think I made a little over $150 that first summer in 95.
Not long after my family got some animals like pigs, sheep, and goats, and with those the pests like coons and possums, and I became the dispatcher after they were trapped. Hunting was a natural progression after that.
Ernie Bass
member
Since I was a kid, I have enjoyed being in the woods. I love nature. Nature is my church. I was never the one disappointment because I did not score a buck. I enjoy scouting for deer more than hunting. I have let more deer go in the past 10 years that were easy kills than you can imagine. That said, come across a Nutria, Grackle, or other destructive pest, I want to kill em all.
I shoot guns every chance I get. Why? I find them fascinating. Love the feel of the power and appreciate the engineering like someone would a piece of Art. I get a feeling of relaxation from shooting, takes my mind off of things for a while. Almost like a drug.
I still remember the first deer I killed. When I go back in my mind, I do not think of the actual killing. I think of the beautiful creature bounding through the Pines coming toward me.I try not to remember the actually killing. Just not pleasant. I will be out hunting this year, have been scouting all year. And chances are I will not score. And not because I did not have a shot.
I shoot guns every chance I get. Why? I find them fascinating. Love the feel of the power and appreciate the engineering like someone would a piece of Art. I get a feeling of relaxation from shooting, takes my mind off of things for a while. Almost like a drug.
I still remember the first deer I killed. When I go back in my mind, I do not think of the actual killing. I think of the beautiful creature bounding through the Pines coming toward me.I try not to remember the actually killing. Just not pleasant. I will be out hunting this year, have been scouting all year. And chances are I will not score. And not because I did not have a shot.
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Brutuskend
Member
Thanks for all the reply's and personal stories.
I'm sure if I needed to hunt to survive I could do it, I may still feel that twinge but I could do it.
I know herds need to be controlled, and I respect those who can do it. I think one of the reasons I got into black powder is if I ever DID need to hunt, I want things to feel more "sporting". I have always had a bit of trouble understanding the sport in hunting when you sit 1/2 away with a high powered rifle and scope and take an animal that has no idea that you are even there. Sure there is skill in making that kind of shot, but I couldn't do it anymore than I could play poker with marked cards.
But to each his own I guess.
As to nucance critters, again, I'm sure they need to be controlled, I'm just not the guy to do it. So I guess it is good that there are others out there that CAN do it,!
Again, thanks for everyone's input!!
I'm sure if I needed to hunt to survive I could do it, I may still feel that twinge but I could do it.
I know herds need to be controlled, and I respect those who can do it. I think one of the reasons I got into black powder is if I ever DID need to hunt, I want things to feel more "sporting". I have always had a bit of trouble understanding the sport in hunting when you sit 1/2 away with a high powered rifle and scope and take an animal that has no idea that you are even there. Sure there is skill in making that kind of shot, but I couldn't do it anymore than I could play poker with marked cards.
But to each his own I guess.
As to nucance critters, again, I'm sure they need to be controlled, I'm just not the guy to do it. So I guess it is good that there are others out there that CAN do it,!
Again, thanks for everyone's input!!
JR24
Member
I get that, I was an avid Hunter for most of my life but at some point, namely a few poorly snared fox while trapping I just lost the desire to kill anything.
I still hunt some, deer for meat and upland game with the boys (which means I mostly just walk with a shotgun, I rarely shoot at anything) but I really don't take joy in the hunt. Comraderie and enjoying nature are my primary interests when it comes to hunting.
Though, I do quite enjoy venison so I try to fill the freezer with at least one deer each fall.
Most days, especially if I have a full freezer, I'd much rather be at the range punching paper or busting clays.
I still hunt some, deer for meat and upland game with the boys (which means I mostly just walk with a shotgun, I rarely shoot at anything) but I really don't take joy in the hunt. Comraderie and enjoying nature are my primary interests when it comes to hunting.
Though, I do quite enjoy venison so I try to fill the freezer with at least one deer each fall.
Most days, especially if I have a full freezer, I'd much rather be at the range punching paper or busting clays.
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Brutuskend
Member
BTW When I was young I did kill things just for the sake of it, I think most guys probably did. I shot rabbits, "tree rats" bull frogs...
But as has been mentioned on here, I think over time, alot of people out grow that impulse.
The day I shot tweety I was with a couple of friends ( brothers) and their mantra was, "If it fly's, it dies" so maybe there was a little per pressure involved that day, but mostly I just wanted to see if I could hit it.
Question answered.
But as has been mentioned on here, I think over time, alot of people out grow that impulse.
The day I shot tweety I was with a couple of friends ( brothers) and their mantra was, "If it fly's, it dies" so maybe there was a little per pressure involved that day, but mostly I just wanted to see if I could hit it.
Question answered.
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Terry G
Member
Only one in five Deer Hunter's score on any given year, but all buy licenses and the Deer herd's here have grown every single year for the past 10 years or so. Last Deer season I harvested one Buck. When I was taking it to be processed I counted four car kills, wasted Deer. How many more Deer would be hit to suffer and die slowly in a ditch if there was no hunting?
MacAR
Member
I don't think you're odd for feeling how you do. You might think I am, though. If it walks, crawls, or flies in N. Arkansas, I've probably shot it. My family are all hunters, and I like to hunt quite a bit. Squirrel hunting with a good dog is about my favorite thing to do anymore, now that all the quail are gone (quail hunting being my first love), followed by goose shooting. I deer hunt as well, but only with firearms. I've never had a desire to bow hunt. The main reason that I hunt, is because I like to eat what I shoot. Same reason I fish. There's a certain satisfaction in knowing that you've either grown, raised, caught, or shot everything that's setting on the table in front of you. And I think that our Maker put the beasts and the fish and the fowl here for us to make use of if possible. Not to mistreat, mind you. Just to make use of in what ways we can.
It has never bothered me to dispatch a critter, either. Armadillos, possums, coons etc. They're endangering my livestock (or myself) and therefore won't be tolerated. Not saying that I enjoy it, mind you. I almost feel sorry for them knowing they have to eat, too. Sometimes I just wish I could tell them to go find supper somewhere else! Putting down sick or injured animals is a part of farm life that I've never liked, but learned to accept. My dad loves to hunt, but can't stand to put an animal down. I have to do it, usually. There's been a lot of animals sent to the big packinghouse in the sky courtesy of my aught-six. Again, I don't like it. I look on it as a job that someone has to do, and that it should be done as quick and efficiently as possible. Not only for the sake of myself but for the critter's too. There should be no joking about it, etc. Respect and dignity to the end. You wouldn't do that to a condemned man, so why would you do it to an animal?
Like I said, maybe I'm the odd one.
Mac
It has never bothered me to dispatch a critter, either. Armadillos, possums, coons etc. They're endangering my livestock (or myself) and therefore won't be tolerated. Not saying that I enjoy it, mind you. I almost feel sorry for them knowing they have to eat, too. Sometimes I just wish I could tell them to go find supper somewhere else! Putting down sick or injured animals is a part of farm life that I've never liked, but learned to accept. My dad loves to hunt, but can't stand to put an animal down. I have to do it, usually. There's been a lot of animals sent to the big packinghouse in the sky courtesy of my aught-six. Again, I don't like it. I look on it as a job that someone has to do, and that it should be done as quick and efficiently as possible. Not only for the sake of myself but for the critter's too. There should be no joking about it, etc. Respect and dignity to the end. You wouldn't do that to a condemned man, so why would you do it to an animal?
Like I said, maybe I'm the odd one.
Mac
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Brutuskend
Member
Good point.
At least here in Oregon they passed a road kill law, where you can pick up road kill for dinner. Though that hardly helps in removing the dent or busted windshield.
Do many other states have that road kill law?
.308 Norma
Member
https://www.rmef.org/
With over 234,000 members, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) is one of the nation’s largest hunting and conservation organizations, and our youngest daughter is a wheel with it. Yet she doesn’t hunt. She’s far too tender hearted to kill an animal. For that matter, she hardly even kills a bug in her house - sometimes she’ll escort it back outside where it belongs, but she doesn’t often kill anything.
On the other hand, our oldest daughter is a big time deer hunter, and kills a deer almost every year. Which if you know much about deer hunting in Idaho, you know killing a deer almost every year is way above average; less than 1 in 3 Idaho deer hunters kill a deer during an average deer season. It’s not at all like back east or down south where there are 1 or 2 deer a day limits. Comparatively, there’s not nearly as many deer here, and several factors, including severe winters and human encroachment on winter ranges, have keep the deer population fairly small since the early ‘90s.
At any rate, I don’t know where my wife and I went wrong with our youngest daughter! Just kidding of course.
But just like her older sister, our youngest daughter grew up hunting with her mom and me. And she still enjoys eating wild game meat when someone gives her some. She just won’t kill it herself, and I have my doubts that has much to do with her background.
With over 234,000 members, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) is one of the nation’s largest hunting and conservation organizations, and our youngest daughter is a wheel with it. Yet she doesn’t hunt. She’s far too tender hearted to kill an animal. For that matter, she hardly even kills a bug in her house - sometimes she’ll escort it back outside where it belongs, but she doesn’t often kill anything.
On the other hand, our oldest daughter is a big time deer hunter, and kills a deer almost every year. Which if you know much about deer hunting in Idaho, you know killing a deer almost every year is way above average; less than 1 in 3 Idaho deer hunters kill a deer during an average deer season. It’s not at all like back east or down south where there are 1 or 2 deer a day limits. Comparatively, there’s not nearly as many deer here, and several factors, including severe winters and human encroachment on winter ranges, have keep the deer population fairly small since the early ‘90s.
At any rate, I don’t know where my wife and I went wrong with our youngest daughter! Just kidding of course.
But just like her older sister, our youngest daughter grew up hunting with her mom and me. And she still enjoys eating wild game meat when someone gives her some. She just won’t kill it herself, and I have my doubts that has much to do with her background.
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Brutuskend
Member
Don't think so.
We're not SUPPOSED to........
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Brutuskend
Member
One thing that MAY be bad about that law is, I have heard tails of people running down animals with thier rigs on perpose , though that may very well be a urban legon.
I sux @ the spelling
I sux @ the spelling
DukeConnor
Member
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I gave up deer hunting. Just too many tics to deal with.
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Brutuskend
Member
Well, there IS that..
It happens out here, which is why we're not supposed to take road kill....course I've seen just as many people shoot stuff off the side of the road...hate those guys.
NorthBorder
Member
Coming out of the closet. I thought this was gonna be another lost gun thread.
.38 Special
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I enjoy hunting but don't like to kill. As Jose Ortega Y Gasset wrote, "One does not hunt in order to kill; on the contrary, one kills in order to have hunted". That sums it up nicely for me, and I always suggest his Meditations on Hunting to anyone who wants to hunt but has reservations, or is otherwise on the fence about the morality of it.
Frankly, during the past few years I have been considering giving up hunting entirely, as it is expensive and time-consuming, given my location in Southern California. I keep my hand in (if just barely, these days) primarily to remind myself that, as a meat-eater, my food involves death. Another side effect of living in Southern California is that it is very easy to become insulated from reality!
Frankly, during the past few years I have been considering giving up hunting entirely, as it is expensive and time-consuming, given my location in Southern California. I keep my hand in (if just barely, these days) primarily to remind myself that, as a meat-eater, my food involves death. Another side effect of living in Southern California is that it is very easy to become insulated from reality!
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Brutuskend
Member
How true, I spent most of my enlistment at El Toro in the early 70's
stonebuster
Member
It would be an expensive meal if you figure in the trip to the body shop. An older fellow picked up a road killed deer and got scared someone saw him and called the game warden when he got home. He was honest and told the warden the deer was in his trunk. The game warden reprimanded him and told him he'd be out to pick it up. The guy went out and opened his trunk and the deer jumped out and ran. When the warden got there, no deer. True story.
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Brutuskend
Member
Haha!
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