Hunting Psychology

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dcarch

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Hey all! To preface this, I've been a target shooter for a long time now. I love my guns, and shooting is honestly one of the most important things about who I am. The problem I have here is with hunting. Long story short, I took a rabbit today, but had to finish him off. Basically, I broke his back with the first shot, and had to shoot him again in the head to put him down good. I never had any real experience with hunting, due to the fact that my dad never did much in that area, and that I grew up, more or less, in a city. The problem I had was the feeling I got when the rabbit started screaming after I broke his back.The thing is, I'm a volunteer fireman. Saving lives and helping people is what I love to do. Anyhow, I guess I'm just looking for some thoughts, maybe as to what I should do to get over this. I'm sure not gonna give up my favorite hobby, and yet, it still bothers me a little. And yeah, this is one of my first kills. I've taken plenty of pheasants before, but it was somehow different this time. Thanks in advance!
Dave
 
Maybe hunting simply isn't for you. I love it. You don't. Neither of us are right or wrong. It's okay. :)

I know that sounds like I'm over simplifying it, but it really is that simple to me. We all like different things, and that's a good thing.
 
Dang!! I do know the "Death Scream" a Rabbit can give, and it will hackle yer back properly!! ~~LOL!!~~ You did the right thing, you shot it again.

Remember, Hunting is no game. For me, its about eating natural food thats good for the body in every way, as is owning, as well as properly useing, a gun while getting outside and exercizing and just being "Man, the Predator".

Its too good to stop now over some resistance from who's for dinner, but its not always fun. Every animal your trying to kill, from Bunnies to Brown Bears will usually "go down Swingin'" dont let it stop you from appreciating the life your takeing, and finishing the job if nesessary. If the animlas dong eat you , the weather can make you an available meal soon enough, so most hunting is also somewhat of an adventure.
I hunt alll year round for a living, and my mine is at rest, its an ingrained sense here in the Arctic. Do respect your catch, call it it by its full name,"(Rabbit is good, I hate it when some one says "Bou" for a Caribou , or "Brownie" for a Brown Bear, ect, but thats just me) treat it right when you skin it and chop it up, then eat it and know some peace of mind, its quite natural in every way

Plan your hunt around the meal and Hnt guilt free.....and try for a head shot next time:)

Good luck!!
 
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There is a reason that a person goes hunting. If your reason is not clearly defined, I think you will emotionally struggle. I think that it is the hunter's duty to end the life of a game animal as quickly and humanely as possible.

Taking a life is reality. It makes noises, it's bloody, and it is abundantly odoriferous. I believe it is OK to have a "Oh my God, what did I just do?" moment in the field. If you can't answer that question to your satisfaction, you might have to re-think returning to the hunting fields.

Honor the animal. If you are so bent, honor the One who made it. Be grateful for the shot opportunity and its success. Eat it with earnest relish as a reward for your effort. Share the event with friends with good cheer. Find new recipes Betty Crocker never even thought of!
 
I hunt, many times, to eliminate nuisance animals, between chipmunks, squirrels and anything else that may get too close to living around my house structure to the point where they begin entering the structure, I will not tolerate that. Where I live, it is illegal to catch a nuisance animal alive and transport it anywhere. If an animal is caught alive, it must be put down or let go, no moving to another location on the other side of a mountain or valley to let someone else have the same problem.

The same goes for woodchucks that get into our garden and eat all the salad greens that are meant to be for us, not the woodchucks. And, the farmer who has nice fields of grass or alfalfa, which has woodchuck burrows and hills gets a bit disturbed when it is time to run his farm equipment in the field, only to break an axle on some hole in the ground with a huge mound of dirt alongside it where the woodchucks have dug over 30' of tunnels in one area near the middle of the field.

I tried eating woodchuck meat, it is too game-tasting for me. I don't think I would go into the supermarket and purchase cow brain or cow stomach to eat, just like I don't eat woodchuck. So, some other predator, that may be half starving to death and some crows and hungry hawks come and eat whatever woodchuck I shot.

Some people are totally against killing anything, however they have no problem eating a big, juicy steak or hamburger. What is the difference if someone shot the meat out in a field or it came from a slaughterhouse? At least the game hunter is giving the animal a sporting chance and not just corralling the animal into a clamp-fence and popping it in the head with a pneumatic bolt gun to the brain.:eek:
 
I grew up with "guns'n'huntin'" from around age seven or so. I spent a lot of time at my grandparents' farm and ranch operation. So, lifelong--and that's pretty long :D--I've taken the food/varmint thing as just part of life.

But individual morality is a complex subject, and I imagine that few of us here really want to write a book about it. :) Ortega y Gasset's "Meditations on Hunting" has already been written, long ago. One comment he offered: "One does not hunt in order to kill. One kills in order to have hunted." This, of course, does not apply to folks like Caribou, but it certainly applies to many of us who are not subsistence hunters.
 
My wife's first bow killed deer was spine hit and required follow up shot; the deer also made a loud bawl when hit. My wife was not too happy about this, but now has 10 bow kills to her credit.

My grandmother would not eat deer meet, something about the deer having pretty big brown eyes; I pointed out that cattle also have big brown eyes and she ate those.

Many people are far removed from the reality of that if they are eating meat something had to die; I think they would become vegetarians if they had to kill it themself.

Either you kill it yourself or hire a "hit man" (butcher) because most of the meat were are eating did not die from old age (hopefully) or suicide.
 
Thanks guys.
I guess I should clarify that it's not that I'm questioning my interest in hunting, but rather, I got a case of "what have I done" pretty bad once I broke his back. I feel a whole lot better today, but it still shook me up a bit. Kinda like Elmer Fudd in that one cartoon where he actually gets Bugs. :D
 
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dcarch said:
Hey all! To preface this, I've been a target shooter for a long time now. I love my guns, and shooting is honestly one of the most important things about who I am. The problem I have here is with hunting. Long story short, I took a rabbit today, but had to finish him off. Basically, I broke his back with the first shot, and had to shoot him again in the head to put him down good. I never had any real experience with hunting, due to the fact that my dad never did much in that area, and that I grew up, more or less, in a city. The problem I had was the feeling I got when the rabbit started screaming after I broke his back.The thing is, I'm a volunteer fireman. Saving lives and helping people is what I love to do. Anyhow, I guess I'm just looking for some thoughts, maybe as to what I should do to get over this. I'm sure not gonna give up my favorite hobby, and yet, it still bothers me a little. And yeah, this is one of my first kills. I've taken plenty of pheasants before, but it was somehow different this time. Thanks in advance!
Dave
Click to expand...
I just put my foot on its head & pull its head off, why waste ammo.............
 
Hey dcarch...arkansas is right; you either like it or you don't; no harm either way. I grew up hunting and cleaning all manner of wild game. Plus we raised, killed and ate chickes and rabbits. That said, all conscientious hunters seek clean kills. I also shoot 100s of prairie dogs. Not everyone likes such sport. I don't engage in long distance shots with my .22 on p-dogs even though I can hit them and they usually die. The point here is that no one with any degree of conscience "likes" killing. It just goes with the territory. I am also a licensed psychotherapist so from a variety of vantage points I can assure you that your reaction is OK and you don't need to do anything special to "get over it". Such experiences contribute to shaping us over time and this is just one of many experiences you will have over your life time. Looks like you are not going to become a rabbit hunter.
 
The thing is, I realize that they need to go. They've been destroying my garden. It's just hard for me to justify killing something that doesn't present a threat to me or my animals.
 
It happens to any hunter with a heart. You should not let it spoil hunting for you. It's ten times worse when its a big game animal. However, when you make ethical clean kills you begin to appreciate the need for a well placed shot and can take pride in the hunt.
 
When I shoot an animal, a varmint, and if it is not a clean kill, it gets to me. That is why I prefer to use a 22-250 on it, one that I know will blow the thing to kingdom come. Not only that, it is easier for the crows, hawks and other predators to come and clean up the mess I made in the field.

I shot a woodchuck once and knew I had hit it and it just laid there, trying to eat the grass. I finally took another shot and when I got up close, the first shot just blew his bottom jaw clean off. I suppose he may have gotten a bit knocked-out at the same time which is why he did not run off.

That one made me feel sorry for the longest time, like, suppose I would not have taken the second shot? This poor thing would have most likely starved to death, thinking it is eating but not being able to eat. That was and still is, very upsetting to me.:eek:

If you see old animals, and realize that some young, strong predator is going to come along and start taking bites out of it, you realize that "nature" is not kind. Death is all a part of life, everything that lives and is born, eventually dies.

The Bible commands humans to take control of the animals, the fish, the birds of the air. We were meant to eat meat!
 
Any true hunter/sportsman does not enjoy watching an animal suffer, nor do they wish their quarry a slow painful death. That would be sick and warped. It is why we strive for clean quick kills. Unfortunately, regardless of what some claim on the internet, it does not always happen that way. In those instances a quick follow-up shot or coup de gras is in order. Sometimes we are unable to do that. In the end, it should make us strive to do better the next time.
 
As everyone has pointed out, we aren't all cut out for hunting.

It was ravaging your garden? There's your clearly defined purpose. More like pest control than hunting. Defend your lettuce and carrots to the death!;)

Personally I feel that everyone should harvest and dress out at least one deer in their lifetime, if it is something they feel they are interested in. Fulfilling in a primal way to kill, store, then eat what has been harvested.

The first time some people dress out a bear, they really freak out because it looks like they're peeling Uncle Fester out of his pajamas.

So I'd recommend against anything resembling this "advanced class" unless you've gotten lots o kills and guts under your fingernails.

The second time I went deer hunting, our party took home 9 deer carcasses. I gutted 8 of them. My first took nearly 20 minutes. Floundering, thinking I'd cut my fingers off, being way too gentle with the innards, etc... The last took 6 minutes.

Practice. You'll steel your resolve once you get another 99 wabbits under your belt!
 
People anthropomorphize too much. The rabbit's reaction is the same one he does when coyote is tearing him to pieces or a hawk nabs him or a bobcat pounces on him. It's not a human response. I've picked up tame rabbits that did this before, made me think about taking one coyote hunting, LOL. I raise rabbits for a while, thinkin' the kid would wanna do rabbits in 4H, didn't happen. Oh well, I ate 'em. :D

Anyway, I'm like Art except ain't THAT old. :D I started hunting with my Benjamin .22 pellet rifle (air gun, pump up type) at age 7 after i got it for Christmas. I also got a Benjamin .22 pistol not long after and got a holster custom made for it. My mom worked at a prison unit and an inmate there would make custom holsters, all you needed do was trace the gun on a piece of paper for him. :D

So, I'm out in the woods one day, come upon a rabbit standing there, big swamp rabbit. I shot him in the head, just knocked him silly. He stumbled around, I popped him in the head with the pistol. Not much affect from the pistol, kinda wimpy. Pumped the rifle up for two more shots to the head before the thing finally quit kicking. I was so excited I spilled half the can of pellets on the ground reloading. I brought it to my grandpa all proud. :D I guess when you're young, you have fewer pre-conceived notions of morals or such. You don't anthropomorphize that easily unless you've been spoon fed Disney movies or something, I never was. I never saw "Bambi" until I was grown.

Anyway, I was practically born to it. I'm not sure if one can just take up the sport as an adult. I suppose it can happen to someone who's really into the survival thing or something. I think it's better to be born to it, though. I have lots of good memories of hunting when I was young. I know I'd have it no other way. I was so crazy about it, I decided to major in Wildlife and fisheries Science in school, not realizing I probably wouldn't get a job. :rolleyes: I just thought about being afield all day and getting paid for it. Well, I wound up in a lab analyzing waste effluent from a chemical plant for a living. :rolleyes:

Whatever, you have to deal with such things on your own. Nothing we can tell you can possibly matter. If it ain't for you, don't do it, but just remember, nature is cruel, you're living an insulated life in the city. You can't possibly relate to how hard it is to get along as an herbivore just above grass in the food web. MOST rabbits in nature do not grow up. Few die of old age. You did that rabbit a favor. He coulda been caught by a hawk, woulda been a lot worse!
 
I Know FL, You can hunt rabbit all year long, Though in the hot month they have wolves, That's a fat worm like parasite in his/her neck,,,& I WON'T eat em then ; ) PS You'll become a seasond hunter the more time in the bush.

The more you hunt, the more game you'll see & the more you see the more you will learn body langauge. Take time to watch some game in the feild
with out hunting it. All good things will come in time ;)
Y/D
 
Dave it shows you have a heart. I love guns also. I have spent a ton of money on them. I hope I never have to use one on a animal. I was a fireman also and once you get it in your head we are humans and are suposed to save lives it changes a lot. I don't care what people think about me but animals hurt just like humans. Sorry for your hurt but just remember there are lots of fun ways to shoot without taking a life of something trying to do the same as us.......live.
 
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