The Kill
 

With all this talk of different animals to hunt .... killing to kill ........ That part of the bowhunt ...... Do you hateitt? do you like it? Do you love it? I'm talking about taking an animals life with your bow..... Do you picture the broadhead slicing through the lungs and/ or heart..... do you try not to think about it? ......

I am curious as to your thoughts .....

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I love everything about it...

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I love it .... a perfect kill shot I'm talking about .... I picture my broadhead slicing through the lungs ... I appreciate the animal and all that, and there are so many emotions when it happens, but the taking of the life of an animal in a fair chase situation, legally ......it's hard to beat ... it's a complete rush ...

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The thing I don't like is hearing the death moan of an animal. Deer don't do it very often but bear do it allot more. When you hear the sound you know you put that arrow exactly where it should be but at the same time your wishing ok you can quit moaning now already!! My 2nd bear I shot was the 1st animal I heard do this. It happened 30 yards from my stand and it put a huge lump in my throat when I heard it. To this day every time I hear a death moan it still puts a huge lump in my throat but at the same time I know I made a very successful shot. All in all to me its part of the hunt that you have to except but not necessarily like. Us hunters have many feelings too, the anti's like to think we don't.[:@]

RE: The Kill
 

Ya know, I've never thought about it. It surely doesn't upset me any, that's for sure. I don't visualize the arrow slicing it's way through....I don't like to watch them suffer, which is why I shot my buck 3 times last fall. I put a bad shot on a doe once w/ a rifle, and she let out a god awful beller.......I hope I NEVER hear that again.

So in short, I'm ok with it. As long as they aren't suffering, that I just don't like. If I'm gonna kill 'em, I wanna kill 'em quickly.

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It's all good--every aspect of the hunt

RE: The Kill
 

Fred Bear:

"A downed animal is certainly the object of the hunting trip, but it becomes the anti-climax when compared to the many other pleasures of the hunt"

...I agree with Mr. Bear, but I sure love to do it;)

RE: The Kill
 

I love the hunt, I don't mind the killing, but i do have a bit of remorse every time I do kill an animal, it's not enough to keep from hunting, but I do feel something different, I mean i know it's just an animal, but I did take its life. That's final. Don't get it twisted, Im not saying I feel sorry for them and we shouldn't enjoy all the aspects of hunting, I just feel a bit of remorse, and it's never right away, it usually is when i go to sleep that night, it will cross my mind, and then I forget it forever.

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x2

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I TOTALLY understand the regret part .... the respect and appreciation for the animal .... there are so many emotions .... that is why I love it so ....... now again, I'm talking about a good shot that kills the animal quickly and is done fair chase and legal ...

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Not a huge fan of hearing the death cry. But I love to hunt so it is something that has to be done. I the guilty catholic I am say a prayer everytime I kill an animal

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Killing is part of hunting. Without it we would call it watching. Something has to die if we are going to be meat eaters. I kill the chickens we eat. I have raised them from little chicks. The past few months I have held 2 of my dogs while I said goodbye to them, one of them I had since he was 8 wks to 8.5 yrs. If I can kill my chickens and dogs when the need arises then hunting is not a problem.

When I kill an animal I hope I do it in a manner that leaves the animal with its' dignity and treat it with respect after I have killed it.

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Well said Bruce!! I can relate to what you said.

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I love hunting, killing is part of the hunt, I'm OK with the killing part. I get my rush from the whole experience of the hunt than just the Kill itself!!!!

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As I can to what you and Vabowman wrote. I knew where you two were coming from because I think along those lines also.

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The taking or harvesting the animal with your bow or hunting to feed yourself and your family is the reason we hunt in the first place.
In order to bring the meat home it's necessary to terminate the life of the animal so it's something we have to deal with in are own way.
I give thanks each time I harvest an animal and ask for the many blessing to come.

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If I didn't like it I wouldn't do it. It was something I worried about the first time I hunted though. A buddy got me into it when I was 30. I told him I don't have anything against deer hunting, just didn't have much desire to do it to be honest. I told him I would give it a try and see what I thought. I said I'm not sure how I feel after I kill one.

Well after killing my first deer with my bow, tracking it and loading it the truck we were driving down the road and he asked me "So, how do you feel, about killing a deer you know?" I said "Well I'm not exactly going to cry if that's what you are asking.". ;) The next year I got a muzzle loader and hunted with that, and then a slug gun a few years later.

I grew up on a small farm, killing is a part of life sometimes. Hey, if I can look my favorite pet in the eye and shoot it because it got hit by a car, killing a deer when hunting isn't a huge issue with me. Sounds sort of cold, but it's the truth none the less.

Paul

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I certainly don't enjoy watching an animal (or anything) die. I do believe that God put these creatures on the planet for our use, so I have not issue harvesting my share.

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Me to Tony, alot of emotions and recpect for the animal.

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I don't have a problem with it because I chose to take that animals life. I do however take the killing of an animal very serious and have remorse/love for the animal...I actually feel alot worse when I kill an animal on accident such as hitting deer and squirrels with my truck.

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I don't have a problem with killing them, never have, b/c it's part of the deal, but I hate to see an animal suffer, whether it's a bird, deer, dog, whatever.

Near the end of last season I spine shot a deer and as a last resort, had to finish her with my knife. Now that one bothered me alot (big understatement) andIpray that doesn't EVER happen again.

As mentioned, hunters should have Dignity and Respect for the animals God allows us to hunt.

RE: The Kill
 

It's hard to explain to someone who has'nt hunted,to me it is a huge rush and at the same time a letdown,because I know I just took a life,but i understand that killing is part of hunting,I get more from the actually hunting than the actual killing,but they both go hand in hand.I would be concerned about people who really get pleasure from the act of killing rather than the whole experince of the hunt which cumalates into a successfull kill.I hope this makes some sense.

RE: The Kill
 

Amen Bruce

Joe ... I don't want it to sound like that's what I'm saying ..... but the kill is the climax .... the period on the sentence if you will. All the practice pre-season ..... When you put the time in to scout and in the woods ..... waking up in the middle of the night ....keeping your clothes as scent free as possible ....getting to your stand as quietly as you can ... the crackling of leaves as hooves penatrate the forest floor ... the sight of your quarry .... that tense moment when you are able to draw ..... finding your spot ..... the release of the arrow and the subsequent, "WHACK!" sound as you push a razor sharp broadhead thru your trophy's chest cavity ..... watching as the deer slows from his death run ... he starts to stumble, falling over ....dead.

You see, it's the kill that seperates us from camera men or nature watchers ...... it's the kill that causes PETA to even be around ..... it's the kill

[Deleted]
 

[Deleted by Admins]

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I take no thrill nor do I feel any remorse when I kill an animal. I don't like it if I mess up the shot and its not a clean kill, but I move on. I will say that there may not be a better feeling as when you see the deer go down, but I don't equate that with joy in killing, cause at that moment I'm not thinking of a dead deer, I'm elated at a successful hunt.

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Ryan......So why not use a paint ball .... sorry, but the kill, taking the life, laying your hands on the dead animal, has more to do with your elationthan I think you are giving it credit for ....... just a thought ...

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Killing is part of hunting. If I didn't like it, I would just be a nature Lover, and if that was the case I would sit on the deck and watch the Wildlife;)

Dan

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Ditto.

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I hear ya Tony, I know exactly what your saying and its all good! Good post, make me want to be in the woods as I type this!:) I guess with everything else going on I don't even think about what I'm about to do, I'm so into the moment, I just do it! :)

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I like it, it's like hearing a dinner bell ring.

Do fishermen have polls like this?

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Fred was correct, the kill is a bonus!!

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Choice number four fits me perfectly. I don't think of the kill as a bonus. If I had to break the hunt down in to separate parts, which is difficult to do, the "kill" would rankjust as high, in my book as the anticipation, the camaraderie, spending time surrounded by nature and catching that first glimpse of movement. I can't, however, slice a hunt up that way in my mind. I love the hunt, and I love the kill. It's programmed into me and I choose to embrace it. I love it![8D]

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I practice and scout, so as to make the best kill shot I can. When I drill one, there's no better feeling. It's a rush unmatched by anything else I do. Yes, I enjoy the kill. If it was just about "being in the woods", I'd carry a camera, or sit on my poarch as the previous poster stated. I have the ultimate respect for these critters. That's why I take nothing but what I consider to be kill shots, for me. Worst feeling I've ever had was watching a deer run away with my arrow in it. It's never happened again.

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I personally like the kill, but dont love it. I love the fact that I can go in and set myself up in a position to see the animal I want, get them within range, and make a sucessful shot. I dont like to watch em die if they are deer, unless they drop on the spot. The birds dont get to me at all and I love the kill on birds because that is everything, but on deer it is a different scenario to me. Take it or leave it if I didnt like the kill I wouldnt do it. ;)

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First of all I wouldn't hunt if it did bother me alot. I like to know I made a good shot and the animal did not suffer. I don't like that at all. I believe God gave us dominion over the animals so I believe it is ok to kill them to use them for food etc. I do not like to kill just to kill. I would never release an arrow just so an animal will die.

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So Jason, is it fair to say that you eat everything you kill?

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Nothing is better than hearing that perftectly placed arrow!

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I'm a little bit of a thrill seeker. I sure don't mind "the kill" itself , but I hunt for the venison AND the the rush I get when I seemy arrow hitthe target.
I would never kill an animal just to kill. God put animals on the earth to sustain us. If feel very fortunate when a hunt ends with a quick , successful harvest. If I lost the rush, I'd probably quit.

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Great post.I think age is playing a large part in the poll.IMO

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I do like th "Kill" part of the hunt not because I love killing animals but because I know that I have been successful at tricking the deers senses and get close enough to get a shot. Even when I get a shot that I am not sure if I missed or not I feel good and start shaking. I've always told myself this: If ever I stop shaking after a kill I will quit hunting because then I'm not hunting, I'm killing.