|
Not a PETA Question!
I know that a lot of you super macho guy's will laugh but i was wondering if anyone else goes through the same things that i do. Call me a softy but i can't stomach to watch a deer that i shoot fall and flop around on the ground in pain until it eventually dies. I know that it's an easier way to go than most cattle get to. I have been in slaughter houses and seen those graphic YouTube videos and i know that the meat that kill got an easier way out than the meat i eat at McDonalds. I love bow hunting with a passion but i still have days when i think back at the animals i killed and feel bad for having to do it, but i know that i love meat and i love the thrill of the hunt. I guess my question is do any of you ever have those moments where you feel bad after a kill or when you watch a hunting show. I recently read a post on hear about shooting doe's with small fawn's and i was shocked at the amount of people who seem to be able to do it so easily. I'll never stop hunting because i love Venison and the outdoors but i'm sure that i will always feel conflicted about it. I feel like i just came out of the closet or something! Now go ahead and make fun of the sad little soft city boy.
|
RE: Not a PETA Question!
city boy......j/k:)
|
[Deleted]
[Deleted by Admins]
|
RE: Not a PETA Question!
dstubb--you have respect for the animal, therefore you have my respect. You are not soft, you have character.
|
RE: Not a PETA Question!
No , you're not a nancyboy, you simply have a love and respect for Gods creatures, and that is a good thing. We all have things like that happen at some point in our hunting lives, but it is how you respond to it that becomes your character and who you are.
After every kill, I say a prayer of thanks to God, over the animal... clean qiuck kill, or not. Then, if not a clean kill, I ask God to help me to become a better hunter, and to sharpen my skills and help me to make goood decisions. But I also go back and do my part by practicing more. But I am honestly glad you are not callosed towards the life of the game you take. God bless, MET |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
The first deer that i ever shot haunts me still to this day. Before the season had even started i had a few close encounters with a young buck at a feeder of mine. After a few encounters with him he began to trust me and would even walk up to within 10 yards of me to see what kind of goodies i was bringing him today. Finally the season rolled around and i was having no luck at all and really wanted to tag that first deer and put some meat in my freezer. Well sure enough with only about a week of the season left i'm walking back to my truck and i jump him while he's bedded. He tkes off and stops to turn around at 40 yards and whack, I hit him to far back and he was gone. I backed out and went home to get a flashlight because it was getting dark and i knew that it was a poor shot and he needed time to expire. I get back to the spot and there is not a drop of blood to be found. I ended up staying out in the woods until the next sun came up before i went home for some rest. I ended up looking for him for about a week and never found a droplet of blood. I try to block that experience out of my mind because it pains me so much. He was almost like a dog to me!
|
RE: Not a PETA Question!
I had a little 8 pointer come within about 20 yards of my stand last season and fall asleep on me... I watched him for 45 minutes...he became my eyes and my ears because he lay facing me so I couldn't move. And besides I figured he would see/hear something before I would. But anyways, I watched him for so long and got such a kick out of watching him fall asleep over and over that I couldn't bring myself to shoot...I just smiled and shook my head when he finally got up and walked towards me and then walked away...I think if I saw him again this year, I probably still wouldn't shoot that buck in particular...
|
RE: Not a PETA Question!
One reason I say it takes a higher level of maturity to be a hunter. They live with the difficulties of taking a life for the greater good. Not many can do that.
|
RE: Not a PETA Question!
This is one of the reasons that I practice as much as I do and make sure all of my equipment is in top working order. I also wait for the best possible shot, that I know I can make.When I shoot an animal, I want the quickest kill possible.
It hasn't always worked out that way. But more times than not, it has been a quick humane kill. It is out of respect for the animal. Another reason I like to take good respectable pictures after the kill. |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
ORIGINAL: DropTine249 But, its part of hunting and should motivate us to become extremely skilled with our weapons and to gain as much knowledge or our quarry, thier charectoristics and anatomy as possible. |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
I shot a doe about 3 years ago that had a button buck with her. She hit the ground an got up an ran a little ways an fell over an expired. The lttle button buck just stood there at about 40 yards away an watched as I climbed downan put my feet on the ground. He was still standing there an I turned an told him to go on. He leftan ran out of sight.
I remember thinking, I hope that he learned something fromthat day an willdie of old age in his bed. |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
ORIGINAL: virginiashadow dstubb--you have respect for the animal, therefore you have my respect. You are not soft, you have character. |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
When I kill a deer, any deer, I always feel bad that I ended a beautiful amimal's life. I have the utmost respect for theseamimals and try to make sure I take them as quickly andpainlessly as possible.
|
RE: Not a PETA Question!
If youenjoyed to see or hear a animal suffering than you would be one sick SOB.
|
[Deleted]
[Deleted by Admins]
|
RE: Not a PETA Question!
dstubb, I feel the same way. I respect you for the respect you show the animals you hunt. I’m fortunate that the deer I’ve killed died quickly (in sight, actually). But it’s hard to watch a beautiful animal die if you’re a compassionate person. And I don’t think there’s anything bad about being compassionate. I don’t see how a person can read any of the major religious texts, especially the New Testament, without seeing compassion as a major theme. The one deer I wounded jumped the string when it hit my arm guard (I had locked my elbow because I had to hold at full draw almost 2 minutes, waiting for the deer to come out from behind a tree...a mistake I won’t repeat). I looked for the deer the rest of the day and most of the next day and never recovered it. I retrieved the arrow and it had some of the deer’s hair in the nock. I wove that hair into a bead I put on a necklace that I wear when I hunt to remind me to be extra careful when I take a shot. Go ahead. Call me a Nancy. I can take it. |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
i think it comes as a surprise to many non-hunters, that we hunters may not enjoy the "killing/death" aspect of hunting. We may actually feel bad to kill a living creature, yet we still love to hunt. Maybe a tough concept for some to wrap their minds around.
I think most hunters are animal lovers, and would certainly claim that most hunters probably know more about the animals in NA than many non hunters who also are animal lovers. How often have you seen a non-hunter point out a caribou on tv and say, oh look at the moose! or oh look at the stag? its an elk. I don't like to watch something flop around/die slowly either. Ive been on hunts with guys wanting to put a finishing off shot into an animal, and the guide being like, its dead don't worry. If you want to take another finishing off shot, I say do it! its your right! watchign an animal bleed out slowly even knowing its dying, isn't fun to watch etc...to me. So if that means taking another shot, with bow or gun, or looking away for 30 minutes, don't feel bad, or like a nancy, after all most "macho" types tend to be hiding something anyway. |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
I remember thinking, I hope that he learned something fromthat day an willdie of old age in his bed. i think it comes as a surprise to many non-hunters, that we hunters may not enjoy the "killing/death" aspect of hunting. |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
There's something to be said about not following a hit animal too soon.
As long as it's a clean hit through the heart/lungs, I don't think the animal is in much, if any, pain. If you get close enough to see it, it can see you and it's frightened. So, it's more trying to get up and escape and just can't do it. If that happens, rarely does because I give 'em time, I back way off where I'm sure the animal can't see me so it can quiet down and go peacefully. |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
There's a great (IMHO) book called "Hunting from Home" that was written by a guy who's been living in a log cabin the the Blue Ridge Mountains here in VA that I think a lot people on here would like. He is a traditional bow hunter andalso writes for Field & Stream and some other publications. The book walks with him through a year of living (mostly) off the land he leases. In the book, he makes a point about the difference between hunting and hiking, photographing, etc.
When a person walks through the woods or photographs an animal, that is nice. But you aredoing that asan observer of nature. When a person hunts, they are more a part of nature. They are a part of the cycle of life and death, like a lion or bear. I think hunting is very primal. I think the thrill of the hunt is hard-wired into us, especially men, by millions of years of evolution. I think that people in cities try to satisfy this part of their nature through other means, some helpful and some not. But I don't think anything satisfies it like hunting. This doesn't prevent us from having compassion for the animals we kill. I think the compassion and respect I feel for the animals I hunt makes me more human, not less, and I think hunting also makes me more true to my human nature and spirit, and so, more fully human. |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
There's a great (IMHO) book called "Hunting from Home" that was written by a guy who's been living in a log cabin the the Blue Ridge Mountains here in VA that I think a lot people on here would like. He is a traditional bow hunter andalso writes for Field & Stream and some other publications. The book walks with him through a year of living (mostly) off the land he leases. In the book, he makes a point about the difference between hunting and hiking, photographing, etc. When a person walks through the woods or photographs an animal, that is nice. But you aredoing that asan observer of nature. When a person hunts, they are more a part of nature. They are a part of the cycle of life and death, like a lion or bear. I think hunting is very primal. I think the thrill of the hunt is hard-wired into us, especially men, by millions of years of evolution. I think that people in cities try to satisfy this part of their nature through other means, some helpful and some not. But I don't think anything satisfies it like hunting. This doesn't prevent us from having compassion for the animals we kill. I think the compassion and respect I feel for the animals I hunt makes me more human, not less, and I think hunting also makes me more true to my human nature and spirit, and so, more fully human. |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
I think this emotion comes from a perspective that somehowwe are connectedto the animal that we are hunting and killing. The "natural law" fact is that our only connectionis one of predator and prey. If we find ourselves emotionally concerned about the killing of our prey then we have step back and re-examine our motives to hunt and kill in the first place. Hunting should not be considered a "sport" but instead a pastime or way of life. This is not a competition between us the human predator and other prey animals. We should be hunting and killing because we want to fulfill our natural desires to be sucessful predators and providers.
|
RE: Not a PETA Question!
Valor10, are you saying that you never have any kind of compassion for an animal after you take it's life? It doesn't make you any less of a man if you do!
|
RE: Not a PETA Question!
You are not a softy. You are an ethical hunter who respects the animal that is giving it's life to feed you. That is a good thing.
|
RE: Not a PETA Question!
ORIGINAL: walksinair You are not a softy. You are an ethical hunter who respects the animal that is giving it's life to feed you. That is a good thing. |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
Valor10, are you saying that you never have any kind of compassion for an animal after you take it's life? It doesn't make you any less of a man if you do! |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
It's not that i can't stomach it, but it is hard to watch such a beautiful creature go through such agony. I am aware that it is part of the circle of life and i like i said, i'll never stop hunting. The reason for this post was because i see these macho guy's on here talking about killing does with fawns like what's the big deal. I wanted to see what kind of characters we have here in these forums. I am happy after i get a kill, but like you said Valor10 i don't enjoy watching it die.
|
RE: Not a PETA Question!
dstubbnothing but respect from me to ;)It used to bother me a bit but dosent anymore. Im not sure what changed me but maby i just learned to accept it somehow. I still have the utmost respect for all the game i pursue ;)
|
RE: Not a PETA Question!
Some people are drawn to tears when they make a harvest! If you want to admit it...there's nothing wrong with that either! Alot of folks have the same feelings about the moment of truth and don't mention it till you opened the door,you started a good topic!;)And yes I have shed a tear when the time was right. My son's first deer,a solo lonely hunt,a fantastic morning with deer easing in,the sunset of the same day,good reasons to think and have those feelings to me.
|
RE: Not a PETA Question!
I too am thankful for the abundant gifts from nature. We humans are truly blessed......
|
RE: Not a PETA Question!
It's not that i can't stomach it, but it is hard to watch such a beautiful creature go through such agony. As long as the arrow was well placed, the animal is NOT in agony. It's not even in pain. For one, it is in shock from blood loss. For another, they don't have the same pain receptors humans do. What it is, it's confused that it can't get up and run. And if you're standing there watching it where it can see you, it's plain terrified and desperately trying to get up and escape with it's last ounce of strength. Repeat: It's TERROR, not agony, that you're watching!! And you are causing it by being a complete doofus. Back off, LEAVE IT ALONE and don't freakin' watch it. It saves your feelings and it lets the animal calm down, fade away into unconsciousness and die in peace. |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
ORIGINAL: valor10 It comes as a suprise to me so many cannot come to grips with their true nature. Loving to kill deer does not make you a serial killer, it does not make you inhuman, it does not make you uncompassionate. It doesn't bother me, really, to kill an animal. I have respect for them, but face it, it is esentially why we arein the woods during hunting season. KILLING the animal, It is what it is, and why you takea weapon with you. |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
yea, I know the feeling. My first deer/buck w/a bow was that way. I had an old noisy slow browning, you know w/laminated wood riser, & he jumped at the string. Turns out, he turned & the arrow stuck him from behind in one leg, thru his scrotum, & into the other leg. He ran probably 100yds. Man I felt sorry for him. Nothing should have to die that way. Much better if it's a quick kill. To have compassion is not soft, it's called being human. |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
If you love to hunt, but don't love the kill, why not just take a picture? You can experience everything about the hunt, and still just take a picture. Everything. You know why? Because that feeling you get just before you fling that arrow, that feeling you're about to take that animals life, that why you hunt. Hunting is personal. Very personal. I won't hesitate to end a deer's life.....but I do so with GREAT respect for that animal....and with a modicum of remorse. Far from 'regret".....but the act of killing has NEVER driven me on a single hunt. It's a necessary "part" of the overall hunting experience. It's not even the crescendo. It's "a" part. |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
How am i causing whatever your talking about by being a complete doofus Arthur? I have made one bad shot or bad choice since i have been hunting.
|
RE: Not a PETA Question!
dstubb, I believe I made my point abundantly clear. TWICE! If you're too dense to figure out what I said, you don't need to be playing with bows and arrows. I'd recommend confining yourself to nothing more dangerous than a Nerf ball.
Standing there watching a deer die, terrorizing it by your mere presence, rises beond the level of cruelty in my book. You're torturing the poor beast! Then coming on a public forum and whining about it making YOU feel bad? You deserve to feel bad. I can't put it in any plainer English than that on this forum. But I'd sure love to. |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
While I have no problem taking a animals life. It does not bother me to the extint of some of you guys. It is part of life and a part of hunting. I will not cry or feel remorse for the creature as it was put on this earth for humans to use as seen fit. I do respect the animal and I will not kill one to just kill a animal. If I don't have room in my freezer or someone to give the meat tooI am not going to kill one. With that said I have no use for someone who kills just to kill.
|
RE: Not a PETA Question!
Well excuse me Mr. Internet Tough Guy. First of all how is it my fault that a deer runs away and crashed in my sight? I can't control how far they decide to run and neither can you. It's also kinda difficult to finish it off with a second shot when it is 100 yards away. I'm sure your gonna feed us all some crap now about how that would be no problem for you. I wish that i was as perfect as you Mr. Internet tough guy. Every forum has one and you are it. Congrats on being such an ass!
|
RE: Not a PETA Question!
Arthur P, what the hell is your problem?
"dstubb, I believe I made my point abundantly clear. TWICE! If you're too dense to figure out what I said, you don't need to be playing with bows and arrows. I'd recommend confining yourself to nothing more dangerous than a Nerf ball. Standing there watching a deer die, terrorizing it by your mere presence, rises beond the level of cruelty in my book. You're torturing the poor beast! Then coming on a public forum and whining about it making YOU feel bad? You deserve to feel bad. I can't put it in any plainer English than that on this forum. But I'd sure love to. " |
RE: Not a PETA Question!
My 'problem' is the same as yours, virginiashadow, and every other bowhunters'. In case you missed it, dstubbs said, "...it is hard to watch such a beautiful creature go through such agony."
I posted twice telling him why that is incorrect. I'm trying to educate the guy before his ignorance winds up in headlines on PETA's website. "BOWHUNTER SAYS ANIMALS DIE IN AGONY" I'm astounded that I am the only one who has noticed and spoken up. We can't have a decent debate on anything around here without someone playing the PETA card, and then we have something like this - something they might and probably would use - and everybody lets it go without comment?? I sort of expected someone to get my back and help out with the chore rather than get my butt jumped over it. |
| All times are GMT -8. The time now is 12:56 PM. |
Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.