The suffering of animals
 

Today my brother and I had a very difficult experience. My brother, 12, shot a squirrel with his compound bow. The arrow went through the spine and out near his penis. I, 17, witnessed the arrow run up a nearby tree were he sat for 2 hours. While in the tree, he made heart deafening sounds that tor apart my insides. Then, about twenty minutes ago, he fell about 35 feet from the tree and continued to hop about around the tree, shrieking as if he were being burned or something. We finally grabbed him and twisted his neck so he would die. I feel like s*** right now, likeI never want to hunt again. I feel like I disgraced this animal and I can't get over this. Do you all have any advice. Have you experienced this?

-Pj

RE: The suffering of animals
 

Advice? Make a better shot next time?

RE: The suffering of animals
 

heres an idea use a .22 instead of a bow

RE: The suffering of animals
 

no squirrel hunting with a bow?

RE: The suffering of animals
 

X2

RE: The suffering of animals
 

If there is any lesson learned, it would be to make a better shot. Kill as quickly and humanely as possible. Was the squirell still on the arrow? If he wasnt, if you had pulled it out, hemay not have died. Squirrels are tough little jokers.

RE: The suffering of animals
 

people are going to make bad shots no matter how much you practice man and machine is fallible. If it helps think about this man has destroyed most of the natural order of predator vs prey. If someone does not cull the herbivores and other forager type critters they will over populate and eat themselves into starvation. Also how many animals get hit by cars poisoned or otherwise harmed by unwitting uneducated people. Sometimes the natural or in our case unnatural order (humans replacing natural predators) is very raw and cold. Just do the best ya can make sure you do everything in your power to locate the injured animal and end its suffering.

RE: The suffering of animals
 

shoot the squirrel with another arrow. i have had to shoot a few animals twice. i think you wouldnt be human if u were not sad at all. and i think most of us on this forum would be lying if we havent had some sort of thing happen to us when we were out doing whatever kind of hunting. so dont feel too bad. life is life. thankfully it was only a squirrel and not a damn doe.

RE: The suffering of animals
 

I certainly wouldn't watch it suffer for two hours! Bad shots happen! Practice, and make the best shot you can. It's what you do after that, that counts!

RE: The suffering of animals
 

Part of being a hunter is taking life. Death isn't always an easy thing to see. First you must take good shots and do your best to kill cleanly. If its not a clean kill then do you best to put it down as quickly as you can. If an animal suffering is something you can't stand then it's time to take up a different sport. I still hate to see an animal suffer but I know it happens from time to time and I'm ready to deal with it.

It also shows we are not blood thirsty killers like some non hunters think. We still care alot for the animals we hunt but killing and death is still part of it. You just have to decide if you can do it and still live with yourself.

RE: The suffering of animals
 

I've killed a few hundred squirrels in my life and the first rule of squirrel hunting is don't pick the dang thing up unless he is dead as he will bite the cr@p out of you...

How did you manage to wring his neck without getting bit???

RE: The suffering of animals
 

no joke, how did you do that?

RE: The suffering of animals
 

try a 7mm mag less suffering for the squirrel also good on ground hogs

RE: The suffering of animals
 

I've never seen a really clean kill on a squirrel with broadheads and body shots. I've seen them run up trees with the arrow still in them. The best combo for squirrel and other tiny critters is a blunt tip arrow (like a judo point) and head shots. They're very tough little critters.

RE: The suffering of animals
 

lmao

RE: The suffering of animals
 

DO NOT USE A BOW!!! I WOULD SUGGEST USING A .22 OR A SHOTGUN

RE: The suffering of animals
 

Animal suffering is an issue I have thought about a lot since I took my first squirrle. I can vividly remember the split second after my single shot 410 went off and the squirrle hit the ground. My first emotion was excitement because this was my first squirrle and this is what I was there for. Then I had the biggest feeling of sadness. It hit me that I had just taken a life. This is a realization that I think every hunter has to come to grips with. For myself I remind myself after every kill that, pardon the Disney reference, life is a circle. Yes we may cause suffering but you have to learn from this, make better shots and decissions next time. Do not hang your head low for long. Make it a point to go into the woods to do better next time.

RE: The suffering of animals
 

If you didn't hate that an animal suffered I'd worry about you. Yes we kill animals. But we, or most of us, hunt for meat primarily. But most of us love these animals. I've killed several deer that had to suffer after being hit by a car. I never like to see any animal suffer. I will always take a second shot on an animal if it means less suffering for it. Not running shots etc though. My 2007 buck for instance. I hit high an broke his back. The shot was leathal for the deer. Hoe long would he have laid there and suffered? Probably a long while. I didn't want to loose him but also hated that he suffered one second longer than necicary. I spent the extra rounds gladly to end it.

If you can come to terms with what happened and feel like not hunting, by all means take a break. But don't give it up unless your sure.

RE: The suffering of animals
 

Your not human if u dont feel a little bit of sensitivity it is a sad thing to see a animal suffer it happens and as all the guys said try to make the best shot you can and being upset is a natural thing when u kill a animal i think u need a reason like to eat it i for one hunt mostly for the meat but it happens man just move on just think about it this way without us the woods would be out of wack normaly when u shoot aanimal in the spine it will suffer so try not to shoot there it happens to the best of us all Kybuckhunter "We still care alot for the animals we hunt but killing and death is still part of it. You just have to decide if you can do it and still live with yourself." wise words kybuckhunter im sry u had to experience that man but it happens when u hunt u have to move on

RE: The suffering of animals
 

for small game hunting you should use the Judo points. they transfer alot of shock to the animal instead of passing through cleanly. I know someone who has been getting rid of some wild cats around his house and they always go down quickly. Here's a good one

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_62824____SearchResults

RE: The suffering of animals
 

sounds like you were using a field point, had that been a broadhead he would have died quick.

RE: The suffering of animals
 

Yes, keep going after squirrels with your bow. It sucks that the shot wasn't perfect but that's the way it goes sometimes.

Use a blunt tipped arrow next time instead of just a field tip. An excelent blunt for squirrels and other small game like rabbits is a small washer sandwiched between the field tip and arrow.

RE: The suffering of animals
 

I often feel sorry for the game I kill. They are beautiful animals and I love to watch them. All that goes away, however, when I am eating them.

RE: The suffering of animals
 

Every hunter I know trys to make a quick and clean kill, sometimes it does not happen, you just have to understand that we do not live in a perfect world, would it be better ifa predator had eaten this rabbit? Would that have been better for you?

RE: The suffering of animals
 

Sometimes the act of killing an animal doesn’t go quickly. All we can do is try our best to make a clean kill. When that doesn’t happen you deal with it and move on. If you can’t then maybe take a camera instead of a gun/bow.

RE: The suffering of animals
 

Its going to happen, as said before you just have to do the best that you can. Choose the right equipment and be as proficient with it as you can. Just the other dayI had a small buck hit by a train, he was still very much alive but was unableto stand up at all, I went ahead and shothim to end his misery.

RE: The suffering of animals
 

Suffering is part of being an emotional being.

Killing without mercy is what animals do to other animals, tooth, fang, and claw is how the squirrel lived its life. Do not feel sorry for the squirrel, it only knows food, water, safe cover and procreation.

RE: The suffering of animals
 

I agree that you should make the best shot possible to eliminate any suffering. That includes using the right weapons for the game your after. So you could have pick a better arrow point or a better weapon yes, but you live and learn.

No just remember that animals don't have Doctors or Hospitals. When it comes time for them to die, nature is usually more harsh than hunters. An old deer that starves or is taken down by coyotes will have more suffering than what happens when they are taken by hunters in most cases.

RE: The suffering of animals
 

Use it as a learning experiance. If it ever happens again use proper equipement or be cofident in your shot and always have a follow up shot ready.

RE: The suffering of animals
 

Flyfish, I do hope that you will continue to hunt! I think that most of us feel a touch of sorrow in the taking of a life! Some people do not understand how a hunter can love wildlife and still kill. To most of us it is NOT the "thrill of the kill," but the love of the outdoors and wildlife and the satisfaction of knowing that we ARE the true "conservationists!" Actually helping to preserve and protect wildlife for future generations to come. I actually feel sorry for those who don't feel at least a twang of sorrow after the kill or at the sight of a wounded animal! Knowing that I did the best I possibly could do to make a quick, clean kill or if needed, a quick track and finish is all we can do! There are countless ways to die that would be far worse than being shot cleanly!
There are even some who would not "waste" their last tag or would not finish off a wounded animal if they didn't have a tag! Right or wrong, I'm not trying to judge anyone. But for myself, I am going to do the merciful thing and end the suffering. There would be more tags next year or I'd deal with the legalities if confronted!
Again, I hope you keep hunting, it really is great for the wildlife! Just practice, use the right tools, know and stay within your limitations and do the best that you posiblycan!

RE: The suffering of animals
 

I had the same thing happen the other day when my dog attacked a squirrel in my yard.He ran up a tree and it took hours for him to expire,but he took a piece of my dog's leg with him.


Get over it,it is something that happens in nature every day.

I am not saying not to feel for the creature,we should all strive to make the most humane kill we can and be as profficient with our equipment as possible but it will happen,regardless of the weapon.

RE: The suffering of animals
 

I had the same thing happen to me Friday except I was shooting a 22lr. I never found the squirrel. He blew by me in the top of the palmettos like he wasn't even hit. I know I hit him and looked all over for it and never found it. Like others have said, practice, practice, practice. Make sure you're proficient with your equipment and try to give the animal as clean of a kill as possible. when it doesn't happen, look at it as a learning experience and do better next time. I know why I made the bad shot. I was in a hurry and didn't take a good steady rest.