atlasman

This is always the hardest thing for me to explain to someone about hunting so I'll ask how you guys explain it.

Do you ENJOY killing a deer?


People that know me find it very hard to compute that I hunt because my love of animals is so great that they can't imagine me hurting or killing one. The last thing in the world I want to see is an animal being hurt or mistreated.......but I LOVE to hunt.

On the flip side there are people who just don't understand hunting and they can't get past the fact that something gets killed on a successful hunt........they just harp on that fact and say "Why do you LIKE killing things?"

So how to respond??

I really don't know to tell you the truth........I just know how I feel inside. I don't ENJOY killing anything.....the fact that something loses it's life at my hands has absolutely no appeal to me and is not why I hunt...........I would NEVER kill anything I wasn't going to eat and think that anyone who takes pleasure in killing something is pretty sick.

Having said that I don't hesitate for even 1 second when I see a deer. I take my shot, trying for the quickest, cleanest, most humane kill I can provide........and that's that.

When I approach a deer I have killed I am fully aware that I just ended a life........and that is sad. I am also very aware that the deer will not be wasted and will provide many meals for my family and friends.........this knowledge rinses away the sadness quickly. I do not pretend that I don't feel anything inside when I kill one because I do.......I just understand that it is part of the deal and I treat it with as much respect as I possibly can and move on.

My father always said I would be "One and Done" once I killed a deer myself because he knows my love of animals. He figured when I saw one go down by MY own hands it would bother me too much. Obviously that didn't happen.........and he is still surprised to this day.

So as you can tell it is difficult for me to explain to some people.........they see me bending over backwards to make sure the deer in my backyard have food and taking pictures of them and talking about how beautiful they are............then they see me shooting my bow and bringing back deer in my truck and butchering them in my garage.


How do you guys explain it??...........or am I the only one who feels this way (I hope not)

Arthur P

I enjoy hunting. I hunt because I am a predator. I kill because that's the function of a predator. There is a feeling of gratification when all my hard work pays off with a freezer full of good meat. But I do not enjoy the act of killing.

atlasman

I like that Arthur.........the last 2 sentences is EXACTLY how I feel.

ShadowAce

I love animals and killing them is part of keeping and protecting a healthy population in check. I don't HAVE to personally do it but I can't just assume everyone else will so I need to do my part. I am usually sad when I watch any animal die. It's a natural reaction, but dying is part of living. It 's not the killing that we enjoy, it's the culmination of many hours of hard work and money that we have invested into the sport that is rewarded when you put a deer down. It's a combination of feelings for me; confidence, satisfaction, relief and reassurance to name just a few. Thanks for making me reflect on this a bit.

rybohunter

I like the way Arthur put it. But I'll add a little more.

I don't like to see animals suffer and i feel bad when a deer gets hit by a car, but I kill 3-4 a year. It turns my stomach to see people mistreat a dog, but I love fox hunting. Many people don't understand this. I do not enjoy nor do I dislike killing. It is a means to an end. I will be a upset at myself if I screw up and don't get the job done quickly, so I try to make every effort on a quick kill.

I have no problems hunting varmints/pests that I have no intentions of eating and some people think that isn't right. But there is a reason these things are considered pests. If its got good meat, I'll eat it, if its got fur, I'll sell or make use of it. If its a groundhog or crow, it'll feed other scavengers that are all a part of the ecosystem.

PSE Hunter for Life

I have had this conversation more times. I dont think there is an answer that someone who has not experienced what we have will understand. Hunting is not about killing its about the stalk. Its that thrill you get when you see a deer coming down the trail. The kill is the completion of the stalk. Very few hunters i know enjoy killin.

cardeer

The act of killing ,NO, The act of assuring the animals continued existance on earth ,Yes.

snowman69

it may sound bad but I love the hunt and I love the kill. I am a predator and next to getting out hunting I feel great pride in watching my prey go down, but I also have great respect for my prey(the only time I get disapointed is if I happen to wound an animal.)

chazspot

PSE,

Well said. I totally agree. It really parallels life. This is cheesy but true. It's all really about the journey; not the where you end up.

Dirt2

It drives me crazy when I see hunting referred to as a "sport". It's more than that, it's a way of life. I love wildlife, spend my whole year hiking or backpacking with a pair of binoculars around my neck. I hunt to fill my freezer, and along the way to get some kicks.

Now that said, I'm not going to lie. I do enjoy the kill. I like to watch'em fall. I'm just a wee bit disappointed if my prey runs off and falls out of sight.

I won't defend it, but there it is. I think it's a primeval thing. You think a caveman who hadn't eaten for 12 days didn't exult over the death of a deer on the 13th day?