For discussion: an Excerpt from ‘On Killing’ Lt. Col. Dave Grossman

[BIGREDD]

For discussion: an Excerpt from ‘On Killing’ Lt. Col. Dave Grossman

A question came up in one of my Hunter Ed classes with regard to many non-hunters aversion to hunting. I think this quotation from the Book "On Killing" answers why many people just don't get it....


Throughout history man has been surrounded by close and personal death and killing. When family members died of disease, lingering injury, or old age, they died in the home., their corpses were brought to he house– or cave, or hut, or hovel–and prepared for burial by the family….each family did its own cleaning and killing of domestic animals. Death was a part of life. Killing was undeniably essential to living. Cruelty was seldom, if ever, a part of this killing. Mankind understood it’s place in life and respected the lives of the creatures whose deaths were required to perpetuate existence.The Native American asked forgiveness of the spirit of the deer he killed and the American farmer respected the dignity of the hogs he slaughtered.…
Despite the rise of the city, by the opening of the twentieth century, the majority of the population, even in the most advanced industrial societies, remained rural. The housewife who wanted a chicken dinner went out and wrung the chickens neck herself,or had her children do it. The children watched the daily and seasonal killings, and to them killing was a serious, messy , and slightly boring, thing that everyone did as a part of life.
In this environment there was no refrigeration. and few slaughterhouses, mortuaries, or hospitals. And in this age old arrangement, throughout the life cycle, from birth to death, death and killing were always before you.– ether as a participant or a bored spectator.–and no one could deny that it was a vital, essential , and common aspect of daily human existence.
And then, in just the last few generations, everything began to change. Slaughterhouses and refrigeration insulated us from the necessity of killing our own food animals. Modern Medicine began to cure diseases, and it became increasingly rare for us to die in the youth and prime of our lives, and nursing homes, hospitals and mortuaries insulated us from the death of the elderly. Children began growing up having never truly understood where their food came from and suddenly Western Civilization seemed to have decided that killing, killing anything at all, was increasingly hidden, private, mysterious, frightening, and dirty.
http://www.guidetogame.com/blog/

 

[snowhunter]

And then you have all the different kinds of animals, predators and their prey, talking like people and getting along like friends in Disney and other movies and cartoons, and we, and our children grew up with these, false images in our heads

 

[Boomer]

Killing is neutral in its morality. The morality attached to killing is determined by the reason we kill; the target is not the issue, the need is. Trophy hunting is a problem for some because they do not recognize the need to bring death to a specific animal. Those who consider trophy hunting legitimate, may very well point out that the challenge of hunting a specific animal is greater, and that the typical trophy is near the end of its life, whereas meat hunting is indiscriminate. If the suburban housewife is opposed to hunting in general, she would have little problem with killing a bear, coyote, or cougar that was about to carry off her toddler. While most of us respect the value of human life, should a criminal threaten the life of a random innocent victim, most correct thinking people have little problem if the criminal dies before completing the act. Need dictates the righteousness of the action.

 

[maple_leaf_eh]

Detachment from food raising realities is one reason why we see many people distrusting the conventional food supply streams and seeking out so-called organic foods. The same people who brought you fresh tomatoes in January, uniformly graded bright yellow yoke (yolk?) eggs year round are the ones who get incensed when a dairy farmer wants to sell whole milk.

As for showing respect to a downed game animal, I have learned to give the deer a 'last bite' and a 'last drink' as the German jaegers do, to show my gratitude to that animal giving its life so my family can eat.

 

[John Y Cannuck]

The mythical Bigredd, you are alive!

I agree with all the posts above, but want to add, that to an extent, we've done it to ourselves.
We've been encouraged not to show dead animals in public. We wouldn't want to alarm the sensitive people.
While I'm not condoning walking around in blood soaked camo. I think the trouble is that the lack of exposure to real life, has sensitized the Liberal population to any kind of exposure at all.
Positive exposure would help us a lot.
We are seen by many as kill at all cost lunatics, that rip up the area with our ATV's, and road hunt half drunk from the truck.
That's the image that we need to change.
One thing we can do, is get more women into the sport. Make it a family sport, not a guy thing.
My wife hunts with me, and as a result, she has found a small circle of other women hunters, that together, can change attitudes.

 

[jiminthecorner]

I still live in a rural area near Peterborough/Norwood/Havelock and hunting is still an acceptable form of recreation/need. I just love it when the cashier at my local IGA,asks how the deer hunt went. When the Barmaid in my local Legion asks me to help sight in a new red dot sight her Mother got her for Christmas,all of this only 150 Km. from Toronto.
I was born in Toronto in "Cabbagetown" but was sent to farms by my parents every summer to avoid the Polio epidemics at that time. I killed hogs,chickens,ducks and geese for dinner and still don't have any regrets.
We have a farm ourselves and had Chickens,a cow(for calves} and I still hunt deer and Moose every fall,although the duck hunts are alittle past now,cold,dark,and early!I'm in my 70th year now and my dream is to have my "new" grandson sit on a watch with mr before I head into the Big camp with my late good friends. Thanks for listening and good to see BIG REDD is back!!! Jim.

 

[art.h]

This is not just a problem for hunters, the people coming to rural areas do so with blinkers on. They only see what they want to see. Not the commuting to satisfy their kids ativiities, doctor visits, hospitals, shopping. They complain about dusty rough unplowed roads which we've accepted and sooner or latter they become the majority and the changes happen.
Urbanization will limit hunting, fishing or at least modify it to the sad existance as seen in the UK, Germany. You can hunt to your hearts content if you've got the euros. Think this isn't happening? In North America read any high end sporting magazine and most of the hunting especially in the east is best on private land.
Here in Canada with the government and its proposed changes to the navigable water act, which for spotsmen will destroy out riparean rights to shoreline access and give the right to deny access over the crown asset between the banks. In the UK 90% of fishing is by private permit only-- the same for most foreshore hunting.
We are in the same position as any native when he saw the cattlemen and settlers urbanization at its worst. Even the USA is wavering over firearms, and will probably become more restrictive in the near future.

 

[maple_leaf_eh]

This is not just a problem for hunters, the people coming to rural areas do so with blinkers on. They only see what they want to see. Not the commuting to satisfy their kids activities, doctor visits, hospitals, shopping. They complain about dusty rough unplowed roads which we've accepted and sooner or latter they become the majority and the changes happen.

Ditto. My cousin is a PhD in smell (yeah, smell). He is always going to court as an expert witness on the effect of odour of quality of life. Whether it is abatoirs or garbage dumps, someone will complain. There is a body of law now being built that protects preexisting land use from newcomers.