Hunting: Not for the sentimental?

[sherlockbonez]

Dont worry, if you do end up crying, there won't be any other people around to see you. Freedom from others is another joy of hunting.

 

[ljones]

As far as the "cute" factor... it matters not in nature. That is purely a human "sensibility" is the best way I can explain it. In nature a coyote or wolf won't kill and eat a deer because it is cute. They don't even think of it. It is food. Period. The cute factor is a Disney thing. What makes a pig or cow more worthy of being killed for food than a deer simply because they are not as cute as a deer? I don't discriminate. I eat whatever no matter if it is cute or not. That said yes there are emotions involved with taking an animals life. And that is not a bad thing. It keeps you sharp as a hunter, showing respect for the animal in order to make a humane kill. But I as a hunter have come to terms with my place in the food chain. You will have to do the same if you are to become a hunter. Can you do that? That is a question only you can answer. But as others have suggested if you can go with other hunters and experience it. Then decide if it is something you can come to terms with.

 

[LarryG]

Well congratulations!

But beware the 10/22, the money pit of the rimfire world. It's about the only rimfire that you can buy for 300$, then dump another 1000$ into to improve it. In this process, often the entire gun is replaced with new parts! No, you'll never get your money out of it if you customize. Maybe like 50%. But if you love to tinker, this gun will satisfy you perfectly.

That said, it is what I'd put on a short list of .22's for a first time buyer. If you have a good one (accurate, acceptable trigger, doesn't jam), they shoot pretty well in stock condition.

Thanks man, I really appreciate that! I live on Vancouver Island, but I do have family in Kamloops. Maybe we could arrange something one day, I'll fire you a PM if I'm heading into the interior soon.

And thanks to everyone for the continued input, I'm finding it very helpful. A lot of great posts, much appreciated.

I went ahead and picked up a cheap 10/22 today, once I get my marksmanship to an acceptable level I'll look into some small game hunting.

 

[Uplandguy]

I haven't yet got up to mammals yet but when I got my first grouse I did have a sad feeling like here was an animal that was just alive and I made it dead. I held it twitching in my hands and it still felt warm. But in the end I knew that I was going to eat it, that I have spent my entire life at the top of a food chain and was responsible for every living thing that passed through my body.

When I got my goose I felt a little differently than that grouse because #### geese, that's why. They're awful ####-hawks and blat all over the place and deserve to be blasted from the sky. Plus when I caught up to mine it fought like a dickens and every peck made me hate it more.

Haha geese can be d###s can't they?

 

[1963beretta]

Hunting is entirely for the sentimental. You needn't get all grossed out by the processing part of it but if you do, that's natural. Just take a deep breath and finish the job.

But next weekend when I go goose hunting for the first time since my father died last year I damned well expect to get emotional. I spent every fall hunting with him and it will be tough to go out without him there with me. But I'll still go because I love being outdoors and I want to remember all the good times I had with him as well as share the good times with friends and other family. Without some emotional connection to what we're doing this whole sport of hunting is really either barbarism or overly difficult grocery shopping. It's the connection to our mentors and friends who have gone out with us and gone on without us that makes hunting what it is.

I went through this exact feeling when my dad passed away. Its been 5 years since he passed and I still get emotional every opening day. I find solace in the spots we hunted together because as you said, the memories we made together all come rushing back. Here I am 5 years later, sitting in our duck blind this very moment, and I feel more connected to my dad then I do anywhere else. Its tough to move on after you lose the loved one that got you hooked on this passion. But for me, I know my dad wouldnt want it any other way. This was one of the legacies he passed on to me just as his dad passed onto him. And now its up to me to pay it forward! Best wishes on your first hunt without your dad!

 

[wd113]

I have hunted since i was 8. Almost 40 years later, it is still a very visceral and emotional thing for me. Connects us back to a time where we (and a great many people on this earth still do) HAD to hunt to survive. I deeply respect every animal i kill for food, and honour it as such.

As for rodents and pests, well #### 'em.

There's a thing called the "Hunter's Melancholy". It's a term used to describe the weird mixed feelings a lot of us get when we kill an animal. I've never seen it put into words 100% accurately. And I don't really think it ever can be because the feelings we experience all vary from person to person. But I will say that a few posters in this thread have touched at the heart of it.

I could go on for a while on this subject and never quite explain it adequately. It's a feeling that has to be experienced for a man to truly know what it's like.

These 2 post sum it up I think. I love animals. I also love them on the bbq... Its weird, I could almost divide it into three moments. The feelings as you take your shot, the feelings as you stand over your kill, and then when it turns from animal to 'meat' as you process your game...

 

[scott_r]

For some of us hunting is in our DNA and is a natural thing, killing an animal is part of the whole experience. Some people just aren't hunters...nothing wrong with that. Don't try and force anything.

 

[Kelly Timoffee]

Put it to you like this...

Liberal/hippies/tree huggers/activits say that hunters should be shot and killed for killing innocent animals(not all but many feel this way).

I think you are much more of a humanitarian then they are.

 

[Jay]

I'm a guy with a big heart & I have had my moments hunting that were emotional. That being said, I eat meat & I take responsibility for it. It is not easy & you owe the animal a quick death, as well as fully using the game meat.

Good luck when you get out. Hunting truly brings you closer to nature.

Cheers
Jay

 

[1899]

I don't want anything to suffer and always strive for a quick clean kill. I love nature and animals and get great joy in watching them. I love the sights, the sounds and the smells while hunting. Each of those things makes me feel good. I believe in protecting the environment and making sure we leave things as good or better for our kids - I don't litter, I recycle, I try to conserve energy and fuel etc etc.

Having said that I do not feel sentimental for the fallen quarry. I feel great joy and relief that I will be able to feed my family good food. I don't feel sentimental before the shot or during the chase either. There is something inside me that just wants to hunt, and part of hunting is killing. Again, it pleases me greatly to bring home such good food for my family. It's quite a primal thing for me.

It's only a blink of an eye in the existence of humans where we have had the luxury of questioning the morality of hunting. It wasn't that long ago that the survival of our species depended on our hunting skills. How can that be erased or altered in our DNA, our very core, within such a minuscule fraction of our existence?

Edit to add: my wife used to be a vegan, before we met. This year she shot her second deer and was very happy to do so. Things change too, once you become more exposed, so I wouldn't sweat it too much.

 

[Jay]

It all boils down to this...

 

[Big Bad]

If you're a good hunter, you develop a real bond with the animals you kill, practically become one with them, you may even love them. Hunting is all part of the great wheel of life on earth and in the universe.

 

[parts-man]

I was a beef farmer for years, we raised purebreds, trained them and showed them at cattle shows. They all had names, would come to see us when we went to the pasture to be petted, they were our pets. We also butchered them and sold freezer beef besides a couple per year in our own freezer. Some years we butchered upwards of 125-150 of our "pets", and they were tasty AF!

 

[the spank]

I don't know if I know of any hunters I associate with who do not at one time or another feel some remorse for having killed some of the game they harvest. I know I have had many moments looking at say a wood ducks plumage and feeling a bit of remorse but then I usually get happy right away again at having been fortunate enough to harvest something tasty to put on the table for myself, family and friends and that right there makes it very worthwhile not to mention it brings me a sense of belonging to mother nature and being an apex predator in the chain.

 

[hunter148]

I have been doing some soul searching as of late and as I get older the killing of anything does get to me some days. Can't stand to watch the weekly body count on the wife's many entertainment series. Indiscriminate killing of any kind leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Keep in mind I am far from new to this and learned the circle of life at a young age.

I was a witness to all kinds of hunting and processing of wild and livestock for as long as I can remember. 7 years old my mother took me outside and gave me full instruction on the proper deheading of a chicken via hatchet and stump and I was expected to perform that task from there on in every Sunday. Personally I think she did not relish the task.

That being said I now relish the experience more than the harvest. Time with my brothers, nephews and lifelong friends for a week of deer camp is priceless. Time in the bush period is one of my few true pleasures. I still love to hunt no matter what the species or time of year. Times change, attitudes change, your hunting partners change but..........

At the end of the day or season though it still boils down to "HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUT PILE"

 

[FLYBYU44]

"In that moment of violence and death, we are given a beautiful glimpse of life". - Steve Rinella

I totally understand where you are coming from Dan. I grew up in a small fishing village on the North end of Vancouver Island. My Dad stopped hunting when I was a kid, I am not sure his reasoning for that, I wish he had passed on his knowledge, but he has told me several times that after I was born something changed and he just couldn't kill anymore.

Fast forward to today and I am married and have kids of my own, I also live in rural Saskatchewan. My wife's Stepdad and real Dad are both avid hunters. I went and got my PAL because I wanted to target shoot because guns have always interested me. As soon as these guys figured out I had guns, well then they wanted me to go hunting. Finally I did my Hunter Safety course and got my upland game bird licence.

Come fall I took my Cooey 22 to my in laws and we went grouse hunting. I managed to shoot one grouse and I felt both sad and happy at the same time. I was happy of my acommplishment, but sad to have to kill this nice little bird (I love birds). It is a sobering thing to hold that warm little body in your hands and realize that you had killed it to eat, it is a powerful feeling.

That was about 3 years ago, now I still grouse hunt and I also hunt waterfowl. The adrenaline rush you get is unlike anything else when a grouse flushes right beside you or a big mallard flies right overhead. That being said I don't take my actions lightly, I wounded and lost my first animal last year (a goose) it hit me hard and I almost wanted to call it quits. I talked to my Dad and he just said, if you are going to hunt, that will happen, practice hard and make good shots so it doesn't happen but be aware that it can.

I shoot trap alot in the off season and I can handle a shotgun well. I don't take shots unless I know I can hit, I might not have piles of ducks in front of me at the end of the day, but the few I do take died quick and are very tasty.

Sorry for being long-winded, your respect for animals IMHO makes you a better hunter, we have all seen the guys who take shots they can never pull off or enjoy killing just a little too much, those are people I don't hunt with because they don't understand what it is about.

And if you are not wanting to hunt big game, no problem, I have no desire to shoot a deer right now, but I love bird hunting. One day I may decide to hunt big game, but by comparison, bird hunting is much cheaper and easier to get into, and I can butcher the birds in my kitchen at home.

 

[shockwave]

I am going to go ahead and say if you don't want to kill something, don't kill something. However it just and animal and who care about bugs. Start by killing spiders when they are in the house and mosquitoes when ever you some.

After that get a .22lr and shoot:
mice- they cause havoc in the world and spread disease
squirrels- there are a billion of them. Who cares
Crows and ravens- these birds are the biggest di$%s in the bird world. They kill or injure small birds just for the heck of it, eat all the food out of bird feeders and scream at 4 am on a Sunday
Magpies - next in line for biggest di$%s. They will peck out cow's eyes while the cow is alive.
Coyotes - overpopulation will just make them starve and they are considered a pest to farmers. They eat pets, and scare cows and horses forcing them run into fences and then have to be put down
Deer- again overpopulation is bad. There are people who monitor wildlife population and hand out tags accordingly to keep numbers healthy but not over populating

If you still can't handle that hunting is not for you. Not to mention having to cut up and animal after you shot it

LOL.....that made my morning....awesome

 

[crash277]

I will never forget my first deer. I was in my 30's when I started hunting (no dad to go with, and grampa didn't hunt). I also raised my own chickens. From 1 day old to freezer. I didn't gut my first deer, my buddy showed me how to do it. I was surprised how minimal of a mess there was. That first pot of chilly we made was worth the entire experience. It got me hooked. in the last few years, I have learned that my kids absolutely love eating food they helped raise and neither one was "grossed out" when they saw the deer hanging in the garage, although my son who was 6 at the time did ask if he could have an eyeball..... My wife doesn't like geese; however she cooks it and eats it anyways (we have a rule that what's made for supper is what's eaten).

 

[longsault]

My young children lecture me on and off about the evils of my killing ways. "Leave the poor ducks alone..." and that sort of thing.

And then I go off and shoot a few, and bring them home. And my accusatory children watch in fascination as I clean them, and play with the wings, and eat them with relish when they come out of the slow cooker.

Will they come hunting and fishing with me as they get older, or continue to enjoy eating fish and game? Who knows. I've stopped trying to predict the future on this particular point. I simply take it as further proof that humans are fickle, complicated, and inconsistent.

 

[woodchopper]

I've shot a lot of game over the years.

the one that affects me the most is calf moose, the cow will hang around, waiting for her calf, or just waiting for a chance to stomp your guts out.

I have sat and watched a cow and her calf play around like big dogs. I like dogs.

I'll still shoot them when I get the draw, but I will feel a little sorry for the cow.... but not enough that I will turn my back on that #####....