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Hunting & Fishing I'm getting soft-hearted...

H

HathcockProtege

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 20, 2010
356
2
34
Central PA
#1
Ran over a bunny today while mowing. For just a second, I felt something...something strange...for a moment I thought it might be remorse...but then I realized it was just the sensation of my blades chopping his furry little body in half. Haha.

Seriously though..I really did feel bad about killing him...which is weird and kind of new for me. Maybe it was that I killed him needlessly and accidentally? Or that it was an infant of the species? Don't get me wrong, when they start eating my fruit trees, I kill men, women and children bunnies, but...this was at work and I guess I just wouldn't have killed him if I could have made the choice.

Maybe I'm finally growing up.

-The Kid.
 
#2
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

I'm with you, I never had feelings like that until I had kids. Maybe they've helped my heart grow. I feel bad about accidentally or needlessly killing things. I even feel shitty if a plant in my garden dies. Hunting on the other hand feels good, funny thing.
 
#3
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

I've never killed anything and not felt remorseful....even hogs! Lol
I look at the broken lifeless body and think, "man did I really have to kill this animal? Did it deserve to die? Will carma come around and kill me in the same fashion?"
Stupid? Maybe....but like the guy earlier said, these feelings weren't really exposed until I had kids.
 
#4
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

It's the distinction between needless killing and harvesting an animal for food. Hunting keeps the animal population in check to some degree. I've had the same thing happen when I hit an animal that runs out in the road too fast to stop. I feel bad for a bit and yes it started after my daughter was born.
 
#6
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

I do my level best not to accidentally kill or hurt any animal. Even ferals.

I'm always a little disappointed when I see a roadkill because that was an animal someone could have hunted.

I've never felt remorse for a kill, but I'm always grateful for having had the experience. The exception to that would be the handful of animals I've not recovered.
 
#7
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

Yep. Children teach you the value of life and what its like to protect it from harm. Hell, these days I wonder if my wife has slipped me estrogen pills on occasion.
 
#8
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Ultraman550</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Hell, these days I wonder if my wife has slipped me estrogen pills on occasion.</div></div>

Ha ha!! I hear ya!
 
#9
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

Around where I work, there are thousands of ground squirrels. I run them down every chance I get, but strangely enough, I will brake for the baby squirrels and let them pass. I dont like killin baby anything, but if I had to... Youre right about kids, tho... Thats when it started.
 
#10
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

I have no children...what's my excuse for being such a softy? Haha. I guess it really bothered me because it was a young one and there was no reason whatsoever to kill it. I am the first guy to excuse a kill because it's "pest control" of some form, but this didn't fit any of my categories.
 
#11
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

I have the same feeling when I hit an animal with my car....... but that because they just F*&KED up my car
smile.gif


Seriously though... I used to let my (2) boxers when they were pups play with frogs.... They really would NOT hurt them at all but as they grew I found out why they were really called boxers.

A few 80 pound punches and a frog or lizard did not last long...

I went out to the kennel last week and they had MUTILATED a LARGE BULL frog... I stood there.. looking at my boys and all the damn foam coming out of their mouth and thought.... DAMN... did yall have to kill it... Guess in the end the frog had the last laugh... The boys were foaming for a LONG time, dog shit all over the place... and I had to clean guts and shit out of the kennel.

 
#12
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

The difference is killing for the sake of killing (swerving to hit the critter on purpose) vs. killing for the sake of life (harvesting an animal to feed your family).
 
#14
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

I once tilled up a nest of bunnies with my tractor. It sent little broken bunnies flying all over the place. I had to line them up and stomp on their heads to finish them off. I felt pretty bad about that one.
 
#15
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

It all comes down to whether you respect the life you are taking.

I see more and more a great loss of respect in our culture these days.

Have I willfully killed animals before? You bet, and I enjoyed it. I did everything in my power to kill as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Have I passed up shots that I felt were unlikely to result in a clean kill? You bet. I did so out of respect for the animal - and respect for myself.

As for random killing (like hitting an animal with a car,) I've done it before, and if possible I made sure the animal was dead. I once hit a cat on a dark country road, and stopped to check it out. The poor thing was dragging itself along by it's front legs, and it looked liked it had a broken back. So I whacked it with a tire iron and tossed it into the weeds. No remorse, because it was an accident.

It's the willful destruction of living creatures without cause, and with malice that bothers me. Again, all it shows is a deep lack of respect for one's spiritual self.
 
#16
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

I know what you mean. When I was younger I always said they were not viable breeding stock. If it was smarter it would have moved. I find myself looking at critters more and more with my scope not shooting. I fully know I can take the shot and get a clean kill but I will hold off.

There is one exception to that Coyotes and Deer have no ethical clean kill rights in my book. If I can get a clean kill great if not combat hits are good enough. I have had to put down too many calves and sheep for coyotes to have life rights in my book. Deer hit one with your car and the G&F tells you to Frack yourself. Shoot one and they want to talk to you for a long time. So no life rights.
 
#17
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

Here I was thinking I was the only one thinking or feeling such things. I was on my way home from work one day and a squirrel ran out in the street. I tried to swerve but the little guy was no match for the big tires. I wanted to stop and remove the poor thing from the street but didnt for the thought it may not be desd yet and would only chew my finger(s) like an acorn.

The thought of running over it gnawed at me for several days afterward though. I agree that it must have something to do with growing older.
 
#18
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

I've hunted all my life. I've never had any hesitation about killing an animal in a hunting type situation. However, after my dad died a few years ago, my thoughts and feelings on just "shooting shit" because it's there have really changed.

The feeling of hitting a dog, or any animal with a truck is really horrible. I'll damn near total my truck trying to avoid hitting a dog as long as it doesn't put anyone else's life in danger. I own 3 dogs, they are like kids to me, and have had many more and I just can't imagine having to go out and scoop one of them up off the road after someone ran over it.

Last fall early one morning on my way to work, a doe jumped out in front of me. I wasn't going very fast to begin with, which made it even worse when I hit her. She came running off a hillside in the dark, so I never even had time to swerve. My left front tire got her (37" mud tire). Most folks would have just left her to die a agonizing death. I stopped, got out, and seen that most likely her back was broken. I walked back to the truck and got a .45 pistol I carry and put one in her head. Then I loaded her up and donated the meat to the homeless shelter. It was a really horrible feeling seeing her laying there hurting.
 
#19
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: trevor300wsm</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I walked back to the truck and got a .45 pistol I carry and put one in her head. </div></div>

I would like it if ND had a rule like that. Here if you did that you would get charged with poaching.
 
#20
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

Always felt bad about it, but never stopped me.

Got worse after I became a paramedic and started seeing human death en masse.

I'll still hunt for food, it's part of the natural order and more humane than slaughtered meat. But i won't just blast anything that moves.
 
#21
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

Interesting topic, because I had this feeling yesterday. About 30 yards across from my garage is a hill that has become infested with ground squirrels. I was doing something in the garage and noticed the movement of one of the squirrels and decided I'd try to pop one with the pellet pistol I had nearby (it's an old American Classic Crossman), mostly just to see if I could hit it from about 25 yards away.

I surprised myself by hitting the squirrel on the first shot. I went for my binocs to make sure he was dead, and if not I was going to finish him off (I don't care if it's a rodent, I don't let animals suffer). By the time I got the glass on him there was another squirrel right next to him.

My heart sank as I thought "oh shit, I'm going to watch this one squirrel stand in mourning over the dead one and I'll never be able to hunt again)." It got worse when the live squirrel started to drag the dead one off...I thought he was trying, vainly, to bring his buddy to safety.

Then I looked closer at the live one's mouth and it was bloody. I watched for a bit and it turns out the live one wasn't trying to save his buddy, he was eating him.

And that's when I stopped feeling bad.
 
#23
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Remsen</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Interesting topic, because I had this feeling yesterday. About 30 yards across from my garage is a hill that has become infested with ground squirrels. I was doing something in the garage and noticed the movement of one of the squirrels and decided I'd try to pop one with the pellet pistol I had nearby (it's an old American Classic Crossman), mostly just to see if I could hit it from about 25 yards away.

I surprised myself by hitting the squirrel on the first shot. I went for my binocs to make sure he was dead, and if not I was going to finish him off (I don't care if it's a rodent, I don't let animals suffer). By the time I got the glass on him there was another squirrel right next to him.

My heart sank as I thought "oh shit, I'm going to watch this one squirrel stand in mourning over the dead one and I'll never be able to hunt again)." It got worse when the live squirrel started to drag the dead one off...I thought he was trying, vainly, to bring his buddy to safety.

Then I looked closer at the live one's mouth and it was bloody. I watched for a bit and it turns out the live one wasn't trying to save his buddy, he was eating him.

And that's when I stopped feeling bad.</div></div>

Haha. Yeah, those things (and many rodents) are heartless cannibals.

Well, glad I could help you all get in touch with your sentimental side. LOL. I think it is just part of the maturing process to start valuing life more. And No, I don't think animals are on equal footing with humans. As a student of philosophy, I recognize that that seemingly harmless, benevolent view opens Pandora's box in terms of undermining any reasonable defense of expectations for human behavior within a civilized society. I DO think we will naturally come to a point where we enjoy life and nature in a less selfish way than just killing for the rush. I'm in transition, I guess since I still LOVE killing...mostly. :-/

-The Kid.
 
#24
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

Its called having a consience and is what makes us human. Some folks wouldn't even bat an eye and I find that troubling.

I always think twice when harvesting game. Especially when they drop like stones. One second the world is alive and vibrant. The next, like switching off a light.
 
#25
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

Your just maturing. The "kill everything" attitude makes about as much sense as the "eat everything" attitude, just because it's in front of you. Bunnies and other balls of fluff can be nice to look at unless they're causing damage or your hungry.
 
#26
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

I've no problem taking an animal's life in the name of hunting as I know I'm going to eat it and that's just how life is.

Seeing critters killed on the road or whatever though makes me sad, it's such a waste.

Couple years ago we actually spent several hours rescuing some abandoned kittens out of the nasty underbrush they were dumped in by some jackass. Two were dead already, the rest the wife and I cleaned up, fed, etc only to know they would end up at the shelter and ultimately meet the same fate had we left them alone. I don't do well with the suffering of innocents, even stupid cats.
 
#27
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Remsen</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Interesting topic, because I had this feeling yesterday. About 30 yards across from my garage is a hill that has become infested with ground squirrels. I was doing something in the garage and noticed the movement of one of the squirrels and decided I'd try to pop one with the pellet pistol I had nearby (it's an old American Classic Crossman), mostly just to see if I could hit it from about 25 yards away.

I surprised myself by hitting the squirrel on the first shot. I went for my binocs to make sure he was dead, and if not I was going to finish him off (I don't care if it's a rodent, I don't let animals suffer). By the time I got the glass on him there was another squirrel right next to him.

My heart sank as I thought "oh shit, I'm going to watch this one squirrel stand in mourning over the dead one and I'll never be able to hunt again)." It got worse when the live squirrel started to drag the dead one off...I thought he was trying, vainly, to bring his buddy to safety.

Then I looked closer at the live one's mouth and it was bloody. I watched for a bit and it turns out the live one wasn't trying to save his buddy, he was eating him.

And that's when I stopped feeling bad. </div></div>

Squirrel season in the middle of summer, odd?
 
#29
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Jayne</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've no problem taking an animal's life in the name of hunting as I know I'm going to eat it and that's just how life is.

Seeing critters killed on the road or whatever though makes me sad, it's such a waste.

Couple years ago we actually spent several hours rescuing some abandoned kittens out of the nasty underbrush they were dumped in by some jackass. Two were dead already, the rest the wife and I cleaned up, fed, etc only to know they would end up at the shelter and ultimately meet the same fate had we left them alone. I don't do well with the suffering of innocents, even stupid cats.



</div></div>

Hope I don't seem inconsistent, but...Seeing cats die fills me with all the remorse of swatting a mosquito. However, I try to kill even mosquito's in a swift, painless manner.

-The Kid.
 
#30
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

Have killed thousands of critters and for most other than vermin and older animals that have lived into or past their prime I have always felt a bit bad. I often wonder if I will be standing at the pearly gates and the big man has a list of critters I put an end to, might be a bad day.
 
#31
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Peters</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Have killed thousands of critters and for most other than vermin and older animals that have lived into or past their prime I have always felt a bit bad. I often wonder if I will be standing at the pearly gates and the big man has a list of critters I put an end to, might be a bad day. </div></div>

Hmmm...really tempting to make a response about the ramifications and necessary presuppositions of the theological statements implicit in your comment, but...that would be against forum policy, iirc, so I will refrain.

I'll just say that I'm sure you have better things about which to worry.

I killed about 4 toddler groundhogs this past week...and you know what I felt? Recoil! Or the sweet satisfaction as I heard those little 40 grain .22 LR bullet's thud into flesh at 100+ yards. Is there any sweeter sound? Only under very specific circumstances have I ever felt remorse for killing something. If almost all kills made me feel bad...I really think I'd find another hobby.

Just my .02.

-The Kid.
 
#32
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

I'm hit or miss. No problem killing birds, pdogs, ground hogs, coyotes, deer, rabbits, squirrels, hogs, antelope, caribou or elk. However, I won't, unless I'm about to get my shit eaten, go after bear, bobcat, mountain lion, bison, wolf, moose, fox, or any "exotic" animals from Africa (lion, hippo, rhino, elephant, etc.).

As I get older I'm definitely noticing that I don't want to shoot everything that moves. "If it ain't fucking with me, why fuck with it?" mentality. And it really is interesting just watching them. I especially like watching foxes.
 
#33
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

HW,
No worries about hurting my feelers, I am pretty thick skinned and would take no offense to your opinions. That being said I may have overstated my feelings of being bad, I would say I have conscious thought that I ended that animals life and they will not be around to enjoy life, given that this is with animals that I respect and enjoy seeing. On the other hand I find much joy in putting an end to predators and vermin, even the little ones. I do not like to see anything suffer though and always try to end their lives in the quickest way possible, vermin or not.
 
#35
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: TheLlam</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The difference is killing for the sake of killing (swerving to hit the critter on purpose) vs. killing for the sake of life (harvesting an animal to feed your family).</div></div> Exactly i will not game hunt or kill anything for the pure joy of it. If i need to survive or kill something to feed my family i will. But not for the pure pleasure of it. My friend used to burn raccoon's and squirrels alive in barrels, hes no longer my friend. He will probably become a serial killer some day.
 
#36
Re: I'm getting soft-hearted...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: HathcockWannebe</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ran over a bunny today while mowing. For just a second, I felt something...something strange...for a moment I thought it might be remorse...but then I realized it was just the sensation of my blades chopping his furry little body in half. Haha.

Seriously though..I really did feel bad about killing him...which is weird and kind of new for me. Maybe it was that I killed him needlessly and accidentally? Or that it was an infant of the species? Don't get me wrong, when they start eating my fruit trees, I kill men, women and children bunnies, but...this was at work and I guess I just wouldn't have killed him if I could have made the choice.

Maybe I'm finally growing up.

-The Kid. </div></div>

That's the way you should be.

I was always raised to "Only kill what you eat and only eat what you need! ".

My dad raised us to respect all living things, and not to take life for granted. It really makes me sick to see a dead animal on the road and know that someone probably intentionally ran over it! Too many people these days have a wanton disregard for animal life and it makes me sick! Hunters who just hunt for a trophy and throw the rest of the deer away are the worst, in my opinion.

Please, don't get me started on this because I WILL make some enemies with my opinions. I've said enough!
smile.gif


There are all kinds of screwy things wrong with society today. As an example, 16 year olds can get there driver's license to drive a car, and pass the test in 10 minutes with a 1 mile driving course. Yet, I have sit through an 8 hour course to get my CCDW permit, and I'm a responsible adult who has been shooting and hunting all of my life. <span style="font-weight: bold"> More teenagers kill people with cars every year than all of the firearm related deaths in the nation combined!</span> Just food for thought!
laugh.gif


I'll shut up now.
 
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