Anyone else feel 'bad' after shooting something?

[Knob Creek]

Executed a woodchuck last spring and felt bad about after I found out she had little ones. Trapped all but one of the little ones and moved them. The one I couldn't catch plundered my garden all summer till I finally caught him. He died of lead poisoning with no remorse.

 

[not new guy]

I felt bad after shooting a red squirrel with a BB gun up in Maine as a kid. I had no reason to kill it, I just did. It dropped out of the tree by the trunk, tried climbing back up, got about a foot off the ground, then fell backwards with it's hind claws stuck in the bark, gasping and basically doing its best Bugs Bunny death performance. It must have taken a couple of minutes for it to die.

 

[Coyote33]

...Sad about a porcupine....really? How would you feel if it unloaded on a pet or a kid?...

Unloaded? You thinking of a skunk? Porcupines have needles, and they DO NOT "unload" them like little spears or arrows.

City Slickers!

I shot a porcupine a while back. Heard some rustling under my truck in the dark, went in the house to get a flashlight, shined it under there and the little bugger charged me. Blam blam... dead. Figured it was rabid, so I called F&G and explained that I'd been charged by a porcupine at night. ...

OK, a porcupine "charging"?

You guys are killing me!




BTW, porcupines go for tires for the salt, or so I've heard.

 

[KirkVN]

Many years ago I used to hunt frequently, I never felt the "guilt" actually , but that is only because my Grandfather had always told us the following: "If you hunt and kill an animal for food, then you thank God for allowing you to put food on the table... but if you hunt and kill something just because you feel like it, then God will not look kindly on you" , I guess that kinda stuck in my head, he went on to say that if an animal is "stealing" the food for your family from your garden, then the same rule applies, you can always eat the critter!" which DOES mean we had some very "interesting" meals with Grandpa! Raccoon, Woodchuck, Rabbit, etc.

 

[BRIGUY]

I'm not a hunter, but I've dropped many a lobster into a boiling pot of water. I hate that part.

I must confess, however, that I love the end result, especially soaked in butter.

A conscious is a good thing.

Ooops, I have been doing it wrong all these years , I put them in when the water is still cold , no wonder it takes them so long to cook.

 

[Gonzo]

Ooops, I have been doing it wrong all these years , I put them in when the water is still cold , no wonder it takes them so long to cook.

It's like those "have a heart" traps. I don't get it. It takes the animal like a week or two to die once they're in them.

 

[drgrant]

Unloaded? You thinking of a skunk? Porcupines have needles, and they DO NOT "unload" them like little spears or arrows.

Apparently you've never seen the face of a dog that decided to "play" with a porcupine... although one could say it's not the porc's fault in that case... Dogs are just 110% retards when it comes to porcupines. They think it's a cat or something, apparently.

-Mike

 

[colt_fan]

It's like those "have a heart" traps. I don't get it. It takes the animal like a week or two to die once they're in them.

I usually bait then with a good dose of poison to expedite the process.

 

[GML]

Ooops, I have been doing it wrong all these years , I put them in when the water is still cold , no wonder it takes them so long to cook.

hahaha nice one

 

[Coyote33]

Apparently you've never seen the face of a dog that decided to "play" with a porcupine... although one could say it's not the porc's fault in that case... Dogs are just 110% retards when it comes to porcupines. ...

Actually, I have. As a kid, my dog did that, twice. My Dad was up half a night with vice grips while my Mother held the dog. Considering everything, the dog was fairly patient through it. Dogs are not too bright with skunks either. Neither of these facts change the fact that porcupines still don't "unload" anything nor charge.

 

[Titan]

Unloaded? You thinking of a skunk? Porcupines have needles, and they DO NOT "unload" them like little spears or arrows.

City Slickers!

City slicker my ass.

Unloaded, simply means that they left many if not most of their quills in another creature.

I have a particularly graphic photo of a pit bull with its entire face covered by quills, if you'd like a visual depiction.

There's nothing in 'unloaded' that requires that the quills be fired across open space.

Don't be so anal about the use of flowery language.

 

[Titan]

Thank you for showing us the error in our ways! I need to figure out how to get this pesky little conscience out of my head; all these feelings about ending the life of another being are really hindering the growth of my sack!

Lots of contemporary men have been turned into pansies by the culture, the women they date/marry, etc., especially in a place like MA.

Don't eat yourself up about it, but the need to 'share' (this thread) is one of the nastiest symptoms of the disease.

 

[jdubois]

Lots of contemporary men have been turned into pansies by the culture, the women they date/marry, etc., especially in a place like MA.

I guess you can count me among the pansies then, as I certainly care about taking a life. I'm going to start hunting this season, and I have no doubt I'll feel for the animals I kill. But that won't stop me from thanking them and then having a good dinner!

 

[HorizontalHunter]

I sent an arrow through a buck this year that we were never able to find. Searched for hours and hours, nothing.....

Sucks bad!

This will likely happen to just about anyone who hunts deer, or other game, with a"pointy stick". I lost one a two seasons ago. I searched for two days trying to find her (doe). Once you feel that you have done your best to find the animal it helps you to rest easier but it still sucks bad.

IMO there are a couple of things you can do to help prevent that:

1. Lighted arrow nocks will help you clearly identify the location of the hit. Especially in low light. When you see the red dot go out on the deer you know exactly where the arrow went. Keep in mind a lighted nock is a DQ for P&Y.

2. Read Finding Wounded Deer by John Trout Jr. Even the experienced bow hunter will likely pick up something new. I know that I did and I have been bowhunting for nearly 30 years. I always re-read it prior to the archery season in September (CT).

Bob

 

[edin508]

This will likely happen to just about anyone who hunts deer, or other game, with a"pointy stick". I lost one a two seasons ago. I searched for two days trying to find her (doe). Once you feel that you have done your best to find the animal it helps you to rest easier but it still sucks bad.

IMO there are a couple of things you can do to help prevent that:

1. Lighted arrow nocks will help you clearly identify the location of the hit. Especially in low light. When you see the red dot go out on the deer you know exactly where the arrow went. Keep in mind a lighted nock is a DQ for P&Y.

2. Read Finding Wounded Deer by John Trout Jr. Even the experienced bow hunter will likely pick up something new. I know that I did and I have been bowhunting for nearly 30 years. I always re-read it prior to the archery season in September (CT).

Bob

I looked for 2 days, but the ice, rain and snow mix we were getting on the mtn. covered everything pretty quick. It was a good shot with pass though (still have my bloody arrow) and he was bleeding like crazy. We followed and followed and then came to what had to be there party zone. There were tracks and crap everywhere! We branched out with 2-ways from there, but still nothing.
For this year, I am going to try the mechanical heads and hope they work as well as promised. I can't see a deer going too far with a hole over 2" though him. The guy at Bass Pro showed me some pics on his cell phone of the deer he shot with them. You would have thought it was the exit hole from a shotgun!

 

[HorizontalHunter]

I looked for 2 days, but the ice, rain and snow mix we were getting on the mtn. covered everything pretty quick. It was a good shot with pass though (still have my bloody arrow) and he was bleeding like crazy. We followed and followed and then came to what had to be there party zone. There were tracks and crap everywhere! We branched out with 2-ways from there, but still nothing.
For this year, I am going to try the mechanical heads and hope they work as well as promised. I can't see a deer going too far with a hole over 2" though him. The guy at Bass Pro showed me some pics on his cell phone of the deer he shot with them. You would have thought it was the exit hole from a shotgun!

Please, know that I was not "slamming" you or anything like that. I was just sharing what I have personally found helpful. I would remember that spot for next year. All else being equal a hit deer will go where they feel safe. It really sucks when you lose one. You replay the shot over and over in your head for a long time wondering what went wrong. Sometimes its a twig that you never saw between you and the deer.

If you are talking about a 2" cut your are probably talking about the rage. Just remember that it takes a lot of Ke to push that through an animal. I have heard some complaints from one of my hunting partners about the blades poping loose from the "O" ring when the arrow is removed from the quiver. I have never personally shot them.

I shoot the NAP Spitfire which is 1 3/4" cut. I typically get a pass through and bury the arrow in the ground up to the fletchings. Im a shooting a crossbow and my setup produces nearly 100lbs of Ke. The NAP Spitfire is the same price as the rage but NAP has a $10.00 rebate running now through October.

NAP Rebate:

http://www.newarchery.com/rebates

This is typical performance of the NAP Spitfire:

http://btreviews.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=final&action=display&thread=5102

You will find other similar reports for other broadheads in the blood trails section of that website:

http://btreviews.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=final

You will find some good reviews here on that same Website:

http://btreviews.proboards.com/index.cgi

The website, The archersEdge.net has been slow the last year or so but there is still a lot of good info to be had there.

Bob

 

[edin508]

It's all good. I didn't you were slamming me
I picked up the Grim Reaper Whitetail Specials, 100g, 3 blade with a 2"cut. No O-rings involved!
Check out the You tube vids on them, pretty impressive. No problem opening at angles etc.. Which is one of the key things that made me choose these.

I am shooting a Mathews DXT at 70 lbs. draw and little carbon arrows. The thing screams! I bought one of the Vital Gear 5 dot sights and laugh about it all the time, the pins are so close to one another from 20-60 yds. I could use 1 pin.

BTW..I bent a 100g CS G5 broadhead going through the deer. It sounded like a gun shot when it passed through.

 

[Madball13]

Thank you for showing us the error in our ways! I need to figure out how to get this pesky little conscience out of my head; all these feelings about ending the life of another being are really hindering the growth of my sack!

Maybe we can progress to the point when the goal will be to stalk the game and give it hug. You can't feel guilty giving a black bear a hug. Somebody please deliver the unicorns and rainbows we were promised.

 

[HorizontalHunter]

It's all good. I didn't you were slamming me
I picked up the Grim Reaper Whitetail Specials, 100g, 3 blade with a 2"cut. No O-rings involved!
Check out the You tube vids on them, pretty impressive. No problem opening at angles etc.. Which is one of the key things that made me choose these.

I am shooting a Mathews DXT at 70 lbs. draw and little carbon arrows. The thing screams! I bought one of the Vital Gear 5 dot sights and laugh about it all the time, the pins are so close to one another from 20-60 yds. I could use 1 pin.

BTW..I bent a 100g CS G5 broadhead going through the deer. It sounded like a gun shot when it passed through.

It was more a matter of re-reading my post and I wanted to make sure that I was clear. The DXT is a nice bow and at 70lbs that arrow is moving. It is amazing how far the technology has come. My first bow was a 55lb Ben Pearson recurve. I still have an old whitetail hunter in the basement some where as well.

Maybe we can progress to the point when the goal will be to stalk the game and give it hug. You can't feel guilty giving a black bear a hug. Somebody please deliver the unicorns and rainbows we were promised.

Madball , you have to put the rainbow sticker on the back of your vehicle first.

Bob

 

[Gonzo]

Madball , you have to put the rainbow sticker on the back of your vehicle first.

Bob

Give me the sticker. I'll put it on his vehicle.

 

[Madball13]

Give me the sticker. I'll put it on his vehicle.

F-U you will.

I was thinking more of a rainbow colored unicorn that I could float through the forest on

 

[Titan]

I guess you can count me among the pansies then, as I certainly care about taking a life. I'm going to start hunting this season, and I have no doubt I'll feel for the animals I kill. But that won't stop me from thanking them and then having a good dinner!

I feel a respect for a deer of something that is taken in the course of a hunt, or any hunted animal that is less than a clean kill, but there's no way I'd 'shed a tear' over a downed porcupine, skunk, chimpmunk, squirrel, mouse, rat, coyote, etc.

A varmint is a varmint.

For example, I absolutely can't believe the people who let feral hogs run wild, out of 'respect for nature'. Cripes, they're varmints and a scourge to farmers and land owners everywhere. They're not even a legitimate element of the food chain. They're a corruption of the natural environment, like a runaway weed.

 

[ChargingCharlie]

A varmint is a varmint.

Vermin is a definition that varies based on where you are in the world (and even what year). In some areas of the world a Porcupines and squirrels are vermin, while in others cats and dogs are vermin. What classifies a specific animal as "vermin" is when it finds a location that it can thrive in and it literally pushes other species out. If you take that definition literally, then in many parts of the world, we are the vermin. Now, I know sone people will go all Internet Commando on me and call me a pussy, but I have a strong respect for everything living. That doesn't mean that I won't kill a spider, or kill mice that are shitting all over my house, but I still don't like to kill most animals unless it's absolutely necessary. IMO, a living breathing creature has as much right to be alive as I do. But, I also believe in "survival of the fittest" and that we often have to kill to live a productive and healthy life. I don't think that necessity is reason to not repect the lives you take though. An, no, I'm not against hunting...I've hunted a fair amount myself

 

[Boghog1]

I feel a respect for a deer of something that is taken in the course of a hunt, or any hunted animal that is less than a clean kill, but there's no way I'd 'shed a tear' over a downed porcupine, skunk, chimpmunk, squirrel, mouse, rat, coyote, etc.

A varmint is a varmint.

For example, I absolutely can't believe the people who let feral hogs run wild, out of 'respect for nature'. Cripes, they're varmints and a scourge to farmers and land owners everywhere. They're not even a legitimate element of the food chain. They're a corruption of the natural environment, like a runaway weed.

What did I do?

 

[Titan]

Vermin is a definition that varies based on where you are in the world (and even what year). In some areas of the world a Porcupines and squirrels are vermin, while in others cats and dogs are vermin. What classifies a specific animal as "vermin" is when it finds a location that it can thrive in and it literally pushes other species out. If you take that definition literally, then in many parts of the world, we are the vermin. Now, I know sone people will go all Internet Commando on me and call me a pussy, but I have a strong respect for everything living. That doesn't mean that I won't kill a spider, or kill mice that are shitting all over my house, but I still don't like to kill most animals unless it's absolutely necessary. IMO, a living breathing creature has as much right to be alive as I do. But, I also believe in "survival of the fittest" and that we often have to kill to live a productive and healthy life. I don't think that necessity is reason to not repect the lives you take though. An, no, I'm not against hunting...I've hunted a fair amount myself

....

 

[ChargingCharlie]

 

[HorizontalHunter]

One of the reasons I hunt is that the experience gives me a very real and visceral connection to my ancestors. IMO you can't get that connection any other way. A kill is the sucessful conclusion of a hunt and for our ancestors it determened whether or not they went hungry the next few days. I take no joy in the kill; for me I feel a sense of respect for the animal that has given its life so that I can use it to provide food for my family. There is also an underlying sense of sadness for the loss of life but it is tempered with respect. No life should ever be taken lightly. Even that of an animal.

For the life of me I will never understand what posses hunters on those TV hunting shows to jump, yell, and scream when they make a kill. I think that it is in very poor taste. JMO

Bob

 

[Mark from MA]

Well...I've watched how mother nature and man in general kills animals, loss of habitat,starvation, disease, vehicle strikes, and predators eating living animals guts first.....so I don't feel too bad about it. Hunting is way more humane as far as I'm concerned.

99% of the time a broadhead thru the lungs with the deer dead in 5 seconds seems way more humane than how mother nature does it. But that's because she put us at the top of the food chain for a reason. Most of us have morals and feelings to do the right thing, and that's harvest humanely as possible.

 

[Mark from MA]

I looked for 2 days, but the ice, rain and snow mix we were getting on the mtn. covered everything pretty quick. It was a good shot with pass though (still have my bloody arrow) and he was bleeding like crazy. We followed and followed and then came to what had to be there party zone. There were tracks and crap everywhere! We branched out with 2-ways from there, but still nothing.
For this year, I am going to try the mechanical heads and hope they work as well as promised. I can't see a deer going too far with a hole over 2" though him. The guy at Bass Pro showed me some pics on his cell phone of the deer he shot with them. You would have thought it was the exit hole from a shotgun!

No offense...but if it was a good shot, you would have found a dead deer.....an arrow coated with blood doesn't mean shit. In most cases a double lunged deer will not go more than 150 yards, and will be dead in less than 10 seconds.....if it does go farther or is still alive...it's not double lunged and needs to be dealt with differently than just going in and finding it.

Any sharp broadhead well placed will work.....don't waste your time looking for the perfect broadhead. Mechanicals are not the answer to poor hits. A deer will go forever with a 2" hole in the wrong place....The shot placement is the problem......deer react...usually downward....resulting in a high hit, lots of blood, and a long trail with nothing at the end, because you hit them between the spine and the vitals. Aim low....

The book by Trout is excellent......and Ive found it to be very accurate, and it's advice should be followed...it should be read by any bowhunter, and would save many wasted kills, and deer that got pushed too early and lost.

I've seen deer with poor hits go six steps and fall over dead (kidneys) and I've seen intestinal wounds where they have lasted for a full 24 hours, and still gotten up after. After 200 yards if your not staring at a carcass.....it then becomes time to think, when in doubt, back out.

 

[s4mt3k]

Growing up in Lebanon, I had access to a shotgun/rifle as early as 12-13yrs old. I'd go hunting all by myself in the fields around our mountain house most summer days. I've shot many birds when I was a kid. Never really felt bad except when I had to kill a wounded bird. That was always tough for me. I've killed many lizards, snakes... NEVER felt bad haha.

The one shot I wish I NEVER took, and I still do, this is so bad I've never even told my fiancee (she'll hate my guts)...

Story goes like this; stray dog birthed a litter somewhere around our garden, and as soon as the dogs could walk, they would dig up all our plants, flowers, vegetables, drive our dog nuts... for a couple weeks we'd try to throw stones to scare them, try to catch them... nothing worked. They kept coming back and causing chaos. One day I happened to be coming back from hunting and had my 20gauge... Before thinking, I aimed and took the shot. One puppy down. I was devastated once I realized what I had done, and at my young age, I was on the verge of tears. My grandpa stepped in, helped me clean up the mess, and told me it was ok, and that I did what I had to do (lol, that worked for me when I was a kid). Now I know that was retarded.