Emotions of the Hunt

[Sportdog]

I just finished reading the PETA thread in the General Discussion Forum and there was a post made by someone who witnessed the killing of chickens at a processing plant. He said that it looked like the guys were having a little too much fun doing it. Since this forum is slow I thought I'd throw out something and get some discussion going here, maybe.:) How do you react when you are hunting and make that successful shot? I watch a lot of hunting shows on Versus and The Outdoor Channel and it irritates me when the hunter starts screaming "BBD Baby, Big Buck Down!!!) or "I put the smack down on him", usually with a ton of laughing thrown in for good measure. I love to hunt and have killed my share of game over the past thiry-five years and that much animation I have never been a part of. A hug and words of encouragement for a youth and a pat on the back for an adult seems the norm to me. If it's a great trophy two or three hugs for the youth hunter and two or three hearty slaps on the back for an adult. Smiles and a sense of accomplishment and respect of the game animal does it in my world. This seems to be true of the non pro hunters that you see on these shows too. The pro is always trying to pump up the youth or average Joe that gets on the air. What about you and your reactions? Maybe I'm just too danged reserved!:huh:

[RJmjZ]

The North American Indians knew something very special about life, long lost by white eyes. I've often thought that the term white eyes could mean we all walk around with gauze blindfolds. I am one of the white eyes, but can see through the haze enough to know respect for game animals, all animals, and frankly one another, has a long way to go before it gets back to what the Indians revered. In so many things, we have been blessed, given a gift, and do not count this gladness as something to be venerated. At the chance of being disrespectful of common values, while there leadership, motives, and culture are, in my opinion, just as confused as their opponents, PETA is not all wrong, all the time in trying to turn attitudes toward a better life for every living creature.

[fireboat]

The North American Indians knew something very special about life, long lost by white eyes. I've often thought that the term white eyes could mean we all walk around with gauze blindfolds. I am one of the white eyes, but can see through the haze enough to know respect for game animals, all animals, and frankly one another, has a long way to go before it gets back to what the Indians revered. In so many things, we have been blessed, given a gift, and do not count this gladness as something to be venerated. At the chance of being disrespectful of common values, while there leadership, motives, and culture are, in my opinion, just as confused as their opponents, PETA is not all wrong, all the time in trying to turn attitudes toward a better life for every living creature.


Are the Indians still netting hundreds of fish? Did they run hundreds of buffalo of cliffs knowing they couldn't eat all of them? Your watching too many cowboy movies, read some history books. PETA is ALL wrong. Game animals, fish and farm animals are all renewable resources. Torturing animals is wrong, eating them is not. We need respect for game animals? What we really need is respect for truly innocent human life that is destroyed at nearly 1 million a year in this country alone. Also,Cats are fair game all the time.:)

[Sportdog]

No offense gentlemen, but I believe the topic was "Emotions of the Hunt". I guess that I should be happy because we are at least getting some traffic on this forum.:peepwall:

[RJmjZ]

Don't worry Sportdog, Fireboat good man. . . just ask him, he will tell you. He got his name in an acid dream. Good and bad, selfish, disrespectfull, ignorant, wasteful people existed from the beginning. . . they even exist today. . . can you imagine that?

Fireboat, my first comments were not "Hollywood". . . I know because I was there ;>). Just remember. . . history is written by the victors. The truth probably rises somewhere between what you say and what I first wrote. But, we will never know because we just were not there. Tell me again who shot the American Buffallo to near extinction. No matter. . . right?

Yes, I feel initial remorse for killing big game anyway. That same kind of respect however, carries over in to every trip afield. There are some people and under some circustances, I wouldn't have any remorse at all for sending them along. I think as part of the military , the government out to add 2 things to recruit training. Those things would be field dressing a deer, one on one, and an all day tour of a rendering plant.

[wheels]

Hmm - this one made me think. I played a lot of sports when I was a kid. Now I hunt for the sport of it. Okay, that and I love the meat, and I love the outdoors. As a kid when I scored a TD or hit a home run I celebrated with excitement. So, is it not okay to celebrate when a trophy is taken or a great shot drops a bird. Yes, I do SOME celebration. Don't know that I jump up and down like a cheerleader, but after a full year of anticipation, usually days or even weeks of hard work, lead finally to sucess.... darn right, I get excited. When my son eventually takes his first big game animal, even if it's a doe antelope or deer, my emotions will get the best of me and at that point, yep, I'll probably jump around like a cheerleader. I'm also guessing he'll get more than two or three hugs. Heck, he may even see a tear in my eye. I guess for me I don't see this as a lack of respect for the game. Don't get me wrong. We're not out there yelling "Smoked that bad boy!" or anything like that, but yes there is for sure a celebration. Of course, I celebrate and carry on when a 10 pound walleye hits the boat floor too!

[Suzuki]

I quit watching the hunting shows for reasons stated on this post. Most are a bunch of greedy narcissistic douche bags.
As far as making the kill, It has alwasy been very deeply instinctual for me. The older I get the less I want to do so but that is normal. I can still tap into that raw instinct for game species.
I lean towards getting quieter when I make a kill. Whether it be fish or game. I have never hooped and hollered over my quarry. I have never thougth that much about it but it has always seemed distasteful and disrespectfull to the animal. But perhaps on more of an instinctual level you dont want to announce your success to the competition either?

[lacywbosu]

People are different and at the culmination of a successful hunt we will see different reactions. We are a fraternity of sportsman in an endeavor that lends itself to much scrunity from people that don't understand hunting and fishing and those that want to end hunting and fishing. Kinda reminds me of traditional archers condemming compounds users and compound users condemming crossbows. Let's not be too tough on each other.

[Sportdog]

Hmm - this one made me think. I played a lot of sports when I was a kid. Now I hunt for the sport of it. Okay, that and I love the meat, and I love the outdoors. As a kid when I scored a TD or hit a home run I celebrated with excitement. So, is it not okay to celebrate when a trophy is taken or a great shot drops a bird. Yes, I do SOME celebration. Don't know that I jump up and down like a cheerleader, but after a full year of anticipation, usually days or even weeks of hard work, lead finally to sucess.... darn right, I get excited. When my son eventually takes his first big game animal, even if it's a doe antelope or deer, my emotions will get the best of me and at that point, yep, I'll probably jump around like a cheerleader. I'm also guessing he'll get more than two or three hugs. Heck, he may even see a tear in my eye. I guess for me I don't see this as a lack of respect for the game. Don't get me wrong. We're not out there yelling "Smoked that bad boy!" or anything like that, but yes there is for sure a celebration. Of course, I celebrate and carry on when a 10 pound walleye hits the boat floor too!
Excellent post. I remember the day that my grandson put his first Steelhead in the boat. I had more than one tear in my eye. In fact I remember him telling me, "calm down Pa"! I guess I was more than a little excited that day. I am not as animated as you say you are but your comment on the work and committment to the sport is well taken. Your post made me do a little more refined thinking and you are correct. The kill is the culmination of a lot of effort and is cause for celebration. Not over the death of the animal but of the respect you have for the animal and what it takes to be successful. I must admit to a sidebar to your comment on the celebration of athletic success which I guess keeps me more subdued than you claim to be. I don't remember who said it or it's just a common thing said by many coaches and sports announcers when commenting on football end zone celebrations......."Act like you have been there before. Every fall across the USA guys are scoring touchdowns. It's really not all that special. The same is true for hunting success. These stories are played out every fall across the USA. As much as I love to hunt and have had a reasonable amount of success over the years.....no reason to get too worked up.....I'm not that special!:driver: