Interesting F&S article by David Petzal on respecting your quarry

[Setters4life]

The first animal I killed was a woodchuck. I was with my hunting mentor, my uncle Pete, and I was 11 or 12 years old at the time. He stood next to me watching the woodchuck through his binoculars, while I lay in the grass staring through the scope mounted to his .22-.250. He quietly coached me through the shot, reminding me to breath in and out slowly, then ease the trigger. It was as if the gun went off on its own and with the shot the woodchuck was no more. I put the safety on and left it on the ground resting on its bipod. Uncle Pete was all over me with the "way to goes", and "damned good shot"as he was patting me on the back. I think he was actually as surprised that I connected, as was I.

 

We walked out to the woodchuck and at the sight of what I had just done, I cried. I'm not embarrassed to say it. He took the opportunity to explain what I just did was right, at many levels. He also said it was ok for me to feel the way I did, and did not make light of or make fun of my reaction. I guess thats why we were so close. To this day I still sit and reflect quietly over the animals I shoot and kill. Thankfully, I no longer fall apart crying like that day. I leave that for when I'm watching movies like "Ole Yeller", "The Biscuit Eater", or "Where the Red Fern Grows". They get me every time....LOL!

 

The Biscuit Eater was a great movie.

 

[crappyice]

Along the same lines, how do you / did you all introduce young ones to the act of harvesting game. My 8 year old twins are jacked up to come this year and sit in a ground blind as spectators. I KNOW they hav no idea what to expect if and when a kill happens. I'm considering showing some of FieldArchers videos..maybe even some field dressing vids from YouTube.

[Five Seasons]

Along the same lines, how do you / did you all introduce young ones to the act of harvesting game. My 8 year old twins are jacked up to come this year and sit in a ground blind as spectators. I KNOW they hav no idea what to expect if and when a kill happens. I'm considering showing some of FieldArchers videos..maybe even some field dressing vids from YouTube.

 

growing up I saw a lot of deer hanging before I ever saw one shot or gutted. I think a gutted deer is a good start to introducing a young person. And you need to be able to judge the kid. If you start them out to early, it might turn a certain type of person off for good. Personally I didn't see a deer shot or gutted till I was 14... but that was just me. The death of a large animal can be tough for an 8 year old.

[WNYBuckHunter]

growing up I saw a lot of deer hanging before I ever saw one shot or gutted. I think a gutted deer is a good start to introducing a young person. And you need to be able to judge the kid. If you start them out to early, it might turn a certain type of person off for good. Personally I didn't see a deer shot or gutted till I was 14... but that was just me. The death of a large animal can be tough for an 8 year old.

 

I introduced my daughter to things early. She watched a buddy of mine gut a buck he had shot when she was 6. I told her to let me know if she wanted to take a walk while he did it, but instead, she stood there, intently watching, asking what everything was. She was 100% fine with all of it. She helps me butcher deer, portion up the meat, grind sausage, etc. She loves all of it. The only part she hasnt had a chance to see yet, is the actual shooting of a deer.

 

[Five Seasons]

the hardest part for me has always been the death roll. Depending on where you're hunting you may rarely if ever even see it. For me my very first kill was in a hedgerow of a field and the buck died in the field. Death roll and all. Since i've done a few executions that weren't fun either. Once the deer is dead, other than the stink the gutting isn't even really that big of a deal. It's the life escaping and ending aspect that is hardest.

[RangerClay]

I introduced my daughter to things early. She watched a buddy of mine gut a buck he had shot when she was 6. I told her to let me know if she wanted to take a walk while he did it, but instead, she stood there, intently watching, asking what everything was. She was 100% fine with all of it. She helps me butcher deer, portion up the meat, grind sausage, etc. She loves all of it. The only part she hasnt had a chance to see yet, is the actual shooting of a deer.

 

 

I did the exact same thing.  I asked the kids (son & daughter) when they were about 5 & 8 to blood trail my deer, pray with me, help me gut the deer ( no knives but holding the legs) then they helped my drag it out to the house.  IT WAS AWESOME!  And will forever be one of my best days ever in the field.  They had all sorts of questions like "Where is the heart and what is that?"  They were so excited.

 

Now everytime I harvest a deer out back, I text the house, "Release the hounds!"

[phade]

If I need a track job, I'm grabbing a kid to help if i can.

 

Many lifelong tracking specialist have come to the belief that they can see and spot blood better. I've seen the same in my time. Eyeballs are lower to the ground.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Yep, my daughter did the blood trailing on that one too, even though we knew where it was. I take her to track them whenever possible.

[Five Seasons]

my parents have an untrained miniature dachshund. that thing can track like nobodies business.

[sampotter]

The way that guy is holding that knife, all that blood will be his own.

 

That was my 1st thought!

[sampotter]

Growing up on a farm I've seen a lot of animals die- many of them at my own hands. In fact, unless anyone in here works in a slaughterhouse it would be a safe bet that I've killed more animals by age 32 than most of you will even think about killing in your lifetime. I'm not bragging, just pointing out that I've been privy to more than my share of dying and death.

 

 It is one thing to take a 150 yard shot at a deer and find it dead when you walk up to it. It's a whole other thing to be looking a cow dead in the eye, put the muzzle to her forehead, and pull the trigger. I'm betting there's a lot of tough guys that would change their tune once they've done this a few times. I talk myself through it because the animal doesn't know what hit them and I am being merciful. 

 

We used to have Western Europeans come to the farm when I still lived in CT to slaughter calves and bulls. Many of them were Muslim I believe, and according to their religion the animal had to die by having it's throat slit so the blood could run out. Try standing there and looking a calf in the eye as the life runs out of it's jugular... I watched several of the customers vomit on the spot and I'll admit it is really unsettling to look an animal in the eye during the time when all hope is lost and death in inevitable but the animal is still conscious of what is going on. I finally was able to talk most customers into letting me stun the animal with a hammer before they slit the throat- best of both worlds; the religious beliefs are upheld but the animal is not conscious.

 

I shot a doe last week in CT and watched her go down within sight- I'll admit I had mixed feelings as it was fairly similar to what I described in the previous paragraph. I shot her right through the heart and she died about as quickly as they can when shot with an arrow, but there was still that period of time when the fatal blow has been struck and the life leaks from the body through a wound onto the ground as the animal wanders confused by what is happening.

 

I do celebrate when I am successful in killing a deer but with every one I kill I realize that the kill itself is the least of the reasons I am hunting. It can almost be a bit of a letdown when it's all over.

 

I am not telling anyone else not to celebrate but have respect and don't take death too lightly.

 

[Five Seasons]

well said sam.