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Any of you lost the urge to kill things?


Buckshot Bear

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Any of you lost the urge to kill things?

 

Now I'm not talking about that idiot who cut in front of you yesterday on the freeway, but animals.

 

I used to hunt every chance I got, sometimes daily for months at a time if I could. I took my sons hunting and feral reduction and will take my grandchildren hunting

but I've lost any urge to pull the trigger at any animal myself.

 

I've fished all my life (saltwater) I've even taken to filing off the barb to my fishing hooks as it makes for easy catch and release and absolute minimal harm to the fishes mouth and will never use stainless hooks in case a fish gets gut hooked. I could never even use small live fish hooked as bait again, something I've done tens of thousands of times.

 

I'm still a meat and fish eater, so that makes me a hypocrite of sorts (or exactly). 

 

Not sure exactly how this happened. I've suffered with a fair bit of pain for a long time, I think that has something to do with it, just not wanting to inflict pain on any other living thing.

 

Its not Bambi Syndrome, as ferals need reducing dramatically in Australia and I hope shooters are decimating there numbers (I think we have more feral deer in Oz than you have natively in the US!).

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20 minutes ago, Bart Slade said:

My dad (82) is the same way.   Raised on a dairy farm, had chickens, pigs, used to go hunting all the time when he was younger.

 

Now?  He won't even trap a rat.  

Haven't had the urge since about 1978.

 

I can and will if necessary, but I don't do it for sport anymore, and I don't need the meat.

 

Same for fishing.

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Put a whitetail deer, doves, or quail in front of me and you will hear a BANG quickly.  Other things, not so much.  As a younger man I was less discriminating.

 

It might be “maturity”.  Heaven knows I have other evidence of it, most of it painful.

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I love to hunt and fish but now not so much alone. I live for hearing my kids rifles bark on a frosty morning or my wife pulling out another big bluegill or perch. I can't imagine not doing it.

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Now that I have more years in my past than in my future,  I think back often. 

 

Living on the same property since birth, there are lots of memories.  In one little valley was a big clump of mulberry. When fruit began to ripen,  tree rats would flock in in massive numbers.   I'd get out well before sunrise and walk a half mile through the woods to get to that spot. Took pride in making head shots with 22.  Maybe 12yo at the time.  

 

Later, when married,   I still squirrel hunt. Used a Stevens Crackshot with 1" scope.  Load was 22 short.  Assassinated many with head shots.  Usually just still hunted.   Buy Sawmill Mary started to protest cooking them.  I quit hunting them and other small game.

 

Years ago, deer were rare.  I'd take off all deer season and hunt before sunrise to past sunset in any weather.  Some years I never even seen a deer.  Times have changed.  We're overrun with deer.  The last few I've taken latterly have been minutes of stepping out of the house. No hunting to it. There's one, shoot it.  No sport. 

 

I have satisfied my blood lust by reducing the number of groundhogs that invade our buildings. 

 

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I have hunted but I never had an “urge” to kill things.

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7 minutes ago, Buckshot Bear said:

 

Semantics

That’s the way I read it.

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I've always felt that way about big game (deer and up) hunting, but it's not a strong feeling. Just enough to have kept me from taking up such hunting in the first place. I was raised a bird hunter by my dad and granddad; ducks, geese, and pheasants. I don't do it much anymore because of age and other interests, but I still do now and then and still like it.

 

A lot of hunting is family background and tradition. My dad and granddad didn't hunt deer, and so we boys didn't either with an occasional exception. I definitely have nothing against it.

 

An interesting thing is my dad, though he never hunted other than for birds, made one big exception: when he was 48, in 1970, he went on a full-blown safari to Uganda. He shot two antelope, a wild forest hog, and a bush elephant, among some smaller game.

 

He then returned to the usual waterfowl and pheasant hunting, and never hunted 'big game' again. He enjoyed the safari immensely.

 

It's a good question, Buckshot, I think.

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Pretty much the same here. Lost the urge to hunt years ago. I still like to fish, but haven't had the opportunity of late. I really enjoy salmon, halibut. ling cod, and rock fishing, but now that I am in Texas, I need to look at redfish, black drum, red snapper, and seatrout.

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29 minutes ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

That’s the way I read it.

 

You should use a paintball gun when you're hunting. You won't miss out on 'hunting' and be in no danger of any urges to kill anything with a chest or head shot.

 

Quote

That’s the way I read it.

 

I'm sorry that's what you comprehended from what I wrote in my original post.

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The target is the important thing.  Bought bunch of AR targets and ringing steel   GW

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4 minutes ago, Buckshot Bear said:

 

I'm using a camera and a telephoto lens these days.

Me too. And you don’t have to clean the camera after you shoot. ;)

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I grew up hunting and fishing on the farm. I pretty much quit fishing after my good rod and reel given to my by an uncle burned up in 1984 in our house fire. I never have had one as good as it again.

 

I hunted Squirrels and rabbits and quail and then moved to deer. I have not done any hunting in the last 4-7 years and i could shoot a deer about anytime i want out the back door of the house. Heck, I had them 10 of them in the yard during deer season and I just did not bother to buy permits this year. I always wanted to shoot the big one for the wall over the fireplace, and got one big enough for it once, but the processor screwed the head up and it could not be mounted. Anymore, it seems like too much work, little challenge, and cost too much compared to the return on the investment. That and nobody really wanted the meat in the family and usually gave it away. If I needed the meat, I would hunt but for now, not very interested anymore. I am thinking when I retire, I will go to raising a few cows for the meat as I like beef better than deer anyhow.

 

Overall, right now I have lost interest in a lot of things I use to do including shooting sports but I hope thing will get better and I will go back to doing some of the things I enjoy. Only time will tell.

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I still want to hunt, but even when I did (I won’t hunt in CA. Screw the DFG) I often just enjoyed the hunt and seeing the animal(s) but I opted not to shoot. 
I am truly looking forward to fishing and turkey hunting in PA & WV. I plan to go deer hunting but mostly because my nephew wants to go hunting with me. I really don’t care for venison but my a family loves it. I may hunt for them. We’ll see. Hunting birds is one thing. Deer is another. I don’t HAVE to get a deer. To me it’s not a big deal to not get one. I just like the hunt, just not necessarily shooting the hunted. 

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When my back was in a little better shape I hunted deer, elk and antelope on an annual basis when I lived in Wyoming, Colorado and Arizona. Since moving to the peoples republic my hunting activity dropped drastically. I still went on  the above mentioned hunts but out of state. The ranch that I hunted bison on changed hands and the price nearly tripled so I don’t do that anymore. I used to hunt deer on Camp Pendleton with a bow and arrow but after 911 they tightened up security and non military lost their hunting privileges. Haven’t checked lately to see if that’s changed. If I wanted I could ground sluice quail out of my patio door but my wife frowns on that and doesn’t like to cook them.

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I go really out of my way even to take spiders out of the house into the garden (not all white tailed spiders get squished they can give you flesh eating necrosis).

 

Rats and mice, we've a bit of a problem with them and I set traps constantly.

 

I dunno' something changed for me.

 

I think back to when my Dad (served in New Guinea and saw heavy action against the Japanese) took me rabbit hunting. I used to hear stories how Mum & Dad used to go rabbiting all the time and fill orders for people who wanted a rabbit (saw some in a butchers window last week and they are $25!!!!) I used to beg Dad to take me and we'd walk for hours. Dad never shot a rabbit all those countless times we went. I wonder now if something had changed for him as well.

 

Mum and Dad taught me (and my three older brothers) how to fish, he was one of the keenest fisherman I knew and he fished right up to the end even as sick as he got in the last years.

 

Wow.....Dad's been gone for 40 years and just writing this and thinking of him is making me cry like a newborn. The greatest man I ever knew.

 

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Nobody in my family before me ever hunted, but I grew up fascinated by it.  I still recall being four and five years old, going next door to visit little Anna Maria.  Except I was actually bugging her dad to tell me hunting stories - which he seemed more than happy to do.  

 

A few years later I was living in Texas; still in my single-digit years into my teens I spent countless hours in storm cellars, hiding out from potential tornadoes and enjoying the heck out of boxes filled with decades of Field and Stream, Outdoor Life, and Sports Afield magazines.  I was hooked.  But I was not the last guy in family - after I introduced 'em to it there followed a few cousins, and even my grandpa!  And of course, my son....  

 

So, in my younger life I hunted, shot, butchered, and cooked up many critters.  I could still, but at my age I  don't feel any driving need to.  And during my active hunting years there were a number of times I passed up good shots - it just felt right at those times.  

 

But if our schedules ever allow it, I would love to be with my son if/when he takes his first buck.  

 

 

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I thought I was one of the few who lost the urge to kill! Call it getting soft or maybe a larger respect for life, I just don’t like killing animals anymore. It’s nice to know I’ve got company that feels the same way! Still love to shoot though!

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8 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said:

 

Wow.....Dad's been gone for 40 years and just writing this and thinking of him is making me cry like a newborn. The greatest man I ever knew.

 

Good. It's not just me. 

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I haven't hunted in at least 30 years. I will still pop the occasional nuisance raccoon or squirrel that try to get into the attic or are otherwise destructive. Haven't fished in years, although I wouldn't mind a fishing trip again. These days, I do my fishing at Wards Seafood, as they have fresh caught seafood, don't steal your bait and I always come home with what I went fishing for to begin with.

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We're watching the lakes for ice now that deer season is over. Got a call from a good friend yesterday asking if I could shoot a match now. Depends on the ice!

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I never really hunted although I went a couple times with my uncle to shoot groundhogs and went quail hunting once. I don't mind killing animals but I don't get the "urge" to do so.

 

Rats and mice are something I can't put up with, not only do I want to kill them I want them to suffer! ^%$#@ vermin!

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well , IF , I take a critter , there is always a bit of remorse , and gratude , It will be fully used and respected 

 

 as to vermin , that is the way it goes , had 10 or better deer ion the pad , about 40 yds , from the porch yesterday PM 

 

 watch , em grow , and eat the garden , solved most of that , by planting about a acre of wheat and rye for em 

 

  CB 

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In my youth, I crawled through the sage bush in SW Idaho after prairie dogs.
The weapon of choice was an ancient Remington #6 take-down in 22 single shot.

Today, I want to use my 223 bull barrel SS and pop prairie dogs at long distances.

Dad took me duck hunting as a kid... soured me on that.
Too early, too cold, too wet, too miserable.

I'm too lazy to haul a big dead animal out of the bush then have to dress it for the freezer.
Just not interested in that.. never had the actual need to stock the freezer from the open range.
My bride likes to fish.. but we don't.
 

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I was brought up deer hunting and my experience as a young lad was that it was a glorious social gathering of the men.  My dad, my older brother and usually a business associate of my dad's or two along with a son or two of theirs. Friday night fish fry at  hole in the wall tavern.  Thick blue smoke throughout.  The men (old enough to drink) had old fashions and us lads got all the soda we could consume.  Playing cards, hanging with the guys, carrying knives, carrying guns all hoping to bag a buck.  What more could a 12 year old want? Unfortunately, the deer did not get the message.  It was more the social aspect.

 

Anymore, hunting (white tails) is anti climatic.  Around our place they are as thick as squirrels.  I take my SIL as he is in a wheel chair so I mostly drink coffee, eat cookies, warm lunch and read magazines I stock up on.  Dressing the deer and butchering it is the part I really don't relish.  I have enough head and european mounts to cover a wall.  Started hanging them in the shed.

 

Raccoons destroy my wife's bird feeders.  They are dead on sight.  Skunks are unpleasant and spray the dogs.  Dead on sight.  Snakes, run them over with the mower.  Mom has a phobia about snakes.  Dead on sight.  Mice, poison traps all over.  Little buggers get into everything.  Woodchucks burrow under the shed foundation.  Dead on sight.

 

I've been bird hunting of all kinds.  The hunt is fun enough but it is better to be with the guys and trade lies over an adult beverage.  Haven't gone bird hunting in 30 years.  Not fond of squirrel (tree rats).  Turkey hunting around me is not a big challenge.  Set up a blind in the field behind the house, put out some decoys, have some coffee, read my magazines in a lawn chair, take a nap, wake up to see a big tom, BOOM, all done.

 

Fishing is fine.  I really enjoy big water fishing.  I've caught every pan fish known to man and end up throwing most back.  I've caught my share of walleye and northern.  Not a muskie although I've had some follow ups.  I  like salmon fishing.  I don't eat it but mom and the daughter do.  I do have a hankering to go out fishing for deep sea fish.  Is that correct?  Marlin, sailfish, tuna, big fish.  An outing with the guys or family.  Get some new stories to tell.  I have all the gear to fish in any kind of weather.  I can walk on water.  You southern boys would like that.  Wear all the clothes that you own.

 

I have found that hunting in the freezer isle to be more enjoyable.

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Gotta get in line w/ all ya'll about it ------don't wanna kill anything I don't have to--------grew up in rural Arkansas in 1940's --rabbits ,squirrels --fish were all to be put on dinner table-----still like taste of fried rabbit-----sitting in sunroom on back of house---regularly watching deer & other kinds o animals  go thru my back yard----enjoy seeing em!!-----See too many tho laying on roadside dead-----lots &lots of Armadilo's  all over road-----but NEVER see one alive they must be pretty good at hiding out in day time!!!

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