Why not just kill everything you see then??........cats, dogs, horses and cows on your way in and out of the woods. How will a paint ball gun get me a freezer full of venison??
I haven't read all of this thread, but Atlas put it pretty well in his last statement, I especially liked this phrase...
Say you like hunting in a crowded room and it will hardly raise an eyebrow because while people understand killing happens in hunting they also realize it is about 0.1% of the experience...........say you like killing stuff in that same room and see how people react to that fixation.
So Atlas, if someone offered to donate you a freezer full of venison every year from here on out...would you then hang up the weapons in place of a nonlethal hunting method, whether you choose a camera or whatever. You still have venison in your freezer, and you no longer have to kill something anymore to do it. I hunt because I love it, and EVERY part of it. I wouldn't give up the kill of a hunt, even if I COULD get my meat anyway. Of COURSE the thrill I get encompasses more than only the split second of the kill...the kill triggers it. You don't kill every fish to enjoy fishing because fishing is an optional catch and release sport. You cant use needle nose pliers to pull out your Broadhead, pet the deer on its head, and send it on its way. You "catch" your animal in hunting, you have no choice but for it to be dead. Comparing fishing to hunting, is almost as useless as comparing killing a deer to killing a cat,dog,cow, or horse.
I'm not atlas but I can anticipate the answer being.. just because it insn't the most enjoyable part of the hunt, doesn't mean it doesn't have it's place as a whole.
I'm not atlas but I can anticipate the answer being.. just because it insn't the most enjoyable part of the hunt, doesn't mean it has it's place as a whole.
As I said in the other thread..........No, because I have NEVER and will NEVER taste a piece of venison that is as sweet as one that I took from the field to my dinner plate with my own two hands. Lots of guys have a certain personal criteria a deer must meet in order for them to WANT to kill that particular animal......and everyone has to abide by game laws stating if you don't have a tag for it you CAN'T kill it. One way or the other (personal or legal) hunting IS catch(shoot) and release(don't shoot).
Holy cow this post really got allot of replies. I guess I'll leave my two cents, it looks like I might be the only one who hasn't. I both hunt with a Bow and a rifle. I've bow hunted for about 5 years now and rifle hunted as long as I can remember. Some day if I get good enough with my bow I probably won't hunt with a gun any more. I enjoy it way more. I love sitting in a stand when it's nice out and enjoying the outdoors without freezing. For some reason the feeling of getting a nice deer with a bow is double what it is with a rifle. Maybe cause it's more challenging for me. Although killing is part of the exitement, I often feel bad after killing a deer. I usually don't shoot any does that have fawns with unless I'm running out of time and have to get venison in the freezer. I shot a doe with a fawn once and the fawn wouldn't leave until I went to take care of the doe and it finally ran of. I felt pretty crappy afterwards. So I'd say killing isn't the biggest part of it for me either, although it is very exciting to kill that nice buck.
Well in both cases you get to kill a deer......sounds like you are now saying it takes everything else that goes into the culmination of a successful free range hunt to make it your favorite part. I would think most people would answer the same way........the moment of truth surey holds the most excitement for all of us. Their just seems to be a difference of opinion by some as to what that moment encapsulates.......my opinion is that something dying makes up about 0.1% of that experience and of the vast spectrum of emotions that overwhelm me during that time the fact that something just died because of me really doesn't even enter my mind. As I approach the downed animal a sense of mild sorrow ALWAYS sinks in as I realize the finality of my actions..........I view it as respect for life in general and quite frankly I'm glad I have it. Where I get "the creeps" from is when I hear people repetitively using the word "kill" as their focal point of elation......like they are not only happy something died........but even more so because they are responsible. For what it's worth..........I bet we all feel a VERY similar rush of emotions during a successful hunt, such a rush in fact that it is hard to explain to others but everyone who has hunted knows EXACTLY what you mean. The catalyst for those emotions may be a bit different for some people I guess.
