your first kill: how difficult was it for you?

gaseousclay · August 20, 2010, 08:32 AM

I know a lot of you seasoned hunters out there probably aren't squeamish about shooting animals or field dressing a deer for that matter. I still struggle with this, as I love nature, especially animals. I'm trying to take a practical approach to hunting in that I plan on harvesting anything I shoot, whether it's deer or water fowl. I even watched a youtube video on how to field dress a deer. I initially thought this would gross me out, but surprisingly it didn't. I think more to the point, I would probably have a hard time shooting an animal just for the sake of killing it. I think the only exception would be is if I perceived a threat to myself. but if it was something like a racoon, skunk or even a bear rummaging through the garbage i'd probably leave it alone.

I know this may sound hypocritical of me or like i'm some animal rights nut, but i'm not. obviously, having never fired a gun or hunted in my life has a lot to do with it but I have a tremendous amount of respect for nature and the thought of blasting a 'varmint' because it's there makes me cringe. my father in-law has told me stories of shooting racoons and skunks on the farm, but he does this because they ruin his crops, and I probably would too if I were in his shoes.

so, was it hard for some of you when you made your first kill? it's weird, I don't think i'd have a problem shooting water fowl, but it might be more difficult shooting my first deer. I know i'll more than likely get over it but just thinking about it is difficult

Rifleman1776 · August 20, 2010, 08:38 AM

If it is hard for you and against your personal nature, find another sport.
I started hunting rabbits, squirrels and pheasants at about age 10 and was never bothered by killing them. We ate all I killed.
Today I still hunt and exterminate predators and nusiance animals without a hint of a squeam. But, I could never kill an animal just to kill it.

Fish_Scientist · August 20, 2010, 08:49 AM

I didn't start hunting until four years ago (at 31 years old) and I'm a nature lover too. I think deer and other ungulates are beautiful animals. I won't fire my rifle or bow until I know I can make a good, clean kill. When I've put an animal down, I thank it for giving itself to me and I can admire its beauty; when field dressing, I'm amazed at the similarities and differences in internal anatomy; when quartering, I enjoy seeing the intricacies of the skeletel-muscular system. After I've shot, field dressed, and butchered an animal, I make sure to use as much as possible so as to not disrespect the animal.

Personally, watching a flock of ducks land in the slough I'm set up on is just as fun with a camera and a good lens as it is with a shotgun. Upland birds not only get breasted out but turned into stock as well. Between waterfowl and upland birds, my fly tying bench is well stocked throughout the winter months and I can prepare to lose a bunch of flies during the next season.

Ultimately, after I've put an animal down, I can admire it up close. I thank it for giving its life to me (which may make me sound like a hippy!). I try to use as much of the animal as possible.

.284 · August 20, 2010, 08:55 AM

Most hunters or true sportsmen I know have a bit of regret when ending an animals life. Infact, there have been similar threads within this forum on the subject and if memory serves me, most had the same point of view. Truthfully, I hope I never get over the feeling of remorse I have when I kill an animal. I also, eat what I kill and strive to make a more ethical harvest than what is done in commercial processing plants (although that's not hard to accomplish). Just remember this, the harvesting of an animal is just one part of the hunting experience and there is certainly no rule which says you have to kill something each time you go.

Good luck.

IZinterrogator · August 20, 2010, 09:01 AM

Mine was a rattlesnake with a .45, so the only difficult part about it for me was hitting a thin moving target with ball ammo.

Brian Pfleuger · August 20, 2010, 09:05 AM

My first kill was before I can remember. I hunted pigeons and starlings with a BB gun on my grandfathers farm when I was probably 4.

I do remember going through a phase early in deer hunting, after I'd killed a few, where I wondered if I really wanted to do it because it did bother me to see them die. That lasted for a year or two and it hasn't bothered me a bit since.

Jimmy10mm · August 20, 2010, 09:06 AM

I've been a shooter all of my adult life but at 61 years old never a hunter. Nothing against hunting but circumstances and being a city boy I didn't have early exposure to it. I don't know how I'd feel if I went out and harvested my own deer but this topic got me thinking that I don't even think twice about eating store bought meat. I don't even see a cow, a pig, or a chicken. Just dinner.

Hunting must be a rewarding experience and if I was doing it and eating what I killed or ridding an area of varmints I think I would be fine with it.

gaseousclay · August 20, 2010, 09:52 AM

Quote:

If it is hard for you and against your personal nature, find another sport.

I think it will be hard for me when I go out for my first time, but I know i'll get used to it. I wouldn't really say it's against my personal nature and i'm not trying to put myself on a pedestal or anything. I'm glad everyone here is sharing their stories and that i'm not the only one who has felt guilt or remorse for killing or thinking of killing an animal. let me just say that i'm not here to preach morality or to judge anyone. this is just something i've thought about, as i'm sure a lot of people have. I'm just wondering how all of you have dealt with it and what I can do to deal with it.

Hoskins · August 20, 2010, 10:11 AM

The first kill wasn't hard at all, it was exciting & a very proud moment for me...it was a squirrel w/ a NEF 20 gauge.

The first time I wounded an animal was what was hard on me, but made me a all around more ethical hunter & ensured that I have never taken questionable shot since then. I was 13 when I wounded the squirrel & I beat myself up over it for a long time.

taylorce1 · August 20, 2010, 10:55 AM

Quote:

The first time I wounded an animal was what was hard on me, but made me a all around more ethical hunter & ensured that I have never taken questionable shot since then.

+1 Hard lessons are the ones we remember the most. I didn't make the cleanest kill on my first deer, but it didn't stop me from hunting. I just work harder to make that first shot count.

davlandrum · August 20, 2010, 11:04 AM

And I still gack when gutting them. Nothing I seem to be able to do to stop it, just let it go and get back to work. It is a part of the sport.

Scorch · August 20, 2010, 11:16 AM

I killed my first animal with a gun when I was about 6, and I remember being horrified watching it kick and flop. After that, I got used to it. Now it means nothing.

If it bothers you, don't do it. You have been programmed by society to be apalled by killing, think about a different sport. If hunting and shooting are just some morbid pursuit for you, think twice about what you are pursuing, because once you get there you can't get back.

noelf2 · August 20, 2010, 11:29 AM

I grew up on a small farm in Mo. I killed cleaned and gutted more animals (both livestock and wild) that I can count. I don't think I've ever felt remorse for the animal. Once, while hunting quail I jumped a meadow lark. I could tell right away it was a meadow lark but I shot it anyway. When my dad found out about it, I got to find out what a boiled meadow lark tasted like. I've never done anything like that since.

**Mike Irwin** · August 20, 2010, 11:41 AM

Actually, my first couple of kills were a lot easier than the last couple of kills I made just before I quit hunting altogether.

Pahoo · August 20, 2010, 11:52 AM

gaseousclay
I'm a bit confused as to why you seem to struggle with this subject or for that matter, even pose the question. I would suggest that you don't hunt until you find a resolution. There are times in the year that I shoot with a camera. I think you would enjoy that more. I personally am not aware of any Hunter that has his finger on the trigger and still questioning his actions.

There are times when I teach Hunting Ethics, to young students. During our Hunter Safety classes, I tell them that they don't have to hunt, if they choose not to, nor shoot a firearm. I do this, in case they are being pressured by there buddies, parents or whomever. It's a personal choice. However, if indeed they want to hunt and "Kill" an animal, that's fine too and they need to take responsibilty for that action. Hunting is an ethical adventure, if you choose to do so.

I do remember my fist "Kill" and the only regret was that I did not shoot it with a .22 but instead of a shotgun. I had more problems cleaning and getting my Mom to cook it than pulling the trigger. ....

Be Safe !!!

gaseousclay · August 20, 2010, 12:22 PM

Quote:

im a bit confused as to why you seem to struggle with this subject or for that matter, even pose the question. I would suggest that you don't hunt until you find a resolution.

for me it's just one interest among many interests that I have gained over the years. the idea of hunting has only become a recent thing for me. I don't know what it was exactly but the idea of hunting my own 'food' was appealing. again, I think it's because i've never killed anything in my life that I'm asking these questions. it isn't necessarily about right or wrong either, but more about whether or not I have the stomach for it. I think I do, but I won't really know till I try.

noelf2 · August 20, 2010, 12:49 PM

gaseousclay, Hunting is an excellent skill to know for many reasons. You are finding an interest in it because it is natural.

Fish_Scientist said:

Quote:

When I've put an animal down, I thank it for giving itself to me and I can admire its beauty

So did you do that before or after you put it down? If afterwords, you were probably talking to yourself.

Doyle · August 20, 2010, 01:12 PM

I don't find the killing hard at all. What I do find hard to take is when I don't get a good quick clean kill. Even though I love to hunt, I don't take any pleasure from creating unnecessary suffering.

Pahoo · August 20, 2010, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Even though I love to hunt, I don't take any pleasure from creating unnecessary suffering.

Man is the only animal on earth that makes such a measure and so it should be. Hunting to me is not a sport but a way of life. There is no sport in killing anything and it only plays a small part in the total experience.

Quote:

it isn't necessarily about right or wrong either, but more about whether or not I have the stomach for it. I think I do, but I won't really know till I try.

Then by all means, you don't have to. Just get out and enjoy the day. Many times I just sit under one of my favorite trees and take a little nap. Woke up one time a bitch coyote and two of her pups were just standing there looking at me. I jumped and that spooked them as well. I know I got a good laugh out of it. Just do your best, in your own best ways and give it no mind. ...

Be Safe !!!

TX Hunter · August 20, 2010, 02:39 PM

The first Kill I remember was as a youngster, squirrel hunting.
It didnt bother me a bit, i was very proud, but to this day, I hunt a variety of game, and a kill dosent bother me. But what does is for an animal to suffer, that makes me sad.

**Spats McGee** · August 20, 2010, 02:52 PM

I started hunting doves when I was a boy. The hard thing to get used to was not the shooting part, it was what to do when you've only wounded the animal. It actually took several years before I could wring a dove's neck without flinching. As gruesome as that sounds, it's easier on the bird than letting it flop around until it dies.

Here are my 3 pointers, for whatever they're worth:
1) Try for the clean kill, even though you won't always get it.
2) If the kill isn't clean, try not to let the animal suffer any longer than necessary.
3) Eat what you kill.

Hunting and being an animal/nature lover are not mutually exclusive. Just go to a Ducks Unlimited event. The biggest part of their membership is probably duck hunters. They love their wetlands, and they love their dogs. One of the things that I've often said about dove hunting is that, as much as I enjoy the hunt (& the dinner later), even if I don't fire a shot, it's a good chance to get out and watch the sun rise.

L_Killkenny · August 20, 2010, 03:01 PM

Whack em and Stack em. Never had a problem and never will. I've never seen any other predator crying over it's supper or sport why should I? Because we've evolved? Bull pucky. Man is a predator and we need to eat. I'm not feeling bad about it.

LK

mwal · August 20, 2010, 03:06 PM

I was a town kid with farming relatives so I saw life and death frequently IE: calf born, Pig killed and roasted. I shot my first game animal at 12 years old a nice fat gray squirrel. No remorse excited to put meat on the table. 1st deer at 13 no remorse. As others have stated I have no problem harvesting game whether it fish,fowl or game. If it bothers you don't hunt. I do not think less of a person if hunting is not for them as long as they respect my right to hunt. I have friends at trap league that love the shooting sports but have never hunted. Perhaps you would enjoying shooting sports and leave the killing up to a butcher. Nothing wrong with it.

MWal

Teirst · August 20, 2010, 03:39 PM

In my opinion the way you will feel about it will come down to your intentions.

The first animal I remember killing was a baby squirrel. It had fallen out of a tree and I believe our cat had "played" with it for a little while. It was trying to run but its entire rear half did not seem to work at all. I felt pity, and relieved its pain with a shovel. That is right, first kill was not even with a gun

. I felt sad the animal had fallen and injured itself, not that I had killed it.

The second was a snake with a bb gun. Was a moderate size corn snake, it lunged at my sister. I was going to leave it alone but after that there was really only 1 thing to do. No bad feelings

markj · August 20, 2010, 04:39 PM

We grew up poor, the first one was a thrill as I had finally got a pheasant we would all eat for dinner. Meant no bread and gravy for supper. We ate that a lot at times of no meat.

I fully enjoy any wild game I shoot, it brings back memories and tastes great.

Used to make a meal out of ground deer meat cooked up with beans and other veggies all in one skillet. I still cook this, my kids call it cowboy stew.

August 20, 2010, 08:32 AM	#1
gaseousclay Senior Member Join Date: August 4, 2010 Posts: 1,210	your first kill: how difficult was it for you? I know a lot of you seasoned hunters out there probably aren't squeamish about shooting animals or field dressing a deer for that matter. I still struggle with this, as I love nature, especially animals. I'm trying to take a practical approach to hunting in that I plan on harvesting anything I shoot, whether it's deer or water fowl. I even watched a youtube video on how to field dress a deer. I initially thought this would gross me out, but surprisingly it didn't. I think more to the point, I would probably have a hard time shooting an animal just for the sake of killing it. I think the only exception would be is if I perceived a threat to myself. but if it was something like a racoon, skunk or even a bear rummaging through the garbage i'd probably leave it alone. I know this may sound hypocritical of me or like i'm some animal rights nut, but i'm not. obviously, having never fired a gun or hunted in my life has a lot to do with it but I have a tremendous amount of respect for nature and the thought of blasting a 'varmint' because it's there makes me cringe. my father in-law has told me stories of shooting racoons and skunks on the farm, but he does this because they ruin his crops, and I probably would too if I were in his shoes. so, was it hard for some of you when you made your first kill? it's weird, I don't think i'd have a problem shooting water fowl, but it might be more difficult shooting my first deer. I know i'll more than likely get over it but just thinking about it is difficult Last edited by gaseousclay; August 20, 2010 at 09:54 AM.

August 20, 2010, 08:55 AM	#4
.284 Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2009 Location: davison, michigan Posts: 665	Most hunters or true sportsmen I know have a bit of regret when ending an animals life. Infact, there have been similar threads within this forum on the subject and if memory serves me, most had the same point of view. Truthfully, I hope I never get over the feeling of remorse I have when I kill an animal. I also, eat what I kill and strive to make a more ethical harvest than what is done in commercial processing plants (although that's not hard to accomplish). Just remember this, the harvesting of an animal is just one part of the hunting experience and there is certainly no rule which says you have to kill something each time you go. Good luck. __________________ Guns have only two enemies, rust and politicians! Deer are amazing creatures....so please don't burn the sauteed onions and I'll pass on the steak sauce, thank you.

August 20, 2010, 09:01 AM	#5
IZinterrogator Senior Member Join Date: November 8, 2004 Location: Prescott Valley, AZ Posts: 2,457	Mine was a rattlesnake with a .45, so the only difficult part about it for me was hitting a thin moving target with ball ammo. __________________ "If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen!” - Samuel Adams

August 20, 2010, 09:05 AM	#6
Brian Pfleuger Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Austin, CO Posts: 19,578	My first kill was before I can remember. I hunted pigeons and starlings with a BB gun on my grandfathers farm when I was probably 4. I do remember going through a phase early in deer hunting, after I'd killed a few, where I wondered if I really wanted to do it because it did bother me to see them die. That lasted for a year or two and it hasn't bothered me a bit since. __________________ Nobody plans to screw up their lives... ...they just don't plan not to. -Andy Stanley

August 20, 2010, 11:04 AM	#11
davlandrum Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2006 Location: Lane County Oregon Posts: 2,547	And I still gack when gutting them. Nothing I seem to be able to do to stop it, just let it go and get back to work. It is a part of the sport. __________________ U.S Army, Retired Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do. -Potter Stewart

August 20, 2010, 08:38 AM	#2
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	If it is hard for you and against your personal nature, find another sport. I started hunting rabbits, squirrels and pheasants at about age 10 and was never bothered by killing them. We ate all I killed. Today I still hunt and exterminate predators and nusiance animals without a hint of a squeam. But, I could never kill an animal just to kill it.

August 20, 2010, 08:49 AM	#3
Fish_Scientist Member Join Date: August 22, 2009 Location: SW Montana Posts: 90	I didn't start hunting until four years ago (at 31 years old) and I'm a nature lover too. I think deer and other ungulates are beautiful animals. I won't fire my rifle or bow until I know I can make a good, clean kill. When I've put an animal down, I thank it for giving itself to me and I can admire its beauty; when field dressing, I'm amazed at the similarities and differences in internal anatomy; when quartering, I enjoy seeing the intricacies of the skeletel-muscular system. After I've shot, field dressed, and butchered an animal, I make sure to use as much as possible so as to not disrespect the animal. Personally, watching a flock of ducks land in the slough I'm set up on is just as fun with a camera and a good lens as it is with a shotgun. Upland birds not only get breasted out but turned into stock as well. Between waterfowl and upland birds, my fly tying bench is well stocked throughout the winter months and I can prepare to lose a bunch of flies during the next season. Ultimately, after I've put an animal down, I can admire it up close. I thank it for giving its life to me (which may make me sound like a hippy!). I try to use as much of the animal as possible.

August 20, 2010, 09:06 AM	#7
Jimmy10mm Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2010 Location: Greenacres, FL Posts: 933	I've been a shooter all of my adult life but at 61 years old never a hunter. Nothing against hunting but circumstances and being a city boy I didn't have early exposure to it. I don't know how I'd feel if I went out and harvested my own deer but this topic got me thinking that I don't even think twice about eating store bought meat. I don't even see a cow, a pig, or a chicken. Just dinner. Hunting must be a rewarding experience and if I was doing it and eating what I killed or ridding an area of varmints I think I would be fine with it.

August 20, 2010, 10:11 AM	#9
Hoskins Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2010 Posts: 240	The first kill wasn't hard at all, it was exciting & a very proud moment for me...it was a squirrel w/ a NEF 20 gauge. The first time I wounded an animal was what was hard on me, but made me a all around more ethical hunter & ensured that I have never taken questionable shot since then. I was 13 when I wounded the squirrel & I beat myself up over it for a long time.

August 20, 2010, 11:16 AM	#12
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	I killed my first animal with a gun when I was about 6, and I remember being horrified watching it kick and flop. After that, I got used to it. Now it means nothing. If it bothers you, don't do it. You have been programmed by society to be apalled by killing, think about a different sport. If hunting and shooting are just some morbid pursuit for you, think twice about what you are pursuing, because once you get there you can't get back. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

August 20, 2010, 11:29 AM	#13
noelf2 Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2008 Location: Stuart, VA Posts: 2,473	I grew up on a small farm in Mo. I killed cleaned and gutted more animals (both livestock and wild) that I can count. I don't think I've ever felt remorse for the animal. Once, while hunting quail I jumped a meadow lark. I could tell right away it was a meadow lark but I shot it anyway. When my dad found out about it, I got to find out what a boiled meadow lark tasted like. I've never done anything like that since. __________________ Liberty and freedom often offends those who understand neither.

August 20, 2010, 11:41 AM	#14
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,390	Actually, my first couple of kills were a lot easier than the last couple of kills I made just before I quit hunting altogether. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

August 20, 2010, 11:52 AM	#15
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	gaseousclay I'm a bit confused as to why you seem to struggle with this subject or for that matter, even pose the question. I would suggest that you don't hunt until you find a resolution. There are times in the year that I shoot with a camera. I think you would enjoy that more. I personally am not aware of any Hunter that has his finger on the trigger and still questioning his actions. There are times when I teach Hunting Ethics, to young students. During our Hunter Safety classes, I tell them that they don't have to hunt, if they choose not to, nor shoot a firearm. I do this, in case they are being pressured by there buddies, parents or whomever. It's a personal choice. However, if indeed they want to hunt and "Kill" an animal, that's fine too and they need to take responsibilty for that action. Hunting is an ethical adventure, if you choose to do so. I do remember my fist "Kill" and the only regret was that I did not shoot it with a .22 but instead of a shotgun. I had more problems cleaning and getting my Mom to cook it than pulling the trigger. .... Be Safe !!! Last edited by Pahoo; August 20, 2010 at 01:42 PM.

August 20, 2010, 01:12 PM	#18
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	I don't find the killing hard at all. What I do find hard to take is when I don't get a good quick clean kill. Even though I love to hunt, I don't take any pleasure from creating unnecessary suffering.

August 20, 2010, 02:39 PM	#20
TX Hunter Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2010 Location: East Texas USA Posts: 1,805	The first Kill I remember was as a youngster, squirrel hunting. It didnt bother me a bit, i was very proud, but to this day, I hunt a variety of game, and a kill dosent bother me. But what does is for an animal to suffer, that makes me sad.

August 20, 2010, 02:52 PM	#21
Spats McGee Staff Join Date: July 28, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 8,821	I started hunting doves when I was a boy. The hard thing to get used to was not the shooting part, it was what to do when you've only wounded the animal. It actually took several years before I could wring a dove's neck without flinching. As gruesome as that sounds, it's easier on the bird than letting it flop around until it dies. Here are my 3 pointers, for whatever they're worth: 1) Try for the clean kill, even though you won't always get it. 2) If the kill isn't clean, try not to let the animal suffer any longer than necessary. 3) Eat what you kill. Hunting and being an animal/nature lover are not mutually exclusive. Just go to a Ducks Unlimited event. The biggest part of their membership is probably duck hunters. They love their wetlands, and they love their dogs. One of the things that I've often said about dove hunting is that, as much as I enjoy the hunt (& the dinner later), even if I don't fire a shot, it's a good chance to get out and watch the sun rise.

August 20, 2010, 03:01 PM	#22
L_Killkenny Senior Member Join Date: February 2, 2007 Location: Iowa Posts: 2,676	Whack em and Stack em. Never had a problem and never will. I've never seen any other predator crying over it's supper or sport why should I? Because we've evolved? Bull pucky. Man is a predator and we need to eat. I'm not feeling bad about it. LK

August 20, 2010, 03:06 PM	#23
mwal Member Join Date: February 24, 2009 Posts: 91	I was a town kid with farming relatives so I saw life and death frequently IE: calf born, Pig killed and roasted. I shot my first game animal at 12 years old a nice fat gray squirrel. No remorse excited to put meat on the table. 1st deer at 13 no remorse. As others have stated I have no problem harvesting game whether it fish,fowl or game. If it bothers you don't hunt. I do not think less of a person if hunting is not for them as long as they respect my right to hunt. I have friends at trap league that love the shooting sports but have never hunted. Perhaps you would enjoying shooting sports and leave the killing up to a butcher. Nothing wrong with it. MWal

August 20, 2010, 03:39 PM	#24
Teirst Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2010 Posts: 267	In my opinion the way you will feel about it will come down to your intentions. The first animal I remember killing was a baby squirrel. It had fallen out of a tree and I believe our cat had "played" with it for a little while. It was trying to run but its entire rear half did not seem to work at all. I felt pity, and relieved its pain with a shovel. That is right, first kill was not even with a gun . I felt sad the animal had fallen and injured itself, not that I had killed it. The second was a snake with a bb gun. Was a moderate size corn snake, it lunged at my sister. I was going to leave it alone but after that there was really only 1 thing to do. No bad feelings

August 20, 2010, 04:39 PM	#25
markj Senior Member Join Date: October 27, 2005 Location: Crescent Iowa Posts: 2,971	We grew up poor, the first one was a thrill as I had finally got a pheasant we would all eat for dinner. Meant no bread and gravy for supper. We ate that a lot at times of no meat. I fully enjoy any wild game I shoot, it brings back memories and tastes great. Used to make a meal out of ground deer meat cooked up with beans and other veggies all in one skillet. I still cook this, my kids call it cowboy stew.