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Old March 15, 2009, 09:05 AM   #1
roy reali
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Can't Kill

The wolf thread here has made me post this question. Is there any animal that you just couldn't shoot? I mean legal game or unprotected vermin. I know guys that bird hunt but will not shoot deer. Even amongst bird hunters there are some species that some guys can't or won't shoot.

I realize that this is an emotional topic. In a way it is silly. But us humans are emotional creatures and that often interferes with logic. I doubt if I could shoot a wolf. They are too close to being like domestic dogs for me. If I saw a wolf attacking a person or my dog was about to become a snack, yes, I would pull the trigger. But, if I saw a wolf standing in the open, minding its own business, I don't know if I could kill him. If I see a jackrabbit, I have no qualms about blasting it. Feral cats, no mercy there. I guess I just have a soft spot for canines.

Is there an animal that you can't bring yourself to kill?
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Old March 15, 2009, 09:32 AM   #2
P97
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My answer to this question is I can kill anything that I have to for survival, but don't like to kill anything for the fun of killing. I do kill for food and wildlife control.
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Old March 15, 2009, 09:33 AM   #3
VaFisher
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Humans make me feel like no other animal and have been spared the problem of having to pull the trigger a few different times being it worked out without shots fired. I have thought a few different times about other animals simply because I have had freinds say I do not have any interest in shooting a certian type of animal but have not come up with any other then the human kind for me.
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Old March 15, 2009, 09:35 AM   #4
Pbearperry
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won't kill

I will never kill a girraffe.I watched a big game hunter on TV do it and it made no sense to me at all.
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Old March 15, 2009, 09:36 AM   #5
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Besides the obvious like a Bald eagle or Condor, I dont think I could kill any bird of prey, even a hawk or vulture, maybe its just respect for another predator. I also wouldnt shoot a mountain lion or wolf unless it was attacking someone (then again who is it attacking) Same reasoning.

My friend wont shoot a big buck, but he will shoot a doe without a second thought. I guess everyone has their reasoning.

I think everyone would shoot a boar.
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Old March 15, 2009, 09:39 AM   #6
BCeagle
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"I will never kill a girraffe.I watched a big game hunter on TV do it and it made no sense to me at all."

I agree with that but I assumed we meant animals we see locally, I coudnt even shoot an exotic or endangered, makes no sense. I would hunt anything if I needed food,m but thankfully we arent in a society where we have to deal with that. Yet.
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Old March 15, 2009, 09:42 AM   #7
DiscoRacing
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i would only shoot an animal that i can eat...ie rabbit, squirrel and deer.. i would shoot an animal if it were going to attack me or loved one..... hopefully I would never have to shoot any member of the tiger family... im kind of partial to the big cats...
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Old March 15, 2009, 09:49 AM   #8
Rigby1962
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Elephant, Funny but I am probably most fascinated by the guns that where created to hunt them. I have nothing against those that do, and thank goodness or them or the guns I admire so much wouldnt exist.
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Old March 15, 2009, 09:51 AM   #9
AirForceShooter
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If I'm going to eat it I'll kill it.

That's it

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Old March 15, 2009, 10:15 AM   #10
Art Eatman
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For me, the broad generalization is that if I'm not gonna eat it, I'm not gonna kill it. If some species happens to be a problem for my normal activities, I'm willing to kill. Predators on my chickens/sheep/cattle, for instance. Feral cats and dogs as non-native predators on native wildlife.

But I don't get upset about armadillos digging in the lawn.

For me, then, my rather small dab of "bloodlust" is easily satisfied. The occasional coyote, when the local population is getting a bit big and they go to competing with me for quail. The key word is "occasional". Or a prairie dog hunt, since there's no way a guy with a rifle can seriously affect the population--and they are indeed pests for farmers and ranchers.

Varmint hunters kill a few furry animals. Politicians kill entire countries.
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Old March 15, 2009, 11:03 AM   #11
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I would never travel the world in search of a hunt. I will hunt any and all game available to me at one time or another for one reason or other. The rabbits me and lil miss.hogdogs shoot get fed to dogs and the 1-2 tree rats per week are for the snake. Feral non natives are on the top of my "HIT LIST" and buddy it is a hit list to be sure! I will flat spot a set of new tires to get a shot at a loose tabby cat!
Dillars only bug me in the woods where I control hogs and always try to get permission to get out thinning them as the colonies when thick are ideal to break my ankle in their holes.
No off-limits wildlife are interesting to me.
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Old March 15, 2009, 11:16 AM   #12
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You know.. I've often wondered about deer hunting. I tried it once and was bored to tears. I've done a lot of hunting over the years.......... quail, grouse, pheasant, squirel, rabbit but have never understood the logicof deer hunting. My buddies declare they just love fresh venison. I say that is bs. For what they spend to get at most 150lb of venison I can get a s---load of of the best ribeye... which is WAY better. So.... again I don't understand the logic.
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Old March 15, 2009, 11:20 AM   #13
Dragon55
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Oh yeah.... since I absolutely love dogs I could never shoot one unless it was hurting someone who hadn't provoked it or it was suffering needlessly. Also, anything that resembled a dog.... wolf, coyote, etc.
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Old March 15, 2009, 11:21 AM   #14
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Old March 15, 2009, 11:21 AM   #15
hogdogs
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There are far too many venison eaters that will turn down a 2 pound beef ribeye for a 3/4 pound venison steak! Apples and oranges! Totally different flavors for different palettes. Even a farm raised family steer which is far better tasting than feedlot beef is not preferred by many. I personally like a good piece of venison but my weakness is frogs... I will eat fryed frogs over any cut of beef any day!
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Old March 15, 2009, 11:24 AM   #16
Dragon55
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Yeah... like froglegs too. Pop those with a little single shot 22 with flashlight taped to barrell.... but still prefer cornfed Limousine ribeyes (better than Angus BTW)
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Old March 15, 2009, 11:27 AM   #17
hogdogs
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I fry the whole frogs. Shoulder,front legs, back and rib meat is as good or better then the back legs.
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Old March 15, 2009, 11:30 AM   #18
Catfishman
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I'll shoot anything I can eat, anything that is a threat and anything that is a nuisance. Like a armadillo, beaver, or skunk.

Is there anyone who wouldn't shoot a coyote?
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Old March 15, 2009, 11:47 AM   #19
hogdogs
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Catfish, Roy has started the thread by saying all canines get a "soft spot pass"...
I am sure there are many of us with one "special critter"... I would need a real big reason to shoot a nuisance river otter...
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Old March 15, 2009, 12:46 PM   #20
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The deal with the Idaho wolf is he has free reign. No one is hunting him and he has been protected. It has made for a scary situation. He is not a dog in his behavior. He does what he wants when he wants and the humans are told to stand aside and watch.

http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/s....3618eb02.html

http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?...=03&var_Day=04

I stopped hunting deer and elk years ago, but this is different. You need to see this in person to make your mind up. He is the gray wolf, the big one, and when you see a group of 8 or 10 walking up a ridge in the city limits, it makes you think different. I have friends that have never hunted and now they own rifles. It is a fear based topic, but it is a real fear .
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Old March 15, 2009, 01:18 PM   #21
srt 10 jimbo
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Shoot only what I can eat. Hog, Deer and Pheasent. Would only shoot a Bear or a Wolf if I was being attacked by one.
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Old March 15, 2009, 01:35 PM   #22
B. Lahey
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As long as it's justified, no problem.

I worked for Animal Control for a while. Killed hundreds, maybe thousands of cats and almost as many dogs (including some dogs and cats I got to know and like). It's not fun at all, but if they gotta go, they gotta go.

I love animals, but they are not people. If there is a reason they need to die, I will kill them, and I won't beat myself up for it.
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Old March 15, 2009, 01:47 PM   #23
Big Bill
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Any animal is open season for me unless it is protected by the law of the land. Animals were made for the use of man; and so, I also believe that unless there is a use for them or they present a danger (including depredation) to man, I will leave them alone. I would hesitate, however, to shoot a gorilla. The look too much like my old Pa!
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Old March 15, 2009, 03:16 PM   #24
Art Eatman
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Dragon, I've been fortunate enough to hunt where either cross-country walking hunting was commonplace, or where sneaky-snaking around in swampy-jungly country was workable. Just sitting and waiting in a stand is not something I enjoy.

But kicking Bucky out of bed and watching hair stick out all directions, eyes rolling, is a hoot. Or easing along and finding a buck before he knows you're there gives a feeling of satisfaction even if he's too small to shoot.

I never worried about $/lb. At the old home ranch, it was maybe 20ยข for the whole bloomin' deer. Plus labor. At the deer lease? My father always said that it was worth a few hundred bucks a year for the right to trespass across some rancher's several thousand acres. A deer on the ground is worth maybe four bits, 'cause the fun's over and the work begins. Heck, the campfire companionship was worth a few hundred bucks.
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Old March 15, 2009, 03:20 PM   #25
Radar3006
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I have shot lots of animals the last three years but only with my Canon digital SLR .. ..don't get me wrong i have shot my share of deer with the ole o6 but I don't worry if I am going to kill something or not i just enjoy being in the outdoors and away from the scumbags here in town ....I do have my 30 rd. mags loaded for the Bushy just in case the do have open season for the scumbags
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