We’re on the same page.
One thing for me too, is that your world view determines how you interpret this sort of thing. Those that see animals as “almost human” imagine the boys having their sensibilities. That is, a person that would do this to an animal is just a serial killer in training.
But those of us who were raised on farms or otherwise understand that animals and humans are nowhere near the same thing, understand how a boy, with our sensibilities, would not equate the action with doing it to a human any more than they would equate carving their initials in a tree to carving them in a person’s forehead.
It doesn’t make what the boys did right, but I suspect a lot of animals have sacrificed life and limb teaching boys empathy. I remember, in sixth grade, getting a BB gun and shooting a robin right in the chest. It fell out of the tree in front of me and I felt TERRIBLE. Never did it again. Never even thought about doing it again. And 50+ years later it leaves a mark.
But now, I didn’t need jail time.
Bravo. Kids do STUPID things. It's how we learn. The last thing we need is people telling us that every time someone does something stupid or thoughtless to an animal that they're a future serial killer.
SAME! I had an exact same experience. That bird was on a power line a LOOOONG way away. I never expected to be able to hit it. It dropped off that power line without flinching. I was immediately horrified. First I felt bad for the bird. Then I thought about what trouble I was in when my parents found out. Then I had the stress of deciding not to tell anyone.... Lesson learned. I haven't killed anything but pests and food since.
I had been told by my parents, we were only allowed to shoot the sewer cats in the fields (they were aggressive and mean) and the muskrats in the creek. No other animals. LOL.