Posted on 04/08/2002 4:23:46 PM PDT by Sungirl
Pretty much every deer dies within minutes, or at least within a half hour. That is precisely why we practice to make a humane quick killing shot. I shudder at people who shoot at moving game. It is the rare person who can reliably "wingshot" a running deer and we hunters know it.
With a bow shot the initial sting of the arrow, which at the speed it's traveling is going to feel not much worse than a hornet sting and then will pretty much be over. Then the animal will feel tired and dizzy as blood pressure is lost immediately to the lungs. It will run and fall down, often they don't even realize they are in danger. An animal that is gut shot and isn't frightened in the process may suffer, but animals don't realize they are going to die. They don't form emotional bonds with others the way we do. So they aren't lying there panicking with thoughts of their own mortality and sayig goodbye to their friends/children/loved onesthe way we humans would. It's all very matter of fact to them.
We only shoot the ones that don't have "cow" or "chicken"painted on them.
Because hunters largely want to shoot only bucks, hunting may cause artificial inflation of deer populations. When these populations reach levels that available habitat cannot support, increased disease and starvation may be the result.
It is untrue that most hunters ONLY want to shoot bucks. State Game Wardens often limited deer hunts to bucks only as a way of increasing deer herds. Now, (I have heard) deer are more numerous in America than they were at the time the pilgrims landed. As a result, to the farmers of the midwest deer are laregly viewed as rats with antlers. I kill several deer a year...one for my freezer and one for my mothers freezer. While these are usually does, If I see a good buck I'll nail him, too. Nothin' wrong with having some hardware on the wall to look at while I'm chewin' on some venison.
As to dogs, I've killed several that were killing my chickens. You see sungirl, you PETA types who like those cute little puppies get tired of them when they pee on your fancy $5,000 carpet, so you drive them out to the country in your $50,000 jaguar and turn them loose. They get mean and hungry, try to kill my chickens, and I've got to kill them and bury them.
My daughter turns 16 this year. Going to get her first deer this year...and she's really excited about it. She's a great shot.....she can drop a prarie dog at 200 yards with that .243 of hers. Oh yeah...prarie dogs have cost me and my neighbors over $40,000 in the last 5 years in injured livestock...almost enough to buy one of them thar fancy jaguars.
I wish they were all like you.
I bet you have never gone hunting or are friends with a hunter. You PETA propaganda officials really need to grow up and live in reality instead of your groupie drug induced dreamworld.
You need to be banned from spreading this leftist propaganda on a forum dedicated to truth, justice, and the American way, you lying sack of doorknobs!
Actually I thought I would cry when I got my first deer. But I felt very strangely calm and serious, and full of awe.
Of course you are. When do you plan to start?
Cyrano
Primarilly the enjoyment of the hunt itself. Getting out in nature, seeing more wildlife in one day than most people see in their entire lives. But also the challenge of matching wits and skill with animals or birds that been evolving for millions of years to learn better ways of avoiding predators... including man. The kill is of secondary importance to whether I have a great day hunting, but I DO get enjoyment out of killing my own food... as I get enjoyment out of eating vegetables I've raised myself. Feeling of self-sufficiency... feeling of getting back to accepting the challenge of taking on nature one-on-one. Hunting is NOT just shooting or killing... it's a LOT more challenging than you'd expect. Takes a lot of preparation, skills learned over time. You have to learn to think about what the animal or bird is thinking... what do you have to do to be in the right place to get a shot.
And how do I feel? Satisfied... and even a better feeling when I watch my son hunting with me shoot a duck or goose.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.