A Personal Gripe

[ElGuapo]

Am I the only one bothered when hunters say they "harvested" an animal?

We aren't farmers. We are hunters. We kill the animal and harvest the meat. Why are we so afraid to say the word kill?

Nope…. I HATE it.

 

[HuntHarder]

Not a term I use often, but it's in all fish and game talk, so it has become common place. Harvest objectives, harvest reports. Used to bother the shit out of me, now I could really care less. My favorite is non hunters calling bucks, bulls and rams, males.

 

[plebe]

Nope…. I HATE it.

So very very simple, you are. Love that.

 

[Macintosh]

I dont love it, it feels forced to say it sometimes, but I do depending on the audience. I also think a few hunters are overly callous and like to rub it in peoples faces, which bugs me just as much. I really have no issue with couching something in terms that allow the people I’m speaking with to see past something they are uncomfortable with, in order to see a bigger picture. Other times I dont worry about it. Its like speaking a foreign language—it’ll never feel perfectly comfortable to me, it’s not “home”, but I still think there’s value in speaking someone else’s language sometimes. Usually I use the word “take” for this, but you write enough legislators and you start to need a couple different words to say the same thing.

In any case, there is such a movement/industry around growing whitetail deer with strategically-managed properties, food plots, planned bedding areas, etc, that I think there is some argument to “harvest” being reasonably accurate in situations like that.

Also, kill=a single animal, something I do, while harvest=the collective amount killed toward a management objective. All of our “kills” are really part of a planned management program, and as such harvest is probably technically accurate in that useage.

 

[BRTreedogs]

I also eat most animals that I kill other than some predators and vermin.

I appreciate all the points of view that have been posted on this.

Maybe I don't care for the term because I feel it makes light of the fact or ignores the fact that we are indeed killing.

Do you also not like the trapper term Dispatch?
I believe that’s been used for decades.

 

[dsotm]

We’ve turned into a nation of betas, can’t afford to hurt any feelings

 

[plebe]

I dont love it, it feels forced to say it sometimes, but I do depending on the audience. I also think a few hunters are overly callous and like to rub it in peoples faces, which bugs me just as much. I really have no issue with couching something in terms that allow the people I’m speaking with to see past something they are uncomfortable with, in order to see a bigger picture. Other times I dont worry about it. Its like speaking a foreign language—it’ll never feel perfectly comfortable to me, it’s not “home”, but I still think there’s value in speaking someone else’s language sometimes.

In any case, there is such a movement/industry around growing whitetail deer with strategically-manage properties, food olots, planned bedding areas, etc, that I think there is some argument to “harvest” being reasonably accurate in situations like that.

We choose our own words. People respond to those words. We respond to the words others choose.

It’s pretty simple.

Be smart.

 

[Hunthigh1]

I am with the OP on this one. It’s annoyed me ever since it started becoming popular. I’ve always felt like a person using “harvest” is trying to distance themselves from the truth that they killed an animal during the process of hunting/fishing. It feels disrespectful to the animal to work super hard to kill it, be happy about that success and then in certain social situations you act ashamed by the fact you did it. I think the use of the term resulted from people feeling bashful or ashamed by hunting or the discussion of it under less permissive social environments.

Secondly, I have never liked people using words like “passed away” or “lost” when discussing a person dying. They are not lost, they f’n died. JUST SAY IT.

 

[plebe]

We’ve turned into a nation of betas, can’t afford to hurt any feelings

Tough guys can defend themselves.

 

[longspeak74]

Maybe my family, friends and I are all 'fudds', but we always have used "got".
Did you get anything today? Yeah, got a great buck or a nice-sized doe.
Got that buck I have been after all year.
It's never been either harvested or killed.

 

[plebe]

Maybe my family, friends and I are all 'fudds', but we always have used "got".
Did you get anything today? Yeah, got a great buck or a nice-sized doe.
Got that buck I have been after all year.
It's never been either harvested or killed.

“Got” is probably the safe space between “killed” and “was blessed” with.

Ya’all, just enjoy hunting. Please. And try to be smart….

 

[plebe]

I am with the OP on this one. It’s annoyed me ever since it started becoming popular. I’ve always felt like a person using “harvest” is trying to distance themselves from the truth that they killed an animal during the process of hunting/fishing. It feels disrespectful to the animal to work super hard to kill it, be happy about that success and then in certain social situations you act ashamed by the fact you did it. I think the use of the term resulted from people feeling bashful or ashamed by hunting or the discussion of it under less permissive social environments.

Secondly, I have never liked people using words like “passed away” or “lost” when discussing a person dying. They are not lost, they f’n died. JUST SAY IT.

Do tell about when and how the “term” resulted so we can all be so edified.

Can’t argue about why you like or dislike something, but please influence us with substance. How does saying “I killed” an animal relate to someone “passed away”?

I suppose you’re a very frank person, as a matter of fact. Nonetheless, I’m quite aware that passed away means died. I bet that’s the normal conclusion. Maybe say it with grace.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Probably still better than “took”. Where did you take the animals? To the zoo?

This one isn’t a pet peeve of mine but I usually always just say “kill”.

 

[plebe]

Hmm I don't know that quote seems pretty historical. I agree though the posed up pictures have always seemed pretty goofy to me.

For the original topic, I think harvest is 100% accurate, Webster's says so! I probably say both depending on audience and haven't given it much thought

The juice is worth the squeeze imo. Don’t care what you think of me, look into it. A lack of curiosity, investigation, give a shit is solely on you. European hunting customs.

The (deleted?) post you made that came to my email suggesting I’m an Internet Hero, lol, I’m just a Lil’ Rokslider.

 

[philos]

"Killing" sounds so 2024 and "Harvest" sounds like an '80s hard rock band.

Here is what I would say if bragging about your hunting success.

I successfully performed a fragmentary extirpation of selected quadruped mammalian specimens based on conditional published terms and rules of engagement established to help maintain and secure a robust base providing for sufficient future panmictic activity...

 

[Bubblehide]

I almost alyays say harvest, on purpose. I do it to throw it back at the anti hunting people. It opens an opportunity for a truthful conversation about how much are envrionment has been damaged by farming. All those plants, insects animals... that have been plowed under and killed, in the name of farming, literally millions of acres. Every time a seed is taken out of the environment, a viable life has been snuffed out, so they can eat... some plants require they are not all harvested to repopulate, as such, not all are harvested, exactky like we do when we harvest game. If you allow the word harvest to be a grip toward harvesting game, you are eliminating a very good argument against the anti's thought process. As such I definitely harvest game animals.

 

[plebe]

"Killing" sounds so 2024 and "Harvest" sounds like an '80s hard rock band.

Here is what I would say if bragging about your hunting success.

I successfully performed a fragmentary extirpation of selected quadruped mammalian specimens based on conditional published terms and rules of engagement established to help maintain and secure a robust base providing for sufficient future panmictic activity...

Fun at parties guy. lol.

But I hope the extreme reigns in the discussion.

 

[goathunter]

The juice is worth the squeeze imo. Don’t care what you think of me, look into it. A lack of curiosity, investigation, give a shit is solely on you. European hunting customs.

The (deleted?) post you made that came to my email suggesting I’m an Internet Hero, lol, I’m just a Lil’ Rokslider.

All good. Didn't see the need to debate online is why I deleted. No personal opinions on you, you Internet hero ha. I do think you're full of shit but let me research

 

[philos]

My apologizes-I meant to offer another version of a response that mule deer enthusiast could comprehend. Here it is.

I got a couple of good 'uns without pissing off the local rabbit sheriff and left some fork horns to make more inferior mule deer for the next time I am out on parole during deer season.

 

[Justin Crossley]

Do you also not like the trapper term Dispatch?
I believe that’s been used for decades.

I don't think there's anything misleading about that term. Doesn't bother me a bit.