Hunting just for the kill

[WRO]

I eat what I kill when it has hooves, if it had fangs or claws, it's a judgement call.

As for everybody else, as long add is not wasted, I could care less. (And put me on the list for spike meat)

 

[Jtelarkin08]

In my opinion a lot of guys hunt for the whole experience of the hunt. Not just to kill the animal. That means the travel, the meeting new people and being in nature. As long as they are giving the meat to people who will use it I see no problem.

I like the meat however.

 

[Bar]

The only problem I have with it is how well do they care for the meat if they're not going to eat it? It's hard enough to keep the meat fresh when we're going to eat it. Do they put the same effort into it if they're going to give it away?

 

[adventure907]

........

 

[adventure907]

How do you feel about people that have a vegetable garden but don't eat vegetables?

I love to garden, grew up on a farm and have always grown stuff. But I don't do it for the harvest, I do it because I enjoy it and I enjoy giving the rewards of that harvest to others that don't have gardens. It's always a blessing for someone.

I will admit that if I never took another bite of game meat, I'd still be out there every single chance I got.......to make the kill. That part of me I can never get rid of. I was born that way. However, I still have the choice on whether to act on that passion.

Here's a question: What if you never had to actually make the kill, and you'd go out in the woods and find a bunch of meat already sitting there wrapped and cooled in a cooler. Would you still hunt? If so, why? BECAUSE OF THE KILL. If killing is not an option, then I'm not all that interested in hunting. Make no mistake about it, it's about the kill.....not the meat. The meat is just an added benefit of that kill. Unless it's a coyote or a wolf or a prairie dog, etc, etc.

Sad

 

[adventure907]

5miles I like a lot of stuff you say, but this is bordering on whacko territory. I don't enjoy taking the life of anything. I was raised by 4 generations of my family (Native Americans) to respect life and the animals that I kill and give thanks to them for giving their life for my food. Hunting roots came from the NEED to take life to eat not the want to extinguish it.

I don't mind If someone hunts and gives away meat although I find it very strange.

+1
I agree

 

[Trock03]

I was with with some guys when one offerd up some elk meat for dinner. He mentioned his brother or brother-in-law shot it but didnt eat venison. The more I thought of it the more I realized I can see points that lead me to be ok with it and points against it in principle. If I didnt eat venison I really dont know if I would hunt.

Should people be hunting game animals, not predators, if they dont want the meat? Isnt the meat the real reason any hunter should be out there? If you dont want the meat you are only going out for the thrill of killing. Part of me thinks to each their own, but part of me does not agree with hunting just to kill. I am not talking trophy hunting either. This was a spike so there was no trophy. The guy basically shot an elk and walked away because someone else wanted the meat. This brings up another point; hunting to give meat away. The meat wasnt wasted.

How do you feel about hunters that kill but have no interest in the meat? Is it ok if they donate the meat? I know in some situations it is normal like Africa or other farther destinations. I guess killing an elk at home because you like to hunt and giving the meat to a neighbor is a lot like killing a Kudu in Africa and giving the meat to locals.

Interesting question Muley. I've thought about it and apparently I don't have a "one size fits all" answer. The main reason I hunt is because I love being outside. I also love the art/discipline of making an accurate shot. In most cases the meat is at least third on the list of reasons that I'm out there.

If I kill a deer I eat it. In general, beef is a hell of a lot better than venison but I've got a few venison recipes that I absolutely love so it's a treat to have a deer in the freezer. It's pretty rare that I'll pull the trigger more than once during deer season. I just enjoy watching deer being deer. And usually right before I pull the trigger I'm thinking about all the work i'm about to create for myself. I'm not so interested in having one hanging on the wall...but if that 160 walks out I'm putting him on the ground!

Birds bring about a different issue. i love shooting shotguns and go through at least 1k rounds a year shooting sporting clays. Dove season is a bonus because I get to workout my shotguns and grilled dove breast is one of my favorite things to eat. Wild ducks, on the other hand, usually taste like crap to me. I can handle thinly sliced fried teal but that's about it. I'm guessing I donate about 90% of the ducks I kill so I'm mainly out there for the joy of pulling the trigger and the good conversation that typically takes place in a duck blind.

Hogs I hunt because they're a nuisance and I enjoy killing them. I usually have several back straps in the freezer so I don't mess with cleaning most of them. Land owners around here usually just want them dead and don't care if you eat them or not.

I don't have a problem with people that don't eat what they kill as long as the meat ends up with someone who wants/needs it. Just my .02.

TC

 

[Kevin Dill]

I hunt because I love to hunt. I kill for my own reasons, and sometimes I don't kill even when I can or maybe should. I eat what I want which is typically just about everything I kill except the occasional thing. Anything I don't eat gets consumed by other means and returned to the planet, which to me means no waste ever. Humans have never eaten 100% of what they kill, and there is no precedent which indicates we have an obligation to do it today. That said, I LOVE GAME MEAT and I eat the heck out of it every year. I have intentionally killed game that I knew I would eat nothing from, but the meat was gladly given to...and happily accepted by...others who got to enjoy a delicious critter. I don't have the mentality which would allow me to endlessly hunt and kill, but never consume what I kill. I think it's because I LOVE GAME MEAT. If I didn't love it, I would probably still love to hunt just as much. I would still value the whole animal and especially the meat. I would treat it with care and respect, knowing it would end up on the plate of a fortunate family. Hell yeah...I used to grow stuff in my garden that I would NEVER eat. I grew it because I could, and I gave it to those who loved it. I have no interest in judging another hunter as right or wrong for having his own reasons to hunt and kill. If he's a good hunter and acts responsibly after game is down, I'm going to admire him. It doesn't matter to me if he never eats a bite of that animal.

 

[Obi-wanshinobi]

I work in a meat plant where we butcher 5500 pigs a day. Let's just say I have no desire to eat pork anymore unless I'm having smoked ribs. We hunt for the game meat and will consume almost everything including heart and liver. My all time favorite is slow roasted grouse mopped with garlic butter. There is no thrill in the actual killing of the animal to me but I can understand if others enjoy it.

 

[kodiakfly]

It doesn't bother me at all whatever a person does after the kill. They bought a tag just like me. Can't imagine questioning a guys reasons for hunting either, none of my business nor do I care to make it mine.

As long as the meat is utilized and not wasted I don't have an issue with it.

This is where I'm at on it. As long as game laws are followed, the animal doesn't needlessly suffer, meat is eaten by someone, etc...I'm fine. And while I do keep all of my game meat and enjoy the whole process before, during and after, I DO hunt for the kill! If I didn't care about the kill, then I'd just a be a photographer, backpacker and hiker and save all my time and money spent on archery equipment and practicing with it. I do treasure the experience and the challenge and all of that. But to say that the kill isn't the end goal would be kidding myself. I didn't kill a goat last year, and I consider that a failure on my part.

 

[cuerro viejo]

What are ya'lls thought on harvest to maintain carring capacity?

 

[kodiakfly]

What are ya'lls thought on harvest to maintain carring capacity?

If it's needed, then by all means. Hunting is a management tool as much as anything. What I think is ridiculous is when someone gets landowner tags or something and then proceeds to slaughter every deer that gets remotely in range, when in fact...the herd isn't as robust as what they think. They're just killing because they have an excuse to do so. But yeah, if animals are getting sick and losing weight, better to shoot them and eat them than to let them starve to death or the population collapses from disease.

 

[cuerro viejo]

If it's needed, then by all means. Hunting is a management tool as much as anything. What I think is ridiculous is when someone gets landowner tags or something and then proceeds to slaughter every deer that gets remotely in range, when in fact...the herd isn't as robust as what they think. They're just killing because they have an excuse to do so. But yeah, if animals are getting sick and losing weight, better to shoot them and eat them than to let them starve to death or the population collapses from disease.

How would one get enough land owner tags to take that many deer if it wasn't biologist approved?

 

[jmez]

This is where I'm at on it. As long as game laws are followed, the animal doesn't needlessly suffer, meat is eaten by someone, etc...I'm fine. And while I do keep all of my game meat and enjoy the whole process before, during and after, I DO hunt for the kill! If I didn't care about the kill, then I'd just a be a photographer, backpacker and hiker and save all my time and money spent on archery equipment and practicing with it. I do treasure the experience and the challenge and all of that. But to say that the kill isn't the end goal would be kidding myself. I didn't kill a goat last year, and I consider that a failure on my part.

Agree with this but I don't eat everything that I kill. I don't like deer but shoot a couple every year. I have people that like and want them but don't hunt so give them away. I may keep some to make into summer sausage but dont' eat them for the most part.

 

[kodiakfly]

How would one get enough land owner tags to take that many deer if it wasn't biologist approved?

Because in a lot of states, the DNR doesn't always follow sound biological advice and follows the advice of say, insurance companies or farmers that want lower deer populations, for example. I'm not against land owner tags, but I've known guys to shoot 20 deer in a year amongst their family and then funny thing...a few years later they're complaining about how few deer they see now (even though the landowner tags are still available in those numbers). But back when there were a few deer around, they were slaughtering deer and just thought it was the coolest thing. It was barely hunting. They'd drive out in a field just shoot whatever deer they saw. That was all I was saying when hunting for the sake of the kill may be a bit excessive, IMO. But even then, as long as it's legal, if that's "hunting" to someone and someone is at least eating the meat, then who am I to say anything to them?

 

[cem3434]

In my opinion a lot of guys hunt for the whole experience of the hunt. Not just to kill the animal. That means the travel, the meeting new people and being in nature. As long as they are giving the meat to people who will use it I see no problem.

I like the meat however.

I couldn't have said it better myself. I personally will not kill something that I will not eat and have passed on several animals because I would rather enjoy my time in the outdoors versus burning my tag on an immature animal.

 

[Kevin Dill]

How would one get enough land owner tags to take that many deer if it wasn't biologist approved?

I'm not sure on how most states operate, but biologists have nothing to say about whether deer depredation permits are issued here in Ohio. Any property owner suffering undue damage from deer can register a complaint and request the permits. That doesn't mean they will be given, but it's basically that simple. If deer are hammering an orchard, a nursery or a bean field...to the point of doing excess damage...the state will likely issue the permits and the killing will happen. I have seen it in action and it isn't pretty, but I fully support it being a landowner myself. The deer being killed are perfectly healthy and there is no problem of over-population or health decline. I've seen deer become complete pests in certain agriculture settings, with most of the damage done during night and outside of the deer hunting season. Again...no biologist will be involved in the majority of these decisions. It typically comes down to local DNR officers to evaluate the problem and issue the permits.

Irritatingly enough, the state used to prohibit the landowner or designated shooter from recovering and/or possessing any meat or parts from these destroyed deer. I think that was to prevent the development of a market for deer killed legally, but out of season. It was hard for me to drive past an orchard and see vultures sitting on fawn carcasses, but that's exactly what I saw. I've always said that every deer taken this way needs to be recovered, registered and utilized for something if possible.

 

[cuerro viejo]

I'm not sure on how most states operate, but biologists have nothing to say about whether deer depredation permits are issued here in Ohio. Any property owner suffering undue damage from deer can register a complaint and request the permits. That doesn't mean they will be given, but it's basically that simple. If deer are hammering an orchard, a nursery or a bean field...to the point of doing excess damage...the state will likely issue the permits and the killing will happen. I have seen it in action and it isn't pretty, but I fully support it being a landowner myself. The deer being killed are perfectly healthy and there is no problem of over-population or health decline. I've seen deer become complete pests in certain agriculture settings, with most of the damage done during night and outside of the deer hunting season. Again...no biologist will be involved in the majority of these decisions. It typically comes down to local DNR officers to evaluate the problem and issue the permits.

Irritatingly enough, the state used to prohibit the landowner or designated shooter from recovering and/or possessing any meat or parts from these destroyed deer. I think that was to prevent the development of a market for deer killed legally, but out of season. It was hard for me to drive past an orchard and see vultures sitting on fawn carcasses, but that's exactly what I saw. I've always said that every deer taken this way needs to be recovered, registered and utilized for something if possible.

That would be crop depredation permits different function/purpose. Agree with the utilization, never understood how a state could allow non-utilization.

We do three different population surveys. We turn that into state and we get a special allotment of Buck and doe tags. Every deer we kill is utilized. Our population data, weight, ratio, fawn recruitment, age class etc is very well documented.

Hogs well I can't say that all go to human consumption, they are shot on sight, from the air, at night, trapped etc.
I have a guy that traps for me and he sales them to TAHC approved buyers, which means sold over seas for human consumption(after blood tests etc)

 

[5MilesBack]

Sad

What's sad is the number of people that have deceived even themselves. That's already been proven in this thread.

 

[BroodBuster]

I guess I'm not the natural born killer that some are here. Seeing that I didn't buy my first hunting license until I was 30 or so I suppose that ain't a big surprise.

I could easily enjoy hiking and photography as much without a weopon as I can with one. I will say though that hunting does get me outside more and watching a good bird dog work is one of my greatest joys in life.

So I'd say that my love of wild game is the great motivator and killing is just a means to an end.

I've always figured there were three parts to a great hunt. First is all the planning, scouting, map wigging etc. Second is the actual hunt. And the third part is serving a great meal to friends and family around a campfire while telling lies. Without the third I'm not sure I'd put in a whole lot of effort, time and money into the first two.