Hey y’all. Just to give my perspective....
My boyfriend is a big backpack hunter. In the beginning I told him I’d never go hunting. No one I knew hunted. Fast forward to last year. I wanted to try hunting with them. They do 2 week long backpack trips, and I was all about the adventure but unsure of the hunting part, you know, killing an animal.
Before we set off for the hunt I practiced with the rifle I was taking to Montana, tikka t3 superlite 223. I had never really shot before either. The 223 didn’t slam my shoulder so I enjoyed shooting it and practicing. This year I’m taking my howa 6.5 creedmor bc I’m way more comfortable shooting a larger caliber. I shot standing, sitting unsupported, sitting supported on the pack, and prone off the pack. We ran drills every time we went to the range. But they were fun because they were timed and scored, like playing a game. I even practiced identifying where a kill shot would be placed depending on how the animal was standing-broadside/quartered away etc. I also learned a lot about gear and what was appropriate for the weather. Some lessons I learned the hard way-like start off the hike a bit cold, (I hate being cold!)huffing it through the mountains will definitely warm you up!
As far as the killing an animal part. We had a really good conversation about how the deer I killed was mine. I was going to take care of him, clean him, and be grateful for the meat it provided and to not let anyone make me feel bad about it. With that said, after I shot my first doe with the 223(one shot kill), I did NOT want to touch it! In fact when I saw it laying there I was a bit stunned bc it did remind me of my dog laying on its side. I was sad, but TC reminded me that it was ok to be a bit sad. Then he reminded me about the jerky I love! I wish I could show y’all the video. I refused to get near it for a bit and begged TC to touch it to make sure it was dead. I finally got over it, thank god for TC’s patience, and he presented me with my very own knife so I could learn how to dress it. I shot it. I quartered it. And I helped carry it out. I was proud bc I took care of my doe from stalk to game bag. In fact, I have her skull europeaned in our living room.
