Why do we shoot living creatures

[Paul taylor]

I have been very annoyed by the posts on Scum Watch and have started to look at why I derive pleasure from killing living

creatures. I feel that it is important to look

at your own

 

 

 

 

 

In my time I have been a Junior Olympic squad member and have been very good at target shooting, I gave it up because of the lack of challenge. I believe that my motivation is linked to the primitive desire to provide for my family. In

 

 

 

 

 

this modern age so much has been taken away from us. The endless striving to obtain a wage to feed, clothe and house the family coupled with the grinding blight of debt has caused me to be driven into a dead end.

 

Shooting and coming back with a pigeon or rabbit, even though the wife may not accept it, is a proving of my ability to provide. The skills I have learnt over the years have improved my chances of coming home with a meal.

 

The state of society has changed the attitude of many people and they would rather buy their sanitised meat from a supermarket. We need to hold our heads up high and be proud that we have become good hunters. It is in our nature and I for one will never apologise for being good at my way of life. Going out and shooting a rabbit or pigeon has so much more quality of life effect than doing another day's work.

I could have written this myself apart from the olympics bit im not that good lol.

Exactly how I feel and think.

Atb P.T

Edited November 29, 2013 by Paul taylor

[KFC]

Because man is the ultimate Apex predator. Contrary to what others have said about vegetarians I find most true veggies are very willing to except what we do. To back my claim up a friend and his wife were coming to eat at ours a while back (she had been a veggie most of her 1/2 century but had recently started to review her diet some after health issues) anyway she now ate certain meats, I had planned roast Pork and asked his opinion if that might be OK with her. The reply came back no sorry, she says don't like the way they are kept and the fact that they are an intelligent animal. Ok how about some venison I suggested half in jest, yet he toddled off to ask before I could stop him. She came to the phone, she asked if I had shot it "eek" "Yes, I did" I admitted somewhat bashfully. "Ok I will have that, I know you wouldn't have let it suffer and it will have had a good life living free". Jeepers! nearly fell over- BUT this is how many people feel.

Antis are antis because they are Anti, if it wasn't shooting and hunting it would just be something else. How can a genuine caring person talk of violence against other humans or openly wish for them to come to harm? they cannot and I recon the whole world sees them as what they are as a result Narky little jumped up fools out looking for trouble with a holyier than tho' misguided attitude. There will always be something for the protester to protest about, its just the way they are

Yep, my opinion is that antis are so dissatisfied with their own lives that the only way they can justify their existence is to try to tell everyone else how to live theirs.

[gilo17]

I think its cruel not to eat Chickens Sheep Cows Pigs etc because if we never they probally would not exist!

[Nikk]

Challenge of the shot and I always like to eat as much of what I've shot as I can. I don't get pleasure from killing them though, I doubt anyone does? Nothing worse that a bird that isn't dead and you have to dispatch them especially when they do that thing where they duck their heads down :(

[Nikk]

Excellent point - I try my best to only eat meat that I or my friends have shot - sometimes meat from other sources cannot be avoided and on more than one occasion I have had vegetarian food to avoid cheap meat.

 

I object to the terrible animal welfare involved in cheap supermarket meat and equally as bad the religious slaughter of meat and then no requirements to tell me that some mumbo jumbo was chanted over the poor animal as it was terrified and having its throat cut.

 

I am in the fortunate postion of only needing to shoot edible quarry - if I can't or won't eat it then I don't shoot it...as above, it's wild, free range, sustainable and above all high welfare meat with no chemicals, antibiotics or stress (obviously we don't always have a clean kill but we end all suffering as soon as is humanly possible).

 

I have an awful lot more respect for vegans who object to me shooting than I do for the ignorant supermarket halal chicken munching anti.

 

Couldn't agree more and you will actually find the vegis and vegans prefer us to the people eating meat from packets in my experience!

 

In our house we do everything possible not to eat supermarket rubbish, packet food and cheap meat. As the daughter says if it comes out of a packet it's not made with love

[bostonmick]

if the anti's and the majority of veg lovers had their way the country would be almost void of animals I would not keep cattle sheep chickens pigs etc if there was not a market so they would be gone also how many of the wild animals that are shot are only bred because of the shooting more wildlife gone.any of the animals and birds that are not bred to eat are pests woodpigeon rabbits etc and would still be pests if it was the anti's field of peas that was destroyed by these I think they may have a change of heart.farming provides food for both sides but sport also provides a much needed income and jobs for those of us who earn our living from the land.

Personally I don't like rabbit or pigeon so I don't shoot them. I'm not allowed to shoot lamb chops or steak and neither are considered pests or roam freely. So I don't shoot game, I don't have a problem with anyone who does it properly and understand why many do it. I would like to shoot vermin but apparently I'm not allowed to while they drive their Transits and ring bells

excellent

[Nikk]

if the anti's and the majority of veg lovers had their way the country would be almost void of animals I would not keep cattle sheep chickens pigs etc if there was not a market so they would be gone also how many of the wild animals that are shot are only bred because of the shooting more wildlife gone.any of the animals and birds that are not bred to eat are pests woodpigeon rabbits etc and would still be pests if it was the anti's field of peas that was destroyed by these I think they may have a change of heart.farming provides food for both sides but sport also provides a much needed income and jobs for those of us who earn our living from the land.

 

And that is the winning argument that proves they are so wrong. Just because they don't eat meat doesn't mean their food chain is not related to the control of pest/vermin

[norfolk dumpling]

Got into a conversation yesterday with a lady who asked me if I enjoyed the death of a bird or animal (she had asked me what the BASC stickers on 4x4 stood for). Not an anti, just a question from someone who, it seemed, had not met a hunter before. Anyhow having explained the complexities of hunting a few pheasants vs. the slaughter of millions of chickens for a populous who never ever considered something died for their KFC, she thanked me and wished me well for my next shoot.

 

I think we need to get the message across better - we have fewer enemies I suspect than the antis realise or will accept.

[CharlieT]

Enjoyment, pure and simple.

[FalconFN]

Enjoyment, pure and simple.

I think that's a given, we all enjoy the challenges and rewards of shooting otherwise we wouldn't do it. I think the question is why do we enjoy it.

 

For me the joy comes in many parts; being outdoors, feeling linked and attached to an area, working a dog, satifaction and pride in doing it well, having something to take home for the pot or the dog, the knowledge that that food was free until the point of death, knowing the benefit that I am doing to the area, passing on knowledge and a way of life to my kids, plus the technical and fieldcraft challenges all meld together. The joy of shooting is all those things and many more, and is so much greater than the sum of its parts.

[CharlieT]

I think that's a given, we all enjoy the challenges and rewards of shooting otherwise we wouldn't do it. I think the question is why do we enjoy it.

 

For me the joy comes in many parts; being outdoors, feeling linked and attached to an area, working a dog, satifaction and pride in doing it well, having something to take home for the pot or the dog, the knowledge that that food was free until the point of death, knowing the benefit that I am doing to the area, passing on knowledge and a way of life to my kids, plus the technical and fieldcraft challenges all meld together. The joy of shooting is all those things and many more, and is so much greater than the sum of its parts.

 

The OP asked............................I have been very annoyed by the posts on Scum Watch and have started to look at why I derive pleasure from killing living creatures. I feel that it is important to look at your own reasons.

 

and I replied Enjoyment, ie I enjoy killing living creatures with a firearm.

[955i]

I derive no pleasure from taking the life of anything, but the bare facts are that hunted meat is healthier, has had a better quality of life and tastes better than supermarket meat.

 

Also enjoy the being in the field aspect and the constant unknown of will I hit or miss and yes, the little thrill you get for every good shot you make.

 

I am often asked how I can justify hunting when I work as an ecologist.

 

I just tell them I don't hunt bats

[zx10mike]

i find most people i know who go on about killing sudenly look stupid when i point at the amount of dead animals(ok insects) on the front of there car but those animals don't matter because there not cute and fury.

[Vipa]

Those that aren't veggies... Get them to watch channel 5's 'kill it cook it eat it' and then question why harvest your own meat!

 

Any that say the intensive farming and abattoir system is the kindest to the animal aren't wired right!

[FalconFN]

 

The OP asked............................I have been very annoyed by the posts on Scum Watch and have started to look at why I derive pleasure from killing living creatures. I feel that it is important to look at your own reasons.

 

and I replied Enjoyment, ie I enjoy killing living creatures with a firearm.

If you answer the question 'why do you like killing animals?' with 'because I like it', you aren't answering but reiterating the question. I'm sure you don't mean it like this, but from the post it seems as if you are saying you like killing animals, it is their death that you enjoy. That would make you a bit odd, which I'm sure you are not.

[Penelope]

Hunting was intrinsic to human evolution, eating meat provided enough nutrient to give a degree of leisure time, thus catapulting culture. Our closet living relative hunts. It's a genetic trait, just like there are natural born artists, musicians, athletes and warriors, there are also natural born hunters.

 

Look at the human populations that still essentially as our ancestors did, the Baka of the Congo and the San of the Kalahari.

 

Denying the human right to hunt is like denying the human right to make music or paint pictures.

 

 

I enjoy the process , I've thought long and hard about this and I'm convinced that humans have hunted for the majority of our existence on the planet. In evolutionary terms we have been relying on shops for a minuscule amount of time to supply food. This hunting instinct is hard wired into us, hence the satisfaction derived in doing this - continuing this on is simply an expression of this hard wired behaviour. It's also escapism for me personally . I think it is the same with fishing too - it feeds the same needs.

Edited November 29, 2013 by Penelope

[kent]

I think you might find our closest relative is the vegetarian Orang-utan. I think they are veggie only like the other great apes, chimps eat meat hoxerver and also drink PG tips

[Penelope]

Well actually it's a toss up between chimps and bonobos.

 

I think you might find our closest relative is the vegetarian Orang-utan. I think they are veggie only like the other great apes, chimps eat meat hoxerver and also drink PG tips

[Hector Vector]

Why do we shoot living creatures?

 

Because it would be a waste of time shooting dead ones!!!!!

[Churchill]

I feel no guilt in taking responsibility for being a meat eater, dispatching, preparing, cooking and eating a wild animal. If you eat meat then accept where it comes from. I have a dozen lads at work who are currently non shooters, i openly talk about what i do and i now have them preparing pigeons and cooking them when i bring them into work, they love it and accept that ethically its better than what you pick up from the supermarket shelf. I'm taking them clay shooting soon, the first step into the shooting community.

[CaptainBeaky]

My live shooting at the moment is pest control on farms - when rabbits can eat a day's worth of planting overnight, they need controlling (from the point of view of the farmer whose livelihood is under threat), or if a fox gets the idea that a henhouse is a free handout, then likewise. If they're not eating crops or stock, they don't get shot at.

I have also in the past shot game, and eaten the results - I take the view that if you are going to eat meat, you should be prepared to take the responsibility for killing it yourself.

Not necessarily all your meat - I shop at supermarkets like most folk, but I feel I need to be prepared to kill some of it myself to feel (philosophically) qualified to eat any of it.

 

Looking at that paragraph, I'm not sure it makes sense, but it has been a very long day.

[escortmagnum999]

i shoot, hunt and fish because I LOVE it! I eat some of the animals I shoot, some are given away and others, namely crows are left for other wildlife to enjoy. Im not ashamed to tell anyone that I enjoy the sport of it as much as the eating of it, its in me. If work is my wife, then country pursuits are my mistress!

[Thunderbird]

Great thread and some good answers, just goes to show that PW can be an intelligent community at times

 

As I've often said before, you might never convert an anti (or auntie for that matter) but a converted neutral is a potential anti neutralised. It doesn't take much to get people to stop and think about taking some responsibility for their meat.

 

My personal answer would echo many of the replies here. Necessity/control, food, sport. All three.

[955i]

I think you might find our closest relative is the vegetarian Orang-utan. I think they are veggie only like the other great apes, chimps eat meat hoxerver and also drink PG tips

Not true, closest ape relative as currently understood is the Bonobo chimp (DNA wise)

Edited November 29, 2013 by 955i

[freeman]

I heard a nice quote once;

 

"I do not hunt in order to kill, I kill to have hunted"

 

I think it captures the nature of hunting as opposed to killing. Taking the shot and ending an animal's life is such a tiny part of hunting that you know we do it for reasons other than killing.