Why do we shoot living creatures

[GingerCat]

Because I like the chase/stalk/hunt (whatever you want to call it) , the taste of the wild (not farmed) meat and enjoy the freedom I gain from it.

Pulling the trigger is secondary but I like that too, hence I have binocular vision (eyes on the front of my head) opposable thumbs and canine teeth. Unlike a rabbit or prey item that doesn't.

 

Edit too add my veggie friend signed my sgc and her husband has no issues eating the fluffy bunnies/pigeons I shoot, normally with her approval, their lifestyle choice

 

When my eyes migrate 180 degrees and I eat a lot of veg I shall rethink, till then I/we remain apex predators and shouldnt start munching grass to ease a conscious that at best is so influenced by other sources is barely ours to worry about.

Edited November 30, 2013 by GingerCat

[poontang]

 

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.

 

Surely you wouldn't feel the same joy and satisfaction as you've described above if you never shot anything? All that time and effort for.........nothing!!

The odd blank day I can understand, it's the way it goes, but to never kill anything?

 

It seems you enjoy all the preparation of the kill without the actual act itself? Nothing wrong with that I guess. I just find it a bit odd.

[ordnance]

Quote. Utter rubbish, you may enjoy the killing part but that is not why a lot do it.

 

If people like the hunt and the challenged you could do that and not take the shot. If people want to eat meat they can go to Tescos. If they caint afford to go to Tescos then hunting would be for food and not enjoyment. As for hunting instinct most people operate on informed choices not instinct, dogs for example act on instinct.

[FalconFN]

 

Surely you wouldn't feel the same joy and satisfaction as you've described above if you never shot anything? All that time and effort for.........nothing!!

The odd blank day I can understand, it's the way it goes, but to never kill anything?

 

It seems you enjoy all the preparation of the kill without the actual act itself? Nothing wrong with that I guess. I just find it a bit odd.

Where did you get the idea that I don't kill things? If I miss I'm peed off and irritable, if I shoot more than I expect I'm happy - dead prey = successful day. What I can't understand is how anyone can go to the time and effort of shooting if the kill is the ONLY pleasurable bit. If I only got a buzz from death I'd volunteer at a vets.

[jayDT10]

I always find it hard to explain why I like to shoot/hunt which ever you prefer, but I think it's because there is no single process that defines my enjoyment , not the kill the hunt the being in the country nor the socialising . It's the whole way of life that I've been brought into from a very young age so I know no better. And that's good enough for me.

[KFC]

Quote. Utter rubbish, you may enjoy the killing part but that is not why a lot do it.

 

If people like the hunt and the challenged you could do that and not take the shot. If people want to eat meat they can go to Tescos. If they caint afford to go to Tescos then hunting would be for food and not enjoyment. As for hunting instinct most people operate on informed choices not instinct, dogs for example act on instinct.

I think perhaps you are overthinking things.

Are you suggesting that people can go to Tesco's to get meat that hasn't been killed?

Could I not enjoy harvesting my own food?

Edited November 30, 2013 by KFC

[Blunderbust]

I have eaten game since as long as I can remember. My grandfather and father have provided good food on the family table by hunting and fishing. I was taught both skills as a young boy and have always felt that it was my duty to provide in the same way. I am lucky in the fact that my wife and son are more than happy to sit down to the meat and fish that I provide by going out and taking part in some thing that I have come to love, the hunt. The kill is of course part of the hunting event and something that I do admit I like, but not because I have a blood lust. I feel that, in my opinion the Deer that I shoot (used as an example due to the fact that they are my main quarry) deserve the respect that I do give them and when I do decide to pull the trigger, it is all part of a very complex selection system (all be it mostly sub conscious) which leaves me with a feeling of having done good and in my way helping to retain a decent head of healthy beasts to maintain a quality supply for years to come. Basically I have taken part in a much needed form of conservation even though some might say in a selfish manner with the end effect that I can continue to provide fine, healthy food for my family dining table. To be honest yes, I am guilty as charged your honour but I live buy the very common statement "waste not want not" food no matter what should never be wasted, thankfully I have a very greedy dog to hoover up any scraps.

[Splashy]

I have to admit that since posting the original thread I was worried about looking at the replies. I was concerned that the thread would be dismissed as being irrelevant or somewhat simplistic. After reading all the replies I am so pleased that there have been some great replies and the one by Blunderbust sums everything up for me. I have a coupe of memories that are seared into my memory. One is of throwing my Skippy annual on the floor because Blue Peter was coming on the TV, my mum told me off because she said I should look after books and presents better. The other memory is of my first stalking outing where I shot a deer and thought it was a good shot. After about 15 mins we went up to the deer to find that I had shot it in the spine and that it was still alive. The stalker I was with dispatched it using his knife in the back of its neck. I consider myself to be a good shot and I'm not sure why I missed but the memory of this will stay with me always. To have not have clean killed was a traumatic experience and whilst antis might say that this is a reason against hunting I can say that I have lost many more sleepless nights over it than you average abbattoir worker where the dispatch of an animal went wrong.

 

I can see deer from my back garden and I could shoot them if i so wished. I do not because there are not many of them and they have no need to be controlled or culled. I instead enjoy watching them and seeing them for the great creatures that they are.

 

One of the happiest memories that I have is of duck shooting with my dog, a Weimeraner called Nula. She loved shooting with me and would jump in the water to retrieve the ducks that I shot. She died recently after 12 years of being a great friend to me and my family. She was never happier than when we went shooting although her appreciation of my shooting skills when shooting rabbits sometimes were displayed by a look of "how the hell did you miss that !".

 

For me it is escapism, it is selfish in that I enjoy doing it, but most of all it is a connection with my inner hunting desire and to me, there is nothing more exciting than the slowing of the heartbeat and the holding of the breath while the quarry approaches after many hours of waiting. It is not the kill but the hunting that appeals to me. But when there is a kill at the end of it, i like to have the satisfaction that it was a good clean kill where the animal did not suffer at all.

[CharlieT]

Brilliant post Splashy, that sums it up nicely.

[ordnance]

 

Are you suggesting that people can go to Tesco's to get meat that hasn't been killed?

My point is that you don't have to go shooting and kill to eat. You can get meat that has being reared for food at the shop. If people want to shoot creatures for to eat that's up to them but that's a choice not a necessity. That leaves the other creatures that are shot for different reasons not for food I am sure that most people don't eat foxes or crows for example. So people unless they own a farm and need to control these creatures are shooting them for sport or fun take your choice. Again that's up to them they enjoy shooting and killing.

Edited December 1, 2013 by ordnance

[Nikk]

My point is that you don't have to go shooting and kill to eat. You can get meat that has being reared for food at the shop. If people want to shoot creatures for to eat that's up to them but that's a choice not a necessity. That leaves the other creatures that are shot for different reasons not for food I am sure that most people don't eat foxes or crows for example. So people unless they own a farm and need to control these creatures are shooting them for sport or fun take your choice. Again that's up to them they enjoy shooting and killing.

 

Do farmers enjoy killing their live stock then? I think your just on the wind up but just in case you aren't....

 

I go shooting because I love being outside in the countryside and seeing wildlife I wouldn't normally see, I love the company and watching the dogs work, I get a kick from seeing a bird or rabbit get flushed in front of us. Finally at the bottom of the list I get a lot of satisfaction from making a challenging shot and very little from dropping an easy pheasant. The worst bit about shooting is having to dispatch a wounded bird or even whacking a fish on the head when I go fishing, no matter how many times I've done it. I love bringing home food for the pot and I want my daughter to grow up understanding where the food comes from. Regarding Tescos....I hate buying food that comes out of a packet, their meat is horrible and we have no idea of the condition the animal was living in before it was sent to the abattoir. I prefer to eat game that's at least had some kind of life or get meat from our local farm where we can actually see the conditions they're kept in.

Edited December 2, 2013 by Nikk

[Grandalf]

I have had the feeling that this topic has been a wind up right from the start.

Anti?

[12boreblue]

Isn't all sport derived from hunting? The goal the kill! I enjoy the experience as a whole, the planning, setting up, the hunt, the kill, the meal.

[Fisheruk]

Vegetarian: Ancient tribal slang for the village idiot who can't hunt, fish, or ride.

Ha Ha

[Reece]

The food is a big part of it. The meat you get is free range, but people often overlook the fact that it is healthy (low fat, high protein) and environmentally friendly as you're taking a sustainable harvest from a wild population which involves little management.

 

I really want to start shooting some of my own meat, and I am still practicing with my air rifle. I want to be able to shoot and eat what many people clearly see as high quality meat, something which I have so far not been able to get. I'm hoping that will change once I get better with a gun.

 

I want a source of meat which is tasty as well as healthy, and game meat seems to fit the bill perfectly. Without that, I will have to continue a wretched existence on sub-standard so called "food". Or I could go vegetarian, which is kind of the same thing.

[Reece]

I have had the feeling that this topic has been a wind up right from the start.

Anti?

 

Probably not. It's a good idea to think about this kind of thing from time to time. When antis bring up the "killing for fun" argument, it's clearly rubbish but it's sometimes difficult to put into words why when asked on the spot, which is important when antis start getting their message out and we need to respond convincingly. We know the reality but just saying "they're wrong, it's complete rubbish, shooting is not about killing for fun" isn't going to convince many people when vocal antis are getting their voices heard. Some of the very well worded responses to this thread, however, would be very convincing and could neutralise a lot of potential antis if done, for example, in response to hostile letters in newspapers.

[Nikk]

 

When antis bring up the "killing for fun" argument, it's clearly rubbish but it's sometimes difficult to put into words why when asked on the spot

 

Yeh but when someone who supposedly hunts asks the same question it does raise an eyebrow doesn't it?

 

Edit: The sad thing is that there probably are a fair few people who have no respect for their quarry and are just shooting for shooting's sake.

Edited December 4, 2013 by Nikk

[Catweazle]

Same old replies to this old question, "for the pot", "conservation", "protect the farmers crops" . I think we simply enjoy hunting, it's part of our evolution, and a tasty "prize" at the end of the hunt satisfies a primeval instinct.

[CharlieT]

I know I've said it before but all this I shoot to eat, control vermin or whatever is complete Tosh.

 

Eating what we shoot is just an added bonus. For 99% of us we shoot because we enjoy the shooting, enjoyment is fun. Therefore in simple terms we shoot for fun and all the dressing it up with grand excuses will not alter the fact.

 

I shoot a lot of pheasants. Do I shoot them so that I can eat, not likely, I dislike pheasant and therefore never eat them, I shoot them because I enjoy doing so.....I do it for fun, the same as everything else I shoot.

[Nikk]

I know I've said it before but all this I shoot to eat, control vermin or whatever is complete Tosh.

 

Eating what we shoot is just an added bonus. For 99% of us we shoot because we enjoy the shooting, enjoyment is fun. Therefore in simple terms we shoot for fun and all the dressing it up with grand excuses will not alter the fact.

 

I shoot a lot of pheasants. Do I shoot them so that I can eat, not likely, I dislike pheasant and therefore never eat them, I shoot them because I enjoy doing so.....I do it for fun, the same as everything else I shoot.

 

So you think people are making an excuse so they can just go and kill stuff? Wow that's quite an incite in to your mind, do you like wringing their necks as well?

 

Making the shot connect with a bird is about 10% of the enjoyment for me unless it's an amazing day and the birds are really flying well. Most of the people I know and respect that shoot are not blood thirsty at all, many prefer working their dogs to shooting. Hitting pheasants isn't that hard so if that was all it was then it would get pretty bloody boring.

[FalconFN]

I know I've said it before but all this I shoot to eat, control vermin or whatever is complete Tosh.

 

Eating what we shoot is just an added bonus. For 99% of us we shoot because we enjoy the shooting, enjoyment is fun. Therefore in simple terms we shoot for fun and all the dressing it up with grand excuses will not alter the fact.

 

I shoot a lot of pheasants. Do I shoot them so that I can eat, not likely, I dislike pheasant and therefore never eat them, I shoot them because I enjoy doing so.....I do it for fun, the same as everything else I shoot.

I think we are all different and have our own personal reasons for shooting. I shoot the occasional pheasant but I would never go on a driven game shoot, although I get invited yearly, because the fun for me isn't in the killing but in the hunting and gathering - I certainly not criticising or saying its wrong but just not for me. I've turned down a goose shoot too because I felt they were only going because they could and not because they either wanted to eat them or control numbers, so there was no good reason to shoot them other than for fun alone. I would happily shoot a duck or goose for the pot but never just because I could. When iI was a kid I would take a pot shot at pretty much anything but I'm now much more selective over what I shoot, I love shooting and enjoy it immensely but that alone isn't enough for me to kill. But that is just my opinion and anyone else can do as they please.

[Scully]

When antis bring up the "killing for fun" argument, it's clearly rubbish but it's sometimes difficult to put into words why when asked on the spot, which is important when antis start getting their message out and we need to respond convincingly. We know the reality but just saying "they're wrong, it's complete rubbish, shooting is not about killing for fun" isn't going to convince many people when vocal antis are getting their voices heard. Some of the very well worded responses to this thread, however, would be very convincing and could neutralise a lot of potential antis if done, for example, in response to hostile letters in newspapers.

Why do you feel the need to justify what you do? Do you feel the need to justify anything else you do which somebody else objects to, or just those things which entail taking the life of a living creature? Why do you care what the antis think?

As long as we shoot for enjoyment we will attract objectors, and even if we didn't (although I can't see how that would occur) then as long as we're killing something there would still be objectors.

Do you feel the need to justify why you eat meat? Some vegetarians object to the killing of another animal for food, full stop, regardless of how or where it is done. Have you ever asked anyone who objects to you killing something but eats meat to justify why they eat meat? No one in this country needs to do so to survive, so there must be an additional motive other than sustenance. Could it be they ENJOY the taste? Nothing like a bacon buttie eh?

[delburt0]

Vegetarian: Ancient tribal slang for the village idiot who can't hunt, fish, or ride.

and who said welsh girls have no sense I haver never heard so much sense .

[Reece]

Why do you feel the need to justify what you do? Do you feel the need to justify anything else you do which somebody else objects to, or just those things which entail taking the life of a living creature? Why do you care what the antis think?

As long as we shoot for enjoyment we will attract objectors, and even if we didn't (although I can't see how that would occur) then as long as we're killing something there would still be objectors.

Do you feel the need to justify why you eat meat? Some vegetarians object to the killing of another animal for food, full stop, regardless of how or where it is done. Have you ever asked anyone who objects to you killing something but eats meat to justify why they eat meat? No one in this country needs to do so to survive, so there must be an additional motive other than sustenance. Could it be they ENJOY the taste? Nothing like a bacon buttie eh?

 

I shouldn't have to justify it to anyone but myself, as someone else posting earlier pointed out, but at a time when many campaigns are actively calling for an end to shooting, and some MPs are listening to them, from time to time we do have to defend it from anti-shooting campaigns, and justifying shooting to the wider public so they don't start to support the antis in large numbers is important.

 

I don't care what antis think too much but I take notice of it because those people tend to speak quite loudly, and some people listen to and believe them.

 

 

Eating what we shoot is one added bonus, but it's a pretty big one. People rarely shoot just for food all the time, but the food aspect is just one part among many that makes shooting enjoyable. The point made by many in this thread is that the killing part is only a small part of shooting, and despite claims made by animal rights activists, not one which makes people enjoy it.

[955i]

Personally I would put why I enjoy shooting in this order:

 

1) I enjoy being in the countryside and not having to catalogue plants and species for a change

 

2) I like the taste of meat that has been free and had a good life compared to supermarket meat

 

2a) I enjoy the challenge of shooting and the little bit of exhilaration when you pull off a cracking shot.

 

I have had days when I have sat there and hit a single pigeon and loved the whole day, likewise I have had days when I have decided that I have shot enough for my needs and sat for the rest of the day letting shots off to scare the birds away.

 

My way of thinking with regard to my shooting is that I am there on the understanding that I can keep the birds off the farmers crops, this does not necessarily mean that I have to kill everything I can. Being a scarecrow works too and as long as the birds aren't landing I am doing my job.

 

To think that killing every one you can is going to keep pigeons off the land is like taking a spade to the beach thinking you are going to get rid of all the sand!