Loosing the desire to kill

[Hermon]

Kevin-
Thanks for posting the steps that I was refering to.  Much better put than I could remember.  I always wanted to find that again and couldn't.  Saved to my hard drive now...

[ripforce56]

Wow I thought I was the only one that was going thru this and I am 54 years old! I actually gave up on hunting with firearms for over 10 years cause didn't want to shoot game anymore but I still loved being in the woods! Then I got into  trad archery, love being in the woods with my longbows shooting stumps firing arrows at tree rats and I am hunting deer again! Haven't killed any game yet with my bow but sure have shot a lot of arrows in the woods! I did get a couple shots at does this fall, both misses and I saw lots of deer to me I had a fulfilling season! I think we Trad hunters are all alike, while we  may like taking game we just enjoy all the aspects that Traditional Archery has to offer us!

[Gen273]

Just enjoy yourself

[pergradus]

I like this thread. Hunting is an ancient and primal rite of man, but at the same time I think it is something that must be respected. When you choose to kill an animal you should do so under a strict set of ethical rules, and you should always respect that you are taking another life.

The fact that you held back shows great respect for the hunt, instead of just killing because you had the chance to. I say bravo.

[pumatrax]

I'd venture to say that the most ethical hunters I've met are the Trad Gang guys (and gals)...

[maxfit]

The worst part of hunting is killing...sounds weird but thats how i sum it up.I have killed many deer but have never enjoyed watching one die. Now dont get me wrong i love hunting deer and shooting a big buck, and occasionally a smaller one. Maybe these deer just didnt present a challlenge to you.  I am sorry but shooting a yearling or doe is not very difficult. Matter of fact its pretty easy.I am not against it and occsionally take a doe for more meat, but eventually changing your mind set happens as a hunter matures. You just get that feeling and know when you want to kill, and when you dont.

[Sam McMichael]

IT is sort of like the old Mounds/Almond Joy commercial - "Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't". In hunting, sometimes you want to take the shot and sometimes you don't. I think it is natural as we get older to savor the pursuit more than the kill. When younger, I was a member of the "If it flies, it dies" club and wanted a kill every time I stepped into the woods. Now, more often than not, I do not drop the string. I passed on 5 easy shots under 10 yards this season but still feel that I won the game knowing that I could have taken them. You made a good choice not to shoot when it just didn't seem right.

[KentuckyTJ]

Great thread. I am now out of the trophy stage and into the enjoying it all stage. My dad is 76 now and I watched him go through most of the stages. I vividly remember asking him when I was about 12 years old "Dad how come you never want to go shoot birds with me", holding onto my BB gun. He smiled and said "You'll understand when you get older." I also remember him telling me one day about ten years ago "Not really looking to kill one, I just like to be in the woods". Man I thought that was the weirdest statement I had ever heard at that time.

[Ben Maher]

it ebbbs and flows for me ... always has. I'd venture that I will always hunt, maybe not always drop the string.

Its being there amongst 'em that matters the most for me .

[tradshooter]

It's OK, you have to do what you feel is right at the moment...because then it is right for you. You don't have to feel bad about it. I am 57 now and if I don't feel like shooting I don't either. I have passed up shots for a number of reasons, until later when I thought about it,I realized that at that moment, I didn't want to shoot that particular animal. I still had a great hunt because I was in the hills and some days I felt more like just enjoying that experience. It's all about balance in our lives and emotions. There's nothing wrong, because you are doing what you love to do and can adjust accordingly. You've killed two deer and you have your supply of meat in the freezer. Next year I'll bet the passion to take an animal returns, especially if you see a bruiser! Best to you!

[Firstlight]

I have never had a desire to kill anything.  My least favorite part of hunting is the "kill".

I eat meat, I'm grateful for the buck I took with my jack howard recurve this year and I look forward to hunting again next year and god willing the year after that...

[Toecutter]

I'm pleased and honored to be among men and women who feel that the kill is the worst part of a hunt.  I tell people that dont hunt (and some that do) that the worst thing to see is another creature lose it's life.  It affects me deeply every time I participate in that end. I could even go so far as to say that a little bit of me goes with that animal. It's a trade I freely take, so I wont whine about it or make excuses, but I carry that sight and mixture of emotions every time I remember...and I do.

[LONGSTYKES]

Never did enjoy the killing part, But I love the venison, the hunt, my bows, the friends, getting in shape, shooting, preparation and all of the other things I do in the participating in the HUNT. I thank the lord for every animal he grants me to take and the ones I've missed. God Bless Don I love this group of fellow hunters

[rdoggsilva]

I have sit in my ground blind and had deer walk  past maybe 15 to 25 yards away,and just watch them.  I guess at 62 I just do not fell the need to kill. I did get my buck this year but I guess I just enjoy watching them and fell close to nature. So do not fell bad or up sit it just fells good the watch and enjoy, at times.

[Buckhorn3380]

It's not always about the kill, for me it's the joy of being in the woods and having the oppurtunity to do something that I love to do, but  if the freezer is not full LOOK OUT!