Hunting Sense

I just read an excellent article by Russ Chastain over at About: Hunting/Shooting titled ‘Why do Hunters Kill‘. I have uttered the very same reasons he lists I don’t know how many times. I think it is the same for nearly any hunter.

There is one spot that caught my attention, though, because my wife and I were just having a discussion about this the other day. Russ states that “Without the kill, we’re not hunting”. He goes on to say, “The kill is not the bottom line reason for the hunt, but it cannot be removed from the equation.” These are two very interesting statements, and I’m not going to argue the validity of either. I am, though, going to give my take on them as they apply to me and how I tried to explain to my wife.

I’ve never felt that the ‘kill’ is what defines having ‘hunted’. Yes, it is what I hope to achieve by hunting, but if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t change the fact that I’ve hunted. It doesn’t even determine whether or not I was successful at hunting. The two do go hand-in-hand, but, for me, their is a distinct seperation of the two. Heh, confusing, isn’t it. I’ll try to explain.

Hunting, to me, is about the skills involved in being able to put yourself into the position to make the kill. There is numerous factors that could change the outcome that are out of my control, from weather to other hunters or even a problem with equipment. Then there are those that are within my own control, like deciding not to take the animal for whatever reason when the time comes.

If I have done the work and successfully used the skills to put myself into an oppurtunity where I could have shot an animal, then I consider that being successful at hunting. The next part, although the goal and climax of a hunt, of either pulling the trigger or releasing an arrow to kill the animal I have hunted is another matter. It has to do with my practice, skill, and proficiency in the use of my weapon in being able to kill the animal in the quickest and most humane manner possible.

Still somewhat confusing, isn’t it? It’s hard to explain, but I hope I have at least somewhat got my view of it across in a way that it makes as much sense to others as it does to me. I guess another way to explain it would be to use this as an example of what I mean:

A person with a rifle could step out of the vehicle and walk into a field, see an animal standing at the far end, and shoot it. Have they just hunted, using their skills of being knowledgable about the animal, or have they simply killed?

Yes, hunting and killing go together, but for me, they are also mutually exclusive.

What are your thoughts and views on it?

ps. The lack of explaining it better may be why my wife is still confused over the whole thing.

hunting, killing, skills, knowledge, hunters, deer, game animals, About.com, Russ Chanais