I can't hunt animals, but I need to

Youve already recieved alot of good advice I just want to touch on the spiritual side. Harvesting a big game animal in a way is a gift. You owe the animals you hunt the most humane death possible. If you do take one say a little prayer if your relegious. Or thank the animal/earth whatever if your not.
If you do decide to start hunting go to a range and practice. Shoot at targets that look like whatever animal you plan on hunting. You can get paper targets that look like squirrel, rabbit etc. This will help alot with your buck fever in the woods. The military conditions servicemen by having them shoot at man shaped targets. When the times comes you wont be so hesitant shooting at the real thing if you do this. There might be a rod and gun club in your area. Maybe you could join and those guys and gals could help you out. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Grow some potatoes. Easy to grow and you will always have more that will grow next season. Also with the hunting part. Start with small game first. rabbits, chickens, etc. watch a video on how to gut one out. If you can successfully learn and do this, then you should be able to clean a larger animal.

If you hunt an animal just do these things.

Thank the animal for its life.

Make sure it's death is humane and as painless as possible (which might mean you have to slit the animal's throat. It sounds awful but its pretty quick)

here is a good guide for you. It's actually my post.

Meat in the Wilderness - Guide to Preparing Game

Yes you will have to field dress... This involves getting all the innards out. Might make you queasy...

Originally posted by LeBombDiggity
Misoir, whatever your decision (and I'm really saying this to everyone), always remember that a good huntsman tries his very best to take out his quarry with one headshot ... even if that means waiting an hour, or two or even more for the perfect opportunity.

I despair when I see "recreational shooters" and the suffering they inflict by their own ignorance. Any fool can own a gun. But it takes a real man to know when to pull and when to let the moment pass you by.

I urge you to get proper training, if you haven't already done so.

I have never hunted but I am an avid shooter.

It's my understanding that the most humane way to hunt is to shoot through the heart. It's much easier to hit the broad chest of an animal, I assume, than trying a head shot.

Animal skulls are thick and it seems to me it would be much more likely to wound the animal (as a paramedic I can tell you there are a LOT of unsuccessful gunshot to the head suicides where the person survives either with no face or with a lobotomy).

Imagine the guilt of shooting the nose off a deer, having it run off and die painfully days later because it can't eat or drink. You would never find it because it can maintain full body control and will run away fast.

In my opinion, again I'm not a hunter, it seems more humane to do a heart/lung shot that will cause the animal to lose consciousness quickly.

There are alot of people mentioning to be kind and make it a quick kill.
This is true but there is one more reason to make it quick, adrenaline is why meat tends to be gamey at times.
The longer the death or its heart beats, the more adrenaline will pump.
It does not make the meat unuseable but it could taste better.
I have had bear that was dead on (pardon the pun) Beef, just a lil greasy.
Just my 20 cents more.

Originally posted by g146541
There are alot of people mentioning to be kind and make it a quick kill.
This is true but there is one more reason to make it quick, adrenaline is why meat tends to be gamey at times.
The longer the death or its heart beats, the more adrenaline will pump.
It does not make the meat unuseable but it could taste better.
I have had bear that was dead on (pardon the pun) Beef, just a lil greasy.
Just my 20 cents more.

There is a lot of truth to that. I usually shoot for the vitals but last year I said screw it and shot my deer in the head. Tastiest venison I've ever had. No game taste at all.

reply to post by DaMod


You probably saved alot of meat in the process too, now be serious, we know it was teh Kitteh who made the shot!

reply to post by g146541

Ya Caught me.

I can't help it if da kitteh is a better shot than I. Comes in handy!

1. Knowledge
I'd start here. Even if you never hunt, the information you acquire could help in a survival situation. One of the things you'll need to do is dress the game, and you have to ask yourself whether you are ready for that. Part of the hurdle may be ignorance of how to stalk, what the regulations are in your state, how to cut the meat, recipes, etc. Time to check out the local library.

2. Rationale.
I grew up in a rural area, and was surrounded by animals tame and wild growing up. I understand this:

No deer dies of old age.

There are no rest homes for deer. So what happens to them when they get too old to care for themselves? Well, they are ripped apart by coyotes, wolves, panthers, whatever. They are literally torn apart while alive. And it can take hours for coyotes to take down a large animal (even a young calf), so it's quite brutal. Next to that, a heart-shot practically seems like euthenasia. As a matter of fact, if wolves are about to tear me limb from limb, just go ahead an shoot me, too. It's not that I'm afraid of death---I'm just afraid of pain.

3. Spirituality
I have never been very successful when my heart wasn't right. Not just about the task at hand, but about my work, my family, etc. I have to get every defeatist thought out of my heart before I can shoot properly. It is like deer are sort of "low grade psychic" and if you are actively thinking of what you're about to do, they can hear your thoughts.

I am a religious person, and so I pray about the fact that I am practiced, proficient, and respectful of the life I'm about to take. I acknowledge my debt to my maker, and the world around me. I promise to use the animal's life well, feeding my own family, and look out for the welfare of the entire race of deer. Only when I feel justified, and morally stable about hunting, do I actively begin to pray for success, by the virtue of being a child of God through Jesus Christ. I point out that I am morally justified in taking this particular deer as I am about to, and ask God to shield my thoughts from them, so that they will not hear my human intention and flee, as they have been doing since the time of Nimrod. After I am done I say a prayer of thanksgiving and try to learn about the deer as I dress it out.

My guess is that, unless you overcome your moral ambiguity about hunting, you will probably not be a successful hunter, and, even if you did happen to down a deer, it would be so traumatic as to lessen your survivability.


On a final note, perhaps you should consider the use of a pick-up truck as a sporting weapon. While this is more about beef more than venison, roadkill can be a legitimate source of tenderized meat, and opens up a lot of possibilities. Just remember to keep the front wheels aligned with the direction of the vehicle's drift, and make sure the air bag is turned off. Happy motoring.

That last post was a good one, very well said. Hunting is my passion, it is what I do. I didn't have amentor or teacher, it has always been just me. Make no mistake,being able to consistently take animals is very difficult. They are out there surviving every hour of every day and are very,very good at it. Still, there are things you can do to increase your odds considerably.Here's a bit of what I've learned over the last 17 years of hunting-

1- Patience. This is the number one most important attribute for the beginning hunter. You will not have the skills to stillhunt or track,therefore you will be an ambush hunter. This is probably the most consistently succesful way to hunt even for experienced hunters. You must learn to sit still(and I do mean still!) for hours at a time. When you move your head,you move it very slowly. Move your eyes more than your head, but when you must move your head move it like it's stuck in cold molasses. This goes double for your hands. If you can elevate yourself in a treestand, you have a little bit more freedom of movement,but not much. Since sitting still is hard, a blind is a helpful tool. You can buy or build one, or just use natural brush and branches to create a screen. Do this days or weeks before using the spot for hunting if using natural material.

2-Location-You can be very patient and sit very still but if there`s no critters in the area it`ll be in vain. Luckily, most of the time there will be animals in the area if you are in any type of suitable setting, how long you have to sit depends on how good an area you picked. Animals are like people in the way they travel-they are lazy and will usually take the path of least resistance. Game trails will often be well defined and easily spotted and if you can find watering holes and feeding area`s you`ll be able to spot the trails coming in and out of them. Make your set-up off the trail. How far depends on your weapon,visibility and how far you feel comfortable shooting. I am mostly a bowhunter so I like to be within 30 yards. With a rifle you should be able to go to 100 yards if you have practiced a good amount.

3-Wind. Any experienced hunter will tell you wind is the most important thing to be aware of when hunting. If the animal comes in downwind of you, it will bust you 99% of the time and be gone in a flash. Pay attention to prevailing wind conditions in the area you intend to hunt and set up your ambush accordingly. There`s always a chance the animal will come in from a direction you don`t expect,but that`s pretty much unavoidable. You can take some steps to minimize your scent, likie washing with scent free soap. Some people like to `smoke` their clothes over a campfire on the theory most animals are used to faint smoke smells and it`ll help cover human odour. It is also antibacterial,so you can take a smoke bath to help a bit more.

4-The kill shot. Like others have said,be familiar wth your quarry and know where to place your shot. If your using a rifle you have more options than the bowhunter. By far your best option is a shot through the lungs. This give you the largest possible target with the most margin for error. I`m assuming your hunting something like deer,so if you hit a bit forward of your intended POI you`ll still break down the shoulder,probably hit the heart as well. A bit back and you should get the liver. Not ideal,but it will work. Avoid the paunch. Since the animal will often not take a perfect broadside pose,learn where to shoot on quatering shots. Quartering away is an excellent shot,as long as the angle isn`t too severe. Picture where the off side shoulder is and put the bullet into it. You`ll take out both lungs and maybe the liver as well on this shot,and avoid the heavier bone of shoulders and ribs. This shot is great for those shooting a lighter calibre rifle and archers. It also means the animals is not looking right at you so is less likely to see minor movements. If you are bowhunting,be aware that a deer can move quickly enough to duck your arrow so it`s good to shoot when they are relaxed and not looking right at you.

5-After the kill. What you do after the shot determines how well you eat,or if you eat at all. If the animal runs off(it often will,even on a perfect shot) you need to track it. Adrenaline is high at this monent,but keepa close eye on where the animal dissappears from view,and immediatly mark that spot. Wait about 30 minutes befoe following the animal,in casethe shot was less than perfect. A badly wonded animals will bed down very quickly and if left alone will die right there. If you push it, it may be able to run for miles and you may never find it. Start looking for blood at the area where you shot the animal. Sometimes there will be a tuft of hair on the ground too. Blood may be very sparse at first,or even for the whole trail. Go slowly,marking every spot you find blood. If you lose the trail,go back toi your last blood spot and start doing small circle`s,getting bigger till you pick it up again. Wounded animals do some strange things, but often they will head for water and they will often go back in the direction they came from, perhaps because they feel it`s safe there.

Anyway,once you find the animal it`s time to get to work. If it`s warm,like considerably above freezing temps, you need to work quickly to get the meat cooled. This will ensure the best quality meat and least spoilage. Many have given advice about gutting and not spilling the bladder. Good advice,but I do it different. Unless I`m close to my vehicle and intend to take the animal out whole,I don`t gut the animal. Out here a decent whitetail will go 200lb,so dragging it out is a big job for one guy. Here`s how I do it,and it`s teh only way to go on moose and elk- Pull the animal to a position where you can wok on it freely and safely. Lay it on one side,or you have some rope,tie the back legs to tree`s and pull them apart,so the deer is on it`s back with legs spread. Make your cuts along the inner part of ther leg,working your way down to the joint. If your careful and pull the leg back hard,you can easily avoid opening the stomach cavity. You`ll get to the joint eventually-you can take it apart with your knife if your careful, juts take it slow and cut all the little ligaments and muscles holding it together. Don`t pry with your knife, you`ll end up breaking it.

Once you get through the joint,it may be easier to turn the deer over and finish removing the haunch by cutting from the top,following the spine back. Do the same thing with the front legs. Your best steaks are from the backstraps,which run along both sides of the spine from the shoulders to the back legs. It`s essentially like filleting a fish. You don`t need to cut much here,just cut along the spine to the ribcage all the way along. There are a couple of video`s available free online that show how to do this way better than I can explain it.
As far as butchering goes,it is much easier than you think. I can cut and wrap a big whitetail in an afternoon by myself,about 4 hours if I have a it of help to wrap and whatnot. The backstraps you simply cut into steaks.These are absolutley fantastic! The rest you can do as you please. I make roast and stew from the rear haunches. Once you start cutting, it`s fairly easy to see how all the muscle groups fit together and you can seperate them and make roast without alot of muscle in them. Anything that doesn`t get made into steak or roast is either cubed for stew,sliced thin for jerky or goes through the grinder. If the weather is till warm,I`ll process the same day but if it`s near freezing overnight I`ll let it hang for a day or two. If it`s below freezing I guess you could pretty much hang as long as you like.

I say get out there and give it a try. If your not comfortable trying for a kill yet,take your camera. You`ll get good practice getting close and learn how the animals behave and just how spooky they really are! You may be surprised at the hunting instinct that comes over you when the animals get close. I`ve seen it happen to more than one person who thought they weren`t really into hunting. Everyone reacts differently to killing an animal. Some feel really bad,some are euphoric over their success, most have a mixture of the two. Either way, you`ll have learned a valuable skill and when you eat it,you`ll have no doubts about where it came from and how clean it really is.

reply to post by Misoir


See if you can get with a hunting group.
Here's why.

Say you do shoot and kill a deer, by yourself.
Now what?

Do you know how to drain it, skin it, butcher it, etc.?

Nope....but your hunting buddies should, and they can teach you. Men have hunted in groups since we first climbed down from the trees, so there's a reason for it.

I'm not a big hunting fan myself...did it when I was a kid (lived in Alaska, so kind of a pre-requisite), but enough to know you want to be with others when trying this out.

reply to post by Misoir


We don't need to eat meat. We choose to. Yes people are free to choose as they wish but many out there believe that without a meat dish they cannot sustain themselves. BS.

I can understand the need for survival and therefore hunting to feed the family, but there are other options. Fish and Vegeterian dishes.

Some say we humans are carnivores and some say herbivores, dunno. Personally I don't think we were primarily designed to eat meat.

But hey we have freewill....

reply to post by remrem


Biologically, we're both. We have teeth designed for both purposes. There's a reason my mouth waters at a thick, juicy steak, that goes beyond mere preference...it's biologically encoded. Of course, I enjoy a tasty salad too. In fact, it's probably that versatility that contributed to our success as a species. That we pretty much eat just about anything that doesn't kill us....

reply to post by Misoir


don't hunt cute stuff then! You got gators and snakes,some kind of wild pig,birds...I'm with you,I can't hunt anything cute

reply to post by Misoir


Hi Misoir It's not so hard...to kill what you intend to eat, cleaning fish is a good way to start...
the hungrier you get the lass qualms you may feel.
Just don't be cruel - the less you waste the less you will have to kill

But there is something else to consider

Apparantly in man woman teams the men generally go after the game
which the untutored generally only have little success doing

The women generally go after the plant food
after about three days the men folk generally are hungry enough to eat some crow
and they start eating salad
Plants scream so quietly its hardly a bother at all

reply to post by Misoir


You just need to keep reminding yourself that SOMEONE killed that hamburger you just ate, or that chicken sandwich you got from Wendy's.
Make sure that you're a good shot. Knowing that you made a clean kill helps, because it's VERY tough for me to have to kill an animal that I wounded. It just makes a guy feel bad.

reply to post by Misoir


Don't kill the critters!!! (the spirit of Ellie Mae Clampett took over my body for a second and spoke through my typing hands). But yeah. I agree with her, leave the little (or big) guys alone.

Do you know how good it is eating properly seasoned lentils and rice??? It's amazing, every time I eat it I love the stuff. You don't need to kill, or apply for a killing license, to survive very well on seeds and seed pods (a.k.a. all the good food, and fruit)

Originally posted by DaMod
If you hunt an animal just do these things.

Thank the animal for its life.

Make sure it's death is humane and as painless as possible (which might mean you have to slit the animal's throat. It sounds awful but its pretty quick)

here is a good guide for you. It's actually my post.

Meat in the Wilderness - Guide to Preparing Game

Yes you will have to field dress... This involves getting all the innards out. Might make you queasy...

"Thank the animal for its life"???? Yeah, that'll work. "You're welcome, kind sir" the animal would say if only it's vocal chords still work after you've 'humanely' slit it's throat. Jeez.

Originally posted by therealdemoboy

You just need to keep reminding yourself that SOMEONE killed that hamburger you just ate, or that chicken sandwich you got from Wendy's.

I always find it interesting how so many people associate death, killing and pain to hunting while not giving a second thought to picking up 2 pounds of chuck at the market.

It's still dead. It's still flesh.

I experience it myself of course. There are these levels of emotion associated with procuring food. I feel nothing at the shrink-wrapped meat level. Feel nothing at the wild turkey blasting level. Start to hesitate and feel bad at the chicken neck snapping level but get over it quickly. Feel horrible at the squirrel level but not so much at the rabbit level.

The deer level is an interesting one. Sometime I just feel excitement and other times I feel absolute remorse though it passes quickly.

I often wonder where these associations came from. How I decided that some things which are all essentially the same thing, killing, would affect me differently.

I blame Disney for anthropomorphizing every creature alive.

Start off slow...

Get a BB gun and shoot a dove out of a tree.

Then move up to a rabbit or some other small game.

Then one day shoot a hog or a deer.

I have not cleaned a large animal since I was 13 but about 3 weeks ago my friend shot a pig and when I stopped by he had it hanging and was just starting to butcher it into cuts. I stuck around through the whole process and although it is not pretty it really is not that bad.

Just be sure you kill the animal quickly and efficiently and only shoot if you can get a kill shot.

Good luck.