different feelings about hunting.

ohihunter2014

New member
hey guys looking for some advice form fellow hunters. I've hunted since I was 12yo and I'm 30 now and the last few years I've noticed I don't enjoy hunting as much as I used to and the last year or so I've noticed something completely different in my hunting. I started small game hunting a lot prior to deer and coyote season and after and years ago I could shoot anything and not think twice about it, take it home clean it and eat it. now I'm noticing that it bothers me when a kill things it started with small game and moved to larger animals even coyotes which I despise, lol. I aim to shoot the animal and then something comes over me and I either cant do it and sometimes it doesn't affect me. I've got thousands of dollars and hours invested in this sport to walk away now. I have given up certain hunting I used to do like coon hunt and squirrel hunt because it bothers me having them fall 50ft out of a tree and slam into the ground and I don't get why after all these years hunting bothers me. also being almost 30 I took my first buck a 5pt last year and had to shoot him 2 times because the 1st shot wounded him and I watched him limp away falling and getting back up, a huge weight came over me when I walked up to him and my buddy started to joke calling the deer Sampson and screwing around and I made me mad and he says lol your becoming a tree hugger.

I guess im just venting but does anyone else feel this same way? hunting for me used to be fun and get away from life and I kinda miss that part of it.
 
I used to shoot just about anything that I came across. Then one day I was like man.... If I can't use this animal or it doesn't cause some sort of a problem for humans or another species then this is just killing... And I'm not into that. Perhaps you've just developed a conscience. That's a good thing.

I never met a coyote I liked and never will. Not much of a fan of bobcats either. But stuff like gray fox and raccoon, that don't cause problems when in their own environment, are safe around me. About the only time I'll take a fox is on my friends bird ranch. I know they give him fits.

Anyway.... If you don't feel right about something don't do it. Just try to analyze the situation each time and decided.

Adios
 
Not trying to change you feeling or your mind. But I started out hunting to be out there and take as much game as I was allowed. But the last few years I have not shot a single rooster. Have not even hunted them. I did hunt tree rats for a few years as the boys were growing up. The only things that I hunt now are yotes, deer and turkeys. I do this because I know the damage that these all do to the farmers that I deal with and if I don't do something about it they will affect my lively hood. I also look at it as if I was not out there hunting them then the deer and the turkey's will eat more of the farmers corn or beans and over populate and then the coyote population will grow. A few years down the road EHD or CWD will hit the deer population and then the coyotes will start hitting the cattle and sheep on the farms that I hunt. Then the coyotes will get hit with mange and they will die a slow cold death. I have seen it first hand and it is not a good sight. I will do my part to help the ecosystem. But there are different strokes for different folks. You can get out and just observe but that is not me.
 
I did terrible things to animals when I was a very young kid, and I was a nice boy lol. Can't explain it. Now I just hunt, shoot, and hopefully connect. Having a conscience IS a good thing, but so is keeping your edge when it comes to dealing out death. Its a delicate balance.
 
The older I get the less I like killing. Don't know why and haven't figured it all out. It's almost like I hit my quota and just don't feel the need to kill everything in sight. This from a guy that has hunted big game all over the US and a few foreign countries as well. I've written for hunting magazines, been on hunting related pro-staffs, been in hunting videos, and have helped many others get into hunting. Around 95% of my closest friends all are hard-core hunters just like me. Then one day (and it did happen over night) I woke up and just had lost the burning desire to kill that had followed me for over 40 years. I always thought it would gradually fade away, but for me, it was over night. It caught me off guard and out of the blue. It only happened a couple years ago and I still haven't come to terms with it completely. I still hunt, but I'm not nearly as driven. I still enjoy hunting coyotes but my heart just isn't into small game, or big game all that much for that matter. I mostly hunt big game to include my kids and let them enjoy it. I can foresee a day when I no longer hunt coyotes, but it hasn't happened yet. The really crappy part is that I still haven't found anything that really fills the void in my life that hunting did. Pretty lonely place when you wake up and realize everything your world has revolved around your whole life is no longer that enjoyable, and you have no idea where to turn.
 
I believe a good cure for this feeling is to do a lot of bowhunting which is an entirely different deal. More hunting, more enjoying nature, and less killing. This is especially true if you bowhunt coyotes.
 
i have video taped some called coyotes. to me that is almost as much enjoyment as pulling the trigger on one. and you always can go back a watch as many times as you want to. something to think about.
 
My interests have evolved GREATLY over the years. I look a lot more and shoot a whole lot less. Have not shot a deer in years, but I have spent all my free time (almost to the point of obsession
smile.gif
) chasing wolves these last few years. I hunt the way I want, at the speed I want, when and where I want. I don't compare notes with anybody or worry about what they think or what they are doing. I am really enjoying getting older!
 
Possumal's suggestion of bowhunting is a good suggestion and would likely work for a lot of people. I bowhunted for 10 years straight and didn't want to do anything else, but eventually I just didn't care for it at all. I'm not against it in any way, but it just absolutely does not light my fire, not even a little bit. With the only exception being bow fishing for carp. Now that's always fun.

Things I tried to replace my love of hunting with:
Fishing
Photography
Taking Video
Wildlife Art
Helping others learn to hunt
Other sports

So far nothing comes all that close, but then again I was hard wired for hunting.
 
Im not to where you are but I do understand. Ive killed just about everything that walks or crawls with no remorse. After I had kids I found myself looking at it a little differently. I found myself with a little more compassion I guess. That is not to say I wont kill without hesitation but only if it has a purpose of some kind. Coyotes yield no sympathy from me, but I still wont kill one unless I call it in. Ive killed more whitetail deer than I care to think about. I wont even give one a second glance anymore. No desire to ever kill another, not saying I wont, just no desire. Maybe you just need another hobby.
 
Interesting thread. I have to admit, sometimes I ask myself "what am I doing, killing" but then that old feeling comes over me and I have to get out there. Grizz
 
Pretty much in the same boat here. I wouldn't call it getting soft, or going "Tree hugger", but as we age, we tend to contemplate things a bit more than in our younger years.

I never did kill things just for the sake of killing and still don't condone "Sport" hunting. I will kill yotes and leave 'em lay, but anything edible gets cleaned and eaten or it doesn'[t get killed.

Last weekend I made a bad shot on a yote and searched for it for over an hour. Even though a lot of folks say "It's just a Coyote", every critter deserves a quick end and not lay somewhere and suffer for hours or even days. If you've ever seen the pain and anguish in a wounded deer's eyes and hear the plaintive bleats of fear and pain, you will want them to not suffer so much next time
 
Several years ago I was in on the start of an intensive white tail management program on a big ranch, it the first 3 years, I, by myself killed 78 deer, bucks and doe, it slowed down considerably after that, but I still shot quite a few, and you better believe I was pretty over shooting deer for a while after that. Now it takes a pretty special deer to get me revved up, but you put me in a blind with one of my kids and a spike gives me buck fever like a rank beginner! I haven't lost my drive to hunt, but I'm not particularly interested in being the one to pull the trigger anymore. My best times are the times I get to spend hunting with someone who means something to me. Sharing it adds immeasurable value.
 
Tommy P has a great suggestion. I have lots of fun teaching my kids about the outdoors and hunting. Myself I don't care if I kill anything. My dad completely stopped hunting and I never was able to hunt with him after I was 5-6 years old. His friends taught me a lot of what I learned. I keep going so that I can teach my kids.
 
I'm a caller first, I find myself letting a lot more ducks and geese go than kill.

However,I still like shooting at coyotes.

He!!, I got sick of bowfishing for carp about 9 years ago, came to the point where it was fish in a barrel to me... Lost its flavor
 
Try fly fishing for a while. When your just getting started I guarantee you'll wish you were hunting again. Lol You'll still be outdoors enjoying nature and the fish you catch can be released. I say fly fishing over regular fishing because you will target individual fish like hunting. Just a thought because it lit my fire again.
 
I to am losing my drive to kill stuff but I hope I can keep it up for the next generation. I have 2 grandsons now one is 6 the other is 1 I would like to pass some of that knowledge on to them like my father and grandfather did with me. I've been mentoring others the last couple of years and am having a lot more fun doing that than just doing it on my own. But I will admit I will not stop going after coyotes for a while. There is something about them that keeps me going.
 
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