[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Sons first kill... (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 12/31/2011 12:15:55 PM EDT
| So I took my son hunting for the second time. He has been looking for his first squirrel or rabbit. So today we finally spotted a squirrel (they are scarce for some reason). I did something I would not normally do. Facing the clock, since we had to get back and break down camp, I let him take his first squirrel that I had no plan of retrieving. It was out over some water, not impossibly far but I let it go even though he wanted it. It was comical though, he missed the thing about 4 or 5 times. |
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I do not agree with the way you're teaching your son to hunt. It goes against everything I've ever been taught (and taught to others as a Hunter Ed instructor) concerning hunter ethics. If you have no intention of retrieving a game animal, don't kill it. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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I do not agree with the way you're teaching your son to hunt. It goes against everything I've ever been taught (and taught to others as a Hunter Ed instructor) concerning hunter ethics. If you have no intention of retrieving a game animal, don't kill it. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile +1 You've just ruined your sons 1st kill. Hopefully, you haven't ruined him for hunting. |
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So I took my son hunting for the second time. He has been looking for his first squirrel or rabbit. So today we finally spotted a squirrel (they are scarce for some reason). I did something I would not normally do. Facing the clock, since we had to get back and break down camp, I let him take his first squirrel that I had no plan of retrieving. It was out over some water, not impossibly far but I let it go even though he wanted it. It was comical though, he missed the thing about 4 or 5 times. 
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It was a stinking tree rat, A rodent. 
Op you did the best thing for that boy, squirrel are hard to hit, now he will want to practice so he can have a better chance of hitting one of those blasted things with the first shot. It's a game animal. In the state of Arkansas, killing a squirrel and purposely leaving it is against the law. I'm not sure what the laws are where you or the OP are, but it still goes against basic hunter ethics. But, overall, it's a shitty way to teach a new, young, hunter respect for game animals and ethical hunting. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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It was a stinking tree rat, A rodent.
Op you did the best thing for that boy, squirrel are hard to hit, now he will want to practice so he can have a better chance of hitting one of those blasted things with the first shot. It's a game animal. In the state of Arkansas, killing a squirrel and purposely leaving it is against the law. I'm not sure what the laws are where you or the OP are, but it still goes against basic hunter ethics. But, overall, it's a shitty way to teach a new, young, hunter respect for game animals and ethical hunting. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile I shoot them to get them off my deer corn pile. I will eat one if i feel like it but generally toss the stupid little trouble makers. I must be an unethical hunter because I did not recover 2 does a few years back, lost their blood trail after a little while and was too tired to keep looking, So I purposely left the trail and went home. Really some people on here really do get the holier than thou attitude fast. |
| Also as far teaching, the boy learned a valuable lesson. Hitting a squirrel is hard and requires one to judge distance, and understand ballistics , and practice with the firearm. in the end it will make the boy a better hunter because he will be able to put his rounds on larger game with no problem. |
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Whatever, tell your son congrats. I shot a lot of critters that I never ate when I was a kid. Should varmint shooters be frying up their varmint cong pieces and parts? It's not against the law here to leave varmints and nuisance animals. As an adult, do as you please. It is my personal opinion that teaching a child that it is okay to shoot a regulated game animal with no intention of recovering it is irresponsible and lazy. When teaching a child anything, you should take the high road. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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I do not agree with the way you're teaching your son to hunt. It goes against everything I've ever been taught (and taught to others as a Hunter Ed instructor) concerning hunter ethics. If you have no intention of retrieving a game animal, don't kill it. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile +1 You've just ruined your sons 1st kill. Hopefully, you haven't ruined him for hunting. Maybe someone could adopt him?
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It was a stinking tree rat, A rodent.
Op you did the best thing for that boy, squirrel are hard to hit, now he will want to practice so he can have a better chance of hitting one of those blasted things with the first shot. It's a game animal. In the state of Arkansas, killing a squirrel and purposely leaving it is against the law. I'm not sure what the laws are where you or the OP are, but it still goes against basic hunter ethics. But, overall, it's a shitty way to teach a new, young, hunter respect for game animals and ethical hunting. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile I shoot them to get them off my deer corn pile. I will eat one if i feel like it but generally toss the stupid little trouble makers. I must be an unethical hunter because I did not recover 2 does a few years back, lost their blood trail after a little while and was too tired to keep looking, So I purposely left the trail and went home. Really some people on here really do get the holier than thou attitude fast. COC prevents me from saying what I think. I've shot well over 100 deer, and yes, I have lost a few, maybe 4 or 5. But look until I exhaust all chances of finding it. Then I look some more. I don't give up because my sand in my Suzie , or Ellen is on. |
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OP you are doing good. Fuck all these holier than thou hunters. There is no such thing as wasted game. Leaving that squirrel fed something else. The idea that you ONLY shoot what you eat is retarded. The only unethical shoot is one where you are doing damage to a population by killing something regulated illegally. You don't want to get busted by some pissed of fish and game dick and fined a ridiculous amount for a rodent just because a bunch of assholes think it has a pretty tail and decided to regulate it. In 2011 I probably bagged over a hundred of these and didn't eat a single one. Every time I came back the nextday either a coyote or hawk made short work of the body.  All you high and mighty hunters can suck it. I kill for fun and eat the animals that taste good. jack rabbits don't taste good. I didn't eat this either even though sometimes I do eat them.I certainly have killed every one of them i ran into though.  |
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OP you are doing good. Fuck all these holier than thou hunters. There is no such thing as wasted game. Leaving that squirrel fed something else. The idea that you ONLY shoot what you eat is retarded. The only unethical shoot is one where you are doing damage to a population by killing something regulated illegally. You don't want to get busted by some pissed of fish and game dick and fined a ridiculous amount for a rodent just because a bunch of assholes think it has a pretty tail and decided to regulate it. In 2011 I probably bagged over a hundred of these and didn't eat a single one. Every time I came back the nextday either a coyote or hawk made short work of the body. http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/316601_10150151745387131_692512130_6920184_8213500_n.jpg All you high and mighty hunters can suck it. I kill for fun and eat the animals that taste good. jack rabbits don't taste good. I didn't eat this either even though sometimes I do eat them.I certainly have killed every one of them i ran into though. http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/206360_10150151744952131_692512130_6920182_3650041_n.jpg Muy Machismo! 
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OP you are doing good. Fuck all these holier than thou hunters. There is no such thing as wasted game. Leaving that squirrel fed something else. The idea that you ONLY shoot what you eat is retarded. The only unethical shoot is one where you are doing damage to a population by killing something regulated illegally. You don't want to get busted by some pissed of fish and game dick and fined a ridiculous amount for a rodent just because a bunch of assholes think it has a pretty tail and decided to regulate it. In 2011 I probably bagged over a hundred of these and didn't eat a single one. Every time I came back the nextday either a coyote or hawk made short work of the body. http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/316601_10150151745387131_692512130_6920184_8213500_n.jpg All you high and mighty hunters can suck it. I kill for fun and eat the animals that taste good. jack rabbits don't taste good. I didn't eat this either even though sometimes I do eat them.I certainly have killed every one of them i ran into though. http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/206360_10150151744952131_692512130_6920182_3650041_n.jpg That's cool. But teaching a child to shoot a regulated game animal when you have no intention of retrieving it is irresponsible at best. It's our job as parents or mentors to teach the youngsters about respect and ethics. Let them make decisions such as yours on their own later on in life when they have a more robust understanding of ecosystems and such. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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don't let the COC stop you. Say what ever you want I will not report it and will support you for saying it. because it will prove you jump to conclusions
Jump to any conclusion you want. How far should one track a deer and how long. The first one was 2 hours and 300yds and the trail disappeared, the second one was over 1000yds and 6hrs and the trail disappeared. Often on hands and knees looking for tiny little droplets. So what makes me unethical. I tried and after exhausting my chances I purposely went home. What in the world is sand in suzie and ellen is on, that does not even make sense. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: It was a stinking tree rat, A rodent. Op you did the best thing for that boy, squirrel are hard to hit, now he will want to practice so he can have a better chance of hitting one of those blasted things with the first shot. It's a game animal. In the state of Arkansas, killing a squirrel and purposely leaving it is against the law. I'm not sure what the laws are where you or the OP are, but it still goes against basic hunter ethics. But, overall, it's a shitty way to teach a new, young, hunter respect for game animals and ethical hunting. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile I shoot them to get them off my deer corn pile. I will eat one if i feel like it but generally toss the stupid little trouble makers. I must be an unethical hunter because I did not recover 2 does a few years back, lost their blood trail after a little while and was too tired to keep looking, So I purposely left the trail and went home. Really some people on here really do get the holier than thou attitude fast. COC prevents me from saying what I think. I've shot well over 100 deer, and yes, I have lost a few, maybe 4 or 5. But look until I exhaust all chances of finding it. Then I look some more. I don't give up because my sand in my Suzie , or Ellen is on. nothing unethical about his decision. If he decided to pretend he didn't kill them and proceeded to kill more there would be a problem. |
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It was a stinking tree rat, A rodent.
Op you did the best thing for that boy, squirrel are hard to hit, now he will want to practice so he can have a better chance of hitting one of those blasted things with the first shot. It's a game animal. In the state of Arkansas, killing a squirrel and purposely leaving it is against the law. I'm not sure what the laws are where you or the OP are, but it still goes against basic hunter ethics. But, overall, it's a shitty way to teach a new, young, hunter respect for game animals and ethical hunting. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile I shoot them to get them off my deer corn pile. I will eat one if i feel like it but generally toss the stupid little trouble makers. I must be an unethical hunter because I did not recover 2 does a few years back, lost their blood trail after a little while and was too tired to keep looking, So I purposely left the trail and went home. Really some people on here really do get the holier than thou attitude fast. COC prevents me from saying what I think. I've shot well over 100 deer, and yes, I have lost a few, maybe 4 or 5. But look until I exhaust all chances of finding it. Then I look some more. I don't give up because my sand in my Suzie , or Ellen is on. nothing unethical about his decision. If he decided to pretend he didn't kill them and proceeded to kill more there would be a problem. Right!? I think? |
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I don't know, one of my sons had his first squirrel get down under a rotted stump after it hit the ground. I went home, got an axe and shovel, and we got it. I flat skinned and tanned it for him. Meant a lot to him, and more to me.  Good for you but how about how long and how far to track a deer before giving up? |
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I don't know, one of my sons had his first squirrel get down under a rotted stump after it hit the ground. I went home, got an axe and shovel, and we got it. I flat skinned and tanned it for him. Meant a lot to him, and more to me. Good for you but how about how long and how far to track a deer before giving up? As I posted earlier in the thread, I've lost 4 or 5 out of 100+. I've spent nights looking, taken the next day off work to look,etc Done the same for other folks as well. And yes, I've even BROKEN THE LAW trying to retrieve deer from a place where I was not allowed when deer went there. I figured it was my ethical duty to do it,and I'd take my legal lumps if it came to it. No hard and fast rule as far as how long. If I'm finding blood, fresh sign, etc, as long as it takes. If it looks like a marginal or poor hit, I'll back off and wait 2, 4, 8 hours, unless rain or snow is imminent. Have gone and walked grids,circles,etc once lose the tail. Taken dog on lead. Me or mine take the shot, and we follow it up. It really is that simple. We are responsible for the outcome of ever trigger pull. My wife and kids all hunt the same way. Probably the thing I'm most proud of. |
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I don't know, one of my sons had his first squirrel get down under a rotted stump after it hit the ground. I went home, got an axe and shovel, and we got it. I flat skinned and tanned it for him. Meant a lot to him, and more to me. Good for you but how about how long and how far to track a deer before giving up? Until you're absolutely sure you won't be able to find it...not until you're tired of looking. But that's your decision to make as an adult. My personal exception to the OP's story is his teaching of a child that it's okay to shoot a game animal with no intention of retrieving it. We should teach children the right way to do things. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I don't know, one of my sons had his first squirrel get down under a rotted stump after it hit the ground. I went home, got an axe and shovel, and we got it. I flat skinned and tanned it for him. Meant a lot to him, and more to me. Good for you but how about how long and how far to track a deer before giving up? As I posted earlier in the thread, I've lost 4 or 5 out of 100+. I've spent nights looking, taken the next day off work to look,etc Done the same for other folks as well. And yes, I've even BROKEN THE LAW trying to retrieve deer from a place where I was not allowed when deer went there. I figured it was my ethical duty to do it,and I'd take my legal lumps if it came to it. No hard and fast rule as far as how long. If I'm finding blood, fresh sign, etc, as long as it takes. If it looks like a marginal or poor hit, I'll back off and wait 2, 4, 8 hours, unless rain or snow is imminent. Have gone and walked grids,circles,etc once lose the tail. Taken dog on lead. Me or mine take the shot, and we follow it up. It really is that simple. We are responsible for the outcome of ever trigger pull. My wife and kids all hunt the same way. Probably the thing I'm most proud of. Ill go to great lengths to recover something I plan on eating but as long as you aren't killing more than legally allowed it isn't hurting the population and you aren't doing anything unethical if you give up. You are just feeding something else instead of yourself. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I don't know, one of my sons had his first squirrel get down under a rotted stump after it hit the ground. I went home, got an axe and shovel, and we got it. I flat skinned and tanned it for him. Meant a lot to him, and more to me. Good for you but how about how long and how far to track a deer before giving up? Until you're absolutely sure you won't be able to find it...not until you're tired of looking. But that's your decision to make as an adult. My personal exception to the OP's story is his teaching of a child that it's okay to shoot a game animal with no intention of retrieving it. We should teach children the right way to do things. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Im failing to see how this is such a big deal. If you want to eat it get it. If not don't. The only ethics problem with hunting is poaching in my opinion. We regulate certain animals to make sure they don't go extinct and we can continue to hunt. As long as you are allowed to kill something I see nothing unethical about your decision to retrieve it or not. |
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Quoted: Quoted: active target practice is more challenging and fun. Never said I was a hero.  Very true. Why don't you take it to the next level and go find targets that shoot back?  1. It's illegal. Otherwise there are plenty of dangerous "reactive targets" down on the border I as well as many other people would be glad to take care of. 2. Getting shot at isn't fun Im betting. 3. I have a family to provide for so even if legal it wouldn't be worth the risk at this point in my life. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Uh dude, you obviously have not seen some of the jack rabbits we have out here in the desert. No way in Hell would you eat one. He is doing the rabbits and the coyotes a favor.Quoted: *snip* I kill for fun *snip* You are a real hero.  well I kill the coyotes too. So in that aspect I am doing the deer and antelope population a favor. Until I kill them and eat them anyways. Im fitting in nicely with the circle of life. |
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so was 2 hours and 300 yds and then no blood trail ethical?
Or how about 6 hrs and then 1000 yds and then no blood trail? You say no hard and fast rule but you got no problem calling me unethical. I was TIRED of looking and finding no blood trail to follow so it would be better to what look some more for no blood trail? |
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I don't know, one of my sons had his first squirrel get down under a rotted stump after it hit the ground. I went home, got an axe and shovel, and we got it. I flat skinned and tanned it for him. Meant a lot to him, and more to me. Good for you but how about how long and how far to track a deer before giving up? Until you're absolutely sure you won't be able to find it...not until you're tired of looking. But that's your decision to make as an adult. My personal exception to the OP's story is his teaching of a child that it's okay to shoot a game animal with no intention of retrieving it. We should teach children the right way to do things. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Im failing to see how this is such a big deal. If you want to eat it get it. If not don't. The only ethics problem with hunting is poaching in my opinion. We regulate certain animals to make sure they don't go extinct and we can continue to hunt. As long as you are allowed to kill something I see nothing unethical about your decision to retrieve it or not. The law here says it's illegal to waste any edible portion of a game animal. I teach my kids to obey the law. Not to mention that every time you pull the trigger you are responsible for that bullet. When you tell a young impressionable kid that he shouldn't shoot any game animal that he doesn't intend to retrieve, he'll be more careful with his shots. I agree with most everything you're saying. But you're a responsible adult who obviously can make critical decisions based on past experiences. Kids don't have that and should be taught how to hunt legally and ethically. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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I do not agree with the way you're teaching your son to hunt. It goes against everything I've ever been taught (and taught to others as a Hunter Ed instructor) concerning hunter ethics. If you have no intention of retrieving a game animal, don't kill it. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Concur. Part of the hunt is to harvest the kill. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I don't know, one of my sons had his first squirrel get down under a rotted stump after it hit the ground. I went home, got an axe and shovel, and we got it. I flat skinned and tanned it for him. Meant a lot to him, and more to me. Good for you but how about how long and how far to track a deer before giving up? Until you're absolutely sure you won't be able to find it...not until you're tired of looking. But that's your decision to make as an adult. My personal exception to the OP's story is his teaching of a child that it's okay to shoot a game animal with no intention of retrieving it. We should teach children the right way to do things. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Im failing to see how this is such a big deal. If you want to eat it get it. If not don't. The only ethics problem with hunting is poaching in my opinion. We regulate certain animals to make sure they don't go extinct and we can continue to hunt. As long as you are allowed to kill something I see nothing unethical about your decision to retrieve it or not. The law here says it's illegal to waste any edible portion of a game animal. I teach my kids to obey the law. Not to mention that every time you pull the trigger you are responsible for that bullet. When you tell a young impressionable kid that he shouldn't shoot any game animal that he doesn't intend to retrieve, he'll be more careful with his shots. I agree with most everything you're saying. But you're a responsible adult who obviously can make critical decisions based on past experiences. Kids don't have that and should be taught how to hunt legally and ethically. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Well I can agree with the legally part. I just have a different view on the ethical matter. If it is law in his state to retrieve a rodent then he probably should have tried to retrieve it. The lesson I would teach as a parent is one that you don't want to get in trouble from game and fish though. Sometimes the price of target practice is retrieving the body so you don't get in trouble. Not that squirrels are people too or whatever nonsense some people believe in this thread. |
| I generally don't get rib meat, NC whitetails usually do not have a lot of rib meat on them, so some game warden in another states determines what is the meat I should cut out and the meat I should not. Now I see why you think I am unethical, the state told you so. |