A tinge of sadness

Discopete

Well-Known Member
Is it just me or do people feel sadness after shooting a nice buck. I suppose really there's not much difference between shooting a nice mature buck to a youngster, we just bring human emotions into it which makes it feel worse.

I shot this buck this mornin as its in an area which has been heavily clearfelled and they have just started replanting so everything must go. I shot a poor yearling a couple of days ago only 100yds further down the track and didn't feel as sad as I did this morning, but it's a roe buck none the less.

Attached should be a photo of the buck which in my opinion is quite good for Devon, don't see many like this around here and I reckon he would have got better if I wasn't around!

Cheers

Pete
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    427.3 KB · Views: 221
Ive often thought after watching a group for some time do i really want to pull the trigger...

Maybe even stick to taking the camera out..

But then after tucking into a beautifull steak, i cant wait to get back out there again..

Good for you DP no disgrace in feeling a bit sad taking a beautifull animals life...
 
I don’t think it’s unusual and I’d even say it’s a good thing that you feel this way. After all, it isn’t an anodyne thing to kill an animal, and it’s important that we recognise this from an ethical perspective. It’s also OK to let one go sometimes because you just don’t feel like taking its’ life (I realise of course that not everyone has the luxury of making that choice). Sometimes, you just stop fishing because you’ve caught enough. I’ve put my shotgun away during a driven shoot because I’d had enough and now it was just gratuitous. I know that sort of thing risks annoying the keeper or host, but I don’t wish to have my enjoyment tainted by any sense of shame.

Aesthetically, and this is most immediately noticeable with fish, the moment an animal is dead, the beauty that came from its’ vitality starts to wane. We try to capture the moment just after its’ death by taking pictures, setting a deer’s head up on a stump to make it look less, well, floppy and dead, or put a sprig in its’ mouth as a simulacrum of life. But really, all of that just momentarily slows the carcass’ journey to being meat, and by treating the meat as such and making best use of it, you return to the animal some of the dignity you took by killing it.

So yes, all of this means that the moment of elation and triumph is tinged with sadness, and that’s as it should be.
 
That is a nice buck for down your way Pete.

What you also have to remember is that your a doing a job for the land owner, but know where you are coming from.
 
A fairly normal reaction I would say, as for the buck its always difficult to tell from a photo but I don't think he would have got much better if thats any consolation.
 
I dislike the tendency to appease by saying it is part of the job.

If you feel no pang of regret, guilt, sadness or respect having pulled the trigger then I suspect there is something missing in your motivation for doing so.

I find that the most avid hunters will reach an age where the thrill of the hunt is overtaken by the feelings or regret and they start spending less time behind the rifle and more behind the binoculars and camera.

Until that time comes the thrill of the chase and the eating still overwhelms the tinge of guilt and sadness.
 
Yep i still get those feelings, last time it happened was during the Roe rut last year, i had watched the buck chasing the doe for too long, but he did the deed with the doe and presented the perfect shot, but god did i get pangs pf guilt after.
Nice buck by the way.
Cheers
Richard
 
I have to admit that I feel the same after every animal that I shoot but that doesn't stop me from wanting to go out. Once its hanging up ready to be processed that sadness goes as its now meat and I'm thinking about getting my teeth into it :D!

I love being in the countryside, the thrill of chase especially when you've been crawling for 200 yds across an open field to get to a position, and when its on the plate. That bit in the middle when you have to pull the trigger has stopped me a couple of times though because as a recreational stalker I don't NEED to do it if the freezer is full. Have often just seen how close I can get to it and when you're sitting just 20 yds from something you know none of your friends have been that close to I personally would rather see it another day than grass it.
 
I think that if you don't feel the sadness you probably should give up. Might seem a bit strong to say that but it is important.

David.
 
Always feel sad and say a little prayer after every animal I shoot. Dont you just hate the yanks how they jump about with glee after they dispatch the quarry.
 
Well i never !! there are more ethical hunters about than i realised.
​I thought it was just me that felt this, been shooting various quarries all my life love the hunting/Stalking but if i shoot an animal i do like to get a clean kill don't like seeing them suffer
 
Always feel sad and say a little prayer after every animal I shoot. Dont you just hate the yanks how they jump about with glee after they dispatch the quarry.
Good man Howy308 I do the same. I feel its important to respect the deer regardless of size or sex.Regards,Glendine.
 
Got to admire the Europeans with the salute they give the quarry after the hunt! Been on plenty of pheasant shoots even the ones that I have ran where the shooters could not wait to wait to get to the next stand having no interest with the birds that needed picking and was only interested in the bag, is that shooting?
 
Been on plenty of pheasant shoots even the ones that I have ran where the shooters could not wait to wait to get to the next stand having no interest with the birds that needed picking and was only interested in the bag, is that shooting?

Yes, it is shooting. What it isn't, is hunting. It's only a small part of the process. But then who's to decide how to judge someone else's motivations and who should do it? This isn't a religion after all...
 
I've never felt guilty about killing an animal. I sometimes wish that something had died quicker, but don't ever feel guilty about it. I'm generally satisfied that I'm doing the right thing before I even go out.

Saying that, I generally don't consider the things that I kill as sport, usually it's something that needs to be controlled or something that tastes good and is of sufficient numbers that I can take some! I'd feel more guilty about eating farmed meat.
 
Got to admire the Europeans with the salute they give the quarry after the hunt! Been on plenty of pheasant shoots even the ones that I have ran where the shooters could not wait to wait to get to the next stand having no interest with the birds that needed picking and was only interested in the bag, is that shooting?

howy as I told you when you had the shoot two many 2 bob millionaires clay shooters and paper punchers (you cannot educate pork ) but try to steer them in the right direction GOLF
 
yes every time ,i think it is healthy to have a tinge of regret with everything we shoot .where abouts in devon are you ?as i am in devon also .
all the best
Tom
 
Its a good thing to feel this way , its called respect , the day you loose it is the day you should stop shooting ! and that includes eveything from rabbits to deer .
 
Back
Top