[Jaison]

From Rocky7 above:

‘Not sure if that makes sense or not. It makes sense to me‘.

It makes absolute sense to this man, as well. If there were a way to ‘fill the freezer’ without killing, that would be perfect.

But, as you wrote, that Final Passage by a well-placed bullet, arrow, or bolt is generally kinder than death by nature.

There’s an immeasurably wide and deep chasm between the true sportsman hunter and the killer. It’s been my personal observation that the killer has no comprehension of the difference.

 

[Ranger4]

Good thread Ranger 4; it's worth talking about. I have no interest in shooting animals behind a fence nor do I have any interest lobbing bullets at an animal that is 800 yards away. What's the point...to kill something? If that's the goal, then why not head over to the nearest zoo and shoot something big like a lion or a giraffe?

Hunting is either about getting food that is needed or making memories. It's not about the killing in either case. I have shot a couple deer in the moonlight and don't feel bad about it. I stalked them and they were one-shot kills against the snow. The meat was eaten and all was good; I wasn't hunting for horns. My dad shot lots of game in a national park when he was a young man; his family was hungry. That's fine, too.

Nowadays, my fridge is full and I am making memories. Memories for me and for the people with me (when I am not hunting alone). Even now, I take no pleasure in watching something die so the killing part is not the goal. I eat what I shoot and if I get big horns, that's a bonus. What I shoot generally dies quick and never knew I was there. That's how I like it and it's the easiest way any of those animals will die....but I can't say I particularly enjoy the killing. I sure do enjoy the hunt, though. Enjoy....I don't know... more like a compulsion or a way for things to fit.

Not sure if that makes sense or not. It makes sense to me.

As for you, being disabled and all, you can shoot out the truck window as far as I'm concerned. A man has to adjust and overcome. You do what you can and the world will understand.

Thanks for the comment. Yes, everything you say makes sense and my views on killing are the same. Please be aware this is not a pity party. It is about the fact that 4 of my 7 hunting buddies and now me and everybody reading this will or have lost their strength and mobility in the coming years. That sitting on the porch in the rocky chair waiting to die thing is getting closer. So, how do we keep hunting as long as we can, that may mean hunting over feeders which I have always thought of as cheating. LOL Hunting is for me and obviously many on this site, one of the few things that makes life meaningful.

I am not totally immobile, just every step hurts and even climbing into a 15 foot elevated stand is very painful. I am medically rated as home bound, some days I am, but some days, I just refuse because I am a hunter. The deer I killed Saturday was over 300 yards from my 4 x 4, no big deal, but I could not have walked the 3/4 mile from my truck. I was once an infantryman, so when I say this sucks, you get it.

And we all will be losing our strength. For example I also have a condition where I have very little grip strength, that makes it hard to even field dress a deer, especially cutting the pelvic bone, I simply cannot do it or saw thru it. Solution: I think I read it on this site about using a set of pruners, like you use on fruit trees, these are fiskar lopper/pruners. They cut right through that pelvic bone in 5 or 6 little cuts. These are like $25 at Walmart or Home Depot. They weigh nothing and stay in my backpack. I used them Saturday, they work great.

I also have an issue with little things like moving the deer. I am lucky enough that I can pay to hunt on private land where I can take a 4 wheeler. Mine is a 2006 model but it gets me and my deer where I need to go. As I said on another thread, I have those little ice sleds, you just lay them over on one side next to the deer, push the deer in and flip it upright. Works like a charm.

The one issue I have is loading the deer into a trailer. With limited grip and bad spine, lower thoracic and cervical, lifting is not really possible. No big deal, I just hook a come a long on the head and pull it up into the trailer, tie it off and then do the same with the butt end.

The nice deer Saturday was only about 70 yards away so nothing to report there, down in like 5 steps and doa long before I walked the 70yards. I highly recommend the Win Silvertips, 168 grain, 30-06. I have killed over a dozen whitetail and mule deer with them, all one shot deals. I don't know if you saw it. I posted it in the meat thread. If it is the last deer I ever kill that is good, it was a good one not a huge body but nice just the same

As we all age I think we just need to plan for the times when this stuff happens. I have added ground blinds that are easy to transport and set up and I have saved an old 12 x 12 canvas tarp that I painted the color of dirt. I am thinking that in future years I can just drive my little 4 wheeler out to some spot just below a ridge line or peak of a hill or just above a pond and cover it completely with the tarp. Then throw up a ground blind and be good to go. I would have everything with me and be immediately mobile when I decide to leave. Anyway, that is the gist of my post, that some changes need to be made as we age, maybe even hunting over feeders at some point. I just do not see me shooting from the truck, might happen but I prefer my feet on the dirt when I shoot, probably just my infantry history. Thanks for the comment.

 

[jerry]

Not as athletic as I used to be. Use a ground blind. Primary purpose for hunting is nutritious food and the quality time spent with friends. If I keep fair chase and ethics, I’m happy with that. Every critter I’ve harvested has been fair and square and I’m thankful for every one.


Sent from my iPhone using Gun and Game

 

[Rambo]

5. Killing deer with corn. Don't Feed the Deer: How Corn Can Be a Killer Feeding corn to deer can kill them, and generally not good for them.

Just wondering if we have gone beyond the point of being sportsman. Just because the local legislature says it is legal does not make it sporting. Comments.

Feeding corn to deer will kill them? I believe Texas hunters feed more corn to deer every year than any other state and the only reason so many deer die in Texas is from being shot at corn feeders, not from eating the corn.
Well, technically you could make a claim that the corn did kill them after all. Lol!

 

[AK Hunter]

Thanks for the comment. Yes, everything you say makes sense and my views on killing are the same. Please be aware this is not a pity party. It is about the fact that 4 of my 7 hunting buddies and now me and everybody reading this will or have lost their strength and mobility in the coming years. That sitting on the porch in the rocky chair waiting to die thing is getting closer. So, how do we keep hunting as long as we can, that may mean hunting over feeders which I have always thought of as cheating. LOL Hunting is for me and obviously many on this site, one of the few things that makes life meaningful.

I am not totally immobile, just every step hurts and even climbing into a 15 foot elevated stand is very painful. I am medically rated as home bound, some days I am, but some days, I just refuse because I am a hunter. The deer I killed Saturday was over 300 yards from my 4 x 4, no big deal, but I could not have walked the 3/4 mile from my truck. I was once an infantryman, so when I say this sucks, you get it.

And we all will be losing our strength. For example I also have a condition where I have very little grip strength, that makes it hard to even field dress a deer, especially cutting the pelvic bone, I simply cannot do it or saw thru it. Solution: I think I read it on this site about using a set of pruners, like you use on fruit trees, these are fiskar lopper/pruners. They cut right through that pelvic bone in 5 or 6 little cuts. These are like $25 at Walmart or Home Depot. They weigh nothing and stay in my backpack. I used them Saturday, they work great.

I also have an issue with little things like moving the deer. I am lucky enough that I can pay to hunt on private land where I can take a 4 wheeler. Mine is a 2006 model but it gets me and my deer where I need to go. As I said on another thread, I have those little ice sleds, you just lay them over on one side next to the deer, push the deer in and flip it upright. Works like a charm.

The one issue I have is loading the deer into a trailer. With limited grip and bad spine, lower thoracic and cervical, lifting is not really possible. No big deal, I just hook a come a long on the head and pull it up into the trailer, tie it off and then do the same with the butt end.

The nice deer Saturday was only about 70 yards away so nothing to report there, down in like 5 steps and doa long before I walked the 70yards. I highly recommend the Win Silvertips, 168 grain, 30-06. I have killed over a dozen whitetail and mule deer with them, all one shot deals. I don't know if you saw it. I posted it in the meat thread. If it is the last deer I ever kill that is good, it was a good one not a huge body but nice just the same View attachment 156750

As we all age I think we just need to plan for the times when this stuff happens. I have added ground blinds that are easy to transport and set up and I have saved an old 12 x 12 canvas tarp that I painted the color of dirt. I am thinking that in future years I can just drive my little 4 wheeler out to some spot just below a ridge line or peak of a hill or just above a pond and cover it completely with the tarp. Then throw up a ground blind and be good to go. I would have everything with me and be immediately mobile when I decide to leave. Anyway, that is the gist of my post, that some changes need to be made as we age, maybe even hunting over feeders at some point. I just do not see me shooting from the truck, might happen but I prefer my feet on the dirt when I shoot, probably just my infantry history. Thanks for the comment.

Back when I first started hunting deer with a bow, it was a full recurve bow & I would hang it over my shoulder climb a tree, straddle a large limb to shoot deer. We didn't have deer stands. I still have the bow.
Now I use a crossbow so I don't destroy what is left of my shoulder.
We used to hunt over a food source but it was a natural food like acorns or persimmons maybe a wild apple tree.
I still drag out my deer even if I am over 66 yrs old with an old fashion drag harness. But I'm not totally old fashion I do use a little thing that I just bought last year for splitting the breast bone & pelvis. It's called a deer splitter, it's much smaller & lighter that the bolt cutters you have.

Deer Splitter - Viking Solutions

The Deer Splitter Game Splitter Assistant from Viking Solutions is a new tool that makes splitting the chest cavity and pelvic bone a breeze! This stainless steel device delivers a 19X force that will split these two areas and keep your hands and knives outside the animal.

www.vikingsl.com

 

[TXplt]

I guess it depends on what your objective is. I’ve been out a little bit over the past few days and seen nothing but a doe and fawn and a couple of doe. I may not see anything inviting to take at all but have enjoyed being out in the woods and working at the farm and cabin. If that’s the case the effort for me is not unsuccessful as I’m here for the journey and at the moment am not hungry.

The deer usually migrate early in the morning during hunting season here and it’s not unusual to see a bunch of them near midnight in the apple orchard. To me there’s not much of a difference in ethics between camping out near a natural food source — like apples or acorns — or at a stream crossing, etc and near one where corn was scattered. Although there might be a legal difference depending on state.
If I really were hungry and NEEDED a food source for venison given the pattern of migration I’d hunt at night. But that’s not the case and I don’t. So part of the sport is the rules and the hunt and that’s how it works.
People fish in stocked streams and hunt birds in stocked fields. So I don’t see the OP as much different. People also raise elk, cattle, and other animals to be later slaughtered for food. So I see it as more of this kind of thing.

I had the opportunity to put everything together a few years ago which was at the limit of me, rifle, cartridge, and environmentals. It was ethical but really challenging—the result being a perfect DRT harvest. It also filled the freezer which was nice. So to me that was much more rewarding than dropping a line in a well stocked pond.