How many of you do this?

[noahmercy]

Or something like it...

When I shoot an animal, I always say a little prayer of thanks before I start butchering. I spend some time with the carcass and contemplate the circle of life and make a point of appreciating the animal's beauty. I also feel a certain sadness at the passing of its life and a sense of loss, but also gratification that it will, in a way, continue to live in me.

I know many Indian tribes have a history of giving thanks when they make a kill, but I'm not trying to emulate them; it's just that my Grandfather taught me that all life is precious and not to be taken lightly. I'm also a Christian who believes in the Biblical idea that men are stewards of the land and the animals and have a responsibility to treat them well. It just feels right to accord the taking of a life a moment of respect.

I ask here because I was recently talking to a fellow about this and he opined I was a "wuss" and shouldn't hunt if I feel this way. I told him that I feel he should be the one to put up his guns if he doesn't appreciate the animals he hunts. I value the opinions of the forum members here and would appreciate your unvarnished feedback. Am I just a girlie-hunter, or do some of you other hairy-chested he-types feel the same? :thumbsup:

 

I ask here because I was recently talking to a fellow about this and he opined I was a "wuss" and shouldn't hunt if I feel this way. I told him that I feel he should be the one to put up his guns if he doesn't appreciate the animals he hunts. I value the opinions of the forum members here and would appreciate your unvarnished feedback. Am I just a girlie-hunter, or do some of you other hairy-chested he-types feel the same? :thumbsup:

Tell him he shouldn't hunt if he fails to respect the life that he has taken.

Personally, I cringe every time I hear someone use the words "sport" and "hunt" in the same sentence. Calling it a sport cheapens what you are doing. I hunt to provide meat for my family and take my place in nature. Is there a thrill involved in the hunt? Of course there is, no matter if it's a squirrel or a moose, there is a quickening of the blood.

I don't often discuss in public, mainly because my beliefs are my own, but, yes I too make peace with those animals that feed my family and I, the same way that we ask our garden to do it's part and we will do ours. I bury tobacco at every campsite when I leave, as well, and smudge my lodge with sage whenever I go to rendezvous.

...yes, I even thank my Little Brothers--small game--for their gift.

So, you're not alone.

Thanks, this is a good topic.

 

[oomcurt]

I look at it this way. Yeah, maybe it follows the indain traditions....but then, I do think they had the right idea. See, I believe in "honoring" the animals I kill. We are all part of the what is called "food chain". Nothing wrong at all in my opinion as to what you are doing. I guess there is nothing really wrong with the way your friend feels either, but to me...he is missing something. He doesn't have what I would call a "connection". Just like a farmer has a connection to the land he tills so does one that harvests his own meat. For that matter, I personally when I go hunting feel a sort of "oneness" with the land, country, woods, or whereever I am hunting. Sorry if this sounds a bit on the "metaphysical" side but I am willing to bet every good hunter has similar feelings.

 

[BUERICH]

always a good idea at the end of a hunt successful or not to take a moment to give thanks for the animal if you got one, and if nothin else for the patch of woods you're hunting in, and the time you were able to spend there.

 

[roundball]

Or something like it...

When I shoot an animal, I always say a little prayer of thanks before I start butchering. I spend some time with the carcass and contemplate the circle of life and make a point of appreciating the animal's beauty. I also feel a certain sadness at the passing of its life and a sense of loss, but also gratification that it will, in a way, continue to live in me.

I know many Indian tribes have a history of giving thanks when they make a kill, but I'm not trying to emulate them; it's just that my Grandfather taught me that all life is precious and not to be taken lightly. I'm also a Christian who believes in the Biblical idea that men are stewards of the land and the animals and have a responsibility to treat them well. It just feels right to accord the taking of a life a moment of respect.

I ask here because I was recently talking to a fellow about this and he opined I was a "wuss" and shouldn't hunt if I feel this way. I told him that I feel he should be the one to put up his guns if he doesn't appreciate the animals he hunts. I value the opinions of the forum members here and would appreciate your unvarnished feedback. Am I just a girlie-hunter, or do some of you other hairy-chested he-types feel the same? :thumbsup:

The whole buck hunting experience is a very special one to me but I don't view a buck on a spiritual level. When I walk up to one I've shot, I do pause and take it all in, study him, relive the moment, the surroundings, the weather, the woods, drink it all in and enjoy it...it is special and I suppose I could even say that those couple of minutes are almost reverent...but I've never actually felt the notion of giving thanks so to speak.

One other thing I've noticed the past few years since switching to Flintlocks is that I feel a strong connection to the past, thinking "this is how they did it...this is how the settlers did it back then"...a great feeling that I never experienced until I switched to Flintlocks...it's really a significant, memorable experience
:redthumb:

 

[Huntinfool]

It's a good thing to remember the Great Spirit and give him thanks for supplying you with game.

I too feel the connection Roundball I feel it even more when I'm in PC dress!

Chuck

 

[cayugad]

I ask here because I was recently talking to a fellow about this and he opined I was a "wuss" and shouldn't hunt if I feel this way. I told him that I feel he should be the one to put up his guns if he doesn't appreciate the animals he hunts. I value the opinions of the forum members here and would appreciate your unvarnished feedback. Am I just a girlie-hunter, or do some of you other hairy-chested he-types feel the same? :thumbsup:

I see nothing wrong with giving thanks to the Great Spirit or who ever you like after you manage to take an animal. I also do not think a practice such as you describe makes you a "wuss or girlie-hunter."

I think all hunters in their own way, whether they voice their thanks to a special being or reflect on the hunt they just experienced, make their own peace with the animal and themselves. I would never tell someone one way or the other that if they do or do not give "thanks," they are wrong.

The only thing I find unacceptable are those that shoot game and waste it. Poachers are someone I can not abide. Wisconsin I read just, cracked another big poaching case. This group of guys were out shooting deer and turkey at night with a silencer and rifle by spotlight (and letting the animals rot in a storage barn) because they found it to be fun... I hope they are punished to the full extent of the law.

 

Noah, God ordered us to be stewards of the land. I feel much the same as you. I whisper a prayer of thanks to God for my success, or rather His allowing me to be successful in gathering food for my family.

I'm of German extraction and starting a couple years ago I started putting a sprig of greenery in the deers mouth as they do in honoring the animal taken. I can't remember exactly what the Germans use or their reason but it seemed a fitting honor to my lineage and the animal.

Your friend can feel the way he wants. To my way of thinking he is just out to kill a deer and shows no respect for the animal. I don't know if that's wrong but it is certainly disrepectful to the game animals life he just ended. 10 year old boys are much the same.

I also get a rush by using either my caplock or flintlocks. As another poster said, "this is how they did it". [url] Yup...ain[/url]'t it neat!!!!!

Vic

 

[KyFlintlock]

I pray for a safe hunt before going and always thank the good Lord for the hunt and the animal/s, should I have been lucky enough to take some.

I feel the closest to God when I am out in his creation...it sure is a great place to be.

Good luck and safe hunting.
wess

 

[Flint50]

When I make meat for my family, I always thank the critter as well as the Great Spirit, who made all of this possible. I am passing this on to my son, who has hunted with me for as long as he could tote a rifle. My Dad passed it on to me. Its somewhat humbling to me and I truly appreciate the opportunity to bring wild game home to enjoy. For me, it kinda brings everything together: God, Family and the good ol' USA :m2c:

 

[noahmercy]

I thank y'all for sharing your POV's on the issue. Some of your replies made me say, "Yeah! I feel that way, too!" Sometimes I just lack the words.

I believe deep down in my heart of hearts that hunters who feel this affinity for the animals they hunt and the land they hunt them on are more alive than those who don't. They enjoy a closeness to the living world that non-hunters and slob hunters will likely never achieve.

In the couple hours since I posed this question to you fine folks, I spoke to a lady who is one of the best elk hunters I've ever met. How does one or more wapiti a year for 23 years straight grab ya'? And she gives fair chase a new meaning...she puts between 10 and 15 miles a day on her feet in some seriously rugged high country. There are very few men who can make that claim. I asked her feelings on the matter and she told me that the first time she shot an elk, she walked up to the cow and broke into tears, realizing what she'd done. Her husband was with her and didn't say anything about the incident. Next season rolled around and he got his tag. It was sitting out on the table and she saw it and asked him why he hadn't taken her with him to the store so she could get hers. He told her he didn't thinkl she wanted to hunt big game after the last season, since she had broken down after shooting an elk. She explained that just because she had a strong emotional response didn't mean it wasn't fulfilling. She said she still cries every time she shoots one, and the day she doesn't is the day she puts up her hunting rifle. If she feels this way, then I guess being a "girlie-hunter" might not be such a bad thing. :crackup:

 

[vradin]

I hope you don't mind a comment from a non-hunter.

Going back to ancient times, each culture had some way of thanking those dieties they believed in for the provender, either at the time of the kill or at the meal itself- very often both. Even the most brutal cultures, to our modern mentality, said some sort of prayer to a diety for the kill. Ritual slaughter of animals for food in Jewish and Moslem cultures specify not only prayer but also sacrifice for what is given.

Saying a word of thanks is at best an honor to the animal and creator and at the least a common courtesy.

I would worry about the man who does not offer a word of gratitude. It says more about him than he may realize. Religion and faith not withstanding, even the athiest will offer a thank you for a favor, true?

vic

 

[freetrapper20]

I too, say a prayer to give thanks and honor the animal whose life I took. I also sprinkle a bit of tobacco to give something back for what I have taken. It is good to read, that in their own way, many others are doing the same.

 

[Finnwolf]

Sharps,
I am also of German extraction and it has always been the practice in my family to place an evergreen twig in the mouth of the game just harvested and place another one the hunter's hat. I've added my own practice of smearing a small amount of the animal's blood on my forehead.
The name of this tradition is "letzter Bissen" which literally means "last bite" and is a mark of respect to the game. I wear the animals blood out of the woods also as a sign of respect.

Most years, I do not shoot the first deer I see, I usually pass up several before I make the decision to kill. Some years I have made the decision not to kill based on my own reasons. Personally, I have always felt the entire range of emotion after a kill - from remorse over the death of a worthy animal to excitement of the hunt's success to satisfaction for making meat for my family.

Cherish the animal and the habitat that makes him possible and do nothing to disrespect either. Do not worry about what others think about your morals and values. What your elders have taught you is the right thing.
Finnwolf

 

[bob1961]

come to think of it i kinda just pause over the animal and look good at it and have this feeling thats hard to discribe....i don't say a prair or anything like that or maybe deep inside of me i do and not know it....i kinda caress the animal feeling it's coat and fur and how much it's in shape and get some sort of connection to the animal thats just gave it's life to me....ever go to some ones house and they have pig or cow or cat nad dog things all over there house salt and pepper shakers toaster and blender covers....well my animal i have plates of and sculptures of is the great whitetail deer that i honer....along with some nice pictures i even save old calenders for the pictures to frame....that buck that just gave his life to me this past bow season....i look at it every time it's in eye shot or come and go into the room it's mounted in and that day is just replaying itself to me and i never get tired of it....it's just the feeling i get when i'm in the woods hunting and hope i never lose it....as a matter of fact when i'm done with this post i'll be going to bed and going on that red tag hunt i've been talking bout....amen..............bob

 

[brushbuster]

i am of german desent also but, suprisingly ,i never heard of the "letzer bissen" however in honor of my ancesters i will start and pass on that tradition.
i mentioned it on another thread about thanking the animal for giving up his/her meat for my table and i am humbled and greatful there are so many "true" hunters on this forum and i am also honored to be in your presence. :master: :master: :applause: :applause:
i feel that those who do not honor the animals they take nor honor their creator for providing them are nothing more than killers in the worst degree.
i am never closer to my creator than when i am working the soil or sitting in the"quiet" woods watching and learning.
i am getting a little choked up so i better quit :redface:

 

[harryo]

I not only pray to honor the animal I have taken but to thank God for giving me the opportunity and skills to have done so.

 

[jaybeach]

I also thank the Lord for the opportunity to have taken an animal. God has given the animals to man for food, and it's only right that we should be especially grateful when we have the privilege and ability to harvest it for ourselves, rather than getting it out of a can or a plastic-wrapped package.

IM jaybe :thumbsup:

 

[Tahquamenon]

I also celebrate and honor the animal and give thanks.

My very first deer at age 12, at my father's instruction, I drank a few drops of blood from of the heart to eternally bond myself to the spirit of the deer.

Nothing wrong with your ritual whatsoever in my view.

I think many folks give some sort of thanks in some form or another and to some extent. They might not even be conscience of the act or outwardly express and ritual. Most folks are raised to respect life I think or they should be.

Some folks could care less and that is a shame. These folks are as far from knowing nature and the environment as the earth is to the moon.

Taking a life is not an insignificant task. One should respect, appreciate, honor and give thanks for the life that was taken.

:imo:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I am also of German extraction and it has always been the practice in my family to place an evergreen twig in the mouth of the game just harvested and place another one the hunter's hat. I've added my own practice of smearing a small amount of the animal's blood on my forehead.
The name of this tradition is "letzter Bissen" which literally means "last bite" and is a mark of respect to the game. I wear the animals blood out of the woods also as a sign of respect.

Finnwolf & Sharps4590,

I give a prayer of thanksgiving to God as soon as I am at the deer's side. I have been doing the sprig (usually hemlock - always seems to be a hemlock where the deer fall) in the deer's mouth for 25 years. I dip a second one in the blood and tuck it in my hat-band. I never knew the German name for it.

Another hunter a while back told me I should give something of myself to the deer's spirit. The sprig didn't count as the deer already had that. :hmm: A snip of hair, tobacco, a piece of fabric snipped off my clothing, etc. I sometimes chip off a bit of candy bar and offer it with thanks as I usually munch one to get the shakes doen before I pull my knife. Kind of a pagan ritual to some, I imagine. I also imagine such things have been going on between sapient hunters and their prey for 100,000 years. I know of lots of "camps" where your first deer requires your shirt-tail be sliced off. :haha: Wonder how old that tradition really is?

Non-hunting friends are always surprized when I mantion how much I love whitetail or how concerned I am about how they're weathering the winter or disease. They just can't understand how I can kill something I claim to love so much.

Probably everyone reading this understands.