Feelings toward "let's go kill $h!-"

02350FC

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So I have been talking to different friends trying to fuel some interest in big game hunting and wanting to get a good group of guys going and I have heard a few say the quote "let's go kill shit." When I hear this I feel withdrawn immediately. I am analyzing my feeling toward this and I can't decide if I'm being a snow flake about this and being soft or am I right that my feeling and theirs don't match toward hunting. I realize that is what we do but it sounds so disrespectful toward the animal that I almost worship! I definitely have much more of a Native American view on hunting that's for sure. Is this just that they are excited and want to go? Or are they the pioneer type that desimated our herds to begin with? Am I going to be put in a moral vice if I go with this person? Do they respect the animals as I do? These all come to my mind as I think about going then the next set of questions is... when we don't just run out and "kill" something are they going to have the mental terpitude to keep going? Are they going to contribute to scouting? Are they going to bring ANYTHING to the table?

I'm excited to hear back from this group because I know there are a number of you that I may have a clone of your thoughts toward what a sportsman is and what we should be doing.
 
So I have been talking to different friends trying to fuel some interest in big game hunting and wanting to get a good group of guys going and I have heard a few say the quote "let's go kill shit." When I hear this I feel withdrawn immediately. I am analyzing my feeling toward this and I can't decide if I'm being a snow flake about this and being soft or am I right that my feeling and theirs don't match toward hunting. I realize that is what we do but it sounds so disrespectful toward the animal that I almost worship! I definitely have much more of a Native American view on hunting that's for sure. Is this just that they are excited and want to go? Or are they the pioneer type that desimated our herds to begin with? Am I going to be put in a moral vice if I go with this person? Do they respect the animals as I do? These all come to my mind as I think about going then the next set of questions is... when we don't just run out and "kill" something are they going to have the mental terpitude to keep going? Are they going to contribute to scouting? Are they going to bring ANYTHING to the table?

I'm excited to hear back from this group because I know there are a number of you that I may have a clone of your thoughts toward what a sportsman is and what we should be doing.

I totally understand you and if it's someone I just met or don't know too well and is already a "hunter"/"been hunting" and says that then I'm immediately turned off. If it's a person I am making small talk to at a bar, I'll immediately deflect the conversation away from hunting because I'll have no interest in their stories of "slaying deer"... However if it's one of my buddies then yeah it may just be a term of humor and I understand it's used as a joke but ultimately they're extremely respectful of the animals they kill because that's the only type of people I'll hunt with.

If it's someone who's never hunted or let alone shot a gun I believe it's excitement and just them not knowing how to convey that excitement to you/if they're a bro type of friend or city kid then they really won't know how to convey an excitement of the outdoors. Ultimately it's up to you to show them the proper honor and respect of killing an animal. Explaining that yes you may have a clear shot but if you're not comfortable at that range you don't take it, or yes he may be broadside at 50yds but it's 5min past shooting hours so you gotta let em walk, etc.... don't let their excitement/choice of bad words hinder you showing them the proper way of hunting.
 
Just my opinion mind you but I've been hunting and fishing for 50+ years and the only person I hunt with is my son and occasionally my brother. I was lucky I guess in that I never had to find friends to enjoy the outdoors, I always had family and for me that was all I ever needed or wanted. Occasionally a close friend and I fish together and hunted together when we were both younger. For me hunting is a very personal thing and I like to do it my way and won't tolerate anyone who doesn't also do it my way. Bottom line I guess is that those type of companions are sometimes hard to find but I'm sure they're out there. I've never felt compelled to have someone along to make the experience rewarding, in fact other than hunting with my son I prefer to be by myself. Hope it all works out and they see and do things the way you hope they do.
 
I would put more weight on the person saying this than the words they use. If it is some douche bag saying it, I wouldn't go hunt with them. If it is someone that you know and respect, I would go hunt with them.

I know my hunting buddies and I have used similar words before...and we are respectful of the animals and the land. We might say something in the morning like "Y'all get your asses out of bed.....let's go kill something!"
We don't say "Hey guys, let's go out and respect nature and do unto others, yada yada, etc..."
We do that stuff, but we don't speak that way to each other. Maybe we are just low-bred half cavemen, but that is how we roll :)
 
I would put more weight on the person saying this than the words they use. If it is some douche bag saying it, I wouldn't go hunt with them. If it is someone that you know and respect, I would go hunt with them.

I know my hunting buddies and I have used similar words before...and we are respectful of the animals and the land. We might say something in the morning like "Y'all get your asses out of bed.....let's go kill something!"
We don't say "Hey guys, let's go out and respect nature and do unto others, yada yada, etc..."
We do that stuff, but we don't speak that way to each other. Maybe we are just low-bred half cavemen, but that is how we roll :)

No issue with this at all in a private setting, totally has to be taken with context. However, I really don't think it has a place within the hunting media, or even on a personal Facebook page, for example.
 
No issue with this at all in a private setting, totally has to be taken with context. However, I really don't think it has a place within the hunting media, or even on a personal Facebook page, for example.

I totally agree
 
Our group often wakes up in the cabin and has a cup of coffee and eventually as we part ways to get the days hunting started we often say "let's go kill something" or something to that effect. Taken at face value, that's exactly what your plan is that given day. SJW's and anti's are going to get ahold of that by means of social media or something and the context will be removed and that's when it creates turbulence.
 
I depends on the situation and company. Idiots are everywhere and are easy to spot, walk away if its one of those.

A newbie that's just excited is an opportunity to teach, maybe they were not as lucky as you to have someone show them how. Take them and try, see if they are worth putting in the effort into. Mentors go a long way in someone's life and are under used in todays world.

A friend, just shrug your shoulders, call them a idiot, and go hunting. Because face it, you wouldn't be friends if that is how they really acted.
 
Personally, the lets go kill s... mentality along with the over the top excitement after killing an animal, touchdownlike celebratory dance, whatever turns me off. I don't hunt with those guys and don't want to. I don't know their motives for doing it, but to me there seems to be a disrespect and disconnect from the animal, the process of hunting, and the reward of success. I get very excited whenever I harvest an animal, be it a duck or an antelope or my alligator. But that doesn't mean that I have to look like a jack... Instead there is a reverence for the animal that has given its life, a release of the effort it took to get to it, and an appreciation for all that have gone before me doing the same thing (be that my dad and grandpa, TR, or the ancient one who walked before us all.)

I am the furthest from a snowflake and don't think this would put you in that category. You need to decided if it is a nonengotiable for you for someone to act in a certain way. I would rather enjoy the hunt with likeminded guys and not worry about someone ruining it in some way.
 
I'm not sure what "Native American" mentality you are talking about, but I guarantee you they got pretty excited before their buffalo hunts and probably said similar things.

I have probably made the comment before, and will so again. I'll not apologize for being a hunter or killing animals, or enjoying hunting.
 
I'm not sure what "Native American" mentality you are talking about, but I guarantee you they got pretty excited before their buffalo hunts and probably said similar things.

I have probably made the comment before, and will so again. I'll not apologize for being a hunter or killing animals, or enjoying hunting.

A bit of sensitivity overload. mtmuley
 
quote "let's go kill shit." When I hear this I feel withdrawn immediately. I am analyzing my feeling toward this and I can't decide if I'm being a snow flake about this and being soft or am I right that my feeling and theirs don't match toward hunting. I realize that is what we do but it sounds so disrespectful toward the animal that I almost worship! .
,

02350, i think it's more a feeling one gets who spends a lifetime out hunting these critters we love. They grow on us, we know their struggles and respect them more for it. Finally we want to protect what is left from careless killing. With animal numbers shrinking in many places, I think it's a natural feeling to love hunting but wanting to protect, conserve the animal at the same time. Good thread!

edit; my mistake, i wanted to respond to the OP.
 
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I'm not sure what "Native American" mentality you are talking about, but I guarantee you they got pretty excited before their buffalo hunts and probably said similar things.

I didn't say they didn't get excited. But if you read the accounts of how the plains Indians would celebrate after a hunt, there was an honor and respect (reverence) to the dance.

I don't believe anyone is saying we need to apologize for being hunter and enjoying the hunt. However, your expression should be still be within the realm of respectful to the animal. You are certainly free to disagree, which I think the OP was inquiring of when deciding who to associate with. If in your camp you are ok with it, then thats your camp.
 
I have a buddy I hunt a lot with. He says this, but he still respects the animal. He tracked a bull he called for me almost a mile. He was more excited than I when I shot it. It's his personality. When the sh!t hits the fan at work you know it. He'll stop by and vent. I can see how the over the top stuff would turn you off if you didnt know him. He has no filter. He's also the type that is all gung ho on Ted Nugent. When we get to that stuff, just gotta tune him out. That's where some of us get a bad rap.
 
I feel like the attitude is a learned behavior. When I was a kid and just started hunting I probably had more of the "kill shit" mentality. I just wanted to hunt and have a gun in my hand, didn't really care about eating the meat that much but my Dad's rule was generally "you kill it, you eat it". The field dressing, butchering, was always just a chore(sometimes it's still that way! haha).

As I've grown older, learned more, read more, MATURED, etc... I've gained that respect and love for wildlife that I have now. Hell, nowadays I find myself stopping/swerving(within safe circumstances) to avoid hitting a rabbit or squirrel crossing the road...the younger me would have plowed that thing over.

I have a theory in life that people stop maturing and advancing their personality at certain stages. Some people never advance beyond a high school mentality and they seem to hold those same values, attitudes, etc... for almost the rest of their life. The majority of us continue to mature as the result of going to college, starting a career, starting a family, meeting new people, whatever experiences a person may have.

My advice...take your friend hunting. Maybe some of your respect and attitudes will rub off on them.
 
I always really want to fill a tag. Still get excited like a kid when I get to hunt.
Never had a kill it all attitude,well besides the ones that won't ever shoot back.Now.
I learned you eat what you kill. Always felt fortunate to fill a tag.
In my cabin or in a hunt camp with my few old hunt buddies,if someone would have said ,"Let's go kill sh!t" everyone would have laughed at them.As for sure if you said that,you would not be filling a tag...lol
Let's go see if we can fill a tag. That's my silent motto to myself.
 
As someone else mentioned, it matters a lot who it is coming from. A good buddy of mine says stuff like this a lot and it makes me wince every time, but he has the utmost respect for the animals and the hunt. I honestly can't figure out if he is making fun of ignorant bros, or is just an idiot. Regardless, I know how he really feels and acts, so I just ignore it.

Random guy I don't know - I would be looking for a way out of the conversation.
 

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