Hunters.....how many of you bless your animal for giving up it's life to sustain your own?
Curious
Hunters.....how many of you bless your animal for giving up it's life to sustain your own?
I do..........
I don't really bless them but I do respect them. Because in the end they really didn't give their life, I kinda had a part in taking it.
I don't take it for granted.
Probably no more than the average wolf, but then I don't hunt for trophies. I only kill when I need to to eat
True enough, my final home is still out there, but this is most certainly my home range and I love it. I love every rock I fall off and tree I trip over. Even when I am close to dying from exhaustion, a beautiful sunset doesn't lose it's power to refresh and inspire me and that, in itself, is enough to save me sometimes.
I have never killed anything to eat. If I do , I would certainly give my thanks for its sacrifice.
The animal has not been given a choice in the matter. It has not made the sacrifice nor willingly given up it's life to sustain yours. Some animals have given up their lives to protect their young and I believe it's as far as they'll go.
It is good to be mindful of and bless the life you take, IF you must. But if you don't have to (because you're life depends on it), then save going through the motions.
I always do as well, and I don't kill anything I don't intend to eat.....save maybe varmints and vermin.
Part of the circle of life, although there are some that find the whole process of killing and eating any kind of living thing unacceptable.
It not going thru the motions, and a part of life.
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Evoking the 50 year old rule...
First 50 years...worried about the small stuff...second 50 years....Not so much
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"probably no more than the average wolf"? Really!? So you consider yourself at that level of consciousness and awareness? Not that wolves are dumb because animals feel ALL the same emotions as we do, but they have no other choice....you do.
Kill only what you need.
And that's precisely why I'm vegetarian.Originally Posted by CloudDancer
Oh, that's all good and well to YOU! But what do the veggies think?
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I've never blessed or thanked the animal but I have many times thanked God for providing me the animal and for the skill to take it.
I always thank and make ceremony for my kills, thank the Creator for providing sustenance.
Never have killed for pleasure or for other than food.
Always carry tobacco with me, for ceremony and some pleasure.
Even when out and about and I come across a deceased animal, I will lay tobacco and a prayer for them.
Bear Clan
I was born with nothing,
with hard work and deligence I still have most of it
this week a lot less...must be a hole in my pocket
I think that most people in this culture (especially urban) would do well to switch to vegetarianism but it would be really difficult to live on it in a survival situation. The problem with vegetarianism is that your body gets to where it doesn't manage meat very well. Ina survival situation, you don't have time to re-adapt to meat and, in a survival situation, you don't need digestive problems.
CloudDancer - I might just have more free choice than most. Most people sorta stumble through life rarely becoming aware of their surroundings and then only when they have to. They make automatic decisions based on feelings that arise from that intuitive part of their mind called a conscience. Since I have no conscience, I have to actually think things out. I am a Christian, so my thoughts factor in a moral system that greatly values relationships with other people. I'm also a shaman so I include the rest of creation into my considerations. I don't feel sorry for things I kill to eat. I do respect them while they're alive, though (probably more than most since I don't think of myself as particularly above them and I don't think of them as cute toys to play with). And I'm grateful for what I get. Something's going to get me someday, also. I'm not going to hate them if they're a person any more than if it's a rock that I'm not paying attention to that rolls over on me.
Last edited by WolfVanZandt; 09-30-2013 at 03:58 AM.
True enough, my final home is still out there, but this is most certainly my home range and I love it. I love every rock I fall off and tree I trip over. Even when I am close to dying from exhaustion, a beautiful sunset doesn't lose it's power to refresh and inspire me and that, in itself, is enough to save me sometimes.
When you ask a question you must know you are apt to receive replies that are contrary to your beliefs. What if someone would have said, "heck no". Asking a question then sitting in judgement of the answer is probably not the best approach to having questions answered going forward.
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No, I don't.
I've taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me, send money.
http://www.youtube.com/user/FinallyMe78?feature=mhee
Nope. I definitely don't and would never consider it.
I am not one with nature, and although my outlook/beliefs mirror many components of my partial Cree/Algonquin heritage, i consider the concept of honouring an animal for sacrificing itself to be foolish.
As others have said, that animal did not choose to offer hunters its life. They snuck up on the poor bugger and blew 180 grains of metal into its vitals at 2000 feet per second or drove a razor sharp broadhead deep into its innards.
The animal in question did not see them dying of hunger and malnutrition on the forest floor and flop itself onto their weakly held knife in selfless sacrifice.
I hunt as one of the many ways I get to enjoy nature. I also manage a woodlot, make maple syrup, hike, produce stunning nature photography, etc.
More and more I hunt for subsistence. Not because I can't afford grocery items, but because the over processing of EVERYTHING in groceries has become so dangerous. I've noticed more and more that I can't eat store-bought meats - i get sick within the hour.
However, organically raised livestock and wild harvested game animals are delicious and don't bother me at all.
My belief system does not allow me to consider the animal I just killed blessed in anyway.
I am grateful for the life I have taken. I am thankful for a successful hunt and that my aim was true and my hand was steady. I hunt with my family and I enjoy the time in the woods and with my family in camp.
But, lets be fair here. Meat is meat. Other than the hard work put in to harvest and process an animal. At the end of the day it is meat.
Do you bless the burger, fillet O'fish, or tuna salad before you eat it? What about that Bug or spider you squash? What about that tree, bush or flower? I don't kill anything to just kill it. But, when there is a purpose it doesn't bother me in the least.
I have more guilt for ordering a greasy sack of food from McDonald's then I do for eating an animal I harvest.
I think I can equate thankfulness and blessings to what Christians do when saying grace.
I also am thankful when at MacDonald's, many are not as lucky, in my own way saying grace.
Bear Clan
I was born with nothing,
with hard work and deligence I still have most of it
this week a lot less...must be a hole in my pocket
Hmm some good points about the animal not willingly givin up its life. I guess that's kind of like a bully beating up a kid for lunch money then genuinely thanking him for it..
Well it seems that someone has a opinion.....LOL.
I agree to disagree with you.
Geezer Squad....Charter Member #1
Evoking the 50 year old rule...
First 50 years...worried about the small stuff...second 50 years....Not so much
Member Wahoo Killer knives club....#27
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