Will I vomit?

[Tigs]

i remember my first kill, it was a rabbit i was only 12 at the time and the guilt made me cry!! but its something you learn to live with and its not the worst guilt you have to live with .

[Martin200261]

(17 August 2012, 13:34)Barneyboy Wrote: good luck for that , the first kill is the hardest just think of it as meat but make sure you get a clean kill trust in you equipment and relax when you take the shot.as for skining it dont worry about getting your hands messy get on with it let us no how it went

You're dead right, the first kill is definitely the hardest. When we first decided to keep a few chickens I got landed with the job of slaughtering, of course, while missus decides she needs to leave the house lol. Took me about 40 minutes to overcome my squeamishness and finally kill the first bird, not so bad after that. Just needed the confidence that I'd kill cleanly and not cause unnecessary suffering by botching the job.

Once the animal is dead then it's just meat (and mess) so no problems there. Good luck prepaday, hope it goes well and you gain another lifesaving skill

[Prepaday]

Things I achieved tonight whilst hunting...
1...picked up a dead bunny
2...Slit bunny's tummy
3... gutted said bunny
Did I killa bunny? No, I had an air rifle with a range of about 3 cm grrr.
The 2 guys had shot guns with a much, much longer range.
I had one chance to sh oot a bunny but by the time I had put the dead rabbit I was carrying for the other guy down, the bunny did a runner into the bushes.
I want a shot gun...............................
Considering I didn't shoot anything, I overcame some of my fears
I now can gut a rabbit

[Paul]

Good for you. Wasn't so bad after all then.

Airgun shooting bunnies is mainly a static event for me. You either go and stalk them (which has it's challenges) or you settle down and wait for them to come to you i.e. ambush.
Shot gunners do neither IMO, they just shoot at what they see moving or not.
Personally I don't like breaking teeth on the one shotgun pellet I missed when cleaning the bunny ready for the pot and then my table.
Besides it takes a lot more skill with an airgun because you only have one pellet at a time.

[Prepaday]

I felt so free last night and hope I can go back. The fresh air, green fields, no rush, just wandering about, the beautiful sunset, I could have stayed out all night ...It was bliss, My house is a mad house and full of noise ALL the time, It made a refreshing change to be
ME instead of mum, girlfriend ETC.
The only drawback, going through nettles with no sleeves and the electric fence for the cows! Had to take a running jump at that and JUST cleared it..
I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY wanna go back

[Tigs]

it can be addictive

[Barneyboy]

nice one

[Hrusai]

glad your enjoying it your new journey is just beginning ^^

one of my favourite things to do once in a while is to go to this forest nearby which has a huge gorge and waterfall in it and no one about, and then sprint as fast as i can across the forest, jumping bank to bank, across the gorge dodging trees, when you get your momentum up you feel so free ^^

anyway keep on hunting, try different methods, practise your shooting and go walking alot, learn about your surrounding countryside, learn the areas certain animals are prolific, trails and that sorta stuff

[Prepaday]

Don't know if I should mention it or not...One of the guys shot a fox...He said it's legal and the farmers would thank him as they eat chickens.
He also said, the fox would eat the rabbits he was hunting.
My question is....If the fox eats the rabbits, surely that's good for the farmers, no rabbits, no chomped crops? Why do folk hunt foxes if the fox keeps the rabbit population down?

[Hrusai]

(19 August 2012, 13:15)Prepaday Wrote: Don't know if I should mention it or not...One of the guys shot a fox...He said it's legal and the farmers would thank him as they eat chickens.
He also said, the fox would eat the rabbits he was hunting.
My question is....If the fox eats the rabbits, surely that's good for the farmers, no rabbits, no chomped crops? Why do folk hunt foxes if the fox keeps the rabbit population down?

because they are a nuisance and eat livestock like chickens and tend to chew and break things, also if you shoot 1 fox it makes room for another fox so its fairly pointless trying to control the population, foxes also occasionally kill new born lambs which is definitely a nuisance

also it is legal there are only 2 methods of fox control that is legal;

1. Shooting (with (a) rifle or (b) shotgun);
2. Trapping (with legal snares or live cage traps).

Terriers may also be used to flush foxes from below ground to be shot but only to protect game birds that are being preserved to be shot.

hope that helps