Deer hunting with bow

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ajac

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I’m wondering if it is ok for me to go bow hunting for deer. I have heard that it is sinful to cause unnecessary pain to animals, and if you think about it, bow hunting is obviously unnecessary. If you miss the shot, the animal can have a lot of pain and suffer. Also, there are more efficient ways to hunt a deer such as with a gun where the animals will have even less pain and die more quickly. Thoughts?
 
imo, if you harvest the animal w/ humane intent & use the meat, it is certainly no sin

deer are an extreme nuisance , at least where i live. the deer population needs to be controlled
 
If you’re able, I think it’s always best to go with the less painful option. That being said, I doubt it could be considered sinful to hunt with a bow unless you desire and intend to cause the animal to suffer. Intention has a lot to do with “weighing” sin.
 
I’ve wondered that also,l enjoy some hunting but only for the freezer and only with a quick end. my brother in law talked of deer hunting,and I was appalled to hear of them having to track a deer for a long time as it would run off with an arrow some distance before succumbing.😦
 
I don’t think it’s a sin to respectfully harvest the goods of the earth.
Get proper training, follow regulations and make sure your skill is in top form to cause least distress to the animal. Use the meat as @brian_custer stated.

My son-in-law is a bow hunter. He hunts from a blind built in a tree. Only takes a shot when a deer is very close under him and at the right angle for a quick kill.
 
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a wolf or coyote would treat a wounded deer no differently.

yes, humans have ethics & morals, BUT so long as as you are not deliberately torturing the animal; i fail to see a problem
 
I apriciated very much learning about unessasary suffering from my father a farmer and hunter.If you’re going to kill something,kill it quickly.
I wonder what St Francis would recommend
 
Well duh. Most modern hunting is a sport. I know that originally hunting was a way to get meat, but noways it’s more of a ceremonial thing.
 
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brian_custer said:
imo, if you harvest the animal w/ humane intent & use the meat, it is certainly no sin

deer are an extreme nuisance , at least where i live. the deer population needs to be controlled
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Perhaps I’d make allowances for our own Aboriginal people here in Australia to hunt their traditional ancient way when they kill kangaroos,and your native people too hunting deer ,but hmm,bow hunting roo’s then tracking them to finish them off as a means of culling or sport for non aboriginal no.
 
do you have deer in australia? in the USA they destroy agriculture and are a serious highway road hazard
 
We do actually,I see some dead by the road around here,they are introduced and have gone feral in the mountains.
Kangaroos do a heap of damage in the same ways and there are culling programs to keep population down.
I had to get the car repaired recently after hitting one.
I’d probably see at least 5 dead ones on the way to town 15 minutes from here.
The steaks and sausages in the supermarket weren’t as tasty as venison 🙂
 
I spent a good deal of time gearing up for hunting when I was in high school and wanted to try bowhunting. But when I heard how bowhunting works, I decided against it. Deer hunting arrow heads are essentially four-way razor blades. When the arrow impacts and the beast takes off, it makes the arrow bounce, which makes the embedded arrow head slash around inside the guts of the animals. The most humane kill is to hit the animal in the heart, and failing that, the lungs. The arrow would shred the vital organ(s) in a few hundred yards, and drop down. You then track the beast following blood loss. And possibly have to dispatch it with a knife if it’s still clinging to life.

This sounds pretty gruesome and terrifying to me. I don’t know if I can say this is sinful per se. But a clean rifle shot is certainly more merciful. I don’t think I could talk myself into choosing a method of kill that generally inflicts more pain simply because I find it more sporting/fun.

But, like, if you were lost in the woods and happened to have a bow and needed to hunt to survive then I wouldn’t blame anyone for bow hunting.
 
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The most humane method is a blow to the central nervous system, like in a slaughter house. Since this can’t be achieved with confidence when hunting, it’s always a shot to the chest area with prayer for a quick death. Even with a rifle you have little certainty of hitting the heart. You still track the animal and may need to finish the job with a knife.

Most pain receptors are on the exterior so you shouldn’t be concerned that a razor tipped arrow accelerates bleed and death, you are not adding suffering. This is just what hollow points are intended to do (expand the damage zone)

As long as you know your weapon and only take shots with a high confidence, and use the meat, I don’t see any moral difference.
 
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Theo520 said:
The most humane method is a blow to the central nervous system
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Every bit as humane would be a bullet to the brain. It just painlessly flips off the life switch. There are two potential drawbacks however for attempting head shots.

First, the target is small, increasing the chance that the hunter will miss and possibly just wound the animal. Second (and this is of no importance to me), for trophy hunters, it ruins the mount.
 
Think about whether you’d rather be killed by a bullet or an arrow and let that inform your decision.
 
TechieGuy said:
Think about whether you’d rather be killed by a bullet or an arrow and let that inform your decision.
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A gut shot with an arrow is probably a quicker death than equal placement with a bullet. Both are fairly quick with a good chest shot.
 
Well there you go. Although if one is making gut shots on a deer, more target practice might be in order behore hunting season starts.
 
I agree, you need a much higher skill level to hunt well with a bow!
But for some, they like the challenge and practice accordingly.
 
THE DEER POPULATION NEEDS TO BE CONTROLLED

hunting is prob the best way to do that; unless you want the 5 lb foxes or 20 lb coyotes to do the job (which they won’t)

give the meat to the homeless
 
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