Not an anti-hunting guy at all, other than trophy hunters (**** those people), but I always find it strange that people justifying killing "nuisance" animals because "human lives are endanger." Humans just continue to expand more and more, taking up more and more of wildlife habitat and areas in which they can live. Pretty soon people are going to be making underwater homes in shark-infested waters and start killing sharks because of the "threat to human life" and how the sharks are "invading human real estate."

Maybe there is something I don't understand, and I'm sure somebody who does this for a living has all this canned material/practice from having had these kinds of discussions before to completely destroy me, but from my potentially uneducated position, the whole "protecting human lives" and **** is kind of a joke. Yes, the bear could be a genuine threat, so I don't mean it from that POV, but animals have less and less habitat because POS humans keep taking more and more of it.

The only good thing is, once humans are done killing all of the animals, they'll only have themselves left to kill (and let's be honest, they're already doing a pretty good job of that anyways).

inb4 soyboy, low test, blah blah

My first time using imgur from mobile. Let me know if this imbeds/ you can see it. Clients name is Brad



doesnt work for me on desktop. ffs

fixed

Thanks. I reposted it my usual way. I fukn repel technology. If you had any idea what i did wrong, id be appreciative.

never had a smartphone so I cannot help here lol

Sounds interesting. I grew up hunting and fur trapping. A few years back when the fur market was good I actually ran a decent line. Now I pretty much only nuisance trap muskrats and beavers That are doing damage at my fishing lakes, and raccoons for a few farmers where I deer hunt. I’m guessing you use a solid anchor point rather than a drag for the foot snare?

Ya, a few years back it was good. Now castor is about the only thing worth anything. I hit 95 beaver a few years back, plus fisher, marten otter and some other stuff.

If you are hunting there, gotta keep the farmers happy.

I'll still trap to manage the line, but about the only thing needs to be knocked down a bit is Coyote and wolf. Deer population is pretty down here.

Yes, for bear a good anchor point is a must. If I happen to want a challenge I will try foothold trapping wolves and there a log clog type drag is preferred

Do you find it curious being more health and fitness minded and hanging out with the "fudds", for lack of a better term?

With the exception of mountain guys most hunters and especially trappers are not in the best shape and look at life a bit differently than guys who lift. Its only apparent when its time to move something heavy lol

Got him.



Will update.

Got him.



Will update.

I am betting a bit under 300 lbs. Homeowner is relieved since he is leaving thursday.

Can someone rotate this? Feet to top of head hung he is well over six feet. Cool/hang for a few days and then butcher.

In traditional native Ojibway religion, one must always leave tobacco when you take something from nature. I am not of that religion, but when I go back for my traps I will leave some. From my studies on it, leaving tobacco is simply a way of acknowledging that you took something from nature, and you must give back in some way. The act means nothing, but the idea is reinforced by it.

Fuuuarrrkkk. Love that V marking
]

I know there is a kind of permanent gun thread, cycling thread, and a fishing thread, but I have never seen a hunting / outdoors thread?

Anything you outdoor/ hunting brahs would be interested in?

whats your favorite wild meat OP

I wouldn't say desensitize. I will break it down in points that hopefully make sense. Your average person who kills things might not give it much thought, but I think about a lot. (sorry for dear diary)

1. I think it comes down to an overall uneasiness the average person has to killing in general. Its an uncomfortable topic.

2. I think that people in general are desensitized to their food, and what we use animals for. If it is leather and you wear it, or meat and you eat it people ignore the fact that the animal killed was a life. It lived, breathed, ate food and pooped. Everyone wants to eat the burger, no one wants to meet the cow. Some activists the other day had a campaign where they were protesting with a challenge to people at a restaurant. The challenge was, if there was a live animal, could you kill it, and then eat your steak? Their point was, the average person could and would not. My point is that if people want to eat meat they should be able to pull the trigger. Pretty hypocritical otherwise to eat meat, wear leather and judge me.

3. If you don't feel something when taking an animals life, you shouldn't be doing it. Killing is always the worst part of hunting or trapping. Every time I kill something I do get a small pang of sadness. Empathy is what makes us human. No feeling anything when taking a life is borderline sociopathic. Animals do not feel bad when they kill something, nor do they know they cause other animals pain. This can be debatable I guess in the higher level animals such as elephants, as we know they exhibit emotion, but that is generally directed toward others of the same kind, not prey species among predators. Once the animal is dead, butchering it and processing the meat is easy. There is no life anymore, and I respect the animal as much as possible by putting in the work skinning or butchering it to make sure I use as much of it as I can.

4. In Canada all traps we use must be certified. Traps are divided into two categories. Kill style traps, and live restraint traps. Kill traps are like giant mousetraps, and must render the target species unconscious in 120 seconds or less. Restraint traps are traps like footholds and foot snares which are designed to hold the animal without undue discomfort. There are many modifications made to allow this, plus ways to set them to avoid discomfort. these traps also must be checked daily. There are volumes written about minimizing foot damage with various traps, but the take home is the days of animals chewing their feet off are over. I have witnessed no foot damage in things I have trapped. You often cant tell which foot it was caught by and the animal is able to be released healthy if it is a non target species or undesirable for another reason.

5. A life is a life isn't it? The cuteness factor for things like bears and wolves is certainly high. I often let spiders out of the house. I have no need to kill them. if populations are sustainable, and there is a good reason I don't believe there should be restrictions on killing them. Any restrictions should be based on management and maintaining a healthy population over reasons related to emotion. The same people who trap a mouse or spray an ants nest with RAID don't want me killing a nuisance beaver when the beaver might be doing far more damage than the mice or ants. Rats are yukky, kill them. Hamsters are cute, feed them....

6. Humane trapping and dispatch is paramount. Certified traps help ensure quick kills and no painful restraint. Instantly dispatching a critter with a .22 or shooting a deer with an arrow or gun is a quick death. In the wild, animals are not afforded this. Wolves and coyotes will chase a deer for hours and even days. I followed a deer once that drug its own intestines for miles after being opened up by wolves. It is easier for a pack of wolves to tear the ass out of a deer or moose and then back off and let it bleed out or die from septic shock, then just walk up and eat it, dead or not once it can't kick them any more. Fish are eaten alive by Osprey, frogs swallowed alive by snakes. My methods are far more humane than most animals can expect otherwise.

7. I put human life above animals. If someone's property is being damaged, or life or wellbeing is being threatened, I am legally allowed to deal with it. I am also morally able to kill an animal for the reasons I hope I have explained. I think however that it is a last resort. Remember, I don't LIKE killing things and would prefer to solve it another way depending on the situation. I have rubber bullets that have proven somewhat effective at restoring a bears fear of humans. A fear that will keep them alive. A fed bear is a dead bear. If I am going to eat the animal I am far more willing to kill it. Mid summer I don't really have any way to cool a big game animal carcass so killing them is awkward. Plus they smell really bad mid summer lol.

On spread but that is awesome. Sorry if this has been mentioned, but you're going to gut the bear and then let him cool/hang, right?
Also did you say you pretty much only make burger meat from bear, due to parasites? Just checking in case I ever get one.