Choice Of Words

[ruffcountry]

We should not be ashamed to say “kill.” It's a sad day when we must revert to using euphemisms to describe what we do. We fool no one -- especially anti-hunters -- when we say “harvest” or something equally awful.

 

Bill Quimby

 

 

Right on Mr. Bill . ..We can be proud of what we do and who we are , all this PC crap is ruining our country and if you think any thing can be gained by trying to appease ARA (animal rights activist) then you really should stop smoking that stuff .

 

Did anyone really wonder where I would come down on this issue?

[COOSEFAN]

i've always been proud to say i'm a hunter and have always felt that the word kill is an appropriate word to use when describing my hunts. what we are doing is putting ourselves in smaller and smaller boxes by limiting the words we use outta fear someones "feelings" are gonna get hurt. i think just the opposite of what you guys do. when we hide behind words like harvest,take or bag we restrict open and free speech and give into the oppositions arguements that they are right. i hate political correctness. say what you mean and mean what you say.

 

I totally agree with this. But it doesn't change the fact I always watch what I say in certain situations so as not to hurt anyones feelings. Maybe I'm wrong for doing that but it's just who I am. Doesn't mean I am any less proud of who I am or what I do! I work with people who are anti's and I always, out of respect for them and their right to their opinion, watch what I say around them. They respect me and do the same in return. I honestly don't see what's wrong with that.

[dds]

Mike,

 

I too prefer the word harvest because I believe it better describes how I want to be perceived as a hunter, not a killer. The word harvest implies that something died, but it also connotes the REASON(s) that it died. To me, the word kill simply does not fully describe the acts of a hunter; rather, it spotlights the death of an animal without illuminating the REASON(s) that animal died. For us that understand, the word kill works fine, but for those that do not, I believe harvest does us more justice.

 

IMO we do not need to use the right words to be politically correct, but we need to use words that better describe the REASON(s) we are hunters.

 

That said, I hope to harvest a big ol' buck this weekend! Good luck to everyone out there.

[KGAINES]

Guys I agree with a lot of what is said and I hate to say it but an anti doesn't give a darn what words we use, we could make up words to describe what we do and they would still take offense, the word hunt in their book is derogatory. It isn't the words we use that upsets them it is the act itself, truthfully I don't care. I will say this though if you post something to the effect of the rabbit blew apart when I shot it with the ... as opposed to the new bullet I used didn't or did work as I wanted to on the rabbit, can cause different reactions from certain people. It is all PC and we are never going to make friends of the antis, but a little caution wouldn't hurt to keep the non hunters from being anti hunters.

[wklman]

what i don't like is that when you start limiting what you say around people then you limit your opportunities to change there perspectives about hunting. people aren't stupid, they know what hunting is all about,bang, animal dead.when i speak from my heart and am open with what i say i change more minds then when i try to sugarcoat it by useing fluffy words.most people see through these words and call me out on it when i use them.i never pull any punches and tell them straight up the way i feel.i tell them i hunt because i love to. i eat what i kill because i know where its been and who butchered it (myself). sometimes a little eye opening is good for people.

 

 

P.S. "harvest" is what you do with corn, beets,barley,oats and alfalfa in the fall

[billrquimby]

"I'm intrigued by this.....maybe it's cause I'm a few sandwiches short of a picnic.........but is it just because these words or phrases are not the correct word to use when describing death? So professionally it would be wrong to use the wrong word? Or is it just because it doesn't sound right? Thanks for your input! JIM>"

 

 

Jim:

 

Euphemisms, whether describing death or anything else, are not only unprofessional but also a coward's way out.

 

Those who feel more comfortable saying they "harvested" an animal because four-letter words such as "kill" and "hunt" may piss off our enemies might want to consider calling themselves "harvesters."

 

Bill Quimby

[COOSEFAN]

Thank you for your thoughts on the subject Mr. Quimby. JIM>

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

Wow..... I must say I never thought that I would see such opposite opinions on this thread....

 

Mr. Q and Tony..... You guys are on the forefront of the written hunting world and I never thought about these things the way that you do..... and it has a ring of solid truth. I think I speak for many of us, when I say, that both your words and opinions are always respected and well thought of. In this case, I honestly do not agree. I do, however, see the wisdom in what you are pointing at and drawing from. But..... I believe the softer people of todays world require softer wording. I do not think it Cowardly to harvest a deer... which is what I do.... I kill coyotes and prairie dogs..... I harvest the animals that I eat.... and I did (when it was legal), harvest fur bareing animals. You see, they are a renewable resource, and sustenance in my life... just like corn, apples, and wheat. I consider the killing part of hunting the ends to a means and a very small part of the process, not unlike that of a farmer butchering a chicken for dinner. I go afield today more for the hunt itself than the harvest, or kill.... to me killing is random, to harvest means that I chose that one animal and removed it from the field, very similar to how you would pick (harvest) an apple off a tree full of apples. It is a term that has completely different meaning in my life... and is a good, wholesome term that correctly depicts who I am as a hunter. As a management tool, hunters are harvesting a crop of animals that would otherwise in short order, over populate its shrinking habitat..... and without the hunter generated proceeds of that crop, there would be little or no management at all.

 

I thank everyone who has posted on this thread. It is all a very good read and all well said.

[GameHauler]

Thank You Gino,

I sure wish I could talk like that.

You sumed it up very well my friend

And thank you to everyone else for their input,

that is what this place is all about.

 

also, lets all take moment to do what ever we do to wish our fellow hunters a safe and succesful opening day.

Mike

[COOSEFAN]

Wow..... I must say I never thought that I would see such opposite opinions on this thread....

 

Mr. Q and Tony..... You guys are on the forefront of the written hunting world and I never thought about these things the way that you do..... and it has a ring of solid truth. I think I speak for many of us, when I say, that both your words and opinions are always respected and well thought of. In this case, I honestly do not agree. I do, however, see the wisdom in what you are pointing at and drawing from. But..... I believe the softer people of todays world require softer wording. I do not think it Cowardly to harvest a deer... which is what I do.... I kill coyotes and prairie dogs..... I harvest the animals that I eat.... and I did (when it was legal), harvest fur bareing animals. You see, they are a renewable resource, and sustenance in my life... just like corn, apples, and wheat. I consider the killing part of hunting the ends to a means and a very small part of the process, not unlike that of a farmer butchering a chicken for dinner. I go afield today more for the hunt itself than the harvest, or kill.... to me killing is random, to harvest means that I chose that one animal and removed it from the field, very similar to how you would pick (harvest) an apple off a tree full of apples. It is a term that has completely different meaning in my life... and is a good, wholesome term that correctly depicts who I am as a hunter. As a management tool, hunters are harvesting a crop of animals that would otherwise in short order, over populate its shrinking habitat..... and without the hunter generated proceeds of that crop, there would be little or no management at all.

 

I thank everyone who has posted on this thread. It is all a very good read and all well said.

 

Thank You Gino.......that's my stand point exactly and my own personal beliefs as well. VERY well written dude! It is amazing how different we feel about certain words.......I didn't have any clue there would be such a difference in oppinion on the word "harvest"!

 

Also to add to what I have said earlier........I try as much as I can to treat everyone the same as how I want to be treated....... for instance my co-workers......It's out of respect that I don't go around talkin' about Killin' this or Killin' that, I know they don't want to hear it and it would only start a fight if I did! I'm not out there trying to convert anti-hunters either........they can beleive what they want, and I will respect them as long as they keep their mouth shut and be as respectful as I am. If not..........I can dish it out as good as the rest of em' when it comes down to it....but why instigate it!

 

Thanks again for everyones input on this, It's very interesting JIM>

[Hunterdan]

Wow..... I must say I never thought that I would see such opposite opinions on this thread....

 

Mr. Q and Tony..... You guys are on the forefront of the written hunting world and I never thought about these things the way that you do..... and it has a ring of solid truth. I think I speak for many of us, when I say, that both your words and opinions are always respected and well thought of. In this case, I honestly do not agree. I do, however, see the wisdom in what you are pointing at and drawing from. But..... I believe the softer people of todays world require softer wording. I do not think it Cowardly to harvest a deer... which is what I do.... I kill coyotes and prairie dogs..... I harvest the animals that I eat.... and I did (when it was legal), harvest fur bareing animals. You see, they are a renewable resource, and sustenance in my life... just like corn, apples, and wheat. I consider the killing part of hunting the ends to a means and a very small part of the process, not unlike that of a farmer butchering a chicken for dinner. I go afield today more for the hunt itself than the harvest, or kill.... to me killing is random, to harvest means that I chose that one animal and removed it from the field, very similar to how you would pick (harvest) an apple off a tree full of apples. It is a term that has completely different meaning in my life... and is a good, wholesome term that correctly depicts who I am as a hunter. As a management tool, hunters are harvesting a crop of animals that would otherwise in short order, over populate its shrinking habitat..... and without the hunter generated proceeds of that crop, there would be little or no management at all.

 

I thank everyone who has posted on this thread. It is all a very good read and all well said.

 

WOW should we say Professor CnS, That was put very well and I completely agree!!!

[Rembrant]

When I talk to hunters, I say Cooos. When I talk to scientists like Amanda, I say Cows. Different audiences require different languages.

When I'm talking to a hunter, I may say, "Yep that bear was laying under that pinon tree like a deer. I took my time and took my best shot at his boiler room. He sprang up and ran as if I missed him! I shot three more times and he dissapeared. Turns out, the first shot was perfect and he only went 60 yds and died.

When I'm talking to a non-hunter I say I put a well placed shot in the heart lung area and the bear expired in a matter of seconds (which is also the truth).

I don't talk to anti-hunters. Sometimes in the art business I unknowingly wind up talking to them, and until I know who I'm talking to, they are all non-hunters. And like Keith said, it don't matter what you say to anti-hunters, when they find out that you may be willing, to possibly, some day, maybe, kill an animal, they become irate and run screaming off into the sunset.

I hate political correctness - hate it!!! There is a gigantic part of me that totally agrees with Bill and Tony. However, most of our modern population lives in the city and are completely ignorant about hunting. I don't think it would hurt us too much to be careful about how our words may sway future attitudes and VOTES that may directly affect our future hunting opportunities.

I am careful to put a bucks' tongue back in his mouth before snapping that pic, and I'll show that pic to anyone who wants to see it and not to those who don't. So we're stuck with way too many people that think wildlife is just like a Disney movie, when we know that the West wasn't won with a water pistol.

Heaven forbid we ever become politically correct and yield the truth to nonsense, but at the same time, there is nothing wrong with being wise.

Great topic, Great responses!

Mike

[DesertBull]

Please do not take this as bashing your thread, I COMPLETELY understand where you are coming from, but this is my view-

 

Political Correctness is like penetrating oil. If you allow it to, it will gravitate into every nook and cranny of our lives.

 

We harvest corn.

We kill animals.

 

If someone gives you grief about it, just look at their shoes, their belt, their car seats, their diet, their medications, their makeup, etc.... No one on this planet lives a life completely free of KILLING other living things.

[Noel Arnold]

I do not harvest a black widow spider when I STOMP IT WITH MY SHOE.I kill it.I respect your opinions,but I would have to agree with Tony and Bill.After Adam and Eve ate the fruit,God put these animals for us to kill and eat.

Noel

[dds]

I do not harvest a black widow spider when I STOMP IT WITH MY SHOE.I kill it.I respect your opinions,but I would have to agree with Tony and Bill.After Adam and Eve ate the fruit,God put these animals for us to kill and eat.

Noel

 

 

 

Noel,

 

Did you eat the Black Widow spider?!