We started with two rabbits one spring and ended with over 100 the following summer. They bred like, like rabbits. They started in a cage as pets, but soon their reproductivity was out of control. Incestuous, dirty little bunnies. We couldn't afford to keep feeding them, so we let them go into the wild.
They were no longer pets. They were vermin. One afternoon, my dad had a craving for rabbit stew. He gave me his 12 gauge and told me to go fetch one. There were plenty of them. Their white furry coats could be seen from 200 yards. It was my job to bring supper home. Coming home empty handed was not an option for this 13 year old boy. I had to prove to my dad that I was a man. That I could be trusted with taking care of my family by putting food on the table. Probably partly egotistical, partly stupid, I walked slowly toward the woods and got within 20 yards of the biggest red eyed albino bunny I had ever seen. As he wondered what the little guy with the big piece of steel was doing, I was taking aim for his head. I pulled the trigger. He let out a squeal, kicked about 10 times and lied motionless in the grass.
They were no longer pets. They were vermin. One afternoon, my dad had a craving for rabbit stew. He gave me his 12 gauge and told me to go fetch one. There were plenty of them. Their white furry coats could be seen from 200 yards. It was my job to bring supper home. Coming home empty handed was not an option for this 13 year old boy. I had to prove to my dad that I was a man. That I could be trusted with taking care of my family by putting food on the table. Probably partly egotistical, partly stupid, I walked slowly toward the woods and got within 20 yards of the biggest red eyed albino bunny I had ever seen. As he wondered what the little guy with the big piece of steel was doing, I was taking aim for his head. I pulled the trigger. He let out a squeal, kicked about 10 times and lied motionless in the grass.
My first kill was a rabbit. I brought my bounty home proudly. Then my old man threw a curve ball at me. He said, "You killed it, you gut it and skin it". What? I thought that was dad's job. I killed it. He always skinned 'em. Not today. It was my turn to enter manhood through the skinning of death.
Killing an animal at 20 yards is easy. Just pull the trigger. Removing its fluffy white fur and ripping out its intestines just seemed barbaric. After all bunnies are cute and lovable, not to mention the whole Easter Bunny myth that was revealed only a few years earlier. This was going to be tough for a young hunter.
Putting a hand inside a recently deceased animal changes a person. The body heat exuded from a fresh kill is actually quite disgusting. Everything is slimy. I had to pull and tug on internal organs. I had to find and save the heart and liver because my neighbor thought them to be a delicassy. I had to bring my mind somewhere else. I didn't want to know what I was touching. It wasn't time for a biology class. The quicker it was over, the better I would be.
It's been years since I have gutted an animal but I will never forget that first one.
By the way, I didn't eat any rabbit that night. Nor have I ever eaten rabbit since. I try it and it disgusts me every time. From then on out, my rabbit kills were strictly for fox food.
I haven't hunted in 12 years. I like the tranquility of the woods. I like the meat that comes from the hunt. I actually like the hunt. Every time I see an animal die or when I have to get my elbows deep in blood, it hurts. It hurts from a deep, emotional place.
Don't get me wrong, if I have to kill to feed my family, I will be the first in the woods. If my family isn't going hungry, animals are safe near me unless they become assholes.
I haven't hunted in 12 years. I like the tranquility of the woods. I like the meat that comes from the hunt. I actually like the hunt. Every time I see an animal die or when I have to get my elbows deep in blood, it hurts. It hurts from a deep, emotional place.
Don't get me wrong, if I have to kill to feed my family, I will be the first in the woods. If my family isn't going hungry, animals are safe near me unless they become assholes.
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