Much respect to you. I’m the same way, grew up hunting a lot. Also grew up on a farm with death every spring. I love wild game, I love fish and love every meat there is. I’ve butchered, killed and everytbing in between, as age comes on I cannot do it anymore. Cheers to you for coming out and saying this. NO shame at all
I don't care if others don't want to hunt but I object to others deciding for me that I am some kind of monster for hunting and that is exactly the society we are in. I do find it a little ironic that people who are militant against hunting don't mind eating what someone else has killed on their behalf.
The last deer I killed…..dropped like a rock. I walked over and his eyes were glazed over. All I could think was, “man, he was just walking along grazing. Now he’s dead.” Never shot another. I went for a few more years, mainly just watching and eventually realized I just didn’t want to kill anything anymore.
Thanks for opening up about it and crazy how similar our childhood was, beef slaughter and all. I lost the will to take a life around 5 years ago after 40 years of hunting. I’ll eat venison and all meat but I can’t do the “deed” anymore. Thanks again.
I don't have the heart to kill any animals anymore.I grew up in a big hunting,fishing culture.Most kids by the age of 14,15 were good seasoned hunters.My dad,when I got home from school,frequently would tell me to go hunt supper and don't come back until I had what he wanted.Though I loved hunting, being made to hunt on demand sucked the love of hunting out of me.I love watching nature much more than killing it.
I would miss the Outdoors to much to quit Hunting. I was taught by my Father and Grandfather. I have hunted for 58 years and will continue to watch the Sun Rise and hear the wind on the wings of Ducks and the flush of a Pheasant behind a good Dog. I will say as one ages it’s more about the time outside and time with friends and family. Yes I love Wild Game to eat as my Mothers Pheasant Dumplings was awesome as is Deer meat.
I grew up on big ranch here in Northern California, started hunting about 7 on my ranch, kept the freezer full along with the farm animals we butcherd, thought it was all great until one day I was shooting cans and a coyote ran into a field near by, I quickly shot towards him and heard the thud and yelp. I followed the blood forever and never found it. As I pictured that animal somewhere dying, it changed me, broke my heart. So now I still go hunting with my buddies but I don't do any killing. They think I'm nuts but I love it. Thanks Randy
Fishin, huntin' you are death You are the predator. Other predators tear game animals apart live. We at least have the decency to kill em' first. Me I don't shoot no more either, and I respect all the life out there. Whether it was compound bow, or my .22 I never shot any game over fifty feet away with it. some people kill bass in their livewell & think nothing of it. If a bass dies in my livewell, I consider it a personal failure.
I have hunted and fished for 50yrs....I love hunting deer and turkey as much maybe more than bass fishing.......You can be a trophy hunter without the ego that you mentio.....Theres stages huters go through, and as we age and succeed at harvesting game, we observe the animal more, let smaller ones go, and take only the larger racked deer, as they are older wiser and more difficult to kill....the kill becomes harder to accept, and appreciation is more important and as you consume the animal at the table. God put these animals here for us to eat and enjoy......i get the sadness every one I kill and walk up to.....But my effort justifies the harvest. And the animal is never wasted....
Neither my dad or Grandpa hunted so I didn't grow up with anyone to teach me or get me into it. This is my first year to start deer hunting, already have my 6 tags ready to go. I think I'll probably just harvest 3 this year. That should hold us over pretty good I think. I just got done assembling my ar10 chambered in 308 a month ago. Its zeroed & ready. I also started raising hogs for my family after COVID. I've fished as long as I can remember, I have my Grandpa to thank for getting me into that. He took fishing all the time.
Pheasant and Quail are too delicious and the friends & family getting together on opening day are some of my best memories. I stopped big game for the same reasons as you did. Good video Randy Over
Randy, I totally agree with you on hunting property being gobbled up by greed. The problem I know from talking to my farmer friends in Wis. or my son that runs a ranch in Montana. The owners are between a rock and a hard spot. 1. Their son's and daughters wish not to farm or ranch and wish to go to the cities to work. 2. A developer offers a large sum of money to purchase the place. This money is probably more than they have ever made in their lifetime. What would you do? Sad but it happens every day. They can't work the land and the family doesn't want to.
Excellent video. I used to hunt, I stopped when I was sitting on a stump on a logging trail. This whitetail doe came walking up the trail towards me. She kept coming and bedded down just opposite of me on the other side of the trail. Not more then 10 to 15 feet away. The more I watched her as she lay there, the more she started to remind me of a dog. After 45 minutes she got up and walked away. I walked out of the woods and that was it, I was done hunting.
I understand your feelings If any hunter ever says that they never wounded a deer or lost one -they are either lying or haven’t hunted long. Personally- I strive to always make a quick ethical kill but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. I do want to kill a big buck-one worthy of a place on my wall so I’m not just killing deer. I do spend hours just watching and learning. All that said- I have a desire to hunt-I love it It’s an instinct that is strong in many people I don’t have to kill something to be successful in the field-the experiences I have cannot be replicated any other way. Anyway we must realize that if you are omnivorous you cause the death of something -directly or indirectly..
I couldn't agree more with Randy on this view point. I've hunted and killed many animals before I said, I don't enjoy killing animals....why am I doing this? Just so I can show someone a picture of an animal with antlers......dumb. I bought a good DSLR (camera) and find it much more rewarding to photograph these animals than to kill them. Randy is absolutely fearless expressing his opinions on such controversially topics, lol. This opinion can't be a popular on a fishing channel!
To each their own. Im an avid bird hunter and probably won't ever stop. I have a son and hes very allergic to the idea of killing an animal. I think thats a healthy instinct and I always tell him im proud of him for being so intelligent and empathetic.
With all due respect, you fish for the biggest fish to win a tournament. You yourself have said how many of the fish caught in a tournament die from the stress of being caught, hauled around all day, weighed in, etc. Most trophy hunters go for a quick kill, and that animal is eaten. What about the 10 pound bass that gets released after the tournament and barely swims off just to die the next day and go to waste? I’ve fished tournaments for years and I am an avid whitetail hunter myself. I believe in taking ethical shots and keeping my fish in good shape to be released. However saying what you said about trophy hunting could easily be applied to tournament fishing. Just my take on it.
@@randyblaukatintuitive You must admit that statement is a far reach from reality. Then again, if it makes you feel better, so be it. Carry on .........
@@randyblaukatintuitive But bass are geniuses with personalities! You said this yourself. Now, warm- blooded animals more worthy of respect than cold-blooded?
❤ Have you ever thought of working with a youth group of sorts? You could make a great counselor, mentor, educator,... Share your wisdom with those who don't have a positive influence in their lives. Most important, keep up the good fight!
Great video. I quit hunting for similar reasons. I don’t need the meat and would rather watch the wildlife in my pastures than take its life for the bragging rights. Thanks for posting this video Randy.
I’ve never hunted but always fished. For the past 20 years I’ve stopped keeping fish. Now I just catch and release because I just don’t want to kill anything. But, I don’t feel the same about insects.
I'm assuming you haven't trapped before but as a trapper back in the day squirrel , racoon , possum , fox , coyote and musk rat all will chew there on leg off if caught in a trap to get free. That's why the laws in my state say you must check your traps every day.
@@anthonycash4609 coyote or a fox probably took him off the trap. Ive trapped plenty of coyotes and I’ve never had one chew they're leg off. Not saying they won’t
@@BrianSousa1 I've had several raccoons chew there foot off and several musk rats do the same . And In the 10 years I trapped only one coyote. Also in my area coyote is dominant in the food chain . no bears no big cats only bob cats and they won't challenge the coyote. Use to enjoy those days walking the trap line but the years have caught up to me now. Can't do it anymore.
Sorry man, if that damaged you so bad, you REALLY should not eat meat, period. The fact someone can eat meat killed by someone else but is not willing to kill themselves is pitiful.
@@randyblaukatintuitive I fully understood the point of video. You didn’t understand the point of my comment. If you, or anyone, is NOT willing to hunt & kill your own animals to eat, you should not eat meat, period. You made a bad decision & bad shot, then threw your hands up like, “I can’t do this anymore”. Then don’t eat red meat. Don’t rely on someone else to deal with those feelings of taking a life for you to enjoy a steak, if you are not able to do it yourself.
My grandfather told me a similar story. Huge hunter and he killed a baby deer who looked him in the eye and was crying. He never hunted again. I dont hunt but fish and at 55 years old the best feeling I get is releasing a nice fish I caught. I do still keep to eat, but its getting harder and harder to be honest.
Had pretty much the same experience. Took a shot I shouldn’t have and injured a pronghorn. Got up to it and it was trying to get up and run. Just looked pitiful and made me feel a certain way. That was it for me. Can’t bring myself to do it anymore.
I commend you for recognizing the consequences of your actions and then committing to change. If more Americans had this capability the country would be a very different place ...
I went on my last Hunting Trip last year . After 50 years . I finally hung it up . The only reason why I'll ever go again is if it's absolutely necessary ✌️🏹✝️😊
My dad was a depression era guy, and fought in WW2. I don't think he liked to kill things other than animals harmful to our livestock due to his experiences in combat in the Pacific. We had a big farm for us to hunt and fish on, but we had to learn the skills from people other than him. Fortunately, we have a hometown locker that can make venison taste great in a hundred different products.
90% of the meat my family eats is venison. I know where it comes from and it’s much healthier than high fat beef thats been injected with god knows what. Everyone that eats meat is killing animals. Those that get it from the grocery store have someone else do it for them.
Containing is needed for a wildlife that is an undeniable fact without hunting wildlife suffers hunters are the number one conservationist on this planet second to none.. without hunting people have no connection to wildlife that connection they get from hunting fishing and outdoors fuels there passion for conservation
@@extrem8625that’s way over stated. Your logic is in complete denial of your own existence. Look at the billions of people destroying everything and you think a few extra deer would be terrible.
I’ll say this though….animals spend their entire life eating, and trying to avoid being caught and slowly killed by another animal. If it lives long enough, it will get sick and slowly starve and/or dragged down by coyotes, etc. At least if it’s a decent, ethical hunter, the death is quick.
There’s more deer in America now than ever before in history. 100 years ago there was around 200,000 deer. Fast forward to today there are over 25,000,000 deer. Population explosion. The reason being we unfortunately removed all the predators (wolves and cougars). We actually need hunters otherwise the deer will further decimate native plants to the point of ecosystem collapse which threatens other native animal species as well.
@@Natalie.Skye.Miller12 well yes and no. As I said the main reason the deer population exploded is because we removed these predators from the equation. So hunters yes but not because of deer hunting.
I feel for you. I hunted when I was young for food. Hunted up until last year. I'm 74 now. I never shoot unless I know I get a fast kill. I won't hunt anymore because I just can't insure my shot.
I've never hunted in my adult life, but killed a lot of creatures when I was a kid for no damn reason. I'm glad I grew out of it. I feel a lot of shame looking back on it now. In my 20's, I caught my first 7lb bass and had it mounted. I regret it every time I look at it now. I actually don't even have it hanging up anymore. I'll take game if I have to feed myself, and had to do it.
Randy your decision to stop hunting is honestly pure and admirable. But I think you could have used that experience to have made yourself and others better hunters. I myself was never brought up hunting and I started when I was in the army. My 1st deer was not a 1shot one kill episode either. But This is what I took away from my experience.. I promised myself that I would strive to consistently shoot 5 straight shots in a tight 2” grouping before I went back out hunting. I myself have 2 nice looking buck mounts that I’ve gotten in the years after that. I don’t hunt for trophies. My main objective is to get meat for my family so that I don’t have to keep buying it. I don’t see anything wrong with keeping the trophies as a reminder. Native Americans kept them also by taking scalps. Yes there are many reasons you can come up with of why. But it still doesn’t change the fact that they did take them. I believe that your choice is just that and don’t begrudge anyone for that. But at the same time please don’t place judgment on others that choose differently.
I absolutely understand what you mean.. My pawpaw and grandaddy where born in 1921 and 1924. Both ww2 vets. I'm only 42 so they were pretty old when I came along. We hunted tho cuz that's what we did but I remember my Pawpaw telling me Rob back when we were kids do you know how I know the Great Depression was over?.. Me and my brothers were outside in a circle talking and a big ole rabbit started running thru the yard and nobody was trying to kill it!😂
Randy you can choose to not hunt anymore. As for me, I will always continue to hunt and enjoy the time outdoors (the kill is not the only reason), the hunt, and time with family or friends enjoying God's gift of game. I love the challenge & the venison! Same goes with fishing for both the mystery and challenges and the fish to eat. My grandfather was like you & eventually stopped hunting. My Dad never stopped and planned on hunting more had he not had health issues that prevented it. Now I hunt with their rifles & carry on our families legacy. Deer season will be here soon but until then there are a lot of fish to catch!
All the "trophy" hunters I know respect the animal at the highest level and do the most to provide superior habitat and food. A lot of time, money and effort is put into creating this for deer. Ask me how I know. To each their own.
@@lawrencefranck9417 don’t confuse TV hunters with “trophy” hunters. They probably have good intentions and do love deer but those guys have a lot of pressure on them to produce dead deer. I don’t respect the way that entire operation works. The inside working on that is all about getting a kill on camera. Most guys out hunting for mature whitetail put in a lot of effort all year long, spend a significant amount of money have have tremendous respect and love for the deer. I don’t care what you think but that’s a fact.
@@davidellisoutdoors3247 every question around a deer camp is how big? Doe and juvenile deer are out right dismissed no matter the age of the hunter. Don’t let a young hunter kill a giant by accident oh no “he doesn’t deserve that he hasn’t earned that”…. Years ago 16th section land was publicly hunted with drives and with dogs, not now it’s all leased. Privately held land was just a request for permission, not now all leased or reserved of family chasing a trophy deer seen once three years ago. Boone and Crockett, Pope and Young, video and tv hunters have RUINED hunting. Go ahead change my mind…..
@@lawrencefranck9417 there is a movement towards letting younger deer go and harvesting older age class deer and that’s a good thing. There’s nothing wrong with shooting younger deer if that’s what someone prefers but it’s wrong for that person to hold a self righteous attitude against others who prefer to hunt for older or just bigger deer. We are all at different points along our deer hunting journey so one man’s trophy is another man’s “ let it go” deer and it’s good for both. Just don’t be critical of the opposite viewpoint. On a big picture level it is good that young deer are progressing towards older age classes before they are harvested. I’m not to out to change your mind, but don’t criticize opposing views to yours if they are just as valid or more so….and they are.
Watch the seek one video on the Ellis family. Hunting is healing! Happened here in Alabama super sad. Makes you think of all the safety aspects for sure!
I was big into bow hunting…. Spined a deer…. Had to really think if I wanted to do that again. Then it hit me… I would get aggravated putting down my rod to go have to get in a tree.
The same thing happened to me when I was squirrel hunting , still remember like it was yesterday and it was over 30 years ago , let me just keep it short , I have not been squirrel hunting since
I love to fish and release 99% of my catch . I can’t hunt not because I think it’s wrong but it just doesn’t feel right for my soul! Many of my friends hunt and eat everything they kill and they have respect for the animals they go after. I wish all hunters and fisherman would show a respect for game we pursue and know we’re blessed in this country to have the freedom to do so!!!
My first deer was a 4 point buck with my step dad at like 8 years old with a .260 and I don’t recall where the bullet hit it, but we chased it about a mile and then he told me to shoot it again after we walked up on it for the 3rd time. Shot it in the head and it was a wrap for me after that. I became a hunter. Have killed one every year at least since. They all ended up in the freezer. Got lucky one year and got a nice buck when I was 18 and he got it mounted for me. I only ever missed one, and hit another one in the spine. The one I hit in the spine got away, somehow could only find hair at the location of the shot. It was just gone after that. I made sure to zero in my gun every year after that.
I own 7sections in Texas (not high fence) thats been in my family 5 generations and have worked my ass off to keep it as well as beat off all the Windfarm and Solor developers who are raping the land just as much as the housing developers. Ive hunted that country 50 years and have grown out of it in the last 5 years. Ive managed to preserve and improve the wildlife habitat and its an amazing piece of ground. Its ass deep in deer and i grow some big ones. I still manage and only allow my son to take 7 year old bucks or older. Why? Because when he gets old and becomes week the other deer will run him off or beat him to death. Im not against hunting anymore i just emjoy more preserving the habitat and providing the wildlife a good home. I guess our prioritys do change over time .
U just last winter picked up a really nice compound bow and learned to shoot. Im pretty good at shooting and am prepared for my first hunt this season and im not sure how i feel about it. I love shooting but u dont think im going to like hunting as much as i imagined i would. Idk. I guess im gonna find out soon enough.
That’s why we have so many young men sitting behind a computer, and not learning a thing about being a man. Young men must learned the good and bad lessons in life, and come to know the difference. They won’t learn them sitting behind a computer screen play games. They never have to look the deer in the eye!
We need young people to hunt. It is a God given rite of human kind, imbued with the sacred imperative to survive. Any young person who wants to should hunt. It provides huge benefits ecologically , psychologically, and instills respect for the animals themselves. Hunters are the only group who have put their money into wildlife management. Failure to understand why we hunt is a failure to understand where we came from. I know hunters who have a damn site more sense than a bunch of city pretties who love nothing more than the sound of their own voice. One cannot, in my estimation, be truly intelligent if one runs away from the elemental things that God placed in our world and with which we had to deal in order to survive, and then to prosper. Anti hunting sentiment is a virtue signaling opportunity for people who have no grasp of what real life is. They live in a world that to all intents and purposes, is canned.
Born and raised in the south where hunting was just a way of life growing up as a country kid. Maybe I’m just getting soft with age but I just lost interest in killing, especially as Randy mentioned, we don’t need it for food. I don’t begrudge anyone hunting, it’s just not for me anymore.
Might as well get a deer or 2 here in OK. They are not the best hood ornaments. Everything you eat, Dies. Whether you shoot it or not. I'm not a Trophy Hunter. Grown is good enough for me. We process our own. I grew up Wing Shooting and Competition Archery. Training English Setters. Over the Years my Desire to Hunt has started fading. My Taste for Quality Venison has not. The cost of Beef is outrageous now a days. You should leave critters alone if you're not going to eat them. Unless they are a nuisance. Like Wild Pigs destroying your crops and fields. God Bless, C.
honoring the belated birthday of your father thanks for sharing that photo on IG i would feel the same way you did about the event i couldn’t imagine having to rectify that situation that would be my worst fear
I've never been a hunter. Especially with large game. I don't need a deer to survive or feed a family, so I don't hunt. I believe we are meant to be caretakers of these animals and this world we live in. Most people don't "hunt" anyway. They sit up in a tree or stand and wait. That's not hunting, that's sitting up in a tree stand and waiting. Just like looking at a screen isn't fishing, it's looking at a screen, and waiting. You're not actively doing anything. You're not "fishing" for something.
Thanks for sharing your personal story Randy. You told it like I was right there with you during your experiences. However, I do not agree with feeding the deer. Legality or not, they start depending on your feeding rather than foraging for themselves. Good video!
Unrelated, but would love to hear your take. Next Weekend on the BFL super on Table Rock there is also a 300 boat youth tournament same 2 days………..uuugggg
Randy, we may go full circle on this one. If the economy gets back to 1933 levels, we may all have to become hunters and fisherman again? But we will do it ethically like Fred Bear.
I don't give a shit about a trophy. I just wanna feed my family quality meat, that we enjoy eating. I released all my biggest largemouth bass also. Instead of killing & mounting my 11.4 I got good pictures, length, girth, weight & had a replica made
If it's just about the hunt then you have missed the point. For me it was about family and friends and the great .memories created that I still talk about today. It was never the kill.
I get tired of guys that talk about planting clover plots and using corn feeders on their land to entice the deer to eat there. Then, in season they post pictures of their “hunting” day kill when all they did was sit in a tree and kill the deer they fed all summer.
Sit in a tree for 12 hours a day in the freezing cold for two weeks straight and maye just maybe youll be lucky enough to see a big buck let alone have a shot at it. It is NOT an easy game no matter how much food plot there is. Big bucks do not come along often or easily . I will agree with you however on corn feeders. To me thats just not fair chase. At least planting is natural .
@@txhuntsman I was an avid hunter in my youth, living on a farm. We hunted all the time, but it was really hunting and not sitting above a planted plot of sweet clover. We tracked rabbits, fox, coyote, deer, you name it and ran trap lines through the ditches. it was definitely not easy.
I feed 10 tons of corn a year and plant 200 acres combined in food plots along with hu dress of acres in crp plus thousands of $ and time improving habitat for ALL the wildlife on my Texas ranch. We're free to hunt it and manage it as we see fit but we don't hunt over protein or feeders. The invasion of solar farms and windfarms have totally imbalanced the ecosystem in my country and it would turn your stomach if you had seen that surrounding prestine wilderness 10 years ago. So there is a place and need for it..
I can't and won't speak for Randy, but as a lifelong bass fisherman myself, I'd guess that he's probably "killed" his fair share of bass, albeit accidentally. I've had to cut the line and leave the hook in the "throat" of a bass where I'd let it run with my bait for too long when plastic worm fishing quite a few times. I'm sure some may have survived it but most succumb, and I feel like sh*t ever time it happens. After hearing this story from Randy, I'm betting he feels the same if and when it's happened to him. As far as just "killing" bass for the thrill and sake of killing a bass, in relation to the same method some folks go about hunting deer and other big game? That just simply doesn't happen, at least not from any of my life experiences.
Will you sale your parents estate to a developer? Why not buy out siblings and retreat to your home place? Not that simple is it? Urban sprawl and expansion is a part of history, present and future. As much as you have traveled you must realize just how much land their actually is? Just not in your back yard?
Much respect to you. I’m the same way, grew up hunting a lot. Also grew up on a farm with death every spring. I love wild game, I love fish and love every meat there is. I’ve butchered, killed and everytbing in between, as age comes on I cannot do it anymore. Cheers to you for coming out and saying this. NO shame at all
I don't care if others don't want to hunt but I object to others deciding for me that I am some kind of monster for hunting and that is exactly the society we are in. I do find it a little ironic that people who are militant against hunting don't mind eating what someone else has killed on their behalf.
they all love the jerky , lol
👍🙏💕
I’m 72,I’ve hunted all my life and still do.I love it!! To each his own
The last deer I killed…..dropped like a rock. I walked over and his eyes were glazed over. All I could think was, “man, he was just walking along grazing. Now he’s dead.” Never shot another. I went for a few more years, mainly just watching and eventually realized I just didn’t want to kill anything anymore.
Thanks for opening up about it and crazy how similar our childhood was, beef slaughter and all. I lost the will to take a life around 5 years ago after 40 years of hunting. I’ll eat venison and all meat but I can’t do the “deed” anymore. Thanks again.
My story follows your Randy. Nothing against hunting, I just came down from my tree stand and thought to myself I don't want to do this anymore.
I don't have the heart to kill any animals anymore.I grew up in a big hunting,fishing culture.Most kids by the age of 14,15 were good seasoned hunters.My dad,when I got home from school,frequently would tell me to go hunt supper and don't come back until I had what he wanted.Though I loved hunting, being made to hunt on demand sucked the love of hunting out of me.I love watching nature much more than killing it.
I would miss the Outdoors to much to quit Hunting. I was taught by my Father and Grandfather. I have hunted for 58 years and will continue to watch the Sun Rise and hear the wind on the wings of Ducks and the flush of a Pheasant behind a good Dog. I will say as one ages it’s more about the time outside and time with friends and family. Yes I love Wild Game to eat as my Mothers Pheasant Dumplings was awesome as is Deer meat.
I grew up on big ranch here in Northern California, started hunting about 7 on my ranch, kept the freezer full along with the farm animals we butcherd, thought it was all great until one day I was shooting cans and a coyote ran into a field near by, I quickly shot towards him and heard the thud and yelp. I followed the blood forever and never found it. As I pictured that animal somewhere dying, it changed me, broke my heart. So now I still go hunting with my buddies but I don't do any killing. They think I'm nuts but I love it. Thanks Randy
Well yeah… that wasn’t an ethical shot to take. Never kill just for the thrill.
My dad had a similar experience during a goose hunt. I hunt a lot but I have a ton of respect for that kind of heart.
Fishin, huntin' you are death
You are the predator. Other predators tear game animals apart live. We at least have the decency to kill em' first. Me I don't shoot no more either, and I respect all the life out there. Whether it was compound bow, or my .22 I never shot any game over fifty feet away with it. some people kill bass in their livewell & think nothing of it. If a bass dies in my livewell, I consider it a personal failure.
I have hunted and fished for 50yrs....I love hunting deer and turkey as much maybe more than bass fishing.......You can be a trophy hunter without the ego that you mentio.....Theres stages huters go through, and as we age and succeed at harvesting game, we observe the animal more, let smaller ones go, and take only the larger racked deer, as they are older wiser and more difficult to kill....the kill becomes harder to accept, and appreciation is more important and as you consume the animal at the table. God put these animals here for us to eat and enjoy......i get the sadness every one I kill and walk up to.....But my effort justifies the harvest. And the animal is never wasted....
I'd much rather eat Deer 🦌 Burgers I cook at home than McDonald's
The difference is very clear
Have you heard of Chronic Wasting Disease in Deer.
@@michaelmorrison3446have you ever seen what happens to animals that they use for food or the poison they put on vegetables.
@@michaelmorrison3446 Have you seen the chemicals they pump into the food you eat?
so juicy and lean meat, nom nom nom
Best video of the year.
You're an honest & decent bloke Randy.
All the best mate.
No doubt that one experience is reflected in your protective instinct on conservation today. Very good video and life lesson here.
thanks for sharing your experience. i really appreciated the notes on the satisfaction of observation nature towards the end
Neither my dad or Grandpa hunted so I didn't grow up with anyone to teach me or get me into it. This is my first year to start deer hunting, already have my 6 tags ready to go. I think I'll probably just harvest 3 this year. That should hold us over pretty good I think. I just got done assembling my ar10 chambered in 308 a month ago. Its zeroed & ready. I also started raising hogs for my family after COVID. I've fished as long as I can remember, I have my Grandpa to thank for getting me into that. He took fishing all the time.
Pheasant and Quail are too delicious and the friends & family getting together on opening day are some of my best memories. I stopped big game for the same reasons as you did.
Good video Randy
Over
Randy, I totally agree with you on hunting property being gobbled up by greed. The problem I know from talking to my farmer friends in Wis. or my son that runs a ranch in Montana. The owners are between a rock and a hard spot. 1. Their son's and daughters wish not to farm or ranch and wish to go to the cities to work. 2. A developer offers a large sum of money to purchase the place. This money is probably more than they have ever made in their lifetime. What would you do? Sad but it happens every day. They can't work the land and the family doesn't want to.
Excellent video. I used to hunt, I stopped when I was sitting on a stump on a logging trail. This whitetail doe came walking up the trail towards me. She kept coming and bedded down just opposite of me on the other side of the trail. Not more then 10 to 15 feet away. The more I watched her as she lay there, the more she started to remind me of a dog. After 45 minutes she got up and walked away. I walked out of the woods and that was it, I was done hunting.
This never happened
I understand your feelings
If any hunter ever says that they never wounded a deer or lost one -they are either lying or haven’t hunted long.
Personally- I strive to always make a quick ethical kill but sometimes it just doesn’t happen.
I do want to kill a big buck-one worthy of a place on my wall so I’m not just killing deer.
I do spend hours just watching and learning.
All that said- I have a desire to hunt-I love it
It’s an instinct that is strong in many people
I don’t have to kill something to be successful in the field-the experiences I have cannot be replicated any other way.
Anyway we must realize that if you are omnivorous you cause the death of something -directly or indirectly..
Sir Randall you are respected for having a good soul
I couldn't agree more with Randy on this view point. I've hunted and killed many animals before I said, I don't enjoy killing animals....why am I doing this? Just so I can show someone a picture of an animal with antlers......dumb. I bought a good DSLR (camera) and find it much more rewarding to photograph these animals than to kill them. Randy is absolutely fearless expressing his opinions on such controversially topics, lol. This opinion can't be a popular on a fishing channel!
To each their own. Im an avid bird hunter and probably won't ever stop. I have a son and hes very allergic to the idea of killing an animal. I think thats a healthy instinct and I always tell him im proud of him for being so intelligent and empathetic.
You're good people Randy.
Nice. Appreciation for living things. Hopefully, everyone gets to that point their life.
Thanks for sharing your story. I feel the same way. Cheers.
With all due respect, you fish for the biggest fish to win a tournament. You yourself have said how many of the fish caught in a tournament die from the stress of being caught, hauled around all day, weighed in, etc. Most trophy hunters go for a quick kill, and that animal is eaten. What about the 10 pound bass that gets released after the tournament and barely swims off just to die the next day and go to waste? I’ve fished tournaments for years and I am an avid whitetail hunter myself. I believe in taking ethical shots and keeping my fish in good shape to be released. However saying what you said about trophy hunting could easily be applied to tournament fishing. Just my take on it.
Fishing has nothing to do with killing warm blooded animals...
@@randyblaukatintuitive No difference! Stab a fish with a knife while alive? Does it react and feel pain???
@@randyblaukatintuitivetrying to act like warm blooded animals and fish aren’t both living creatures deserving of the same respect is absurd
@@randyblaukatintuitive You must admit that statement is a far reach from reality. Then again, if it makes you feel better, so be it. Carry on .........
@@randyblaukatintuitive But bass are geniuses with personalities! You said this yourself. Now, warm- blooded animals more worthy of respect than cold-blooded?
Agree one hundred percent Thanks for the great story, Randy
If it weren’t for outdoorsmen, especially hunters, there would be very little management of all wildlife resources. Fact
Woods and water, wouldn't have it any other way. Great story Randy
❤ Have you ever thought of working with a youth group of sorts? You could make a great counselor, mentor, educator,... Share your wisdom with those who don't have a positive influence in their lives. Most important, keep up the good fight!
Great video. I quit hunting for similar reasons. I don’t need the meat and would rather watch the wildlife in my pastures than take its life for the bragging rights. Thanks for posting this video Randy.
I’ve never hunted but always fished. For the past 20 years I’ve stopped keeping fish. Now I just catch and release because I just don’t want to kill anything. But, I don’t feel the same about insects.
That squirrel probably didn’t chew his leg off, a predator probably ate him and left the leg for ya.
I'm assuming you haven't trapped before but as a trapper back in the day squirrel , racoon , possum , fox , coyote and musk rat all will chew there on leg off if caught in a trap to get free. That's why the laws in my state say you must check your traps every day.
@@anthonycash4609 coyote or a fox probably took him off the trap. Ive trapped plenty of coyotes and I’ve never had one chew they're leg off. Not saying they won’t
@@BrianSousa1 I've had several raccoons chew there foot off and several musk rats do the same . And In the 10 years I trapped only one coyote. Also in my area coyote is dominant in the food chain . no bears no big cats only bob cats and they won't challenge the coyote. Use to enjoy those days walking the trap line but the years have caught up to me now. Can't do it anymore.
Archery hunting this happens alot. Love to trophy bull hunt. Bueatifull Animal
Sorry man, if that damaged you so bad, you REALLY should not eat meat, period. The fact someone can eat meat killed by someone else but is not willing to kill themselves is pitiful.
You missed the point of the video
@@randyblaukatintuitive I fully understood the point of video. You didn’t understand the point of my comment. If you, or anyone, is NOT willing to hunt & kill your own animals to eat, you should not eat meat, period. You made a bad decision & bad shot, then threw your hands up like, “I can’t do this anymore”. Then don’t eat red meat. Don’t rely on someone else to deal with those feelings of taking a life for you to enjoy a steak, if you are not able to do it yourself.
My grandfather told me a similar story. Huge hunter and he killed a baby deer who looked him in the eye and was crying. He never hunted again. I dont hunt but fish and at 55 years old the best feeling I get is releasing a nice fish I caught. I do still keep to eat, but its getting harder and harder to be honest.
Had pretty much the same experience. Took a shot I shouldn’t have and injured a pronghorn. Got up to it and it was trying to get up and run. Just looked pitiful and made me feel a certain way. That was it for me. Can’t bring myself to do it anymore.
I commend you for recognizing the consequences of your actions and then committing to change. If more Americans had this capability the country would be a very different place ...
I went on my last Hunting Trip last year . After 50 years . I finally hung it up . The only reason why I'll ever go again is if it's absolutely necessary ✌️🏹✝️😊
My dad was a depression era guy, and fought in WW2. I don't think he liked to kill things other than animals harmful to our livestock due to his experiences in combat in the Pacific. We had a big farm for us to hunt and fish on, but we had to learn the skills from people other than him. Fortunately, we have a hometown locker that can make venison taste great in a hundred different products.
I was raised by a dad who hunted so I did too. Like you I lost my stomach for it. Things are different today and hunting is not needed for most.
90% of the meat my family eats is venison. I know where it comes from and it’s much healthier than high fat beef thats been injected with god knows what. Everyone that eats meat is killing animals. Those that get it from the grocery store have someone else do it for them.
Containing is needed for a wildlife that is an undeniable fact without hunting wildlife suffers hunters are the number one conservationist on this planet second to none.. without hunting people have no connection to wildlife that connection they get from hunting fishing and outdoors fuels there passion for conservation
@@extrem8625that’s way over stated. Your logic is in complete denial of your own existence. Look at the billions of people destroying everything and you think a few extra deer would be terrible.
I’ll say this though….animals spend their entire life eating, and trying to avoid being caught and slowly killed by another animal. If it lives long enough, it will get sick and slowly starve and/or dragged down by coyotes, etc. At least if it’s a decent, ethical hunter, the death is quick.
👍🙏💕
we've all been there...i've aged out of it now after 40 years of hunting. just doesnt do it for me anymore. now i fish more
Agree. I hear than a lot
Good Story Randy
There’s more deer in America now than ever before in history. 100 years ago there was around 200,000 deer. Fast forward to today there are over 25,000,000 deer. Population explosion. The reason being we unfortunately removed all the predators (wolves and cougars). We actually need hunters otherwise the deer will further decimate native plants to the point of ecosystem collapse which threatens other native animal species as well.
we have that many deer BECAUSE of hunters
@@Natalie.Skye.Miller12 well yes and no. As I said the main reason the deer population exploded is because we removed these predators from the equation. So hunters yes but not because of deer hunting.
I feel for you. I hunted when I was young for food. Hunted up until last year. I'm 74 now. I never shoot unless I know I get a fast kill. I won't hunt anymore because I just can't insure my shot.
Good one! Grandfather's lessons to Tom Browne are invaluable. And yes that's 100% science is not taking the best genetics out of the population.
I've never hunted in my adult life, but killed a lot of creatures when I was a kid for no damn reason. I'm glad I grew out of it. I feel a lot of shame looking back on it now. In my 20's, I caught my first 7lb bass and had it mounted. I regret it every time I look at it now. I actually don't even have it hanging up anymore. I'll take game if I have to feed myself, and had to do it.
Randy your decision to stop hunting is honestly pure and admirable. But I think you could have used that experience to have made yourself and others better hunters. I myself was never brought up hunting and I started when I was in the army. My 1st deer was not a 1shot one kill episode either. But This is what I took away from my experience.. I promised myself that I would strive to consistently shoot 5 straight shots in a tight 2” grouping before I went back out hunting. I myself have 2 nice looking buck mounts that I’ve gotten in the years after that. I don’t hunt for trophies. My main objective is to get meat for my family so that I don’t have to keep buying it. I don’t see anything wrong with keeping the trophies as a reminder. Native Americans kept them also by taking scalps. Yes there are many reasons you can come up with of why. But it still doesn’t change the fact that they did take them. I believe that your choice is just that and don’t begrudge anyone for that. But at the same time please don’t place judgment on others that choose differently.
I quit hunting back in 1978 when I shot myself. Dang that hurts.
lol, I hope you are kidding.
I absolutely understand what you mean.. My pawpaw and grandaddy where born in 1921 and 1924. Both ww2 vets. I'm only 42 so they were pretty old when I came along. We hunted tho cuz that's what we did but I remember my Pawpaw telling me Rob back when we were kids do you know how I know the Great Depression was over?.. Me and my brothers were outside in a circle talking and a big ole rabbit started running thru the yard and nobody was trying to kill it!😂
Randy you can choose to not hunt anymore. As for me, I will always continue to hunt and enjoy the time outdoors (the kill is not the only reason), the hunt, and time with family or friends enjoying God's gift of game. I love the challenge & the venison! Same goes with fishing for both the mystery and challenges and the fish to eat. My grandfather was like you & eventually stopped hunting. My Dad never stopped and planned on hunting more had he not had health issues that prevented it. Now I hunt with their rifles & carry on our families legacy. Deer season will be here soon but until then there are a lot of fish to catch!
hey randy know how you feel thanks for sharing
Back in the 80's a good bow season was I saw six and missed one.
I hear ya man, I never made a sketchy shot but still got tired of all the blood and death stuff too, none of my get it, I’d rather just bass fish now
All the "trophy" hunters I know respect the animal at the highest level and do the most to provide superior habitat and food. A lot of time, money and effort is put into creating this for deer. Ask me how I know. To each their own.
Exactly.. he doesn't understand much lol
No they don’t it’s an ego thing. Especially tv hunters
@@lawrencefranck9417 don’t confuse TV hunters with “trophy” hunters. They probably have good intentions and do love deer but those guys have a lot of pressure on them to produce dead deer. I don’t respect the way that entire operation works. The inside working on that is all about getting a kill on camera. Most guys out hunting for mature whitetail put in a lot of effort all year long, spend a significant amount of money have have tremendous respect and love for the deer. I don’t care what you think but that’s a fact.
@@davidellisoutdoors3247 every question around a deer camp is how big? Doe and juvenile deer are out right dismissed no matter the age of the hunter. Don’t let a young hunter kill a giant by accident oh no “he doesn’t deserve that he hasn’t earned that”…. Years ago 16th section land was publicly hunted with drives and with dogs, not now it’s all leased. Privately held land was just a request for permission, not now all leased or reserved of family chasing a trophy deer seen once three years ago. Boone and Crockett, Pope and Young, video and tv hunters have RUINED hunting. Go ahead change my mind…..
@@lawrencefranck9417 there is a movement towards letting younger deer go and harvesting older age class deer and that’s a good thing. There’s nothing wrong with shooting younger deer if that’s what someone prefers but it’s wrong for that person to hold a self righteous attitude against others who prefer to hunt for older or just bigger deer. We are all at different points along our deer hunting journey so one man’s trophy is another man’s “ let it go” deer and it’s good for both. Just don’t be critical of the opposite viewpoint. On a big picture level it is good that young deer are progressing towards older age classes before they are harvested. I’m not to out to change your mind, but don’t criticize opposing views to yours if they are just as valid or more so….and they are.
Watch the seek one video on the Ellis family.
Hunting is healing! Happened here in Alabama super sad. Makes you think of all the safety aspects for sure!
Amen so true
Great story Randy I support you. I don't hunt I only fish 👍🏻
I am on the same wave link!
I was big into bow hunting…. Spined a deer…. Had to really think if I wanted to do that again. Then it hit me… I would get aggravated putting down my rod to go have to get in a tree.
The same thing happened to me when I was squirrel hunting , still remember like it was yesterday and it was over 30 years ago , let me just keep it short , I have not been squirrel hunting since
No, it did not happen. Stop lying and making up stories.
I love to fish and release 99% of my catch . I can’t hunt not because I think it’s wrong but it just doesn’t feel right for my soul! Many of my friends hunt and eat everything they kill
and they have respect for the animals they go after. I wish all hunters and fisherman would show a respect for game we pursue and know we’re blessed in this country to have the freedom to do so!!!
My first deer was a 4 point buck with my step dad at like 8 years old with a .260 and I don’t recall where the bullet hit it, but we chased it about a mile and then he told me to shoot it again after we walked up on it for the 3rd time.
Shot it in the head and it was a wrap for me after that. I became a hunter. Have killed one every year at least since. They all ended up in the freezer. Got lucky one year and got a nice buck when I was 18 and he got it mounted for me.
I only ever missed one, and hit another one in the spine. The one I hit in the spine got away, somehow could only find hair at the location of the shot. It was just gone after that. I made sure to zero in my gun every year after that.
What is intergelical?
That's why I love fishing, you can win the battle and watch the fish swim away. Hard to do that with a dead deer. 😉
I own 7sections in Texas (not high fence) thats been in my family 5 generations and have worked my ass off to keep it as well as beat off all the Windfarm and Solor developers who are raping the land just as much as the housing developers.
Ive hunted that country 50 years and have grown out of it in the last 5 years. Ive managed to preserve and improve the wildlife habitat and its an amazing piece of ground.
Its ass deep in deer and i grow some big ones. I still manage and only allow my son to take 7 year old bucks or older. Why? Because when he gets old and becomes week the other deer will run him off or beat him to death.
Im not against hunting anymore i just emjoy more preserving the habitat and providing the wildlife a good home. I guess our prioritys do change over time .
U just last winter picked up a really nice compound bow and learned to shoot. Im pretty good at shooting and am prepared for my first hunt this season and im not sure how i feel about it. I love shooting but u dont think im going to like hunting as much as i imagined i would. Idk. I guess im gonna find out soon enough.
😢Randy, i sent you a super thanks and comment but dont see it posted here. Did you get it?
Have not seen anything yet
Not really my thing either. Thanks for the story.
I don’t kill anything unless I need the meat, which isn’t that often because my family hunts and I just get meat from them
That’s why we have so many young men sitting behind a computer, and not learning a thing about being a man. Young men must learned the good and bad lessons in life, and come to know the difference. They won’t learn them sitting behind a computer screen play games. They never have to look the deer in the eye!
We need young people to hunt. It is a God given rite of human kind, imbued with the sacred imperative to survive. Any young person who wants to should hunt. It provides huge benefits ecologically , psychologically, and instills respect for the animals themselves. Hunters are the only group who have put their money into wildlife management. Failure to understand why we hunt is a failure to understand where we came from. I know hunters who have a damn site more sense than a bunch of city pretties who love nothing more than the sound of their own voice. One cannot, in my estimation, be truly intelligent if one runs away from the elemental things that God placed in our world and with which we had to deal in order to survive, and then to prosper. Anti hunting sentiment is a virtue signaling opportunity for people who have no grasp of what real life is. They live in a world that to all intents and purposes, is canned.
Well God needs to send a message to all the land developers to stop destroying hunting habitat so those young people can hunt for generations.
Born and raised in the south where hunting was just a way of life growing up as a country kid. Maybe I’m just getting soft with age but I just lost interest in killing, especially as Randy mentioned, we don’t need it for food. I don’t begrudge anyone hunting, it’s just not for me anymore.
Might as well get a deer or 2 here in OK. They are not the best hood ornaments. Everything you eat, Dies. Whether you shoot it or not. I'm not a Trophy Hunter. Grown is good enough for me. We process our own. I grew up Wing Shooting and Competition Archery. Training English Setters. Over the Years my Desire to Hunt has started fading. My Taste for Quality Venison has not. The cost of Beef is outrageous now a days. You should leave critters alone if you're not going to eat them. Unless they are a nuisance. Like Wild Pigs destroying your crops and fields. God Bless, C.
Funny how you talk about fishing in your hunting story lol. 10 pound buck. Fishing in the field. Lol nice. Yeah stck to fishing randy.
honoring the belated birthday of your father thanks for sharing that photo on IG
i would feel the same way you did about the event i couldn’t imagine having to rectify that situation that would be my worst fear
I used to love hunting as well...i gave it up about 20 years ago. If i had to do it to survive i would tho
Maybe it is when you could live a longer life eating free range meat instead of chemical meat
@@jnorth5689 Yes, you are correct. Even longer yet eating plant based only.
I've never been a hunter. Especially with large game. I don't need a deer to survive or feed a family, so I don't hunt. I believe we are meant to be caretakers of these animals and this world we live in. Most people don't "hunt" anyway. They sit up in a tree or stand and wait. That's not hunting, that's sitting up in a tree stand and waiting. Just like looking at a screen isn't fishing, it's looking at a screen, and waiting. You're not actively doing anything. You're not "fishing" for something.
Your nice clean and safe grocery store feeds you and keeps you happy. Wait until it's not there.
Maybe another critter ate the squirrel because it couldn't get away. Either way traps are pretty sick.
Thanks for sharing your personal story Randy.
You told it like I was right there with you during your experiences.
However, I do not agree with feeding the deer. Legality or not, they start depending on your feeding rather than foraging for themselves.
Good video!
Unrelated, but would love to hear your take. Next Weekend on the BFL super on Table Rock there is also a 300 boat youth tournament same 2 days………..uuugggg
They do that crap down there all the time. It’s ridiculous.
@@randyblaukatintuitive gonna be 500-600 boats out there Sat & Sunday Good Lord
Randy, we may go full circle on this one. If the economy gets back to 1933 levels, we may all have to become hunters and fisherman again?
But we will do it ethically like Fred Bear.
I don't give a shit about a trophy. I just wanna feed my family quality meat, that we enjoy eating. I released all my biggest largemouth bass also. Instead of killing & mounting my 11.4 I got good pictures, length, girth, weight & had a replica made
If it's just about the hunt then you have missed the point. For me it was about family and friends and the great .memories created that I still talk about today. It was never the kill.
Everything has a soul
I get tired of guys that talk about planting clover plots and using corn feeders on their land to entice the deer to eat there. Then, in season they post pictures of their “hunting” day kill when all they did was sit in a tree and kill the deer they fed all summer.
Sit in a tree for 12 hours a day in the freezing cold for two weeks straight and maye just maybe youll be lucky enough to see a big buck let alone have a shot at it. It is NOT an easy game no matter how much food plot there is. Big bucks do not come along often or easily . I will agree with you however on corn feeders. To me thats just not fair chase. At least planting is natural .
You sound like one of the hens on The View who think it's like shooting a pet and that hunting is easy.
@@txhuntsman I was an avid hunter in my youth, living on a farm. We hunted all the time, but it was really hunting and not sitting above a planted plot of sweet clover. We tracked rabbits, fox, coyote, deer, you name it and ran trap lines through the ditches. it was definitely not easy.
thats not hunting
I feed 10 tons of corn a year and plant 200 acres combined in food plots along with hu dress of acres in crp plus thousands of $ and time improving habitat for ALL the wildlife on my Texas ranch.
We're free to hunt it and manage it as we see fit but we don't hunt over protein or feeders.
The invasion of solar farms and windfarms have totally imbalanced the ecosystem in my country and it would turn your stomach if you had seen that surrounding prestine wilderness 10 years ago. So there is a place and need for it..
Trapping is cruel, no way it is not unless the trap expires the animal.
So how many fish have you killed?
I can't and won't speak for Randy, but as a lifelong bass fisherman myself, I'd guess that he's probably "killed" his fair share of bass, albeit accidentally. I've had to cut the line and leave the hook in the "throat" of a bass where I'd let it run with my bait for too long when plastic worm fishing quite a few times. I'm sure some may have survived it but most succumb, and I feel like sh*t ever time it happens. After hearing this story from Randy, I'm betting he feels the same if and when it's happened to him. As far as just "killing" bass for the thrill and sake of killing a bass, in relation to the same method some folks go about hunting deer and other big game? That just simply doesn't happen, at least not from any of my life experiences.
What would you say to your son if he wanted to get into Hunting?
If TRUMP don’t win you better get ready to hunt again
So what was your answer to your dad when he correctly questioned why did you want to kill a defenseless animal when you didn't need the food?
Hunting pays for a a lot of wildlife conservation. I do think ethical hunting is important and should be taught at a young age.
Will you sale your parents estate to a developer? Why not buy out siblings and retreat to your home place? Not that simple is it? Urban sprawl and expansion is a part of history, present and future. As much as you have traveled you must realize just how much land their actually is? Just not in your back yard?
I hunt because the food in the store is full of poison and I try to limit that as much as possible.
This video finally did it for me I’m not going to watch any of your content anymore. You keep dropping blue colored breadcrumbs.
A trophy animal has meat on it too!