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Dead Deer

I've already posted a QotD on hunting, so I won't be doing that again. Feel free to answer there if the image here stirs you to do so:


Today's the first day of buck season (for rifle hunters, anyway) in PA, and my dad got a good sized 8-point buck fairly early in the morning. There are some point restrictions in place, so he'd passed up a six-pointer earlier in the day.

Gutted, the deer weighed in at around 125 lbs, which will provide about 65 lbs of meat for my dad and mother. Perhaps they'll bring some down for me at Christmas. Mmmmm, venison!

51 Responses to "Dead Deer"

  1. I dunno, that looks a lot like Bambi's mom. Tasty! 😛

  2. If you really would care about wilderness and nature you wouldn't be posting that picture.

  3. Incidentally, it's hunters that care the most about wildlife.

  4. mmm dead deer..never quite saw the appeal, I figgure that when I'm going to shoot something living there had better be a damn good reason, like they stole my seat on the bus or something...

  5. Erik: What's so caring about a picture of a dead deer?

  6. bastard

  7. "...its hunters that care the most about wildlife"

    Yah, that picture really shows your compassion. Talking about it is one thing, but parading it on your site the way that you parade half-naked pictures of Britney Spears is tasteless.

    I know this is a free site, but I will never visit it again, nor will I ever buy your software.

    (Don't bother replying to this message, because I won't be visiting it again.)

  8. "...its hunters that care the most about wildlife"

    Yes, but hunters that do care are not proud of killing. They know it's sometimes necessary.

  9. I kinda figured this one would bug y'all, and that's why I put it here. I like to provoke sometimes, because in being provoked, people are forced to react or think. Which are you doing?

    There are those that think hunting is "okay" but an image like this will bother them. These same people have no problems popping into McDonald's a few times a month for a quarter pounder. Do you think those animals were treated any more humanely than those killed by skilled hunters? How about those killed by cars, with necks twisted at grisly angles?

    Hunters kill animals. They're not proud of it. They respect the animals that have given their life for food, and that's a lot more than anyone can say about most people. Most people would rather go on eating their all-beef patties with special sauce, not thinking about how the animals that meat came from may have looked after being shot in the head or clocked with what amounts to a big hammer after being raised solely for that purpose.

    The picture you see here is reality. If that shocks you, then it has served its purpose. Just think a little bit before you say anything. If you disagree, that's fine. Do so with some thought (and enough balls to leave a real name and email address).

  10. I disagree with the statement "[hunters] respect the animals that have given their life for food." It's true that SOME hunters feel that way, but a great many hunters are simply in it for the "sport," something which I will never understand. I forget the source, but the best quote I've ever seen on "sport" hunting went something like "how can it be a sport if one half of the participants doesn't know they're playing?"

    Hunting for food is one thing, hunting for "sport" and killing defenseless animals essentially for fun is quite another.

  11. I don't think that you made any progress but if you say so...

    "and enough balls to leave a real name and email address"... understand your medium and adapt to it.

  12. amarre, I obviously was not talking about you. And Brian, I never said all hunters. But, suppose I did. Then, I could simply say that people who hunt for sport aren't "hunters." They're malicious fucktards, perhaps.

  13. Erik,

    Been enjoying your weblog for some time now, and just wanted to say thanks for sticking up for what you believe. Regardless of whether or not I agree with your comments (it happens that I do, in this case), it's encouraging to know that someone else on this planet is willing to take responsibility for their actions and speak openly about what they believe is right.

    Carry on and keep up the good work!

  14. The only reason that picture offends most of the people it has is because of the blood on the snow, and the somewhat-freaky way the eye is shining from the flash of the camera. If you Photoshopped out those two elements, 75% of the people who did or will complain wouldn't have or won't.

    If you're hunting for food, you've got a right to. Animals do it to each other, and we can too. The fact that we're usually a lot more intelligent than an animal doesn't mean we don't have the right to kill them. It means that, evolutionarily speaking, we've earned it.

  15. Hi Erik,

    if you wanted to show reality with this picture then you missed a point. A hunter always sees what he did. The others are not hunters therefore they know this kind of picture only if they are interested in the subject.

    I for one quite hate the people that can have a bite of a burger, but can't image to kill their pet rabbit for food. The "if it was in a disney movie you can't eat it" attitude.

    The picture does not shock me. What's happening in regular "Food Production" is much worse both for the animal and us to look at. If you look at this this way, then you can argue that at least the dear had a nice life, the beef on your burger had definitely not.

    I for one am a vegetarian for about 9 years now. But I'm not preaching, it's a decision I made for me. And over the last 2 Years I got accustomed to eating meat again (but no more than 1 time in approx. 2 month), if I know the animal had kind of a nice life.

  16. I kinda like that Dom guy and the two posters before him.

  17. You shown the dead deer your 'respect' by posting this picture and admitting that u like the shock value it brings as well... right. I've no prob with hunting but the way you parade this picture doesn't back any of your noble statements. Reality I can take but posting this for shock value is cheap.

    Like the deer stood a chance with that rifle...

  18. I like to make people think, and if it takes shocking people into thinking, so be it. Posting this picture is not disrespectful. I'm not parading the picture. I've posted it with a relatively inane commentary about my dad's perfectly legal, licensed, and very useful (from a "feed your family" perspective) kill.

    Your last comment belies your mindset. The deer, dear greg, stood a helluva lot better chance than a cow going in for slaughter.

  19. "Incidentally, it's hunters that care the most about wildlife."

    Hunters care about wildlife the way paedophiles care about children.

  20. well, i for one don't see the necessity in taking a photo of a freshly killed animal, whatever the reason. that to me is like hanging its head on the wall in your trophy room. it seems like more of a pride thing, and not much of a respectful thing. i mean, what does one say when you show the photo off to your friends? is it in the family photo album?

    "Incidentally, it's hunters that care the most about wildlife." somewhat true, as discussed already. however, i would say people who choose not to eat meat, not to buy products made from animals, and not to use or purchase products that were tested on animals are the ones who care most about wildlife.

  21. Yes, the photo goes into an album. What would be the point of taking a photo? To remember the day. To remember the hunt, the cold weather, the hours you spent motionless in a tree. My family hangs the antlers of the deer we've killed (and eaten - every last one of 'em) in our den, again to remember the day. Beneath each we have the empty bullet chambers and the date. Just as a football player saves a game ball, the rack of a deer conjures up memories. They're tokens. Yes, they're hung with some amount of pride - just as someone else might have pride at hanging a trophy for winning a tennis tournament. But they're there - like the photos - as memory joggers. To remember the day.

  22. Nice. I grew up in the midwest -- hunting was very much a reality, often a necessity, and produced some of the tastiest meals around.

    My wife makes a mean Venison Stroganoff.

    Even if not for meat, there are too many damned deer in many places. For the health of the deer population many of them need to be eliminated.

    Conservation is not keep all animals alive all the time. Conservation is all about achieving a balance -- something that mankind has knocked completely askew.

    "Animal Rights" activists that call for "protecting" the lives of all animals all the time have not a clue.

  23. Bill, that's correct. Put another way, if you don't shoot any deer, then they all run the risk of starvation due to lack of food. That, or you have them on people's property, you have an exponential increase in car accidents involving deer, etc. I've held off with this point until now because it's been my experience that the "look at the cute furry animal" people have a hard time accepting it as fact.

    And fwiw, I'd put my mom's stroganoff against your wife's any day. 🙂

  24. That reminded me of the animal rights activists that'd show up in Grand Central Station asking everyone to give money to FREE THE COWS.

    I tried pointing out that domestic cows cannot survive in the wild -- would not exist outside of the role of meat-on-the-hoof.

    They weren't particular interested in learning about this littel thing called "reality", it seems.

  25. PeTA is hosting a little video on the cruel sport of fishing. Their QuickTime link doesn't work, but you can view the source and grab...

  26. see all these peta/animal rights people are the ones living in the suburbs and cities destroying animals habitat maybe if they would quit having kids and over populating the human population there would be no need for us to hunt because the animals would have more land to run but instead they are more about going out bitching about animal rights then going home having sex and having kids

    i am a hunter and am in no way saying i would never want to hunt again its something truly amazing

  27. I think the picture is a great picture and the deer is a good deer. If the people didnt care about a picture of a dead deer then why are thye hear?

  28. I am a deer hunter and Game Warden and I have only killed 2 this season, a doe and a nice 8 point. I processed all the deer myself and we use the meat just like we use the beef from the store.

    First of all, without hunting, there wouldn't be hardly any deer. The money from hunters licenses (millions of dollars) goes towards planting food plots and creating better habitat.

    Also, when the carrying capacity (how much wildlife it can support) of the land is exceeded by the deer, then all the browse (food) is gone. The deer have little to eat, and they become very unhealthy. They then die of starvation and from flying through a car windshield killing humans and the deer itself.

    I don't see why everyone thinks its inhumane. The deer had a chance, they can smell, hear and see well.

    The cow at the local slaughter yard isn't wild and it don't think that it will get hurt. When they get fed and fattened up and then shot in the head, what kind of chance or life is that. I don't see hunting as bad as raising cute little calves up just to be shot.

    I guess people should also stop growing fruits and vegetables. They are living things, why should they die for you to eat.

    Those poor tomatos and potatos.

  29. What if you could trade your maximum possible lifespan of 30 years for a life of comfort, health and ease potentally lasting 90 years?

    Most breeds of cattle, as was pointed out in an earlier post, have little chance of living more than a couple years in the wild. During that time they face starvation and a multitude of diseases. Most would die early miserable deaths left alone. (The Texas Longhorn is probably an exception.) As for the inhumanity of a big hammer (or equivilant) compare being hit by a bus to dying over a period of months of cancer.

    No. Not all cows have an easy life. Not all of them have a long life. Not every cow is healthy all of it's life. Most, however, have better lives than they would in the wild.

    I've had a pet calf. I've had a pet cow. Yeah, I know about the cattle industry, the good and the bad. But I don't suffer any moral qualms when I eat a hamburger.

    I would never eat true veal but I don't know of anywhere in West Texas you could buy it. If you are paying for veal you're probably getting ripped off.

    Want to worry about inhumane conditions of animals raised for food? Lets worry about chickens. If I hadn't been around them enough to realize how unrelentingly stupid they are I would swear off mcnuggets.

    If God didn't want me to eat meat, why'd He put meat eating teeth in my head?

  30. mmm i want some good deer good shot and rack dude

  31. O:-) >:-o 😐

    😀 :-O 🙁

    B-) 🙂 😛

    😉 :-zzz thats soo mean

  32. Iam a hunter , I hunt for several reasons. Ihunt for food but not solely sport is another reason AND you bet id be PROUD to kill a nice buck!! population control is another reason. What is more humane, starving to death? getting hit by a car ,because your looking for food? or a quick shot that wont make you suffer? I know which one id pick! People have a right to voice thier opinion no matter what it may be, but they should get the big picture before they spout off. Most people have no idea (unless they are hunters themselves) what its all about.

  33. Question: Do you own a gun? My Answer: You bet your booty. :-)* * In other words, people who know me or even read this blog know this already. You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for...

  34. I just wanted to comment on keeping the photos. I too agree that each photo reminds us of a story. My dad is my best friend and hunting partner and we are both avid hunters and some day when we are no longer able to share this art together one of us will look back at these pictures and reminise about all the great adventures shared together.

    John Linde

  35. i for one think thats a really nice buck, something you dont see to often here in washington. ;P

  36. Well as for anyone on here who does not hunt or fish, totally disregard what i'm saying. You will never understand the principles of wildlife conservation. There is a need for hunters, not poachers, to control the number of any certain game species. That is why there are limits set by the federal and state governments. In south Alabama where i currently live, there is a huge need for deer herd control. They cost many people their lives in auto accidents, ruin crops, and the list goes on. But if i had a dollar for everytime i've gotten into a dispute with some city-slicker who had a problem with me hunting or fishing, there would be no need for me to be in college right now. But like i said before, nobody will understand the concept of hunting and fishing except for those who do it. And to the guy who said if anyone cared about wildlife and nature they would not post pictures like that, I know that i was pretty dang excited about my first deer and probably would have posted it anywhere i could have. Forever Wild.

  37. I am also an avid hunter here in Charlotte, NC. Not a lot of places to hunt around here. I think that there are too many people out there that have the " Oh no its bambi" attitude. First of all did you know that if it werent for us hunters that the deer population would be miserable at best!!! Meaning that if we didnt thin the herds of deer there wouldnt be enough food for them to all survive as well as they should. And that would mean more wandering deer looking for food, which in turn means more deer wandering into the cities, the streets, backyards and highways to get killed and make our insurance rates go even higher. I not only love to hunt deer, but to watch them during the off seasons and learn as much as I can about their habits and such.

    If you would like to visit my site, it is

    God continue to bless the USA.

  38. Nice Buck.

    If wasn't for hunters and the Pitman-Robinson act money there wouldn't be any wildlife. Hunters have done more wildlife and habitat restoration than any other group in htis country.

    I challenge all these tree hugger types to step up and put there money where their mouth is, basically put up or shut up.

  39. Uh Oh,

    Seems the "Fellas" have got on here now and you vegetable eating, no hunting, save the leaf folks are in for it now! 🙂 You people really have NO CLUE about "reality" do you? Hunting is a part of ME. Just as you fix your "salad" I fix a burger off "bambi" and enjoy every bit of it! As you take your walks around "the city" for excersise....I get mine hiking hills and hangin' deer stands. As you shop for lettuce, Im probably planting a food source so the deer can have themselves a salad. If we all stopped hunting for 5 years (probably wouldnt take that long) We'd hear you same folks bitching and moaning on TV and in the newspapers about how all these "sick, starving" animals are everywhere!! Get a life!! Try huntin' its a great life!!

  40. As for those of you who don't think hunters really care about the wildlife; spend a summer with one. Many of my hunting buddies and I work year round to give the deer a better life on our land. We plant crops just for them that not only feeds them but has the right balance of nutrition to keep them healthy. Quote: "i would say people who choose not to eat meat, not to buy products made from animals, and not to use or purchase products that were tested on animals are the ones who care most about wildlife." YEAH RIGHT. What do the do specifically for the animals besides their little hippyish boycott? I guarantee that I do a whole lot more than them!

    Secondly, Quote "killing defenseless animals". Where do I begin on this one? Deer are far from defenseless. They have great hearing, even better noses, and can see just as good, if not better, in the dark than they can in the day. If you think they are defenselss, take you little tree hugging a$$ into the woods and try to find one!! Then get back to me and tell me how defenseless they are.

    Thrid, Quote "bastard". I'll slap the piss out of you, you judgmental prick!

  41. For those hippocritical folks that eat meat but criticize hunting...i'm killing it with a gun or bow and you're killing it with a fork.

    For those hippocritical folks who call themselves do you justify putting animals on the same level as humans and not plants? i've got news for a hunter I understand that all living things are God's creatures and they all deserve that respect. I don't believe in grieving the death of a deer more than a plant. We must be grateful for all life.

    *rant off*

    I'm going now.

  42. You treehuggers kill me, many of you are so ignorant of the issues that you supposedly represent, that it is laughable. The rest of you who do have a little knowledge on a subject will undoubtedly twist the facts to fit into your little nirvana.

    I have news for you, Charles Darwin was right in his assesment of survival of the fittest. Humans have survived as the fittest because we are the most inteligent and most resourceful animal on the planet, and the way we survive is by eating DEAD plants and animals. Basically anything that a human ingests for survival was either once alive, or was produced by a living thing.

    As you could probably tell, I am a hunter, and I will staunchly defend the second amendment, and my right to hunt, and dare I say, my RESPONSIBILITY to help maintain a level of balance in nature due to the urbanization of these animal's habitats.

    I have a couple of questions for you who think hunting is wrong and dispicable. Have you ever spoken with a hunter and asked them why they hunt?; have you ever looked at the figures of animal populations and seen what a proper balance in nature should be?; have you ever given a thought to how disasterous a ban on hunting would be, to the animals and to humans alike?; have you ever seen roadkilland wonder why that animal was dead on the side of the road?; did you know that even the "All Mighty PETA" puts animals to sleep? Those are just a few questions that you should try to answer or find the answers to before you make an opinion on something that you really know nothing about.

  43. Wow, since the hunters have gotten on it seems that the origional people on this board are hiding. There can be no debate and enrichment or possibly conversion if they are sticking their fingers in their ears like small children.

    I challenge you to come out and have an adult conversation. All of you. No name calling (Hunters) no crybaby tears and scared child tactics (others). Just adult debate over the pros and cons of animal management.

    Those of you who do not believe in killing animals I have a few questions:

    1)What do you propose we do with them? How will you manage the population if we stop eating meat etc?

    2)Would you really save a dog over a child?

    3)Are you aware that PETA has animals destroyed daily?

    I guess that should start something.

    An animal lover and meat eater. God's way.
    (Read your Bible, it's the manual for life).

  44. thats a nice buck!we need hunters to keep the population down and some people hunt for the food yes maybe some people hunt for the sport but they dont waste the food.

  45. I'm sittin' hear waiting on deer to open up this Friday, so I says to myself..."self, I sure can't wait to be in the woods and hope to have a dead deer Friday morning". So I google "Dead Deer" and low and behold, I find this web page. It amazes me how uninformed the tree huggers are and how they know so much about how we hunters play such an important role in wild life conservation, not to mention the billions of dollars we contribute to Pittman/Robertson (go ahead, tree Pittman/Robertson and learn yourselfe something).

    If you've seen Forest Gump and heard Bubba talking about shrimp salad, shrimp sandwiches, shrimp cocktail, shrimp everything, well, that's my house only it's venison...backstraps, venison meatballs, venison jerky, venison tacos, venison breakfast sausage, venison summer sausage, venison italian sausage, venison bratwurst, venison roast, venison burgers, venison kabobs, venison chili, you name it.

    Nice pic...sharpen up those knives!

  46. One nice dear. I think all of the peta people are a bunch of idiots.
    So good luck to you next time.

  47. 😕

    Well, I guess my point was proven. I put down a challenge 2 years ago and not one 'save the ____' (you fill in the blank) person responded. They don't have answers because the buy into dogma they never bother to think about.

    Come back when you've lived a few years more and let me know what you think.

  48. My heart breaks each time I read something like this. So sad is the fact that our society has gone over the top. Fishing is cruelty? Where does this come from? Is it about personal feelings or about wildlife? You, PETA member, live in a home made of the trees you hug, you eat plants, living organisms. You are not God, nor do you have the power to explain the difference between one organism or another. It is not funny to me when I see a Peta member slap a mosquito. It is a sign of poor judgement. Put your stones down. You have no basis to speak. I don't judge you for killing living organisms every day, more than I, so do not judge me.

    Fishing and hunting has saved my life. A meaningless time of drugs and alcohol is now filled with a love for nature that includes the harvest of animals. My time in the woods and on the water have created bonds with people that you will never experience. It has given me the peace and time to find myself. I have canine teeth for a reason just as does the coyote. I understand that nature and life is not always fair and fun. This is a cruel world that is built for the strongest to survive. The idea of out crafting one a mature whitetail buck is appealling to me. It is something few are capable of. It's not a slaughter, I go years without harvesting a mature buck. I let smaller ones live and I enjoy every day of it.

    All omnivores have a choice. Why are humans the only ones who are judged by each other?

    Hunters and Fishermen comprise of 75% of all funding for conservation.


  49. 👿 You are a sorry bastard and should rot in hell

  50. First, let me say I think it's disgusting for those human beings that take pictures of them proudly with their kill.

    With that being said, I do understand that there is a deer population problem, and that if we don't do something, the populations will continue to grow and dead animals will be the result. many people process the deer meat and that is why they hunt.

    With that being said, there is no excuse to bend down, grag the antlers and smile for the camera.

  51. I see no one has been posting on this any more...I just ran into it.
    The bible states we can eat meat...or problems.

    I think it was assumed people would have to hunt for it right?
    Deer know they are being hunted...they aren't stupid. They are VERY good at hiding.
    When you put alot of time into hunting for your food and some spend money to do so.... you are proud of your catch especially when you are feeding your family with it!

    Alot of us don't live in that little cutesy wootsey fuzzy wuzzy world where we put our heads in the sand. (must be city dwellers?)

    I realize that buy not eliminating alot of these animals we'd be allowing the spread of disease and death of alot of humans.

    So many people live with their heads in the sand...eyes half closed.
    Almost like they are ...non educated. Or blind to what doesn't suit them?

    I'm female and don't have a problem with the photos.
    I hunt...I have babies, I grow food..but I don't live in the city so I get first hand view of rural reality!
    It's the only way to live to me and I love it.... wouldn't trade my mud for pavement...ever!

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