I can't seem to shake this...

[Lt. Dan]

Today, something that rarely happens to me happened. I shot a squirrel, with a pistol, and the shot didn't kill him. Tge shoy left his two back legs paralyzed. I went to up the put the little guy out of his misery but he had managed to crawl into the thick brush and I  couldn't find him.

Sitting here, all I can think about is that little guy suffering.

I know, he's a rodent right? I just can't seem to shake this.

[Blowpipe Sam]

It's  because you are a good guy Dan.  I hate wounding or crippling game.  Any game.  One of the reasons I have the "If I don't eat it, I don't shoot it" rule is because I don't enjoy needlessly injuring or killing anything.

[only1harry]

Sorry to hear that happened to you Dan.  I think it is inevitable when we shoot hundreds of them.  I am sure it has happened to most people.

I had one crowl to a G-hog burrow once and it bothered me for a long time.  I thought it was dead but when I went out to retrieve it I saw it wasn't where it fell from the tree, but a couple of feet away I noticed its tail barely sticking out of the burrow entrance.  I grabbed the tail to pull it out (probably a stupid move) but it went deeper and the tail slipped through my hand.

[Lt. Dan]

Thanks guys, glad I'm not the only one who has felt this way. And Sam I too have all but stopped killing except for food, but I had tried, repeatedly, to run this destructive little critter away to no avail.

[splitbeing]

It's  because you are a good guy Dan.  I hate wounding or crippling game.  Any game.  One of the reasons I have the "If I don't eat it, I don't shoot it" rule is because I don't enjoy needlessly injuring or killing anything.

x2

Feeling your pain, Dan. It is familiar.

[dk1677]

Yes , it does happen unfortunately. I have seen nutters turn just as the trigger was pulled .Cant always get a follow up shot . I figure a possum or raccoon gets a free meal. But you do feel bad.

[longislandhunter]

Like the others have said it happens to most of us if we hunt or pest long enough and it is indeed a lousy feeling.  Nature wastes nothing though and it will become a meal for some critter.  What would be more troubling would be if someone didn't feel terrible in a situation like this.   It's OK to feel bad, we all do when it happens. 

Jeff

[ranchibi]

I would hope that is a normal response for people! We try our best for humane, quick, ethical shots but that doesn't always happen because of many variables and for that reason, no suffering on the animals part. I truly understand your sorrow....

[Zsigmund]

Today, something that rarely happens to me happened. I shot a squirrel, with a pistol, and the shot didn't kill him. Tge shoy left his two back legs paralyzed. I went to up the put the little guy out of his misery but he had managed to crawl into the thick brush and I  couldn't find him.

Sitting here, all I can think about is that little guy suffering.

I know, he's a rodent right? I just can't seem to shake this.

 I feel ya. 👍 You obviously didn't intend to let him suffer. Having feelings about it is normal and good.

 Best Regards,
                G

 

[bear air]

I've had it happen a couple times when I was on my squirrel run a couple years back. Out of the lousy event it made me a better marksman/pester. I took away a sense that if it wasn't going to be drt shot to wait until I can get one.

[Rick67]

I’ve blowgun-darted close to a thousand rats, or about 1,600 blowgunned and airgunned, but I was still in the Philippines at that time.

Did not feel any compunction at all even though majority of them did run with a dart sticking out of their necks and heads, only to die hours or days later. Yes, I was that good during my peak.

Now that I am now in the US, I’m having reservations as to how I would approach a rat were it to present itself as a blowgun target, whether it’s here or in the Philippines.

I’ve witnessed how Americans are so sensitive when it comes to humane kills, and that has somehow awaken a bit of a COGNITIVE DISSONANCE in me, now that my place of residence, again, is in the US 🥸

[maraudinglizard]

Yes, it bothers me as well to lose one. I have spent hours trying to recover game with no luck. The air guns have made me a better shooter but there will always be that one moment that there is a loss. I to take the best shot I can, if not I don't shoot and wait for the right time. Also I use a Lab for recovery. He has found them hung up or under something and was able to recover the squirrel. He is good at locating and keeping them busy until I can get a clear shot at them. I didn't even have to train him it came to him naturally. 

[mikeyb]

It bothers most of us and it should. You never get over it completely but the current discomfort will fade over time. You TRIED! No one is perfect.
The unpleasant memory will remain so you will continue to try to be humane.

The time to be concerned is when it STOPS bothering you and YOU STOP TRYING to be humane!
That is when "monsters" are born :-(

[huntr]

Today, something that rarely happens to me happened. I shot a squirrel, with a pistol, and the shot didn't kill him. Tge shoy left his two back legs paralyzed. I went to up the put the little guy out of his misery but he had managed to crawl into the thick brush and I  couldn't find him.

Sitting here, all I can think about is that little guy suffering.

I know, he's a rodent right? I just can't seem to shake this.

He won't  suffer long. The local predators will put him out of his misery soon.

[Lt. Dan]

Thank you for your replies. I admire and respect all of you for your encouragement and understanding. 

[avator]

Yeah, it happens and I too hate it.
I once had a neighbor that shot a squirrel and it hobbled off into some underbrush obviously fatally wounded. We looked but he didn't seem to put too much effort into it. After just a few minutes he just gave up claiming it was a pest and would eventually just die.
I get it, I consider them destructive pests as well and I've had a few run off but, just his attitude on it didn't sit right with me. I continued to look for it but never found it. That bothered me for a couple days.

[splitbeing]

I’ve blowgun-darted close to a thousand rats, or about 1,600 blowgunned and airgunned, but I was still in the Philippines at that time.

Did not feel any compunction at all even though majority of them did run with a dart sticking out of their necks and heads, only to die hours or days later. Yes, I was that good during my peak.

Now that I am now in the US, I’m having reservations as to how I would approach a rat were it to present itself as a blowgun target, whether it’s here or in the Philippines.

I’ve witnessed how Americans are so sensitive when it comes to humane kills, and that has somehow awaken a bit of a COGNITIVE DISSONANCE in me, now that my place of residence, again, is in the US 🥸

Your experience is interesting, Rick!

[airgunaut]

Today, something that rarely happens to me happened. I shot a squirrel, with a pistol, and the shot didn't kill him. Tge shoy left his two back legs paralyzed. I went to up the put the little guy out of his misery but he had managed to crawl into the thick brush and I  couldn't find him.

Sitting here, all I can think about is that little guy suffering.

I know, he's a rodent right? I just can't seem to shake this.

He won't  suffer long. The local predators will put him out of his misery soon.

Same here. If the animal has a hole in it, the scavengers will devour it, and scavengers abound, especially in spring through mid-autumn.

The first animal I shot to kill (rock squirrel) left three big streaks of blood on a rock on the side away from my sight, yet it managed to move away after keeling over and then a few seconds of spastic jerking on the ground. I didn't find it nearby then, nor later that day when I looked more. Still no sign of it, nor of rotting carcass. But judging by the amount of blood where it had sat, it would not take long for a blood-scenting predator or scavenger to have found it.

[Lt. Dan]

I've dispatched three more since losing that one I  mentioned in my original post.  All with my R7 .177 (Hawke Airmax 2-7x32AO AMX reticle) shooting 8.64gr 4.52mm FTT. Two with head shots and one with a DRT neck shot. I am really trying to make only head shots. I probably have five more to go. These are the part of the Dirty Dozen that have been raiding my five bird feeders.

Scope zeroed at 25 yds with 1/2 mildot hold over at 30 yds and 1 mildot holdover at 35 yds.  Longest kill shot (head) was at 35yds.

[huntr]

I've dispatched three more since losing that one I  mentioned in my original post.  All with my R7 .177 (Hawke Airmax 2-7x32AO AMX reticle) shooting 8.64gr 4.52mm FTT. Two with head shots and one with a DRT neck shot. I am really trying to make only head shots. I probably have five more to go. These are the part of the Dirty Dozen that have been raiding my five bird feeders.

Scope zeroed at 25 yds with 1/2 mildot hold over at 30 yds and 1 mildot holdover at 35 yds.  Longest kill shot (head) was at 35yds.

HA! There will be more to fill the void when you THINK you have the 'Dirty Dozen' taken care of. They breed twice a year and when the young are kicked out, they spread out to look for their own territory. Your feeders are on the tour. Keep your gun sighted in.