Use of the word "Harvest"

[couesobsession]

Well it seams like the hunting community is split five ways to Sunday reguarding this matter. Should we use the word "harvest"? Some say that calling it that is disrespectful to the animal, you are taking its life, so you should at least give it the respect it deserves by calling it what it is: you are KILLING that animal, leave the word "Harvest" for crops. Some say who cares what you call it, actions are what count. And still others say the use of the word "Harvest" is fine, its use helps make hunting more palletable to the anti-hunting community.

 

You really cant watch many hunting shows before you hear that word used a dozen times: "We harvested this (insert animal here)". I figure it does us as hunters a great deal of good to discuss such matters realted to our sport. Soe co

 

I just want to say, this thread is in no way inteneded to offend anyone on this forum. No matter the word you use, we are all linked to one another through hunting. Everyone has their own opinion of wrong and right, so let's share ours respectfully.

[CouesWhitetail]

I think it's fine to use harvest or killing. Either way is accurate. I do like the extra connotation that the word harvest has which implies using a renewable resource. I think linking hunting to the idea of harvesting something like corn or whatever is a good thing since most non-hunters can understand the value of growing and harvesting your own food.

 

I think this video does a good job of linking the two concepts and explain a lot about why people hunt. Those of us that spend a lot of time volunteering on wildlife habitat improvement projects are certainly tending a crop...

 

[Ernesto C]

I personally like to use "harvest" Also I prefer to say "rifle" and not "weapon" of that's when we are talking hunting.

 

Ernesto C

[Weston]

Kill, perhaps if you grow the deer on a gamefarm feed it and water it you could harvest it. However I think kill is more appropriate for the hunting the majority of people do.

[Coues Sniper]

No offense intended, but it seems like a silly thing to worry about . Kill, harvest, shot, poll-axed, blasted, it's all the same to me. Except "catch", that's just stupid

[tjhunt2]

I harvested a small buck on opening day and the steaks were to kill for. It's all good!

 

TJ

[billrquimby]

All my journalism and English professors, as well as every good editor I ever worked for, would beat me soundly over my head and shoulders if he or she ever found me using a euphemism -- and that's what "harvest" is. If you don't like to say "kill" or "shot," you could say "take" because it is the legal term describing what we do.

 

"Harvest" could be used by the owner of a closely managed, high-fenced deer farm of limited acreage when talking about all the deer his clients killed that year, but it is not an appropriate use of the word when an individual kills one free-ranging animal.

 

For what it's worth, the bastardization of words that are part of our heritage make me want to cry -- after I stop puking. I'm talking about "taxi" for taxidermist, "javi" for javelina, "spotter" for spotting scope, "speed goat" and "lope" for antelope, "yote" for coyote, "arrowed" for shot an arrow, etc. "Whitey" for whitetail is especially offensive.

 

I've also never been able to understand why virtually all bowhunters call rifle/firearms hunters "gun hunters." Although "gun" can be used to describe any firearm, I know very few people who hunt big game only with rifles who would call themselves a "gun hunter."

 

Bill Quimby

[AZBUCKEYE]

I harvested a small buck on opening day and the steaks were to kill for. It's all good!

 

TJ

Well put I like that

[azslim]

depends on my audience

[Rag Horn]

Plugged, spanked, let the air out of, killed, smacked, shellacked, smoked, dropped, shot, rolled, knocked down, blasted, poked, etc (I could go on all day) are all fine around a campfire of friends. However I think for the face of hunting “harvested” may be the best adjective to use in open public forum so as not to draw more unwanted attention. Just my 2 cents. I do not believe in an in your face take it or leave it approach is the best way to go. As I feel it drives more away and creates more enemies than friends.

[yotebuster]

How about "missed"!!!

[Rag Horn]

How about "missed"!!!

 

Oh I was referring to what others did. If I was talking about what I did the list would have included, missed, bricked, air balled, forgot the bullets at the truck, scared away, spooked, jumped, ran off, couldn't find, etc.

[elkaholic]

you could of left off - action speaks louder than words - then i'd of voted - who cares!

[Jimmer Negamanee]

How about "missed"!!!

 

Oh I was referring to what others did. If I was talking about what I did the list would have included, missed, bricked, air balled, forgot the bullets at the truck, scared away, spooked, jumped, ran off, couldn't find, etc.

 

Hilarious! I’ll add “shoot and release” to that list!

 

For some reason I seem to use “get” a lot. As in “Did you get your deer this year?” or “My dad got an elk.” Not sure why. I “kill” flies and mice though.

 

Maybe words like “take,” “harvest” or “get” are not simply euphemisms but, like Amanda said, connote greater meaning. Maybe those words imply more than simply killing the animal, but instead, killing for some consumptive purpose, i.e. that you do something with it. (In that regard, “killing” is not the end of the process but the beginning. Likewise, would we report having “killed” an animal that we couldn’t recover even if we were sure it was dead?)

 

“Kill,” although literally true, used to shock me a little when I first heard it applied to big game animals. Maybe that was because of how I use it for flies and mice. But I’ve heard so many respectful and grateful hunters use it that I don’t really even notice it anymore.

 

This topic comes up when I talk about hunting with non-hunters. When I come back from a hunting trip it’s always funny to hear a non-hunters struggle with this same dilemma as they awkwardly try to ask me about the outcome of the hunt. Inevitably “catch” comes out their mouths and, upon further discussion, we have a good laugh about that.

 

Ultimately, I think it’s a matter of personal choice and I don’t correct people one way or the other. (Except “catch”, I’ll correct that. Unless we’re talking about fishing. )

[Arizona Griz]

For what it's worth, the bastardization of words that are part of our heritage make me want to cry -- after I stop puking. I'm talking about "taxi" for taxidermist, "javi" for javelina, "spotter" for spotting scope, "speed goat" and "lope" for antelope, "yote" for coyote, "arrowed" for shot an arrow, etc. "Whitey" for whitetail is especially offensive.

 

 

I could not agree more. I think the one I hate the most is "congrats". It is used quite freqently here on this board.