What do you “feel” when you squeeze the trigger?

[Die Judicii]

Just wondering what other people/members feel at the precise moment you squeeze the trigger. Regardless of whether your target be,,, a paper target, a varmint (feral animal) or bird etc. I’m curios to know. For me,,, I feel nothing cos 99% of the time it’s a varmint, and I’m being paid to do a job. The only time I feel anything is when i have to put down a companion (dog) ,,, and even then I don’t hesitate because it also,,,, is a job that has to be done. What do you all feel,,, ???

[No1Mk3]

Recoil.

[deye243]

Trigger wise not much at 6oz on my culling 223 and 7mm rem mag .
But the trigger on my other rifles weigh a ton at 11/2lb .

[Die Judicii]

Ha Ha Ha,,,,,,,

I was of course referring to emotion one way or the other.

[deye243]

Ha Ha Ha,,,,,,,

I was of course referring to emotion one way or the other.

Oh ...... well nothing unless it's a difficult shot as it's a job like all the others on the farm .

[Blr243]

Nothing because I’m focused on correct follow thru with my trigger and maintaining sight pucture . If I’m shooting quickly under pressure I’m super alert and just concentrating on doing it my best. If I’m culling Roos there are times I’ll drive right past them because I’m feeling soft and I decide to let them live instead

[bladeracer]

Just wondering what other people/members feel at the precise moment you squeeze the trigger. Regardless of whether your target be,,, a paper target, a varmint (feral animal) or bird etc. I’m curios to know. For me,,, I feel nothing cos 99% of the time it’s a varmint, and I’m being paid to do a job. The only time I feel anything is when i have to put down a companion (dog) ,,, and even then I don’t hesitate because it also,,,, is a job that has to be done. What do you all feel,,, ???

Well, I couldn't come up with a response when you posted the question, so I've been thinking about it, and I still can't come up with anything

I don't think I find it any different to most things I might be doing, hitting a nail with a hammer for example. The firing is just a tiny part of the overall task and I can't come up with any emotion that comes with it. Completing the task can certainly have an emotional aspect, depending on whether it went as it should or went badly.

One thing that does come to mind though is when I fire up an engine I've built, whatever it might be. That invariably gives me a little grin even though it's a tiny part of whatever I'm engaged in. Every time I turn the key in the van I remember that I built the engine myself. When I turn the key in our other vehicles I don't get any sensation so it is a noticeable pleasure. I would recommend building your own engines to everybody

I get what you're saying when you have to euthanise something though, that's never an overall pleasant experience, but there is a degree of pleasure in having completed the job cleanly. I feel that after killing anything, but it isn't part of the trigger pull. Shooting the cows is probably the toughest thing I do, which is why I prefer Rose doesn't do it, she doesn't need to carry that around. Killing an animal that is entirely healthy and happy is, for me, a different experience to euthanising a sick or injured animal. When hunting, my goal is to drop the animal - fox, rabbit, goat, whatever - without it ever being aware that I exist. I want it eating grass, smelling the breeze, totally relaxed, then I just switch it off, which is also how I try to euthanise sick pets. Shooting an animal friend that is healthy and happy and looking you in the eye as you pull the trigger is significantly harder (especially a 600kg+ friend). When I was a kid I had to slaughter sheep for a farmer and we used knives as he was a butcher and needed the brain and head intact. That was very unpleasant for me and not something I especially want to repeat, I just shoot sheep in the head now as I don't need the insides. But Rose does the chickens with scalpels and does a very clean job of it. With the rabbits, Rose holds them from behind and I put the air-rifle muzzle against the back of their head, that works very cleanly with no anxiety for the animals. I think the 920fps blast of air into the brain cavity does more damage than the tiny pellet does.

[bladeracer]

Nothing because I’m focused on correct follow thru with my trigger and maintaining sight pucture . If I’m shooting quickly under pressure I’m super alert and just concentrating on doing it my best. If I’m culling Roos there are times I’ll drive right past them because I’m feeling soft and I decide to let them live instead

I can recall one instance when I pulled out of a shot on a fox I'd been trailing across several sheep paddocks. I only hunt foxes in daylight and I picked this bloke up on dawn heading toward the property owner's house. I couldn't shoot toward the house of course, so I got around behind him and followed. He was patrolling along the bush edges, then sniffed around the house and sheds, then ducked along the edge of the bush along the fenceline, maybe 400m ahead of me but unaware I was following. After following him for maybe 1200m or so (difficult to recall precisely after 40+ years but I have Google Earth to refer to), I had closed to well under 200m behind him when he came into sight trotting up the track directly away from me following the fence. I was able to go prone and track him with the .222 waiting for him to stop, or slow down enough for a clean shot. He got to the crest of the hill, stopped and looked back toward me and I had the perfect shot. Luckily for him, he had the sun rising behind him and it lit him up just beautifully, bright red golden fur. I just couldn't bring myself to destroy that moment so I pulled out of the shot and lay watching him for a bit (he wasn't aware of me) until he carried on over the hill. I'm certain I must've killed him in the following days but, in that moment, this seventeen-year-old kid didn't want to be responsible for that.

I have never been the guy that needs to shoot everything he sees. I'm more than happy to pull out of any shot if it doesn't feel absolutely perfect.

[bigpete]

Not much usually. Occasionally excitement,occasionally sadness,mostly nothing. Depends on the situation.

[Jorlcrin]

I dont really feel anything at the exact moment of pulling the trigger; usually concentrating on making the shot hit where I intend.
I've previously decided to take the shot, so I've already justified it.
I dont feel sadness or remorse for the animal at that point; maybe because most of my shooting is for controlling animal numbers.
My focus at that point is on doing the job properly.

Feelings of satisfaction if the shot lands where intended.
Feelings of frustration if the shot doesnt, and thinking how I correct mistakes made that caused me to fluff the shot.

Not much thought for the intended target once I decide to pull the trigger.
There is a job to be done, and I want to do it to the best of my ability.
I dont intend for the animal to suffer, so I need to concentrate on doing the job properly.

As far as inspecting the carcass afterwards, I'm looking to see how the projectile performed.
No thrill in seeing blood and gore, but really interested in seeing how some projectiles punch way above their weight, and how some dont.
[AGAIN: most of my shooting is animal control, and not for sport and/or meat]
Tie this in to the ammo I reload; gives me a running log to tweak what works for our situation/conditions.

This is a job that I can do quite well(one of the few), and I take pride in doing the best job I can.

[Larry]

I have changed over the years like we all do in some ways or another. When I was 18 I was a cold blooded rabbit killer along with any sparrows or other small pest bird . In the shed birds where slaughtered for fun 40+ years on I have matured in every way along with my beliefs. While I havent exactly turned religious I do now believe everything is all connected and that there is a higher consciousness that we can all tap into all the living creatures of the Universe. They have recently discovered that plants can communicate.

So what does the change in my beliefs mean to my shooting. I now never kill an animal unless it is absolutely needed and its body will be well used for the benefit of another animal. I have put down injured cows and do it as respectfully and with as much kindness as possible.

[bigpete]

I have changed over the years like we all do in some ways or another. When I was 18 I was a cold blooded rabbit killer along with any sparrows or other small pest bird . In the shed birds where slaughtered for fun 40+ years on I have matured in every way along with my beliefs. While I havent exactly turned religious I do now believe everything is all connected and that there is a higher consciousness that we can all tap into all the living creatures of the Universe. They have recently discovered that plants can communicate.

So what does the change in my beliefs mean to my shooting. I now never kill an animal unless it is absolutely needed and its body will be well used for the benefit of another animal. I have put down injured cows and do it as respectfully and with as much kindness as possible.

I'm a bit like you.
I worked with a contractor yesterday who is also a contact shooter,and I confess I was a little appalled by his attitude towards animals. He actually was doing bird control at my old vineyard earlier this year,and was describing how he shot 40 odd galahs on one of the blocks and how much fun it was. Now,it is legal in SA to shoot them,but as they do zero damage to the grapes I never did when I did bird control. His reasoning was simply it was legal so why not ? I also found his attitude to shooting deer a little off,he'll just shoot as many as he possibly can out of a mob just for the hell of it it seems,without regard to anyone else. Admittedly he does process them,but it kinda sucks when he's doing it on a block I'm allowed to hunt as well,especially rankles as I'm actually employed by the company. But the kill em all mentality just doesn't sit well with me these days,probably why I no longer do culling much

[bladeracer]

I'm a bit like you.
I worked with a contractor yesterday who is also a contact shooter,and I confess I was a little appalled by his attitude towards animals. He actually was doing bird control at my old vineyard earlier this year,and was describing how he shot 40 odd galahs on one of the blocks and how much fun it was. Now,it is legal in SA to shoot them,but as they do zero damage to the grapes I never did when I did bird control. His reasoning was simply it was legal so why not ? I also found his attitude to shooting deer a little off,he'll just shoot as many as he possibly can out of a mob just for the hell of it it seems,without regard to anyone else. Admittedly he does process them,but it kinda sucks when he's doing it on a block I'm allowed to hunt as well,especially rankles as I'm actually employed by the company. But the kill em all mentality just doesn't sit well with me these days,probably why I no longer do culling much

I shot heaps of crows, galahs and starlings when I was a kid in South Australia. The first two of those are protected in Victoria, and we rarely see starlings here. It was part of the deal for the properties we were living on so I tried to do the best I could at it. No idea what sort of damage starlings do. The parrots here absolutely wreak havoc on our fruit trees, but we can't shoot them. Crows though I saw first hand the damage they do to newborn sheep, so I had no compunction about removing every one I saw. But I still tried to make each one a clean kill on a bird that wasn't aware of me. Some were definitely aware of me and were difficult to stalk close enough for a shot with the .222. I considered crows to be worse than foxes in what they did to lambs.

As for deer, here in Vic there are so many of the damned things that if we don't get more people out in the bush shooting every deer they see it'll soon come down to releasing some sort of bioweapon to control them and then we won't have any deer.

[Die Judicii]

Thanks heaps for the replies fellas,,,,,
Once on the right track after initial misunderstandings of what I was asking, I see some bloody good answers coming in.
One view in particular seems be strong.

Our views and reasonings certainly do change as we get older.

[Wapiti]

This is a very interesting topic, and kudos to Di Judicii for asking the question.

The fist time I went hunting, it was with blokes from work who invited me, when I was 20. They were the epitome of everything I despise, they shot at everything, at any spot, using inadequate ammo and calibres, and laughed when things were crippled or got away to die later.
I'm not talking about muffed shots, I mean deliberate.
I had a Mini-14, and a backpack full of PMC full jacketed ammo, because they told me this was awesome for what this was all about. How wrong this was. I was appalled with the results. And the people themselves.
It has stayed with me for life. I can see why there are regulations, for example, a code of conduct for certain species, because of some particular kinds of people.

Best friends had a number of 5000-10,000 acre properties teeming with big boars, so a great mate of mine and I started all over, and developed a "code of ethics" for no other reason that was because it was we just did naturally because of our personalities. We went hunting, not shooting. We targeted big boars only, and would NEVER shoot a sow and let the slips run off to die without a mother. Things like that. Our personal ethics still mean that if we hear that is ok from someone else, we aren't interested in any kind of further time spent with them. I have a wall of monster tusks on shields cut from ringbarked Ironbark trees, and each one has a long story, some took weeks of stalking.
We didn't do the "if it eats grass and isn't a sheep (or cow) it is shot" rubbish, and we told our hosts that. If you want that, we said, then the other mates you have out can behave that way and do that job. We just run things our way. They accepted that too.
Then, when graduating to hunting for meat, we found our home. Taking only one animal for meat, for us or for friends, gave us our home on all levels. That was the epitome of enjoyment and satisfaction for us as human beings. That way of thinking now, I completely understand now that I know that the peoples of the world who still live that way, or perish, follow that. They cherished the animals, respected them, because without them they had no life themselves.
I didn't even consider that at the time, never knew it, but now I understand it completely and understand my feelings and where they came from as a human being.

20 years ago, my wife and I decided that we would buy a business, a farm, instead of doing what everyone else does that pays off their first home (buy another of the wretched things and start a "portfolio").
This has insulated us somewhat from all the BS going on, and we have all the hunting we would ever want to do, with all the game animals that means that we never have to buy meat again if we need to.

But here's the bit that fits into this discussion, it's that we have to shoot animals to control them now, and have to take any opportunity for any number of reasons, that those who understand will get completely, it's what happens when you provide more feed, improved conditions, good containment exclusion fencing and ample clean water. And that, I despise. We have the most efficient firearms to just fix this issue whenever we need to and that they are good at, and to me it is just a thing I have to do, and hate.
When I line something up, it is with regret, if somehow these animals weren't there, I would be happier. It is hard to explain. So I ensure that the shot is unhurried and instantaneous, with a cartridge with a large safety margin. I think to myself, you've had a great life here, with everything you need, and you will never know what is about to happen.
This has shaped us to change our way of thinking about others too that say, "let me on, I will race around and clean everything up for you". That, I will not say what I think about someone like that, except to say, not here mate. Not someone like you.
Now to even things up in my head, to grab a nice, amply powered timber stocked bolt action rifle and go for a traditional type hunt, to take a cull deer for meat for example, that has a meaning. The kill itself is completely unpleasant to me, that part is not what it is about. Everything has to be clean, instantaneous, and to fill a need, or it doesn't happen...I'll try another day.
I'm not so sure many other people get this, but there you go. And my choice for the people I share this with too.

[Larry]

Like button

[Oldbloke]

another like button.

[Die Judicii]

Wapiti,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Well said Mate, there needs to be more like you.

[bigpete]

Have ditched most of my shooting mates because of stuff like Wapiti spoke of.....

[deye243]

Have ditched most of my shooting mates because of stuff like Wapiti spoke of.....

Same here I shoot with my kids and one mate and it's always an enjoyable event .

[Die Judicii]

For the reasons given just above,,,,,, it's no bloody wonder so many people looking for access are confronted with closed gates.

It was less than a week after my good Mate (that I've been shooting for,,, for many years) passed away unexpectadly) and I was out at his property after dogs as part of my usual routine.
Sitting in the darkness at 2AM I observed a vehicle approaching the back boundary fence via a rarely used bush track.
It stopped when it got to the fence line, and four adults with firearms and 3 dogs appeared,,,,, got through the fence and proceeded into the paddock.
The paddock of just over 150 acres had cattle within it plus three horses.

Being a still frosty night I knew my voice would carry far,, so I yelled some very explicit instructions.
They stopped walking,,,, but at the same time one of the dogs started chasing the horses.
All hell was starting to happen, and the people then started advancing further into the paddock.

It was time for the proverbial "warning shot into the ground".

They vacated rather hastily after calling the dogs back.

The annoying thing was,,,,,, that it was a safe bet that they presumed the property was not being watched and they could have free entrance.

[bladeracer]

For the reasons given just above,,,,,, it's no bloody wonder so many people looking for access are confronted with closed gates.

It was less than a week after my good Mate (that I've been shooting for,,, for many years) passed away unexpectadly) and I was out at his property after dogs as part of my usual routine.
Sitting in the darkness at 2AM I observed a vehicle approaching the back boundary fence via a rarely used bush track.
It stopped when it got to the fence line, and four adults with firearms and 3 dogs appeared,,,,, got through the fence and proceeded into the paddock.
The paddock of just over 150 acres had cattle within it plus three horses.

Being a still frosty night I knew my voice would carry far,, so I yelled some very explicit instructions.
They stopped walking,,,, but at the same time one of the dogs started chasing the horses.
All hell was starting to happen, and the people then started advancing further into the paddock.

It was time for the proverbial "warning shot into the ground".

They vacated rather hastily after calling the dogs back.

The annoying thing was,,,,,, that it was a safe bet that they presumed the property was not being watched and they could have free entrance.

A friend of ours has got trailcam pics of three armed poachers walking around his property, and stealing his gardening equipment. He has been doing a _lot_ of planting and his equipment is out there under canvas, the whole property is very clearly private. He and his neighbours don't have fences as they don't have any stock, the properties are totally bush except for around their houses, and none of them abut public land. There is a minuscule piece of state forest 2000m away, about 300m by 200m, across a significant road. Otherwise there is no state forest anywhere within walking distance. It's possible they've gone into one of the properties with permission and didn't realise these blocks are only about 10ac to 15ac at most. He's reported them to Police but doesn't want to ruin their lives, he just wants them to go elsewhere. I've shown pics to my dealer and will see another dealer. I don't need them to identify them to me, but hopefully if somebody does recognise them they can tell them to behave.