Elk heart

[support420]

anyone have any answers on what could happen by taking a bite out of an Elks heart ?

Cousins say its a ritual on the first kill....can anyone shed some light....maybe I should take some

"tapatio" .....

Thanks

 

[ducslayer]

Think of CWD while licking your lip's! But it's still not proven to affect humans.

 

[spectr17]

bon appetite'

 

[hntnnut]

I prefer them boiled, sliced then pickled in some sort of sweet peper (like high sierra peppers) juice.


Richard

 

[rodngun]

Don't fall for that ritual....What is this "Dances with Wolves"?...Chances are your cousins never did it and they want to see if you're stupid enough to try

....Respect the animal you just killed by not disgracing it with some measure of manhood....Just my

 

[Speckmisser]

Nothing will happen but you might look a little silly. CWD isn't much of a risk from the heart muscle, nor are most other food-related pathogens. I've eaten plenty of raw venison, but can honestly say I haven't eaten uncooked heart so I have no idea what kind of taste sensation you'll be in for. Probably not too bad, though... if your omnivore teeth can tear through the muscle.

My recommendation is cook that sucker up and then eat it. It's pretty tasty.

 

[antlrcolectr]

Yea it sounds spiritual and all but I think it's a stupid thing to do.

I take a minute reflecting on the animals life I just took...and the things it used to do, that it will never get to do again because of me.

We all talk about our freedom here in America, but who are the ones that are really free?

AC

 

[fossilman]

 

[Diablo]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Speckmisser @ Oct 31 2006, 08:21 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Nothing will happen but you might look a little silly. CWD isn't much of a risk from the heart muscle, nor are most other food-related pathogens. I've eaten plenty of raw venison, but can honestly say I haven't eaten uncooked heart so I have no idea what kind of taste sensation you'll be in for. Probably not too bad, though... if your omnivore teeth can tear through the muscle.

My recommendation is cook that sucker up and then eat it. It's pretty tasty.[/b]

Whoa. That was pretty deep.

Serious question for you:

Do you feel guilty after killing an animal?

BTW, my Unit 1 AZ Bull Elk Hunt starts the day after Thanksgiving. I hope I can't wait to experience that feeling again!

I know it's easy to play the tough guy role...but seriously...I get a kind of bummed out feeling when I walk up on the animal I just took. It really sucks when they're still alive. I love to hunt though and it's certainly not a deal-breaker. But I do try to have some respect for the life I just took.

BTW, my Arizona Unit 1 Bull Elk Hunt starts the day after Thanksgiving. I can't wait to experience that feeling again.

 

[antlrcolectr]

Amen Diablo

 

[Speckmisser]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

Serious question for you:

Do you feel guilty after killing an animal?[/b]

Good question!

I've been conditioned, as most modern humans are, to feel "something" when I kill. There's a rush of emotions that can certainly be a little confusing. I don't personally think it's guilt, since that's such a negative thing, but there's definitely a sense of responsibility for what I've done. But you can call it what you will...

I think that the biggest part of it comes from recognizing the sanctity of life... a quality most anti-hunters would like to believe we (hunters) don't possess.

We're taught, for good reason, that senseless killing is wrong. Life is to be revered, if not for the fact that it's a gift of our god, then at least for the mystery of its very existence. The challenge then, at least at a deeper emotional level, is to decide when we think the killing is not senseless. Obtaining food is a logical justification, for example. Eliminating pests is another. Defense of life and property, of course, I would argue is paramount when applicable.

Unlike most other predators, humans are endowed with an ability to reason, justify, and rationalize. Everything we do is loaded with social and emotional implication. At some level, we have to justify every action as right or wrong (even if only to ourselves), and weigh that justification against the mores of our social environment. Making the decision to kill is, or should be, a loaded proposition... especially in modern cultures.

There is an interesting paradox, here, though...

You'll notice that for most people, the extent of that sensation is directly proportional to the size of the animal they've killed. I've seen guys whack squirrels or doves all day long as if they're swatting mosquitos (and I know almost no one who has any qualms about exterminating insects), but then turn around and get knock-kneed and bleary eyed when they drop a buck or an elk.

I believe there's a subconscious connection that we make to the larger animals. It's a sense of relationship, as if by the mere size of the beast it is somehow more "like us". I think that, at many levels, there's an irresistable need to anthropomorphize the animals... to transfer our own thoughts and feelings to them... and as a result, killing an animal becomes almost like killing ourselves. I've heard people apologize to the animal they've just killed, and I've witnessed many more (including myself) who thanked the animal for its life.

A lot of this comes back to those rituals, like eating the animal's heart after harvesting it. These are deep rooted traditions, but they come from many of the same emotions that we, modern folk, still feel.

The heart is representative of the magnificence and pride of a great bull or buck. To eat it is to take that aspect of the animal to yourself, and shows great respect for the animal. It's not meant as disrespectful. Unfortunately, for too many people it's become a joke to play on the "new guy", and the significance is lost. That's a shame. With that in mind, Support420 should look into the motives of his hunting buddies.

At any rate, I think most hunters feel some level of this when they harvest an animal. They may express it in different ways, or not at all, but it's got to be there or else, why hunt? If you want meat without emotion, go to the grocery store.

 

[Diablo]

Thank you Speck...very well stated. I appreciate you taking the time to respond like you did.

 

[larrysogla]

Speckmisser,
Reading your post is like reading a well written novel. It is very lucid and extremely connective to one's thought and emotion. You should be a book author or a magazine article submitter/contributor. I would buy your book or magazine. Excellent post. Thanks. God Bless, always.

 

[rtbx15]

I always feel at least a small bit of regret when I kill something, even a fish. The day it does'nt happen, I will probably quit. I always take a moment to thank the animal or fish for its gift and put it to the best possible use. If someone does'nt feel a little bit of regret, I think there maybe something wrong.....

 

[84toyota]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (support420 @ Oct 30 2006, 01:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

anyone have any answers on what could happen by taking a bite out of an Elks heart ?

Cousins say its a ritual on the first kill....can anyone shed some light....maybe I should take some

"tapatio" .....

Thanks[/b]

You can certainly do what you want here... I wouldn't eat raw meat, whether it's the heart, backstrap, whatever...
I can only go off of my own personal experiences... My dad killed a mule deer way back when... I was a little squirt. He removed the heart and kept it for my grandma who loved them... he wanted me to cut the heart open to wash out the blood. When I cut it open, it was LOADED with heartworms! I about puked... Anyways, feel free to take a big bite!

Ken