To balance out that nasty scene, here's one that I got to be involved in.
I was at a public picnic ground here in the Black Hills coupla years ago. I set up and was scraping osage with a small campfire eatin' up the chips and cooking lunch. A young kid in Air Force camo BDU's came running outa the woods asking me if I had cell phone reception. He was wild eyed as Ned Beatty in Deliverance. I said no, what's wrong?!?! He said he was shooting a borrowed compound in a borrowed tree stand and hit a big doe. He needed to call his buddy and get help tracking her before she got away. I asked how long had it been, he said no more than 10 minutes. I gave him a cup of campfire coffee to settle him down and said I'd help track. When we got to the stand, I could see the spot she jumped from, ground showed parallel scrapes where her hind legs did a Camaro-style burn out. I looked up the trail and told the kid to start walking slow and looking down (no need to track, I could see her!).
When he found her 30 yds away he lost it. He sat there with her head cradled on his lap with tears streaking his face saying she was so beautiful. He looked up at me and said, "I killed her." This was the point that would turn him against hunting or confirm his place as a respectful and honorable hunter. I showed him the entrance and exit wounds, explained how a sharp broadhead doesn't cause much pain, just fast bleed-out, collapsed lungs, quick death. He was good with it.
We mentor kids, we insert our ethics into every hunting story we tell, we exert positive influence on everyone we hunt with, we volunteer with teaching hunter safety and ethics classes, and we always expect more of ourselves whether someone is watching or not. What else can we really do?
