"oldspook"
"chasdicapua"Just to bring in another perspective, perhaps killing animals isn't your thing and something is trying to tell you that? Just a potential, not saying that's it for sure. But something to put in the mix...
The are those who wish to believe that nothing has to die so that they can have their breakfast. They are unfortunate, deluded souls who could not survive a week in the world our grandfathers thrived in. I don't think anything is trying to tell him anything. For whatever reason he finds it gross or scary. That is not healthy and given that man is a predator, neither is it natural. He has gotten some good advice in this thread. Yesterday I read it but declined to comment. You have prompted my comment. To the OP:
You should not feel forced to do anything. If however you find it desirable, for whatever reason, to get over this phobia. You *CAN* do it. There are two ways which come immediately to mind. You can get the gloves, handle the little beasties, and do right by the prey you have killed, whether pest or meat. It might take time but you desensitize yourself to things by exposing yourself to them repeatedly and gradually. At first just pick them up; however you can, but every time you pick on up do it with more determination than you did the last time. Handle them, look at how wonderfully made they are. GROK them, for lack of a better word. If you take a life, you have taken something you can never give back. Respect that but don't grieve over it, you have to eat, give thanks. Given enough time, you will master that phobia.
Back in the day ... when a hunter killed his first deer, it was a day of celebration for a father. Where I came from the kid was required to gut the animal himself and pack it out of the woods himself. At the gut pile his dad would stick his hand down into the offal and smear blood and guts on the kids face. He was then said to be a "blooded" hunter. He had to wear that mess on his face until sundown on that day.
The second way (I don't recommend the old way in this case (or there would be three) because of the diseases one can pick up licking guts off his face...
) is to wait till the world comes unglued and you absolutely have to learn to eat what you kill. Not saying that is about to happen, but if it did, you would learn real fast how to process your kills and cook them.
Just remember, keep it clean, keep your hands clean, keep your knife razor sharp and take your time, work slow. Tools get slippery when they are wet.
