Sounds like you have a God complex. You decide when it dies, even if it's only a few months old. And how many female squirrels do you kill that have babies waiting to be fed back in their nest? They will die a slow and lingering death, thanks to you. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
We'll have to agree to disagree on this one. Your view on animals has been instilled within you by your environment and your relatives. My desire to show mercy and compassion to all animals was taught to me at a young age. I will always risk my neck to get a turtle out of the road and will always feed any stray animal that needs some help. Just my upbringing. Take care.
Age matters in your choice of kills? Well , that's one standard.
For economy's sake (feed to meat ratio) when raising domestic stock , there comes a point of diminishing returns . Depending on the animal or plant.
Yearlings for cervids. Unless there's a demand for lamb or veal or suckling pigs.
The last deer was 2 1/2 years old. By my choice again. Weighed more than I. And took 3.5 hours to have mobile. 2 days to cut up. A 6 moth old would be less work. And is legal here.
Squirrel orphans?
Season is closed during nursing stages. Plan your harvest by breeding beginning near snow final melt. Young of the year are then quite independent and competing for resources among themselves.
I have considered killing a squirrel building a nest in the fenced yard. We had the dogs bring fleas in. Lots of flea combing. Yard spraying. More combing. Flea baths. Yard spraying. Vacuum some more ect. and so on.
Left the squirrel live though. And have hunted them with a passion , including a designated squirrel dog..
Here's another harmonious relationship.
Planted beans. Rabbit mowed them down.
I watched the rabbit repeatedly. Sure , I considered it's life forfeit in exchange for me eating beans. Left it alone anyways and planted more beans. Which it mowed down.
Annoyed and season for growing getting short I planted again. And watched the rabbit eat plants , again.
O.K. you win rabbit. Despite the posing for a shot repeatedly...
About a week later an owl killed the rabbit.
I built a fenced area to garden.
Squirrels enjoyed corn. I enjoyed none.
Chipmunks and squirrels enjoyed beans. I managed a few.
Then there were the acorn squash I looked forward to having enough to store a while.
I got a couple. Critters got the rest.
Never shot a squirrel or rabbit in the yard these many years. Not sure why , other than it's more a hunting elsewhere thing.
Same with deer. Though I own property elsewhere more suitable.
Had a bear getting too close and curious when I was leaving the forest into my yard one evening on my way back from a deer hunt before I owned land elsewhere.
Left it alone too.
Much of my hunting is watching. Critters taking advantage of habitat maintained for critters. All seasons , with spring recovery an important feed time. Followed by fawning territory.
Feel free to study fawning times impact on a deer herds socialization. Doe order and dominance in claiming and defending a territory in which to birth fawn(s). The affect on last years fawns (those that survived a year( somehow) and what they do when run off by momma. And what if they are then in another doe's fawning territory? It's a big deal. And habitat matters far beyond simply space. Roadkills go up when them young deer are bumped around until rejoining the doe after the fawn is grown up enough to follow it's mother.
Younger and less dominant doe get the poorer places to drop fawns. (Last years fawns were often bred late in season , meaning this year they are looking for where to drop thier fawn , amid competition. Young and not dominant.) Where do they end up?
Vs cement and glass and crap quality grass for humans.
I could build a house there. Or stay in this shack with it's already existing footprint and impact on nature.
Critters do alright here. But better on the uninhabited land. At the cost of a life now and then.
Staying off allows more doe fawn groups spread out amid decent forage.
All removed from the subject of hunting bucks. Which are not hanging around unreceptive doe.
Why should I encourage doe fawn groups instead of bucks? What of a doe eating more forage than a buck?
I could manage the habitat to reduce doe use and encourage bucks instead.
But there's more to it than my desires.
In fairness, if a doe and fawn stick around during hunting season , (there is appealing ag in the distance during fall) a buck will check them out.
At night. Unless things are undisturbed , un human scented ect..
But , buck fawns come from doe too. Some survive a while. If the coyote don't get em first.
C.W.D.. man , that sure caused state encouraged reductions in deer numbers. Herd I hunt halved year one. Halved again year two. And again year three.
I refused to kill a deer when the numbers were reduced so far. Just watched them again....
And I pay plenty in taxes on that land to just watch. Yes , I enjoy it. But wildlife benefits more than I from my enjoyment there. It's how it is managed.
An injured deer in trouble I likely won't pass on should one be encountered. Most get a free pass to just be deer. Yet they remain prey and I an occasional predator I still have canine teeth. (One is an implant today, but it still works.)
How many tens of thousands do you have invested in lobster habitat? Do you maintain it for thier benefit?
Are any other creatures deprived of lobsters or lobsters affect on environment , by your consumption of lobsters?
Is age/size limit on lobsters due to taste? Or age weight to feed ratio? Lobster breeding success? Or due to competition for the resource? Or all of the above?
We have invasive rusty crayfish here. Another study for those interested with the question of what if anything to do about a competing critter.
I built a trap. Law said they cannot be transported alive. Multiple folks communicated with the state that to eat them (thereby removing those caught from the environment) they need to be alive.
Law changed. We eat mini lobsters. I've learned to boil outside vs lobster shack scented shack.
But we don't use them for bait , understandably and by law...
That's not getting along with the rusty crayfish. Not for humans. We intervene , and eat an abundant resource that's not desired.
We could order lobsters though. Easier. Plus it's not our home or home habitat , or home critters being exploited.
