My sister and her killing son... Just to play with his new rifle.

[mikeofaustin]

Please don't read this if you get quezzy about blood.

My sister, someone I never got along with, is now over 40 with 4 kids. She has recently allowed her oldest boy to have a semi-auto .223 rifle. So, shortly afterwords, I see a close up photo of a dead rabbit on her facebook page. she says, "This is what a cougar can do near our property". My response to her is this,
"A predator animal did not do this. The breast plate is obviously blown open with a hollow point, and all the insides are still intact and not 'taken', and the rear leg of this rabbit is a clean break. If a predator was hunting this animal, they would have at least tasted this animal, disturbed the fur, and taken something that was ripped open, and the rear leg would have blood stains on the fur from where the predators teeth worked on the animals leg over time to sever it. Even the ground around this animal doesn't hint at any disturbance at all. This rabbit was clearly blown open with a hollow point and the rear leg was blown off with another bullet. ... The rabbit was completely intact except for being 'blown open' by something. If your a hunter, you know what I'm saying.

In the end, I asked my sister to please look into this, as this is not a predator animal. It's someone with a rifle that feels like killing animals for fun. But, something inside me tells me that she's going to shield her boy (my nephew). This upsets me to no end. There is no excuse to randomly kill an animal just to test out your rifle.

The photo here is not for the light hearted... Again, if you are qwezzy, don' t click on this link. I would appreciate any educated opinions on this. Particularly hunters. http://www.pcb-experts.com/Rabbit.jpg

 

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[traderoftreasures]

what about it's rear feet. lucky rabbits foot?

 

[spartacus53]

I don't know what is lucky about that foot, it didn't help the rabbit much I think you may be on to something there, the rabbit may have been killed for the foot.

 

[traderoftreasures]

i would say.... not killed by a predator other than man

 

[jeff of pa]

I don't know what is lucky about that foot, it didn't help the rabbit much

 

[traderoftreasures]

kinda reminds me of my current avatar

 

[spartacus53]

I am glad you mentioned the dark side of the behavior, if this act was just for fun. Look at all of your serial killers, each started out killing small animals to watch them die. The size of the victim increased as the predator matured, until they could hunt people.

I am hoping that it was just a stupid one off circumstance to get a rabbits foot.

kinda reminds me of my current avatar

Note to self: avoid Md'ing with traderoftreasure

 

[mlayers]

I agree the rabbit was shot. Now tell your sister if her son s out shooting animals just for fun he could face some big fines from the game warden. Shoot animals out of season is a no-no. Then if he is under age she could be fine for letting it happen.......Matt

 

[Tubecity]

I too agree on the shot. Has he been taught gun safety, hunting ethics ? This kind of stuff gives all
hunters & gun owners a bad name. If he was my kid, he would have gutted, cleaned & ate any
animal he shot. They make targets for practicing. Hope someone teaches that boy soon.

 

[ivan salis]

unless done in protection of self or other humans (say a rabid dog) or a farmer protect crops from pest animals --crows , ect -- if you shoot a edible animal in my presence --i expect you to eat it as much as possible --to wantonly "blood lust" kill something (warning sign*** of a possible "sick / twisted " serial killer personality)--or just kill for only a "trophy" part and let the rest rot is very very wrong in my veiw

 

[21stTNCav]

Although the killing of an animal for pratice shooting is not anything to support I see the evident probability that this kid is lying as the major problem. Rabbits can be so numerous that like rats they can become a huge nuisance. Any way that rabbit was shot, not attacked by a pr editor, just my experience from hunting small game. Yes it was hit by a higher caliber bullet than a .22 and definitely not a shotgun. The last thing I will say is if someone get queasy about that they really need to get outside a little, you are living an entirely sheltered life without being in touch with old mother nature at all.

 

[packerbacker]

You state that your "sister" allows him to have this rifle. Apparently the father isn't around? The rabbit was definitely mauled by a human. A predator does not capture and kill a rabbit by catching the legs and chewing them off. They would grab the head or back. They would then start with the soft tissue with most of the nutrition leaving something like bony legs for later or last. The skin would be ripped and, as you stated, blood would certainly get on the fur, and the skin would not appear as if it had been smoothly cut by a knife.
How old is this kid? Maybe, as the uncle, you should get more involved with him. He needs someone with gun knowledge concerning the law, gun safety and hunting etiquette. He also needs someone to show him how to handle, clean, accurately fire, the range and firepower, and how to load and unload the specific weapon he has. He should also not have "free access" to this weapon. It needs, at a bare minimum, a quality trigger lock and the key to it in the possession of a responsible adult. Our family uses gun safes and it's a good feeling to have all of the guns in the various households locked up and accounted for. The kids of hunting age have all attended hunter safety training as is required by our state.
No matter how you feel about your sister, you need to get involved here. Your nephew will probably respect and care for you much more a little later down the road. It don't take much to get a kid moving in the right direction unless you wait too long. It's good to see you caring enough to look for a few tips.

 

[centfladigger]

a .223? Thats way too much for a rabbit, I have killed many deer with my .223 , the reason I got one a long time ago is because thats the M-16 round and I liked the windage and elevation set up on the mini-14 and was used to it from using the M-16. Way too much firepower for someone that hasnt used a gun much.

Maybe its out of his system, I know when I got my first shotgun, I was around 11 or 12 the first thing I shot was a huge bullfrog, and regretted it right away and never used it in that manner since.

 

[traderoftreasures]

i got my first gun when i was 8. i was only allowed to carry it unloaded to the woods at first and then only one shell and then freedom to hunt as i pleased by the age of nine. BUT i passed hunter safety courses and was responsible.
a 223 is pretty mean gun for a young person.

 

[AU Seeker]

I agree that the rabbit was not killed by any predator, Mike you say this is her oldest son, but you have not mentioned his age.

How old is he?

I also agree that it seems that a responsible "father" figure is missing from this household, and one needs to step in if possible.


Skip

 

[TheHarleyMan2]

Judging by the size of the blades of grass, (St Augustine), and the wood chips and the size of the baby rabbit. I come to several conclusions.

1. The rabbit was definitely killed by a human, unless it was caught by a preditor who just played with it and ate part of it. I have had cats that would catch mice and small rabbits and would kill it and only eat a small part of it. But I see that the front legs are missing, so that makes me question a preditor even doing it. The picture doesn't really show the breast plate blown open but photos sometimes to give the whole different picture than it is seen in person.

2. Maybe not a .223 hollow point, because there would be nothing left of the rabbit if it was hit in the breast plate. Now maybe the legs, it may be possible, but again, the size of the rabbit and a .223 hollow point I don't think he made a direct hit, maybe he hit the ground just under it and blew the breast plate and front legs off. That could be possible. I know, I used to hunt and I know what different size calibers hollow point and full metal jackets can do to animals and humans.

3. If it was a preditor, as small as the rabbit is, there would be 3/4 to most of the rabbit gone.

4. First, I have a question about the age of the boy, before any gun was given to him, he should have gone to a gun safety course and had adult supervision.

I possibly see something down the road that will cause some real problems, not just with the gun and the boy, but something really major. I also question where is the father figure?

 

[Dano Sverige]

If he's old enough for a passport then he's an American Citizen..which gives him access to your much quoted "2nd amendment". Give a kid a gun (unsupervised),and he's gonna shoot anything he can find..animal,mineral or vegetable!
Maybe he thought it was a British redcoat rabbit?

 

[Tubecity]

Give a kid a gun (unsupervised),
================================================================
Those are the key words, my friend. 'Kid & Unsupervised'. It is not gun, it could be kid & chainsaw, kid
& fireworks or kid & cooking stove. The training & 'supervision is what's critical. My Dad had me pacing
behind him & his hunting buddies, watching & learning years before I was old enough to legally hunt.
My first gun was a single shot 28 gauge that was used by my Grandmother, my Dad & his 3 brothers.
He taught me to use it & told me he would not even consider getting me a new gun until I was able to
get to get 2 shots off on a rabbit or bird with that single shot. Carrying an extra shell between your index
& middle finger of your left hand, shoot, eject shell, load, aim & shoot again. Unlikely I could do it today.
But that is training & supervision. He raised beagles & by 3rd or 4th grade I would get off the school bus,
grab the gun & a dog or two & head off to hunt on the 48 acre farm we lived on. It wasn't vital to our survival,
it was what kids did in the country. You learned a gun was a tool, nothing more & didn't kill for mere fun.

 

[texan connection]

 

[Jimmy(PA)]

How much land do they live on? A .223 will go a long way if he misses the intended target, if this is his first gun he should have started off with a .22 while I realize its still just as deadly its a much better rifle to learn on, she could have even got him BB caps to fire in it. I only shoot at ranges, and at targets, I see no point in killing something just for the sake of killing it. If he wants to shoot at live objects just for fun tell him to get a paintball gun and go to a field.