As I've gotton older, I'm not so much into killing things as I once had.
I'm at the point that if I'm driving, I'll help a turtle across the road or slow down for pretty much any animal if it's in the middle of the road (this morning, honking the horn for 3 Guinea hens who seem as smart as a box of rocks on the road).
I'll kill for food when I need it, but always give thanks for the sacrifice so I can eat. Hunted a lot when I was younger, now I'd rather get a great shot with the camera.
Don't get me wrong, last week had to get rid of a copperhead laying directly around the house that wouldn't move and I couldn't get to (first time in a while I used my Ruger lite with can, and it worked wonders for close up work), but for the most part, even in the back fields if I come across the same kind copperhead, I'll try to leave them be.
One thing I can't stand though is yellow jackets.
Wife got stung about 5 times in the garden yesterday. We will dispatch that ground hive tonight that she found by one of the raised beds.
Later yesterday, mowing a sidehill that I do ever so often every couple of weeks, I ended up getting stung by 7 different ones. Thing is, they are so vicious IMO anytime I've come across them. I got out of the area fast on the mower, and trying to drive a twin stick while trying to kill them with one arm off the stick makes for interesting driving going downhill pretty fast LOL It wasn't until about 75 yards and I got back to the house that they weren't around me anymore. I went up with the truck today (windows close), but couldn't exactly find where the ground nest was.
Both my wife and I were very sore last night.
Wifes Grandmothers brother was killed by yellow jackects back in the 30's or 40's. Wife was told that her grandmothers brother was stung so many times, they had to have a large casket due to the size of the body after all the stings.
Funny, out back mowing a field today, and I've mowed that field many times, never worried. Today, I was getting kind of freaked out by all the grasshoppers landing on me and every once in while biting me (sorry, forwhatever reasons, grasshoppers do bite more than naught IMO when mowing LOL).
I know God put animals on this earth for a reason, and although I can't stand snakes personally, they play a pretty big role in the Big book, but yellow jackets I have no clue why they are on this earth.
Thing about yellow jackets is I generally look up at the trees (as I've come across them mowing this way more than a couple of times), but when they are in the ground, it's like walking across a dormant minefield that you never think of until you hit them.
Perhaps I'd feel the sameway about hogs, but thankfully we don't have that problem LOL
