I have found it to be true that the amount of respect one possesses for the game they pursue is directly proportional to their amount of self-respect.

Over a handful of decades, my brothers and sisters that inhabit remote and wild places have graciously taught me many valuable and humbling lessons. Just because one ventures into their realm with a modicum of fitness and the presumptions of superior hardware and superior intellect does not make desired outcomes a foregone conclusion. As witness to the ineptitude of some "sportsmen" in their ability to seal the deal under such delusions, coming upon a gut shot elk and having to take responsibility for a regal beast's suffering will frost anyone's pumpkin. It did mine. Especially after traveling across three states for a solo hunt with a prized any elk tag in hand.

Perspective is everything--The one who initiated this particular chain of events likely carried on with their vacation and life, I witnessed a tragic scene as a result but suffered only a minuscule amount compared to the price that elk ultimately paid. The gift of life is the most precious one. Whether given or received....

If anything I've proffered in this thread will preclude such an event from occurring in the reader's future, that's indeed a good thing for all parties. May The Force be with you.