Then, as the muskrat approached, I aimed at its head and shot it.

I retrieved the body, took it home, skinned it, and put it on a board to stretch and dry. I forget what eventually happened to it. I know I did not sell it. But I have never forgotten the stupidity, the cruelty, and most of all, the unnecessary waste of my action.

I did hunt for game birds a time or two after that, but by the time I married in 1962, I had given away all my guns and I have never owned one since.

I pass no judgement on legitimate hunters who kill cleanly and use what they kill.

I just don't do it myself anymore.

Nimrod — In the Bible, a king who was a mighty hunter.