Can Jews eat hunted animals?

Question

Are Jews allowed to eat hunted animals? That means the animals are dead before getting their necks cut.

I do not think that a large proportions of ancient Jews were hunters, but I would be surprised to find that there was not a single hunter in all of Jewish history.

Hunting for sport is strictly forbidden, and hunting for food will render the animal a tereifah if (as in the example you gave) you wound or kill the animal before slaughtering it. But that said, hunting is most certainly permissible. You could hunt for pelts, for example. — Shimon bM, Jul 14 '13 at 10:34
Interestingly, the hebrew (and biblical hebrew) word for hunting is Tzayad, which means trapping, not hunting. It seems to me that they would trap the wild animals and then slaughter them. — Menachem, Jul 14 '13 at 17:28

score 14 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 14 '13 at 16:13

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No.

In theory (see Yore Dea chapters 3, 6, 7), it's possible to kill an animal with a really sharp arrow or thrown knife and render it kosher, but not practically.

answered Jul 14 '13 at 16:13

msh210

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score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 24 '14 at 20:08

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And, of course, to keep from dying (פיקוח נפש), though all non-animal food sources would have to prove or seem obviously insufficient, just as if all emergency rations were treif (which would be preferable, I believe, to killing an animal when there were something else you could eat that were permissible under the circumstances---please correct mke if I'm wrong).

answered Aug 24 '14 at 20:08

Bierce Prosnan

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Welcome to Mi Yodeya. As written, this doesn't seem to answer the question. If you're trying to say that hunting is ok for pikuach nefesh when no other food is available, could you [edit] to say that more directly? Adding sources will strengthen your answer. Without these changes this will probably be deleted; we reserve the answer space for answers, not discussion. See [tour] for more about how the site works. Thanks, and please do edit if you can make this fit better! – Monica Cellio Aug 24 '14 at 20:21
@MonicaCellio This answer may be better as a comment to the pre-existing answer....but this guy doesn't have the rep for that just yet. ....think it should be converted? – MTL Aug 25 '14 at 05:13

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered Jan 08 '15 at 00:40

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Isaac was apparently not opposed to wild game. Was he not waiting for Esau to bring him some venison when Jacob came in and fooled him with mutton?

(I can't imagine how he was fooled since they taste so dissimilar)

answered Jan 08 '15 at 00:40

bishop

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That's true, but who's to say that he intended to shoot the deer? Maybe he wanted him to trap it, and slaughter it in a kosher manner. – MTL Jan 08 '15 at 00:42
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Before Torah was given, not relevant! – havarka Jan 08 '15 at 00:43
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@havarka That's a good point, but the Avos kept the Torah, even though they weren't commanded to. – MTL Jan 08 '15 at 00:45
@Shokhet Was Esav's Shechita even Kosher? – Double AA Jan 08 '15 at 06:26
@DoubleAA Good point; I don't know. Would Yitzchak's shechita be kosher? Remember, he may not have been Jewish.... – MTL Jan 08 '15 at 16:28
And Avos kept torah? How do they kept something they don't know? And if they know we're even in more problem? What does avos mean anyway? Forefathers? – user4951 Oct 02 '16 at 08:49
@JimThio - Please see this question and answer. And yes, "avos" means "forefathers" or "fathers," and when we say "The Avos" we mean Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. – ezra Mar 29 '17 at 18:25

score -4 · Answer 4 · answered Nov 25 '14 at 21:18

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The Torah specifically allows for hunting in Leviticus 17:13, provided that you pour out all the blood on the ground and cover it with earth. This is consistent with the Torah's instructions concerning the slaughter of animals in general, where you are required to pour out all the blood on the ground, but not required to cover it with earth. It is inconsistent with the ideas created in the Talmud, which seem to contradict the Torah on this point.

answered Nov 25 '14 at 21:18

Avi

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Im notsure what contradiction you see – Double AA Nov 25 '14 at 21:23
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You understand of hunting is an anachronism. The word can be about trapping as well. And that is not an exclusively religious claim. – Yishai Nov 25 '14 at 21:43
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The animal had to be shechted after being trapped alive. However, there are those who say that this only occurred after the conquest of Eretz Yisrael. That is a different question and is not part of this question. – sabbahillel Mar 31 '16 at 00:30

Can Jews eat hunted animals?

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