Kurt Russell Defends Hunting and Killing Animals for Food: ‘I Make No Apologies’

Many fans of his movies may not know that Kurt Russell is an avid hunter who prefers to kill the animals that provide meat for his dinner table. In a recent interview, the actor explained his lifestyle and defended it from potential critics.

Kurt, 74, appeared alongside his son, Wyatt Russell, on the Wednesday, March 11, episode of the Table Manners podcast, where they discussed his life outside of Hollywood. The Hateful Eight actor lives in Colorado, where he’s able to be a bit more in touch with nature and hunt deer in the wilderness for food.

“Well, I thank them for their service,” Kurt said when asked by the hosts if he feels bad about killing animals.

“By the way, there’s no pleasure in the taking of life,” he added. “There’s great pleasure and honor in taking an animal that feeds you. And I respect that and honor that. And it means a big deal to me. And you know, I make no apologies.”

Wyatt, 39, then added that he appreciated growing up having an understanding of where the food he consumed came from, even if that knowledge is a bit upsetting.

“One of the things that we’ve really forgot, especially my children growing up – you see those things run through your backyard, and you see all kinds of animals, and they’re majestic,” the Thunderbolts* star said.

“They don’t know. They have no connection to food at all. And so it’s very nice,” Wyatt continued. “You know, we were raised with it to know that thing that you took is gonna be your dinner meal.”

Despite loving the lifestyle of hunting for their food, Kurt knows it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

“It’s not something I push on anybody,” Russell concluded. “I mean, it’s not for everybody, but I like bringing down my own meat. I grew up in that family.”