Wondering Why?

I read the discussion on using gloves to clean game and have done so for a long time.

In a lot of pictures you see where someone has smeared blood on a kids face after killing a deer.

Why?

If it is deemed a good idea to wear gloves to protect yourself from an animal's blood, why smear blood on a kids face and close to their eyes?

Seems dumb to me.

Guessing here you don't eat the raw hearts from the dove you kill.

We never did the smear the blood thing. I threatened to do it on my wifes first deer just to give her a hard time and make her squeal a little. Not squeamish and don't use gloves, not against them just never used them.

Partly the Red Dawn scene where C Thomas Howell shoots the mule deer and drinks the spirit in the blood as noted by P. Swayze's and his brother, Charlie Sheen's characters. The smile and lightly chuckle as he's doing it. Nothing to it from what I know.

My brother got Rocky Mtn Elk Fever after gutting and elk and cutting himself in the process, about killed him.
I also wear them now when dealing with hogs and got used to it so gutting/skinning deer with them is nice when you can slip them off and have clean hands to handle other chores.

Always thought it originated with the native American population and was just borrowed, and used for a hunter's first kill (right of passage?).


PS I've never used dressing gloves and haven't read that thread. I also don't hog hunt and that would likely make a difference.