Another sob story from a bow hunter

[LabLuvR]

If you don't find him today, you will by Saturday, just look for buzzards.

[2thDoc]

that deer is dead and you are gonna be pissed bc he is 50 steps from where you stopped.

jumping the fence, he stopped on the other side and bled. that is why the bigger pile. then, he knew it was almost over so he ducked into a thicket. i will bet a dollar he is within 50 steps of that pile of blood at the fence.

dont stop when you cant find blood. mark the last spot and go in concentric circles at that spot, leaving the last mark in the center of the circle. make the circles bigger until you cut the track or find the deer or blood. just bc you lost blood doesnt mean you have to stop looking.

and i'm not saying that's what you did....i'm just saying that deer is dead and you cant count him as your first deer unless you eat him.

[MC]

Not trying to preach to you so please don't take it that way, just a helpful statement.

If this is your first deer with the bow, no matter how long it takes, wait for a broadside shot on a relaxed deer well inside your comfortable range. You need to stack all the odds in your favor that you can to help build some confidence. I have a really good idea what kind of shot angle you took and I've done very simlar and killed the hell out of several deer like that, but trust me, you will know when you are ready to take that shot. It's not a first time shot to take.

Bow hunting isn't about quick rewards and winning contests. Wait for that right opportunity no matter what and you won't have to post another sob story.

[ktownduckhunter]

yea i need to learn that. I just got excited and thought i could pull the shot off and actually thought i did. But looking back i should have waited till he turnt more for me. I missed one last year standing broad side at 14 yards. He had alot more up top than this one did, that was just buck fever. But you live and you learn, sometimes you have to learn the hard way. But like i said this aint broke me yet. Ill be back at it hard Monday morning, trying to get that first buck, have killed a doe, but no buck.

[Groomzie18]

Sounds like gut and liver shot..... guts probly plugged the bottom hole up and the top hole is to high in the back to bleed out of..... he should be dead close by if u didnt jump him up last night... most likely ended up in the water. He'll be a lot easier to find in the daylight. Better luck next time. "PATIENCE" is key, before and after the shot!!!

[ktownduckhunter]

i dont think the arrow ever came out the other side. all the blood i found was on his right side which is the side i shot him on.

[walt4dun]

I feel bad for you that you lost the deer, and that you missed him earlier. Sounds to me like you haven't spent enough time shooting targets yet. I'd stay out of the stand until you're proficient. Don't know what else to tell ya.

[SCSwitchback]

Piggybacking on what MC said, a sharp quartering shot is an extremely difficult shot to make. I've killed a few like that and lost one like that. I won't take that shot anymore, period. I'm definately not picking on you, just giving a tip. Your recovery success when bowhunting is closely related to the shots you take. Broadside or SLIGHTLY quartering. I had to learn that lesson myself as you have.

With the angle you shot him, he's near water somewhere. A gutshot deer WILL go to water if theres any around.

[Carolina Counsel]

i figured if i got a shot i better take it cause i didnt want to shoot him around all the other deer and take a chance at hitting one of them. I drew back and he turned slightly to his right and gave me a sharp quartering shot. I put the pin back to make up for the angle and let it fly.

I haven't read to the end of this thread so I don't know whether people are busting your balls (like they should) or being sweet and telling you to stay after it, we all lose deer, etc. Did you take a quartering TO shot or a quartering AWAY shot? If it was a quartering to shot, then you need to go back to the drawing board and rethink bow hunting. Unless you're extremely proficient and experienced, which you clearly are not, you need to stick to quartering away and broadside shots. Quartering to shots are for very experience bowhunters at reasonably close ranges, not for folks that have never killed a buck with a bow. (if you took a quartering away shot, then disregard) Also, WTF about not wanting to shoot at him around other deer because you might hit the wrong one? Are you worried about a pass through or that you can't hit your target?

I'm really getting tired of all these "i missed" or "i wounded a buck, woe is me" threads season after season. Practice, people. Keep your nerves in check or don't draw your bow. If you can't make good decisions when confronted with a buck with a bow in your hands then you need to stick to a gun or stay out of the woods. You owe it to the animals you pursue.

[walt4dun]

I'm really getting tired of all these "i missed" or "i wounded a buck, woe is me" threads season after season. Practice, people. Keep your nerves in check or don't draw your bow. If you can't make good decisions when confronted with a buck with a bow in your hands then you need to stick to a gun or stay out of the woods. You owe it to the animals you pursue.

x1,000,000

What can be gained by posting one of these threads? All it does is give bowhunting a bad name imo.

[LabLuvR]

I'm not condoning what the boy did, however there is no need to stone him to death. I doubt you guys have ever fucked up?

[walt4dun]

Of course I have. But when I did I didn't broadcast it. We have enough people on this website that look down their noses at bowhunters...

I really do feel bad for him bc God knows I have been there too.

[Carolina Counsel]

I have screwed up, but I've lost one deer out of dozens and it was my very first deer. Shot was only at 15 yards but she was wired. You know what I did- I learned from it and I didn't screw it up again. I don't take crappy shots. I don't take shots beyond 30 yards. Is that because I am a great hunter- nope, it's because I'm an ethical, intelligent hunter. Do I keep my shots under 30 yards because I can't shoot at 50? Nope. It's because too much can happen between a release and the deer when shooting beyond 30 or so yards with MY setup. I imagine I will lose another animal in my life. It's bound to happen. But it won't be because I took a shot that I shouldn't have taken or that I didn't do my duty to follow up on a "lost" deer. I realize this might sound holier-than-thou, but it's not based upon an inflation of self-worth, but instead, upon a great respect for the animals I love to chase.

[ktownduckhunter]

look i didnt mess up. The shot went rite where i wanted it to go(tad high cause he droped down). He was quartering away. Didnt want to shot around the others becuase yes in case of a pass threw there was a fawn there, didnt want to hit it. I thought it was a good shot like i said the arrow hit where i wanted it too, sometimes the deer just want stop when you think they should, some have more will power than other. And you never know unless you let the arrow go.

[Glenn]

Rifle hunters don't lose deer? Shot gunners? There's a thread right now about a jacked up dink from an apparent spray and pray from a dog drive. Shit happens regardless of the weapon and threads like this can serve as a learning tool for others who may not have faced the same scenario.

Hiding the ugly truths of bowhunting is what tv shows are for. Here I think we should be able to and almost encouraged to post our mistakes so that we can either get the advice from people who have been there (insert Catdaddy) and so that others can learn and not make those same mistakes.

Making a mistake isn't a crime. Making the same ones over and over is cause for alarm. Give the lad a chance to learn from it and move on. Now next week if he post the same shit with the same result then go get your crosses and have at it.

[fro]

Keep slinging the arrows! One will stick sooner or later!

[Mergie Master]

If you're gonna shoot a bow you need to learn how to track. Not just follow blood where it's obvious. I mean git down in the leaves and track. Tracking is a slow process, I have spent an hour going only 50 to 60 yards or so. If it had taken 3 hours I'd have done it.

I love to track, I have since I was a kid. I studied it like it was a science, which by the way it is, if done right. At one time I had a rep and people I didn't even know would call or come by the house. People came get me at all hours of the day and night to go find their deer.

That's not bragging either, it's just that I loved it and was good at it.

[Glenn]

I have screwed up, but I've lost one deer out of dozens and it was my very first deer. Shot was only at 15 yards but she was wired. You know what I did- I learned from it and I didn't screw it up again.

How 'bout you put your rocks back in your pocket and give this kid the chance to do the same thing.

[ktownduckhunter]

Hiding the ugly truths of bowhunting is what tv shows are for. Here I think we should be able to and almost encouraged to post our mistakes so that we can either get the advice from people who have been there (insert Catdaddy) and so that others can learn and not make those same mistakes.

Making a mistake isn't a crime. Making the same ones over and over is cause for alarm. Give the lad a chance to learn from it and move on. Now next week if he post the same shit with the same result then go get your crosses and have at it.

Kinda what i was thinking. Thanks
You want see me taking a quartering shot again for awhile, like i said im sure i put it in the rite spot it just didnt turn out the way i wanted it to. People that bust other peoples balls all the time are just making up for people busting their balls at one point in time in their life.

[fro]

How 'bout you put your rocks back in your pocket and give this kid the chance to do the same thing.

My thoughts exactly! If you have only lost one deer consider yourself luck as hell or you just havent hunted enough...