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Posted: 9/23/2020 10:05:35 AM EDT
[#1]
In all my years of hunting (~25) I can recall a single time I made an iffy shot.
My BIL and I were coyote hunting and a pair came into the bait, which we were situated ~150yds from. I took a clean shot on one of them, but the bullet passed though and into the second's hind quarter, injuring it. It started to dash away and I wasn't about to let it go. I did the best I could to lead it (felt like forever) and took the shot. He rolled and was DRT. Maybe I should have anticipated the repercussions of the first shot a bit better, but my backstop was clear, albeit for the other 'yote. Even though I hate coyotes, I wouldn't dream of letting an injured animal toddle off to die a painful death. |
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Posted: 9/23/2020 10:10:13 AM EDT
[#2]
Sounds about right.
Maybe NY is different, but the majority of the "hunters" here have no idea what it means to "pattern" or "zero". Or "I zerod it 3 years ago when I got it, with 150gr, these are 170s, so they'll just be a little low". I've heard (from rifle state idiots) "deer was around 500yds, I held just over the spine". Lol OK... Running deer at 150yds with an unregistered SBS using slugs you haven't patterned? Blast all 3 shells off into the woods. Mad that you missed? Go take a shit in front of the old man in the stand a few hundred yards from where you blasted. That's right. Had this idiot do just that. Dropped trou about 50yds from my buddy in a swampy/grassy area, let it rip, pulled up his britches and walked off. My buddy considered shooting at him for being that much of a douche. I'm sorry you NY guys can't have proper battle rifles or carry a sidearm. The woods around here are dangerous come gun season. Hunters are their own worst enemy. I absolutely hate dealing with anyone in the woods, I think only twice have I met a hunter that had a damn clue what they were doing. It may be part of why ohio is a slug state. Limit the range of these assholes, because I know damn well they'd be lobbing 30-06 rounds across corn fields any chance they get. OTOH what scares me more, is that I know slugs will go through the dense brush much easier, and I'm liable to be on the other side of that brush. |
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Posted: 9/23/2020 10:12:37 AM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted: In all my years of hunting (~25) I can recall a single time I made an iffy shot. My BIL and I were coyote hunting and a pair came into the bait, which we were situated ~150yds from. I took a clean shot on one of them, but the bullet passed though and into the second's hind quarter, injuring it. It started to dash away and I wasn't about to let it go. I did the best I could to lead it (felt like forever) and took the shot. He rolled and was DRT. Maybe I should have anticipated the repercussions of the first shot a bit better, but my backstop was clear, albeit for the other 'yote. Even though I hate coyotes, I wouldn't dream of letting an injured animal toddle off to die a painful death. I've had a couple old timers tell me the best way to hunt a pack is to pop the first one in the hips, so it's screaming/yelping draws the others in to help it. If you just kill it on the first shot, they're most likely going to run off. ETA: not the most "ethical", but it sounds effective. |
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Posted: 9/23/2020 10:17:49 AM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I've had a couple old timers tell me the best way to hunt a pack is to pop the first one in the hips, so it's screaming/yelping draws the others in to help it. If you just kill it on the first shot, they're most likely going to run off. ETA: not the most "ethical", but it sounds effective. I don't doubt it, especially coming from an old timer. However, my BIL said he "had" the other yote  Personally, I've never seen him hit anything farther than ~45yds. It's funny, he was awesome w/ a bow, but a terrible shot w/ a rifle. |
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Posted: 9/23/2020 10:18:39 AM EDT
[#5]
Just like any activity that involves a sample of society you get morons and assholes in with the good. This is no different than Hunters who must get their buck... who shoot a barely legal two-year-old deer rather than waiting a year or two or waiting for something decent. Or the dumbasses you hear who take neck and head shots at a couple hundred yards.
That being said I have shot plenty of deer well, with good shots that left little to no blood trail. And they took some work to find. |
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Posted: 9/23/2020 10:23:52 AM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Just like any activity that involves a sample of society you get morons and assholes in with the good. This is no different than Hunters who must get their buck dot-dot-dot who shoot a barely legal two-year-old deer rather than waiting a year or two or waiting for something decent. Or the dumbasses you here who take neck and head shots at a couple hundred yards. That being said I have shot plenty of deer well, with good shots that left little to no blood trail. And they took some work to find. Yeah screw that noise. I'm taking the mature doe that's going to fill my freezer, not a tiny buck. When we have ten does to one buck, they need to be bred. Am I in the right mind that if deer get close, and let them spook themselves away, it makes them less inclined to run next time? At least on the young/does. |
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Posted: 9/23/2020 10:33:17 AM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Yeah screw that noise. I'm taking the mature doe that's going to fill my freezer, not a tiny buck. When we have ten does to one buck, they need to be bred. Am I in the right mind that if deer get close, and let them spook themselves away, it makes them less inclined to run next time? At least on the young/does. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Just like any activity that involves a sample of society you get morons and assholes in with the good. This is no different than Hunters who must get their buck dot-dot-dot who shoot a barely legal two-year-old deer rather than waiting a year or two or waiting for something decent. Or the dumbasses you here who take neck and head shots at a couple hundred yards. That being said I have shot plenty of deer well, with good shots that left little to no blood trail. And they took some work to find. Yeah screw that noise. I'm taking the mature doe that's going to fill my freezer, not a tiny buck. When we have ten does to one buck, they need to be bred. Am I in the right mind that if deer get close, and let them spook themselves away, it makes them less inclined to run next time? At least on the young/does. Most years I end up taking a nice big doe, let the good bucks grow. As for the spook, it just depends. Most of the time I I would say there isn't enough regular Association to lessen them from spooking next time. It's not like them hearing a feeder go off at the same time every day for a month or more. We get a lot of regular deer. I have noticed how much and whether they get spooked is sometimes more associated with particular deer. You will get some that just about don't get spooked by anyting and then you'll get others that are Twitchy about every blade of grass blowing in the wind. |
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Posted: 9/23/2020 10:37:08 AM EDT
[#8]
If i can't hit vitals or CNS, I'm not taking the shot.
I always go for heart/lungs but may take the odd neck shot of that's all they are showing me. |
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Posted: 9/23/2020 10:49:20 AM EDT
[#9]
I can only speak to my personal experience being a tracker of a wounded deer and also someone who shot one that we had to track almost a mile. Not all of us are in ground blinds shooting at deer standing perfectly still broad side. I hunt in the adirondacks. In the actual woods. So there are limbs and branches. Sometimes you don't see those branches in the scope. We also drive deer. So probably 85 percent of the time, the deer we are shooting at are moving. I'm not advocating taking bad shots. What I'm saying is that sometimes what looks like a good shot can be screwed up by something you never saw.
My shooting example. Southern tier hunting with a shotgun. Deer was probably 100 yards away walking slowly. I picked at "clear" spot and when the deer got there I barked. It stopped. I shot. Deer ran off. I found a bunch of hair. No bone. Small drips of blood that eventually went away. Looking back from where I shot there are a four inch sapling between me and the deer that I shot right through. Slug hit the buck but not where I was aiming. We eventually found it the next day probably 500 yards from where I hit it. Instead of high shoulder shot it was low and back. Tracking example. Buddy shoots deer with 30-06. deer flops over, lays there for a few minutes, then as he is walking over to it jumps up and runs away with no chance for a shot. We tracked that deer almost a mile. Shot was high and somehow missed vitals and the spine. There was a hole in the exit side of that deer the size of a baseball. Once again not what I would call a bad shot led to a two hour track job. |
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Posted: 9/23/2020 11:05:10 AM EDT
[#10]
An animals life is cheap, to many, and bullets are plentiful.
My uncle got shot turkey hunting because another hunter fired blindly through the brush at sound. |
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Posted: 9/23/2020 11:11:58 AM EDT
[#11]
It doesn't matter. Something still eats it and harvests are needed. It isn't waste. They count deer and issue permits (tags) based on population surveys.
What hurts them is do gooders feeding them. This buck and doe's with spotted fawns walked up to us in our campsite and would not leave. I stomped at them and they stood there looking at us. People had been feeding them. Turkeys and deer would come out when they heard a camper door open.  Attached File |
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Posted: 9/23/2020 11:21:11 AM EDT
[#12]
A man's got to know his limitations.
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Posted: 9/23/2020 11:23:19 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: An animals life is cheap, to many, and bullets are plentiful. My uncle got shot turkey hunting because another hunter fired blindly through the brush at sound. I have found that those who are careless in their hunting practices are equally careless with safety and other important life skills. So, I make a point to avoid them. |
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Posted: 9/23/2020 3:18:38 PM EDT
[#14]
I have to agree with the tracker.
A strong second showing has got to be hunters who over estimate their and their rifle’s capability in the field, thinking it’s the same as at the range. |
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Posted: 9/24/2020 8:30:56 PM EDT
[#15]
Thankful I hunt with guys that are pretty good and understand their limitations. We are pretty clear with guests that if they shoot, they'd better be really certain it's going down otherwise it's going to blow a lot of everyone else's hunting time.
We're also pretty selective when it comes to placing green hunters. |
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Posted: 9/25/2020 10:28:05 AM EDT
[#16]
Of all the deer I have shot, the furthest I have had to track one was about 45-50 yards. Most have fallen with in sight or DRT. Never shoot and lost a deer. Worst shot I took was muzzelloader hunting, doe spun when I had a hand fire and round hit her in butt hole, that was a shitty mess.
I know I am not a great shot, so I make sure I pick my shots to make me better. I let a lot of deer walk. I don't own a gun I can out shoot. My eyes are getting worse so now everything including my new Wolf blackpowder rifle has a scope. I am not hunting to survive and if I don't fill a tag, the worlds not going to end. I am not hunting for bragging rights other than to tell folks how much fun I have being outdoors. |
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Posted: 9/25/2020 11:01:01 AM EDT
[#17]
The "hold at the spine" comment got me laughing. People have no idea about external ballistics. Try telling a fudd that at 300 yards his .30-30 drops 2 feet and he will look at you like you're crazy. At 500 yards that thing is like 8 feet below your POA (usually skipping off the ground).
Gun season is scary. I won't hunt public land. My enjoyment is more about being in the woods than getting a prize winning buck. I'm not about to go risk my life and deal with assholes just to shoot something. Last year I was in my stand and a buck hobbled out of the brush right in front of me. It was barely able to walk. I thought that was weird, but he was only like 30 yards away and shot him right in the shoulder. He hobbled about 10 yards and died. When I went up to him I saw a bullet wound that took out his back hips just below the rump. He'd probably been shot the day before since the blood was dried but still all over his coat. It was the only time I've ever killed anything where I felt like I did the animal a favor. He hangs up in my office - and even though he's only an 8pt (with a decent spread) he's the only animal I've shot that I feel a genuine connection to. |
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Posted: 9/25/2020 11:37:50 AM EDT
[#18]
One guy told me about taking a "sound" shot. He heard something and just shot at the sound.
I also mentioned seeing deer that were out of range and I could not see antlers. We mostly get antler only permits. One of the guys says "take a hail mary shot and see what you get".
There are a lot of people that have no business being in the field. |
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Posted: 9/25/2020 12:13:48 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: There are a lot of people that have no business being in the field. Amen to that. I'm fortunate now that I hunt private (and owned) land almost exclusively. Many years back, I hunted a farm that allowed quite a few guys, mostly friends or extended family of the farmer. It was unbelievable how many grown men in their 50's got the shakes so badly they couldn't reliably hit a calm, standing, unaware deer anywhere near the vitals. Or would make such unbelievably poor decisions on when to shoot. (Deer running flat out 200 yards away in tall grass, deer behind trees with only their rumps or snout exposed, Texas heart shots, sound shots, etc) Out of the hundred-plus deer I've taken, only 1 went further than 40 yards, most down in under 15 feet if not DRT. The "one" was a 9 that I drilled through both lungs and heart, textbook placement, with a 180gr from the 06. It just didn't want to give up the ghost, and sprinted about 120 yards to a creek and died on the bank. (Easy track though, Ray Charles could've followed the blood and tracks) I've seen guys gut shoot them and struggle to find them or lose them... Seen deer get feet shot off and get tagged by someone else later in the day or the following... Glad those days are long past. Worst I encounter now (flame suit on) is from some of the William Tells (self-proclaimed "elitist" archery hunters) at my Rod & Gun club. Can't count the annual tales of the ones the hit but never find. Most of those tales start with "It was about 10 minutes before last light" or "It was quartering hard to me and just wouldn't turn, so I sent it" or "It was 45 yards out, wasn't getting any closer". I guess I'd summarize by saying that in my experience, the woundings and lost deer are a result of one or a combination of the following: Inexperience Poor decisions (including poor ethics) Over-estimated ability/Lack of proficiency |
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Posted: 9/25/2020 12:24:33 PM EDT
[#20]
When I was a new bowhunter I would rush shots and had a couple of deer get away
With experience I've learned that if a deer is close to you, it doesn't know you're there. If it did, it wouldn't be there. And unless you really screw up it isn't going to know. So with that my patience in waiting for the right shot has expanded significantly Had a doe walk by last night at 35 yards. I routinely hit 4" groups at 60 yards but 35 is too far for me on a live animal. Enter my 25 yard circle and give me a broadside or quartering away shot. Anything less, just enjoy the encounter and the satisfaction that you beat them, mostly. |
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Posted: 9/25/2020 12:45:23 PM EDT
[#21]
I remember my dad telling me that he'd let a bunch of deer walk away over the years because he didn't feel he had a clear shot on them.
He raised us the same way. I never had to shoot one twice and never had to track one down. I called them, "one shot drops." But let me tell you something an old guy told me once. One of my wife's uncles (married into the family). I was going deer hunting one day and he told me where he'd shot a deer at. He told me he hit it and it went down but he couldn't get to it. He was crippled and could barely walk. He'd ridden his ATV down into the woods, parked, stepped of the road and sat down on a stump. The deer came up the ridge across from him. Big steep holler between the ridge he was on and the ridge the buck was one. He shot it anyway. Sat there awhile, got back on the ATV and rode home. Then he started telling people where they could go to get the deer he'd shot, if they wanted it. By the time he told me about it I figured a couple days on lying on the ridge would have given the coyotes and coons plenty of time to have a feast so I didn't even bother trying to get over there. Hard to believe, sometimes, what people will do - and then tell other people about. |
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Posted: 9/25/2020 4:23:49 PM EDT
[#22]
People don’t practice at the ranges they may be shooting at.
People don’t think through the angles in relation to the vitals People don’t practice in shooting positions other than a bench People don’t use range finders and are not able to range correctly People don’t re-sight in their rifles each year Buck Fever Buck Fever Buck Fever |
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Posted: 9/25/2020 5:59:32 PM EDT
[#23]
Archers are no different. Seen many a broadhead from a previous season stuck high in against the spine or neck shots.
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Posted: 9/25/2020 8:07:28 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: People don’t practice at the ranges they may be shooting at. People don’t think through the angles in relation to the vitals People don’t practice in shooting positions other than a bench People don’t use range finders and are not able to range correctly People don’t re-sight in their rifles each year Buck Fever Buck Fever Buck Fever I seem to be one of the few at the range who will actually practice without the bench. I know my rifles are very capable at any range I might hunt at, the limiting factor is me. I practice standing, sitting, prone, shooting sticks, leaning off a tree or branch,whatever I might encounter while hunting. My max range is around 300yrds and that depends on the circumstances. I have wounded animals myself but have never lost one. Those are the shots I learn the most from.Like others have stated the circumstances under which I shoot has shrunk over the years and I no longer worry about the animals I let go. Ill find another or it will grow another year. Buck fever gets us all sometimes, it just takes experience to work through it. |
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Posted: 9/25/2020 9:56:34 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I seem to be one of the few at the range who will actually practice without the bench. I know my rifles are very capable at any range I might hunt at, the limiting factor is me. I practice standing, sitting, prone, shooting sticks, leaning off a tree or branch,whatever I might encounter while hunting. My max range is around 300yrds and that depends on the circumstances. I have wounded animals myself but have never lost one. Those are the shots I learn the most from.Like others have stated the circumstances under which I shoot has shrunk over the years and I no longer worry about the animals I let go. Ill find another or it will grow another year. Buck fever gets us all sometimes, it just takes experience to work through it. What is this "practice shooting"? Don't your ears ring enough from hunting?  dealt with plenty of those idiots that never wear earplugs.I should probably practice more with my .22, but when I shoot so much centerfire, why bother? Zero it and go. Archery takes some practice, but I shoot compound, which IMO shoots like a rifle with horrible lock time. I honestly wouldn't own a bow if we could just use guns all the time, it's 2020. Guys in 1920 or 1820 would shoot me for considering using even a modern bow, when we have such amazing rifles out of the box for $350. I'd go drop deer just fine with some .223 gold dots, at the distances we can realistically hunt around here, a 30-30 is overkill. But then again, I'm not one of those dipshits firing at noises or flinging hail marys, and actually practices. I've lost a deer. That was trash, still feel bad any time i think about it. Watched the arrow impact. Blood all over, tracked it a half mile through dense woods/brush (it ran about 350yds across the field first). Sprayed blood all over in 3 other spots in the woods. Gave up at around 11pm once we hit another property line. I think I took out a lung and gut shot it. Quartering to. ETA: all bright pink frothy blood. Also eta: the other day ran into a guy that didn't even know what size shot was in his gun. In fairness, he said he's 80 and had a stroke before. Thankfully they were #6 (squirrel hunting). Was at the archery club last night practicing. This jackass was there for an hour with his girlfriend (thankfully she's easy on the eyes), trying to sight in a crossbow. I'd imagine one of the guys inside gave him some pointers. Another old timer came out and gave him the business. I also gave him the business. Refused to accept any help and left with it shooting easily a foot low at 30yds. Kept moving the sight a couple clicks each time... I bet they're going out tomorrow morning and he's going to aim at the shoulder like the idiot he is, and drop that bolt right into some poor deer's leg. All because he's too manly to listen to what a bunch of experienced guys told him in front of the girl... I think my wife would leave me if I pulled that shit. |
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Posted: 9/25/2020 10:30:47 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I've had a couple old timers tell me the best way to hunt a pack is to pop the first one in the hips, so it's screaming/yelping draws the others in to help it. If you just kill it on the first shot, they're most likely going to run off. ETA: not the most "ethical", but it sounds effective. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: In all my years of hunting (~25) I can recall a single time I made an iffy shot. My BIL and I were coyote hunting and a pair came into the bait, which we were situated ~150yds from. I took a clean shot on one of them, but the bullet passed though and into the second's hind quarter, injuring it. It started to dash away and I wasn't about to let it go. I did the best I could to lead it (felt like forever) and took the shot. He rolled and was DRT. Maybe I should have anticipated the repercussions of the first shot a bit better, but my backstop was clear, albeit for the other 'yote. Even though I hate coyotes, I wouldn't dream of letting an injured animal toddle off to die a painful death. I've had a couple old timers tell me the best way to hunt a pack is to pop the first one in the hips, so it's screaming/yelping draws the others in to help it. If you just kill it on the first shot, they're most likely going to run off. ETA: not the most "ethical", but it sounds effective. lol, nope they run off no matter what in my experience, no hanging around once their safety bubble is popped. |
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Posted: 10/2/2020 11:47:39 AM EDT
[#27]
He went on 83 tracks last season? Does he get paid?
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Posted: 10/2/2020 11:54:04 AM EDT
[#28]
There's a lot of hunters who are far from marksmen. I watched one at the range a couple days ago while waiting for his buddy to finish up on the long range bay so I could use it. Off a bench with his bolt action rifle he shot a group at about 70 yards that was the size of a dinner plate. That might work somewhere like Missouri or Florida, but not around here.
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Posted: 10/2/2020 12:20:22 PM EDT
[#29]
I’ve shot a lot of deer and I would agree in general about taking a poor shot as the biggest cause to have to track one. I had one buck I shot in the rut and it was an aging shot towards me. I aimed too far right and took out one lung and the broad head did a good job but that buck high on testosterone from the rut rand down a mountain a long driven ways. Worst tracking I had to do as it must have gone a mile or more. Ended up lying in a stream and died there.
Another poor shot was a headshot. The deer was Ridiculously Close (15-feet) but it’s body was behind a huge boulder. The doe stood looking at me for a minute and then turned away. I already had the gun up and aimed for just below the eye at the broadside head. The bullet hit lower than expected and I darn near blew her jaw off (243 that time) and she took off running. I spent the day tracking that one and I was lucky as we had snow on the ground. Ended up catching her beaded down and finished her with another shot. I’ve never taken another head shot since then as I hated to see that deer suffer like that and had I not had snow I doubt I would have got that one. Most deer are dead quick but those are my two worst ones. The first I probably should have waited for a broadside or better and less and the second the head seems like a perfect shot until you hit one wrong. |
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Posted: 10/5/2020 11:39:55 AM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I’ve shot a lot of deer and I would agree in general about taking a poor shot as the biggest cause to have to track one. I had one buck I shot in the rut and it was an aging shot towards me. I aimed too far right and took out one lung and the broad head did a good job but that buck high on testosterone from the rut rand down a mountain a long driven ways. Worst tracking I had to do as it must have gone a mile or more. Ended up lying in a stream and died there. Another poor shot was a headshot. The deer was Ridiculously Close (15-feet) but it’s body was behind a huge boulder. The doe stood looking at me for a minute and then turned away. I already had the gun up and aimed for just below the eye at the broadside head. The bullet hit lower than expected and I darn near blew her jaw off (243 that time) and she took off running. I spent the day tracking that one and I was lucky as we had snow on the ground. Ended up catching her beaded down and finished her with another shot. I’ve never taken another head shot since then as I hated to see that deer suffer like that and had I not had snow I doubt I would have got that one. Most deer are dead quick but those are my two worst ones. The first I probably should have waited for a broadside or better and less and the second the head seems like a perfect shot until you hit one wrong. Aim for the neck or base of head next time. You're most likely going to bust the arteries and break the neck. They're not going too far with a combination of that sort of damage. Hit the carotid and they're down in 50yds or less just like any other heart shot. Catch the spinal cord right and they're not going to move... |
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Posted: 10/27/2020 7:54:35 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Just like any activity that involves a sample of society you get morons and assholes in with the good. This is no different than Hunters who must get their buck... who shoot a barely legal two-year-old deer rather than waiting a year or two or waiting for something decent. Or the dumbasses you hear who take neck and head shots at a couple hundred yards. That being said I have shot plenty of deer well, with good shots that left little to no blood trail. And they took some work to find. I shot a monster doe two years ago, good solid hit but the only blood was the blood on my arrow. My brother in law found her 2 weeks later during bird season, 50 yards from where we gave up. I figured she had so much fat it just sealed the wound and the blood stayed internal. |
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Posted: 10/28/2020 11:07:26 AM EDT
[#32]
I have lost one with a rifle that I still cant explain. Hammered her at about 50 yards. Immediately dropped, then used her back legs to push herself like a plow......Would have bet you a pile of money she died within seconds. Tracked her for hours, eventually ran out of blood and never found her. This was 20 years ago and I can still replay it in my head like t just happened.
Lost one in archery due to judging the distance to be 15 yards, when it was more like 32..... Scope on a crossbow (never used one again). Hit it, no blood. Spent two days looking for him. Other guys found him during gun season. I had two guys early in my hunting days tell me "you have to be willing to wound them", "get em bleeding and we can try find them", etc. Never sat right with me, and they would give me grief for not taking marginal shots. I would rather not get an animal, than intentionally wound one with the hopes of finding it. I would like to extend a big thank you to the internet, for turning way too many people into "hunters", that should not be allowed in the woods. |
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Posted: 10/28/2020 5:49:37 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have lost one with a rifle that I still cant explain. Hammered her at about 50 yards. Immediately dropped, then used her back legs to push herself like a plow......Would have bet you a pile of money she died within seconds. Tracked her for hours, eventually ran out of blood and never found her. This was 20 years ago and I can still replay it in my head like t just happened. Lost one in archery due to judging the distance to be 15 yards, when it was more like 32..... Scope on a crossbow (never used one again). Hit it, no blood. Spent two days looking for him. Other guys found him during gun season. I had two guys early in my hunting days tell me "you have to be willing to wound them", "get em bleeding and we can try find them", etc. Never sat right with me, and they would give me grief for not taking marginal shots. I would rather not get an animal, than intentionally wound one with the hopes of finding it. I would like to extend a big thank you to the internet, for turning way too many people into "hunters", that should not be allowed in the woods. I think we've all lost one, and it sucks. I think right off the bat, a lot of it has to do with simply not having the knowledge and skill, or even the wherewithal to have someone who is help. Get your weapon straight, get your idea of penetration/angles, some basic range estimation appropriate for your weapon, and get your marksmanship up to par with your ability to estimate range within the weapon's capabilities. Nobody ever made a bad shot because they said "that looks a lot further than 20 yards, I'm not good enough with my bow to take that shot". Plenty of bad stuff happens because "I can just keep it in the zone at 30yds, this buck is only at 35, I should hit! *while in full buck-fever shakes*". I told the wife about the above mentioned "sound shot". The cringe was painful. She's no big shooter or hunter, but knows damn well how stupid that is. |
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Posted: 10/28/2020 7:56:15 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I think we've all lost one, and it sucks. I think right off the bat, a lot of it has to do with simply not having the knowledge and skill, or even the wherewithal to have someone who is help. Get your weapon straight, get your idea of penetration/angles, some basic range estimation appropriate for your weapon, and get your marksmanship up to par with your ability to estimate range within the weapon's capabilities. Nobody ever made a bad shot because they said "that looks a lot further than 20 yards, I'm not good enough with my bow to take that shot". Plenty of bad stuff happens because "I can just keep it in the zone at 30yds, this buck is only at 35, I should hit! *while in full buck-fever shakes*". I told the wife about the above mentioned "sound shot". The cringe was painful. She's no big shooter or hunter, but knows damn well how stupid that is. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: I have lost one with a rifle that I still cant explain. Hammered her at about 50 yards. Immediately dropped, then used her back legs to push herself like a plow......Would have bet you a pile of money she died within seconds. Tracked her for hours, eventually ran out of blood and never found her. This was 20 years ago and I can still replay it in my head like t just happened. Lost one in archery due to judging the distance to be 15 yards, when it was more like 32..... Scope on a crossbow (never used one again). Hit it, no blood. Spent two days looking for him. Other guys found him during gun season. I had two guys early in my hunting days tell me "you have to be willing to wound them", "get em bleeding and we can try find them", etc. Never sat right with me, and they would give me grief for not taking marginal shots. I would rather not get an animal, than intentionally wound one with the hopes of finding it. I would like to extend a big thank you to the internet, for turning way too many people into "hunters", that should not be allowed in the woods. I think we've all lost one, and it sucks. I think right off the bat, a lot of it has to do with simply not having the knowledge and skill, or even the wherewithal to have someone who is help. Get your weapon straight, get your idea of penetration/angles, some basic range estimation appropriate for your weapon, and get your marksmanship up to par with your ability to estimate range within the weapon's capabilities. Nobody ever made a bad shot because they said "that looks a lot further than 20 yards, I'm not good enough with my bow to take that shot". Plenty of bad stuff happens because "I can just keep it in the zone at 30yds, this buck is only at 35, I should hit! *while in full buck-fever shakes*". I told the wife about the above mentioned "sound shot". The cringe was painful. She's no big shooter or hunter, but knows damn well how stupid that is. My cousin "hunted" that way the one time I went with him. No idea if he still does. |
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Posted: 10/29/2020 11:03:35 AM EDT
[#35]
I had a brother in law that was a phenomenal shot as a kid. Won every bow shoot he went to. When he started hunting he could never sit still so he'd just walk and end up shooting whatever popped up infront of him. Always offhand and had good luck doing so.
As an adult he started wounding multiple deer every season. Blamed the rifle or ammo. One time he came to the house to sight in his rifle and started shooting it offhand until I had him use the bench. He literally had no idea that you could shoot better off a rest. He doesn't know how to clean a gun, bullets are deflected by brush, not all brands of ammo shoot the same in a given rifle, ballistics, shooting is a perishable skill, or how to track a deer. I'm sure he runs after every deer he shoots confused as to why they run off. I'd bet that he's lost more deer than he's found. At this stage in my life I assume that half of hunters are like this. I didn't realize until recently that some hunters fire blindly into ditches to spook deer out. In the last 10 years hearing strings of 10 rounds fired in a cadence has become more common during deer season. |
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Posted: 10/30/2020 11:10:56 AM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I had a brother in law that was a phenomenal shot as a kid. Won every bow shoot he went to. When he started hunting he could never sit still so he'd just walk and end up shooting whatever popped up infront of him. Always offhand and had good luck doing so. As an adult he started wounding multiple deer every season. Blamed the rifle or ammo. One time he came to the house to sight in his rifle and started shooting it offhand until I had him use the bench. He literally had no idea that you could shoot better off a rest. He doesn't know how to clean a gun, bullets are deflected by brush, not all brands of ammo shoot the same in a given rifle, ballistics, shooting is a perishable skill, or how to track a deer. I'm sure he runs after every deer he shoots confused as to why they run off. I'd bet that he's lost more deer than he's found. At this stage in my life I assume that half of hunters are like this. I didn't realize until recently that some hunters fire blindly into ditches to spook deer out. In the last 10 years hearing strings of 10 rounds fired in a cadence has become more common during deer season. I'm positive the vast majority are just like that. That last bit has me thankful for the 3 shot limit here... as much as it pains me. |
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Posted: 11/5/2020 6:30:32 PM EDT
[#37]
"buck fever" is a thing. Some folks just don't know when to say "meh...I'll get the next one".
Another problem is people not checking their zero before season or running too much gun. Buddy runs a 7mm mag in a Weatherby with a 2-7 power from the 80's. Gut shot 2 deer the last 3 seasons using 170gr Winchester SP's. Got him a box of Barnes TSX 150's and took him to the range. Now I'm a strictly irons or red dot guy, but even I could see this trying was 5" off to the left! He made fun of me hunting with my 223 AR until a year or so ago when I DRT'd a big doe... So I agree with OP...taking low percentage shots is definitely an issue! |
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Posted: 11/19/2020 6:09:39 AM EDT
[#38]
All back to the old saying "Its hunting, not target shooting" But you still have to know your equipment and abilities.
CD |
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Posted: 11/19/2020 10:00:41 AM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: There's a lot of hunters who are far from marksmen. I watched one at the range a couple days ago while waiting for his buddy to finish up on the long range bay so I could use it. Off a bench with his bolt action rifle he shot a group at about 70 yards that was the size of a dinner plate. That might work somewhere like Missouri or Florida, but not around here. Great point. I was a target shooter before a hunter, so my marksmanship was up there prior to hunting. For most hunters if you can put a bullet in a 8" area at 100 yards that's good enough. If my hunting rifles aren't shooting sub-MOA then it bothers me. But it's different strokes for different folks. And like a few others have said some hunters don't have the self control to sit there and wait for the next deer, they'd rather take an impossible shot and risk wounding it. I had to pass on one this weekend that was about 200 yards out. I had a 350 Legend with 16" barrel which dumps energy like a brick past 150 yards. I surely could have hit the deer but it's more likely I would have wounded it than not so I just passed up the shot. All it made me do is buy a 450 Bushmaster and want to put my Legend up for sale so I can ethically reach out a bit further. One of my buddies who hunts couldn't believe I'd hunt "without a scope." We went out on some land and I was ringing an 8" steel plate at 100 yards with my 45-70 using just irons. He tried and couldn't hit it at all. I'm sure a lot of us here on this forum could hit an 8" plate pretty consistently at 100 yards with just irons. But he's a seasonal guy. He doesn't shoot his gun until hunting season just to sight it in. And as long as it is within 5" of where he is aiming he doesn't care. |
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Posted: 11/20/2020 8:33:59 PM EDT
[#40]
I took a shot at a 6pt buck at sundown today at about 125 yards.
The buck was facing me dead on as I was in my elevated stand (about 20' tall built on telephone poles) Got the feeling it sensed it was being watched as it was staring towards the stand. I rested my rifle and put the crosshairs on his chest. At the shot the buck bounded off like I missed it but I felt like my aim and trigger pull was solid so went to investigate. Saw no blood where the buck stood and walking in the direction he went there was no blood trail. I walked into the woods in direction he ran but not very hopefull. About 75 yards deep in the woods I found him pressed up against a tree - there was some blood about 4' away. I'm a fairly novice deer hunter - shot an 8pt last year and a 4 pt one earlier this season. Both of these dropped pretty much in their tracks as I shot them through the shoulder. Shooting this one head on I caught him in the heart but it still seemed like he had a fair amount of steam to run off so far. If the deer had run another 75 yards I probably wouldn't have found him. |
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Posted: 11/30/2020 5:46:08 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I've had a couple old timers tell me the best way to hunt a pack is to pop the first one in the hips, so it's screaming/yelping draws the others in to help it. If you just kill it on the first shot, they're most likely going to run off. ETA: not the most "ethical", but it sounds effective. A coyote in distress is a very effective call on one hand not sure id try and duplicate it with a live animal on the other id wreak my truck to kill a coyote |
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Posted: 12/1/2020 6:30:41 AM EDT
[#42]
Talked to a guy the other day that told me he'd "stuck" two the week before but didn't find either one "till it was too late."
Damn I hate hear people say shit like that. Bad enough the deer weren't dead right there, let alone they got away and suffered till they finally bled out or just gave up and died. |
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Posted: 12/1/2020 7:52:32 AM EDT
[#43]
Been hunting 45 years rifle and archery.
I’ve made some horrible shots. Over 135 deer killed so far around 30 of those archery. I agree with the assessment in OP. I rarely make a bad shot now. I’m too lazy to go looking for a poorly shot deer so often I just let them walk. |
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Posted: 12/1/2020 8:04:16 AM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I took a shot at a 6pt buck at sundown today at about 125 yards. The buck was facing me dead on as I was in my elevated stand (about 20' tall built on telephone poles) Got the feeling it sensed it was being watched as it was staring towards the stand. I rested my rifle and put the crosshairs on his chest. At the shot the buck bounded off like I missed it but I felt like my aim and trigger pull was solid so went to investigate. Saw no blood where the buck stood and walking in the direction he went there was no blood trail. I walked into the woods in direction he ran but not very hopefull. About 75 yards deep in the woods I found him pressed up against a tree - there was some blood about 4' away. I'm a fairly novice deer hunter - shot an 8pt last year and a 4 pt one earlier this season. Both of these dropped pretty much in their tracks as I shot them through the shoulder. Shooting this one head on I caught him in the heart but it still seemed like he had a fair amount of steam to run off so far. If the deer had run another 75 yards I probably wouldn't have found him. I shot a doe head on this year. It was my 1st head on shot I've ever taken. She was with 3 other does and a spike coming across a winter wheat field. She was the biggest doe and when I grunted she turned right at me. She was 215 yds away. I hit her with a Barnes 110 in 300 blk. She jump like she was hit ran about 80 yds and died. But there was no blood anywhere, there was nothing left of her lungs though. |
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Posted: 12/1/2020 9:34:19 AM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I can only speak to my personal experience being a tracker of a wounded deer and also someone who shot one that we had to track almost a mile. Not all of us are in ground blinds shooting at deer standing perfectly still broad side. I hunt in the adirondacks. In the actual woods. So there are limbs and branches. Sometimes you don't see those branches in the scope. We also drive deer. So probably 85 percent of the time, the deer we are shooting at are moving. I'm not advocating taking bad shots. What I'm saying is that sometimes what looks like a good shot can be screwed up by something you never saw. My shooting example. Southern tier hunting with a shotgun. Deer was probably 100 yards away walking slowly. I picked at "clear" spot and when the deer got there I barked. It stopped. I shot. Deer ran off. I found a bunch of hair. No bone. Small drips of blood that eventually went away. Looking back from where I shot there are a four inch sapling between me and the deer that I shot right through. Slug hit the buck but not where I was aiming. We eventually found it the next day probably 500 yards from where I hit it. Instead of high shoulder shot it was low and back. Tracking example. Buddy shoots deer with 30-06. deer flops over, lays there for a few minutes, then as he is walking over to it jumps up and runs away with no chance for a shot. We tracked that deer almost a mile. Shot was high and somehow missed vitals and the spine. There was a hole in the exit side of that deer the size of a baseball. Once again not what I would call a bad shot led to a two hour track job. I also hunt in the Adirondacks. I agree, as we have very few fields here. OP is correct. It only takes a little bit of thought, planning, and good decision making to put the odds in our favor. I can't imagine folks hunting without zeroing their rifle, though I know some who have 
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Posted: 12/1/2020 10:20:09 AM EDT
[#46]
It's both fascinating and disgusting to hear 'hunters' say that wounding an animal because of their own lack of skill and patience "doesn't matter."
Those animals suffer. A clean kill is the goal, and failing that, doing everything possible to recover the animal is the ethical way. I don't care if we're talking about deer, hogs, coyotes... whatever. |
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Posted: 12/1/2020 10:49:06 AM EDT
[#47]
I don’t condone it.
My friend is notorious for crippling or as he calls it “losing a deer.” His brother called me yesterday saying he shot the antlers off one last weekend aiming for the vitals. His idea of “zero” is being able to put a round in a paper plate at about 50 yards. |
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Posted: 12/1/2020 10:54:28 AM EDT
[#48]
I’ve passed on a lot of shots over the years. I’ve also never personally lost a deer in many decades of hunting (had a couple of miserable tracks though).
I have helped a lot of “hunters” find lost deer, though. Not only do a lot of people take stupid shots, but a lot of them can’t shoot worth a crap. I’ve never understood “buck fever”. |
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Posted: 12/1/2020 10:57:36 AM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Sounds about right. Maybe NY is different, but the majority of the "hunters" here have no idea what it means to "pattern" or "zero". Or "I zerod it 3 years ago when I got it, with 150gr, these are 170s, so they'll just be a little low". I've heard (from rifle state idiots) "deer was around 500yds, I held just over the spine". Lol OK... Running deer at 150yds with an unregistered SBS using slugs you haven't patterned? Blast all 3 shells off into the woods. Mad that you missed? Go take a shit in front of the old man in the stand a few hundred yards from where you blasted. That's right. Had this idiot do just that. Dropped trou about 50yds from my buddy in a swampy/grassy area, let it rip, pulled up his britches and walked off. My buddy considered shooting at him for being that much of a douche. I'm sorry you NY guys can't have proper battle rifles or carry a sidearm. The woods around here are dangerous come gun season. Hunters are their own worst enemy. I absolutely hate dealing with anyone in the woods, I think only twice have I met a hunter that had a damn clue what they were doing. It may be part of why ohio is a slug state. Limit the range of these assholes, because I know damn well they'd be lobbing 30-06 rounds across corn fields any chance they get. OTOH what scares me more, is that I know slugs will go through the dense brush much easier, and I'm liable to be on the other side of that brush. Zeroed a 30-30 with 170 grain at 100 yards. Just for fun, I tested some 150 grain afterwards. They were hitting significantly higher.. ~8-10”. But Fudds gonna Fudd. |
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Posted: 12/1/2020 11:34:20 AM EDT
[#50]
I've only personally "lost" one deer as I won't take a poor shot.I was hunting on a federal property, slug guns only and draw hunt.
Really large Doe @ 30yrd bang/flop few seconds off and running.Blood trail was ridiculous. She went into a briar thicket that I had to literally to be on hands and knees to get into. Blood everywhere,followed about 50yrds to the road,large amount of blood on the side of the road but no Deer....no more blood sign either.I still feel like someone driving by picked her up. I am on a hunting lease with about 25 members some of them are the "fire for effect"type and I have participated in several attempts to locate these poorly hit deer....I think it sucks that folks are not ethical and poor marksmenship skills are so prevalent in the hunting population. |
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