View Poll Results: Have you ever, for any reason, lost a game animal?
Yes
37
88.10%
No
5
11.90%
Voters: 42. You may not vote on this poll
Unrecovered Game?
12-22-2014, 08:04 AM
#21
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: The "empire" state-NY
Posts: 583
12-22-2014, 08:33 AM
#22
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 1,607
You have to also keep in mind that people may not know that they've lost a deer. There are a larger number than we care to admit that get shot and the hunter says "I missed". Maybe they even looked for a while or even a long time but either the animal didn't lose blood, hunter couldn't find the blood, animal went in a different direction than the hunter thought ect.
So if anyone tells me that they have never lost an animal I either know they haven't hunted very long, don't know that they've lost an animal or are lying. Regardless, we just have to do our best effort to recover the game we attempt to kill. No one is 100% all of the time, we just have to minimize our errors.
So if anyone tells me that they have never lost an animal I either know they haven't hunted very long, don't know that they've lost an animal or are lying. Regardless, we just have to do our best effort to recover the game we attempt to kill. No one is 100% all of the time, we just have to minimize our errors.
12-22-2014, 08:58 AM
#23
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: IndianaKY
Posts: 244
If you hunt long enough, you will probably lose an animal.
I do not know a hunter first hand who hasn't.
I lost my first deer, the second year I hunted. It was a warm morning, no wind and light drizzle. Just before seven, I hear crashing and a doe runs right up to me, then freezes at 15 feet. I guess the weather kept her from scenting me, and I did not move, and she just did not know what to make of me. 30 seconds later, the crashing crescendos, and a monster buck that had been pushing her, scent trailing her, ran right passed her and stopped broad side at 10 feet.
After one frozen heartbeat, I snapped the gun to my shoulder, and shot both barrels from my Model 24 Winchester side by side with Remington foster slugs. Unfortunately, I missed forward of my mark and made a horrible mess of that brute's shoulder. I trailed him in the rain for 9 hours. Every time I caught up, he sprang from his bed on 3 legs and was gone. He was found 2 days later by other hunters.
That hunt left me in a funk for rest of that season, and all of the next. I grew up in a time when seeing a whitetail was rare, and the idea of leaving one to waste away disgusted me.
Then something happened, years later, that has, overtime, tempered my concern for the whitetail I hunt.
I hit one, with a car, then another a couple of months later. I hit my seventh December 11th of this year.
As time has passed, deer hunters have dwindled, and deer numbers have exploded, I am not as concerned with whether I will see a deer, or how they die any more. I sure try to make clean, one shot kills, but now, if I lose one, I know the coyotes, buzzards, possums and creepy crawler's will eat well.
I do not know a hunter first hand who hasn't.
I lost my first deer, the second year I hunted. It was a warm morning, no wind and light drizzle. Just before seven, I hear crashing and a doe runs right up to me, then freezes at 15 feet. I guess the weather kept her from scenting me, and I did not move, and she just did not know what to make of me. 30 seconds later, the crashing crescendos, and a monster buck that had been pushing her, scent trailing her, ran right passed her and stopped broad side at 10 feet.
After one frozen heartbeat, I snapped the gun to my shoulder, and shot both barrels from my Model 24 Winchester side by side with Remington foster slugs. Unfortunately, I missed forward of my mark and made a horrible mess of that brute's shoulder. I trailed him in the rain for 9 hours. Every time I caught up, he sprang from his bed on 3 legs and was gone. He was found 2 days later by other hunters.
That hunt left me in a funk for rest of that season, and all of the next. I grew up in a time when seeing a whitetail was rare, and the idea of leaving one to waste away disgusted me.
Then something happened, years later, that has, overtime, tempered my concern for the whitetail I hunt.
I hit one, with a car, then another a couple of months later. I hit my seventh December 11th of this year.
As time has passed, deer hunters have dwindled, and deer numbers have exploded, I am not as concerned with whether I will see a deer, or how they die any more. I sure try to make clean, one shot kills, but now, if I lose one, I know the coyotes, buzzards, possums and creepy crawler's will eat well.
Last edited by Palehorse; 12-22-2014 at 05:24 PM. Reason: spelling
12-22-2014, 09:18 AM
#24
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 9,557
Let me make one more point before I leave this. This is for those who say they don't know of another hunter who hasn't lost any game.
There's around 15 million hunters now. That's not counting all the hunters from the past which would be a huge number. To say you don't know another hunter who hasn't lost game isn't really saying much considering how many hunters there are.
The vast majority of hunters don't post on forums. I didn't up until about 5 years ago. Maybe I should have stayed with the majority.
There's around 15 million hunters now. That's not counting all the hunters from the past which would be a huge number. To say you don't know another hunter who hasn't lost game isn't really saying much considering how many hunters there are.
The vast majority of hunters don't post on forums. I didn't up until about 5 years ago. Maybe I should have stayed with the majority.
Last edited by Muley Hunter; 12-22-2014 at 09:21 AM.
12-22-2014, 10:04 AM
#25
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: The "empire" state-NY
Posts: 583
12-22-2014, 10:33 AM
#27
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Allegan, MI
Posts: 8,019
Palehorse stated: "If you hunt long enough, you will probably lose an animal.
I do not know a hunter first hand who hasn't."
That may be true, but I have to go along with Muley Hunter and I don't know why he's receiving so much static for voicing his opinion as to the question asked. I also took it like he did and have no idea why there is such a hassle if a guy tracks and finds the bed of the deer and someone has stolen it. It would be just like it was in your truck like MH stated. You found it, but some schmuck got the meat. I've been hunting since 1953 and of the 100+ big game animals I shot I've not lost a single one. The only one close to being lost was a cow elk shot right at dark that took me until late in the morning the next day to find her and recover the meat. My Dad infused in me that you don't take a shot unless you're 100% sure you can make it and find the animal. That has served me well and now at 67 years old my eyes are getting worse and I have to stay within 300 yards or less on shots out west, but I can still get it done. Never say Never, but I hope to go to the grave with that record!
I do not know a hunter first hand who hasn't."
That may be true, but I have to go along with Muley Hunter and I don't know why he's receiving so much static for voicing his opinion as to the question asked. I also took it like he did and have no idea why there is such a hassle if a guy tracks and finds the bed of the deer and someone has stolen it. It would be just like it was in your truck like MH stated. You found it, but some schmuck got the meat. I've been hunting since 1953 and of the 100+ big game animals I shot I've not lost a single one. The only one close to being lost was a cow elk shot right at dark that took me until late in the morning the next day to find her and recover the meat. My Dad infused in me that you don't take a shot unless you're 100% sure you can make it and find the animal. That has served me well and now at 67 years old my eyes are getting worse and I have to stay within 300 yards or less on shots out west, but I can still get it done. Never say Never, but I hope to go to the grave with that record!
Last edited by Topgun 3006; 12-22-2014 at 10:37 AM. Reason: Spelling
12-22-2014, 10:35 AM
#28
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Allegan, MI
Posts: 8,019
12-22-2014, 02:22 PM
#29
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: The "empire" state-NY
Posts: 583