I shot a doe opening weekend this year at a distance of 11 yards with my bow. An unseen branch altered the arrows path, so instead of hitting vitals, the arrow severed the spine. Instant death. I've shot other deer and hogs with a bow and they've all gone anywhere from 20 to 100 yards. On the other hand, a few years ago I shot a doe during "Doe Week" with my Mossberg Model 800AL chambered in .308win. Distance was 20 yards with a 160gr CoreLokt. The bullet devastated the heart(i.e. turned it to cherry Jell-o) yet the deer still ran 100 yards.

Deer, as well as most game animals, are incredible creatures. Most humans, upon being shot with a gun, simply slump to the floor and go into shock. Deer will run on pure adrenaline. I know for a FACT that the above mentioned doe did not have a heartbeat a fraction of a second after the shot. I mean, there was no heart left. Yet she had enough in her to run at full speed for 100 yards.

Hunting, be it with gun or bow, is ethical. I think we should spend less time worrying about the deer's feelings and spend more time improoving our accuracy. We should spend less time coming up with ways of killing deer faster(because every single deer will die at a different rate) and spend more time sharing the great outdoors with our children. We should spend less time fighting PETA and spend more time doing our part to keep the wild places wild.

Death is a natural part of life. Deer are prey by design. No deer will be happy about dying. No animal will smile and go gently. Kill the animal. Process the meat. Feed your family.

Kind Regards,
Axel