ORIGINAL: Vabowman
killer primate, have you ever lost an animal due to a marginal or bad shot choice? I mean no disrespect at ALL. Seriously, Im asking you because Im not sure if you have the same outlook on this as I do. You very well may be a much better shot at that distance than me, I don't know you. I have lost 5 deer in 20 yrs of bowhunting, and each one were marginal hits or bad shot choices. Sometimes they are the same. The last animal I lost I told myself then, that I will never take a bad shot again,forME a bad shot is a long one, or facing me, or straight down. All the deer I killed this year were good shots, some better than others, but none of them were bad choices. Respectfully I would like to know what you consider a bad shot? It really weighs heavily on me if I wound an animal and do not recover it, Im almost paranoid about it.
By all means; that is a fair question. And it also has some really good timing.
I’ve never, ever lost a deer with any weapon, and I’ve hunted for a lot of years. But with a bow, for only the last three.
I wish I could tell you some great stories about some really cool shots I’ve taken at running deer, but I can’t. I’ve never shot at a running deer, even with a shotgun. And my favorite way to hunt them is on the ground, sneaking into their beds with my shotgun. Truth is, all my shots have been pretty boring. Don’t get me wrong, I love hunting, and I’ve had my share of some really cool hunts, and I’ve had some kills that others may not want to see, but no “WOW, what a marksman” shots.
My saying that your question also has good timing… means that recently I decided to change it up a little and be a little more risky. I’ve always liked to view my hunting as kind of primal, or survivalish (I realize that isn’t a word). By that I mean, I don’t carry climbers, and use a bunch of store bought stuff like doe piss, scent killer, state of the art what’ya’ma’call’it, latest-greatest gizmos, food plots or bait (I have tried some of them, but don’t use them regularly). I like to think of hunting as “could I survive here if dropped off in the woods, here, with what I can carry. Can I find a nice beach tree to get in with no stand on a good trail and take a deer? Can I kill one from the ground with my bow?
Just as Germ said a few posts back, lost opportunities haunt me, and more so as of late. What if I would have… you fill in the blank, is a sucky question to ask yourself time and time again. This year was my greatest year of hunting ever as it applies to me. Hunting with my kids is always the best, but this year I faced more challenges than ever, and I failed. I was after a monster and I never got a shot off after four good sightings. One, possibly two of those sightings probably should have resulted in shots, but I waited for a better one. Why? Out of fear; fear of a bad shot. As they say; fear causes hesitation, and hesitation is the root cause of our failure. I’d taken some advice or pointers here (mainly from GregH) about getting out and finding better places to hunt. And I found one, with a great buck on a great farm. All the pieces were there, except my instinct. My training (for lack of a better term) had me questioning myself, but my heart knew what to do.
Had I practiced the real “primal/survivalish hunting that I thought I was, I’d have taken a shot. Not a bad shot, just a not so optimal angle shot. A starving man would have never passed up the shots I had, and I did. So it all feels pretend sort of, and I don’t like that, not anymore.
The one shot I mentioned in this thread was because of this new way of thinking. And instead of being really happy or excited about it, I felt as though I’d done something wrong. What did I do wrong? Nothing, besides do something that I’d heard not to do by some people that I’d never met. That doe walked away and fell over. Almost close enough for me to throw my bow at.
I may end up learning a lesson the hard way, but I’m a little ready to be true to myself and take on that responsibility.
I watched my arrow fly through a 3D bear target (dry rotted and worn out vitals) two bails of straw and stick into a fence board about 3”. I’m pretty sure that my arrow will be lethal if shot at the chest of a deer, as long as it is aimed well.
Before I would have waited, but now I think that was probably a good shot, in the chest.
Sorry so long, good luck,
KP