I have lost 3 deer. Two were because of poor judgement of a inexperienced hunter. The third, was a well hit deer with my .308 that I lost the trail of due to heavy rain.
None were because I purposely and intentionally went into the woods undergunned!
I feel really bad when I make a bad shot. Anyone who doesn' t feel bad about wounding game, is probably not a " hunter" , certainly not a sportsman!
I have a nice deer mounted that had recovered from being shot with a .22 Hornet.
How do I know it was a .22 Hornet? Because there was an old man on our lease that would shoot at any deer he saw from 3 yards to as far as he could see them with a .22 Hornet!
What do people tell themselves to keep from feeling bad about wounding game with the .22' s? " Gee, I' m sure I missed" , " oh well, better luck next time?"
The deer I recovered was a rarity! Most wounded deer suffer and die!
As I asked before, why go hunting intentionally undergunned?