Thought I would start a new thread on this subject as the original has become long at this point. If you aren' t familiar with the story, you can read my eariler post if interested.

After all of the responses (some critical and some constructive) I have decided to come clean w/ the rest of the details. The situation was very upsetting and depressing when this big buck presented such an easy opportunity and my friend blew it with a marginal shot and was not able to recover the animal timely. After 1 1/2 weeks, the buck was recovered and he struggled to feel good about the kill. He is neither a meat hunter nor horn hunter but rather someone who derives enjoyment from all aspects of the experience, so this situation left him somewhat empty.

I shared the story with you, partly curious if we were making too much of it. Afterall, the shot was responsible, well within range and he had practiced religously for months. Further, after recognizing it was a marginal shot, he took the appropriate steps by waiting 2 1/2 hours instead of pushing the deer. On top of that, he searched for hours and hours, returning several times over the next 1 1/2 weeks trying to find the deer.

Should he be ashamed? Should the antlers be hung in a discret location separate from other " legitimate" kills? I am relatively new to the whole sport so I don' t know, but finding the deer, whether it be a legitimate bow kill or not, is certainly better than the alternative.

Anyway, as for coming clean, I was too embarrassed and upset to admit that my " friend" was really me. I struggled to take pride in this hunt/kill, but felt it would be a complete waste as well as disrespect for the animal if I did not derive some level of satisfaction from it. I felt most proud of my relentless commitment to find this animal (as many of you recognized) and I' m glad I found it. I can' t say that too many of the responses to the original post made me feel any better about the situation, but I understand why. However, your posts and the experience itself have certainly taught me more about the sport of bowhunting, and for that, I believe I will be better prepared when presented with the next opportunity. Thanks for your feedback.

David.