Jeff Ovington

Its unfortunate fact of hunting but wounding animals occurs..
I am fortunate enough to not have wounded an animal while on a hunt..I've never had to track anything down..I'm sure it isn't the easiest thing to do..One day I'll probably have a foot shoved in my mouth because it probably will happen to me some day..
Especially when your dealing with an animal that is determined not to get caught..
My problem with this arctical isn't so much that he wounded it and couldnt find it...But more of the ethical reasoning why did he have to shoot another....Yes it is the law...
But that magazine teaches kids about the rights and privledges and ethics to everybody..Not just kids but adults aswell..
Anybody can be swayed into trying something different..
Maybe My Son and I can teach him that you can be happy with just what ya got and learn from what you lost..
There is alot of hunters /writers who come back with nothing but a story to tell..
He already had a story..He shot and wounded an Elk..His wife shot an Elk she is in the story aswell..So between two of them they had meat in the deepfreeze, a artical in a mag. and a rack on the wall...
Why did he have to shoot another bull???????

BareBack Jack

Because he paid to shoot a bull and in his mind thats what he wanted.Notthe trip into elk country and HAVING a shot was not worth more than killing and putting a head on the wall.

He was not hunting for meat or a family's ration of food for the winter and spring,he was out to kill and monopolize on a trophy situation.

I can understand that he was on a guided hunt,and he wanted a good elk,but he could have gave it some more time to find the elk,but also the guide should have done a better job of tracking also,but that is my opinon.
BBJ

Jeff Ovington

You nailed it...BBJ
Everything you said..Is true.That is the only explanational reason
for it..
He probably won't change his ideals..But maybe if sponsors pulled out ....He'd think twice before doing it again......
Josh wants to go after them nex (JOKE)t

Buckshot

So what happens when you miss? should you turn in your tag then too? Obviously all you guys who think you should turn in your tag after wounding an animal, feel the same way about a miss too, after all if you cant hit what your shooting at, pack it in and go practice till you get some real shooting skill.

wyomingtrapper

What did he shoot the bull with? Rifle--the bull, no doubt, died. People seem to get the idea (especially with some of the larger calibers) that if they hit the animal, it goes down. I.e., if it didn't go down, it was a miss. Elk are tough beasts, and to run up hill for a 1/2 mile after a lethal shot is not unheard of. Archery--may have been a muscle shot, but he had no business taking that shot.

Jeff Ovington

He shot it with a 7mmWSM......

Jeff Ovington

I have never wounded an animal or missed one..
So you're talking to the wrong guy here...But I can tell yathis much..I do practice and I know of my shot before it gets taken.....
If I ever did missan animal I'd Make certain that I'd take ahuge effort in making sure thats what I did because Iknow that my shot was onthe mark..The next step would belooking..I Always Shoot WithA Spotter 2 sets of eyes are better than one...So as I'm dealing with the ringing of the ears and recoil etc..The other set of eyes is on the target watching closley with bino's untilthat animalhas exhausted..
I'm not saying the animal drop in their tracks but they certainly don't go far either...
As far as misses go...there is no such thing as a clean miss.Anything is possible.. eg Ricochet...Any shot taken, should be taken seriosly,,
efforts should be made make sure it did miss.
As far as "unsure misses go"I define If you have a good line of site but the animal takes off and there is no evidence of a hit....Be positive that is the case..More often than not it is hit....
The shooter has that responsibility. Everybody knows animals don't bleed right away..
Everybody knows that animals certaily aren't going to let you catch them they will run..
Everbody knows they will be elusive..eg.crawling away in tall grass bedding down in thickets etc....
Use those skills to find it...
And for the Record...To answer your questin...."Wouldyou cancelyour tag......".Ya if it was an" unsure miss" I'd cancel my tag......I take my hunting and shooting skills very seriously
and I do put high standards on myself...I know I'm not the only that does that either..........
But your comparing apples to oranges.....This hunter/writerWounded this elk.....And he admiitedly did that.....
And reason that are already explained above I don't think that was right that he harvested another.
Legal or not...Ethics have to be practiced..

Buckshot

Jeff, with all due respect your last post reeks of B.S.either that or you havent taken many shots.I usually let alot of stuff slide but this is just rediculous.

You always shoot with a spotter? do you ever leave the road? Sneaking up on an animal is hard enough by yourself much less having another person trailing along, not to mention having to wait for them to get all setup with a spotting scope etc etc.
sounds like more B.S.

Jeff Ovington

Hey with all do respect..I'm very careful as to what I shoot.....
I've past up some quality sizeanimals because I havn't got a shot....
I've harvested some too..... I also b;low alot of chances stalking them as well.Thats hunting...its just a a fact....
I said I used a spotter.A guy beside me that looks through binos.....
It isn't that hard to do......
Where I live it is 6point min bull elk 4pont min buck and 2point bull moose season full curl or better sheep and ...goat...
You have to be careful as to the antler restrictions as well as getting a quality shot off.Its easier to do with a partner not harder..Again ,I never hunt alone I'm always with a partner..
Whether I'm hunting from the road or 8000-10,000ft in the alpine
there is always two sets of of eyes..
I'm confused as to what your saying..
I already stated it may be only a matter of time before I wound something.But if I did I'd cancell my tag.....And if I was uncertain of a hit or miss I'd cancel my tag..I'm adament about that....
Compared to you I probably havn't shot much game but I set my standrds high...I've probably only shot maybe 25 deer in my life
but I've also shot bull elk moose sheep and goat .......
Maybe a total of 40 animals all together but I still don't know what your trying to tell me that hasn't been said..

Buckshot

Jeff, thank you for not getting upset at me. I just cant comprehend anyone having any kind of hunting experince and not missing an animal. I talking all of them, pheaants, rabbits, ground hogs, praire dogs, coyotes, turkeys, grouse, I could go on and on. To much can go wrong, especially with shots that are taken down range, one little sapling that you dont see at a target at any distance and the shot can and sometimes will go off target. I too have hunted miles from any road, and know darn well that things can and do go wrong, and while I have shot more game than you, it isnt by a more than 50 % if your talking just big game.