My two cents worth . . .

I have a responsibility to make a Clean - Quick Killing Shot. I have prayed for that with every shot I have taken and there have been many. Like everyone else though, I have had my share of bad shots. They are unavoidable and I have lost three animals in some 40 years of hunting.

However, I also owe a GREAT deal of respect to the animal that I shoot. That respect culmanates in expending every effort to track and recover these gratious animals.

I don't care what W VA's laws read . . . I owe it to the animal to use every skill that I posess to track it down. My hunting ends when I get an arrow into a deer and does not resume until the animal is recovered or I have spent the better part of a couple of days tracking it. I will however, while giving my animal time to bed down and bleed out . . . help my partners. Here in WA we are only allowed one deer per year.

This is a question of ethics and sometimes these lessons are the hardest of all to learn.

By 2004, the animal rights FREAKS are going to draft an initiative and circulate petitions for signatures their goal "To declare Bowhunting Inhumane." We will, only by policing ourselves and holding to a much higher standard, succeed by not giving these FREAKS any more ammunition.

Bowhunter

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

Wv Hunter if all that is going on and right on the farm where you hun t and you personally know of people doing this then have you turned them in in my opinion if you know them and dont turn them in you are just as much to blame.
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

Peppi....I didn't say it is happening where I hunt (our family farm), but in our area.....if you read my post a little better, I was not putting down the folks from WV, just stating the facts as I know them. Like I said, I know alot of ethical, law abiding folks, but I also know alot of folks all over the area (probably a 50 mile area, covering a couple counties) where similar stuff goes on. That doesn't make it right, but it does happen. And yes, I'm sure it happens everywhere to some degree.
As for the game wardens, maybe it's a little better where you are, but we don't have many resources in the counties I hunt...therefore they can only do what they can do. And yes, we have called them numerous times on folks...but I can't personally babysit everyone that hunts in 2 counties.

Well I just went back and reread your first post and it didn't get any better.Way too many holes in your story to believe you.
This really sticks out First post:Posted - 10/15/2002 : 11:47:48, Second post:Posted - 10/15/2002 : 13:31:20

Here's another <BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>But needless to say, a very disappointing day. This morning definetly sucked. My buddy is going to hunt out of my climber next to where I took the doe yesterday. I on the other hand have to pick up another hunting buddy to hunt with the rest of the week. <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

You stated you weren't going back out,so now we're supposed to believe you went out found both deer and returned in less then two hours?

I can't find the qoute but you told someone that you know more in two years of hunting then they knew hunting their whole life.Son, You don't know much about hunting.I copied your post to give to a buddy of mine.He teaches hunters ed and is alway's looking for something to discuss in class.Hopefully he can use it to show new hunters how not to act in the woods.I also showed your posts to my 12 yr. old,he just shook his head when I asked him what he thought about it.

You might want to check your equipment,seeing as both the deer you have shot have ended up high.Your sites might have moved,or your using the wrong pin.

You sound like a teenager.If you are I hope your father gets a look at what your doing and takes your bow until you learn some ethics.

I checked out your profile ,livinglegend eh? Legend in your own mind is more like it.

If you do continue to post please go by the rules and clean it up a little.

Whew...

My BP is up a little as I read all THREE pages of posts.

As one of the longer winded posters you all will be AMAZED... WORDS HAVE ESCAPED ME !

I don't know what to say. <img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle> <img src=icon_smile_angry.gif border=0 align=middle> <img src=icon_smile_dissapprove.gif border=0 align=middle>

&quot;It's not the kill, it's the adventure and challenge! <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>&quot;

Yes, we need to encourage bowhunters to take good shots and to make every effort to find wounded animals before shooting more, but we don't need to chastise them and call people names who need a little education. If he thought he was doing something that terrible, he wouldn't have come on here and posted about it. We had an opportunity to teach a hunter a better way, while forgiving him for seeemingly being careless.

It appears now that all we have succeeded in doing, is to chase him away and to leave him with hard feelings towards the hunters on this forum. Hunter numbers are down and anti's are getting stronger. When we find a fellow hunter who is not exactly promoting our image, we need to take them under our wing and encourage them to do things differently. Denigrating his character is not going to help us with our cause.

Highcountry, if you're still reading, I would encourage you to give every search for a wounded animal your very best shot before attempting to take any others. There are lots of posts on what's a high percentage shot and good tracking and recovery techniques on this forum that may help you in the future.

The average person is not an anti hunter, but then again, the average person is not a hunter and has no strong opinion of hunters and can easily be swayed to thinking we're bad. If we act concerned over a wounded animal and appear to do our very best to see that each animal is killed as quickly and painlessly as possible, the voting public will not support taking our rights away. If they perceive our sport as somewhat inhumane, then hunting will go the way of the dinosaurs. We should keep in mind that, like the saying goes, image is everything.

Straightarrow,

I agree 100%, the thing is there really is no nice way of getting this point across with a forum like this. After reading all the posts again I think we as a group did not get that offensive to HC-BF, I have read much, much worse dialogue on here in the past. In fact I think the worse attitude came from HC in his rebuttal posts.

Nevertheless, I feel a good point has been made and defended in probably the most civilized way that we can expect here.

HC - I also welcome you back, If you are a true bowhunter you realize where we are coming from and it will seep in on your own clock. It's hard to be very civil on here when you have no idea who is who.

But no matter how poorly or how well we argued against you. The best of intentions lay beneath it all.

[Deleted by Admins]

High Country even if you are young like everyone suspects, it is no excuse to do what you did. I myself am 18years old and i've been bowhunting since age 12. I was taught from an early age-once that arrow leaves the bow YOU DON'T SHOOT ANY MORE UNTIL YOUR SURE YOU MISSED OR YOU FIND THE ANIMAL. Don't take these insults to heart, move on, and learn from it.

It's strange how in 4 pages of replys I have seen very few of the really ol timers of this board reply. My reply....Geeez <img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle>

Rick

How is the gun ban gonna affect you Mdbowhunter? More time in woods, less time, no difference?

&quot;Size may not matter but it sho IS nice!&quot; [/quote]