A "thanks" / Lessons Learned / Importance of the responses
09-14-2006, 06:49 AM
#1
Dominant Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location:
Posts: 21,043
A "thanks" / Lessons Learned / Importance of the responses
I posted a thread (Long Story....I hit but did not recover a deer), yesterday. I'd just like to say thanks to all of you who posted on that thread. I think I can take the following positives with me:
1)This place(HNI) is chock FULL of people with a VAST knowledge of deer hunting....and hunting, in general. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE GUYS' willingness to share. I'm a better man for it.
2)I could not imagine how much light power I DIDN'T have when I got into the woods to track this deer. I have that problem solved, now. I purchased (2) LED flashlights. I purchased (1) standard, rechargeable spotlight....and (1) industrial, specialized light that is rechargeable and cost me an arm and a leg. I won't go through what I went through the other night, again. We were scrambling for lights. Ialso bought a medium sized plastic tool box to keep all of the lights in. I'll keep it in the truck tool box.....and it'll be where i need it to be when the time comes, again.
Lastly.....I just bought myself a new Browning knife, this year, that my son loves. I was so impressed witht the response to my thread, yesterday.....and I thought the content of YOUR replies was so important....I printed the pages out and took it home for him to read. I told him how important the content was.....and that I'd buy HIM a knife like mine....if he'd promise to read it and keep it (He has a friend that I want to read it, also. He is a young hunter, too).....if he eve needed to refer to it.
Thanks again, guys.....
Jeff
1)This place(HNI) is chock FULL of people with a VAST knowledge of deer hunting....and hunting, in general. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE GUYS' willingness to share. I'm a better man for it.
2)I could not imagine how much light power I DIDN'T have when I got into the woods to track this deer. I have that problem solved, now. I purchased (2) LED flashlights. I purchased (1) standard, rechargeable spotlight....and (1) industrial, specialized light that is rechargeable and cost me an arm and a leg. I won't go through what I went through the other night, again. We were scrambling for lights. Ialso bought a medium sized plastic tool box to keep all of the lights in. I'll keep it in the truck tool box.....and it'll be where i need it to be when the time comes, again.
Lastly.....I just bought myself a new Browning knife, this year, that my son loves. I was so impressed witht the response to my thread, yesterday.....and I thought the content of YOUR replies was so important....I printed the pages out and took it home for him to read. I told him how important the content was.....and that I'd buy HIM a knife like mine....if he'd promise to read it and keep it (He has a friend that I want to read it, also. He is a young hunter, too).....if he eve needed to refer to it.
Thanks again, guys.....
Jeff
09-14-2006, 06:55 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Lake County, Il
Posts: 2,205
RE: A "thanks" / Lessons Learned / Importance of the responses
Speaking of light a propane coleman lantern works realy well for looking little drops of blood. I know ,similar thing happened to me 2 yrs ago.
09-14-2006, 06:59 AM
#3
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 7,208
RE: A "thanks" / Lessons Learned / Importance of the responses
I 2nd the lantern it casts a good light. You can wrap the back side with foil to keep the light shining back at you.
SBG, I know what you went thru is tough, but you put forth the effort to make the recovery. Good luck the rest of the season
SBG, I know what you went thru is tough, but you put forth the effort to make the recovery. Good luck the rest of the season
09-14-2006, 07:16 AM
#5
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Jackson, Missouri
Posts: 7,051
RE: A "thanks" / Lessons Learned / Importance of the responses
When I read the first couple sentences, I was already thinking of a Coleman propane to suggest... Glad to see the other are on the ball. I won't head to the woods for an evening hunt without packing it along.
Jeff, thanks for the post. This board is the best, huh?
Jeff, thanks for the post. This board is the best, huh?
09-14-2006, 07:17 AM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Brampton Ontario Canada
Posts: 1,038
RE: A "thanks" / Lessons Learned / Importance of the responses
SBGobblers--from bad will come good. You arecertainly better today after an unfortunate experience, no doubt.
Just one caution with lights. I know there's never enough light when the all important time comes to track your deer in the dark.
However, a shot to the vitals, the lungs & heart,as well as theimain artheries,will pretty much expire a deer within 100-200 yards (and less)from your stand--all things being good. There will be exceptions nevertheless, but on a good shot, the animal will be pretty easy to find.
Now if you're not really sure of your shot--no amount of lights will be of great assistance, as you could very well be pushing an animal further than you want them to go.
Back out, let the animal bed, less commotion in the woods will relax the animal--allowing it to bed and hopefullyexpire.
Confusion, shining lights, twigs cracking under the shoe, voices (if the animal isn't dead) will keep it on its feet and moving.
You don't want this to happen.
You'll have a sleepless night--say a prayer and return early in the morning. Mother nature will provide all the light you'll need then.
Just one caution with lights. I know there's never enough light when the all important time comes to track your deer in the dark.
However, a shot to the vitals, the lungs & heart,as well as theimain artheries,will pretty much expire a deer within 100-200 yards (and less)from your stand--all things being good. There will be exceptions nevertheless, but on a good shot, the animal will be pretty easy to find.
Now if you're not really sure of your shot--no amount of lights will be of great assistance, as you could very well be pushing an animal further than you want them to go.
Back out, let the animal bed, less commotion in the woods will relax the animal--allowing it to bed and hopefullyexpire.
Confusion, shining lights, twigs cracking under the shoe, voices (if the animal isn't dead) will keep it on its feet and moving.
You don't want this to happen.
You'll have a sleepless night--say a prayer and return early in the morning. Mother nature will provide all the light you'll need then.
09-14-2006, 07:23 AM
#7
Dominant Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location:
Posts: 21,043
RE: A "thanks" / Lessons Learned / Importance of the responses
I agree with what you said under "normal" conditions Ampa......but we gave this deer that I thought I had hit, good....nearly 3 hours. I was afraid to wait any more.....because of the coming front. We got rained on about 2.5 hrs into our search. We'd lost the blood trail (it ran out)a long time before that.
We had to make a decision (wait on deer......wait on rain). We made the right one, in this instance. It stopped raining THIS morning (nearly33 straight hours).
Jeff
We had to make a decision (wait on deer......wait on rain). We made the right one, in this instance. It stopped raining THIS morning (nearly33 straight hours).
Jeff
09-14-2006, 07:50 AM
#8
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Brampton Ontario Canada
Posts: 1,038
RE: A "thanks" / Lessons Learned / Importance of the responses
I hear ya bud! After the shot the first thing that comes to mind is; dead deer, good shot, did I hit it, did I see it drop, where last I saw it, etc?
A decision has to be made one way or another.
Obviously the next move would be to recover the deer and under the circumstances you were up against you made a good call.
I understand.
But please understand what I'm saying here--and with all sincerity, if it was a shot in the vitals it would not have taken very long to find the animal. A blood trail helps a great deal in finding an animal--but you can also find a deer without following a blood trail--if it's dead.
However, if by any means a hunter questions himself on the shot and isn't able to find the animal after a reasonable search, it's best to back out.
If a deer isn't fatally hit, a blood trail will be of no help.
Sometimes on the other hand--"TIME" could be the code for finding that deer.
SBGobblers, I am just sharing my opinion here. I have absolutely intention of faulting you for the decision you took. You tried your best and that says it all. I'm just giving you another alternative to look at (which you may already know).
God knows, I feel your pain and I wish you had found your deer.
The best of luck for the rest of the season, go get'em!
A decision has to be made one way or another.
Obviously the next move would be to recover the deer and under the circumstances you were up against you made a good call.
I understand.
But please understand what I'm saying here--and with all sincerity, if it was a shot in the vitals it would not have taken very long to find the animal. A blood trail helps a great deal in finding an animal--but you can also find a deer without following a blood trail--if it's dead.
However, if by any means a hunter questions himself on the shot and isn't able to find the animal after a reasonable search, it's best to back out.
If a deer isn't fatally hit, a blood trail will be of no help.
Sometimes on the other hand--"TIME" could be the code for finding that deer.
SBGobblers, I am just sharing my opinion here. I have absolutely intention of faulting you for the decision you took. You tried your best and that says it all. I'm just giving you another alternative to look at (which you may already know).
God knows, I feel your pain and I wish you had found your deer.
The best of luck for the rest of the season, go get'em!
09-14-2006, 07:54 AM
#9
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Mt. Pleasant, PA
Posts: 197
RE: A "thanks" / Lessons Learned / Importance of the responses
be careful with that led...i dont know if its just me, but its hard to pick out blood on the ground with it, the light just shows wetness not color.
And thats pretty noble giving that post to your son to read! Thats awsome.
And thats pretty noble giving that post to your son to read! Thats awsome.
09-14-2006, 08:09 AM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: RI
Posts: 3,073
RE: A "thanks" / Lessons Learned / Importance of the responses
I just bought a nice little LED light for the upcoming season, and just bought a new propane canister in case I have the need.... Oh yeah... the season starts TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!