NEW61375

Quartering towards although not ideal is far from low percentage. I was not in his stand soI can't speak onthe severity of thequartering angle but bythe way it was described "I pulled my bow back and got ready for a broad side shot when she stepped out the other side. However, when she stepped from behind the tree, she also stepped down the hill and toward me. She was almost at eye level and about 25 yards out. She saw me in the tree and stopped with her front quartering me." itdid not soundvery severe. As far as the deer alertly looking at him, deer are always on the alert and many of us have been busted drawing our bows before, but he was anchored and ready to shoot and the deer was standing still.

Important to you because in your opinion it was a"low percentage shot at an alert deer" and you want Rockytop to know that.Myself and many othersdon't consider quartering towards low percentage and Ifeel Rockytopwas only defending his shotagainstyoursubtle attack which you based on your opinion.

I was not in his standbut Iam intelligent enough to know that a brief summary of the eventsis not enoughcover all of the little details.Would I takethe shot or advocate others to do so is a little silly to ask since I was not there and the information provided is minimal.Itake all my shots as they come. Each individual encounter is different andI base my shot selection on how events unfold and would be anadvocate forothers to do the same,that is why (in my opinion) Rockytop would be the authority on this encounter as he was there.NowI'm not trying to be evasive in regards to your 3 questionsso I will answer them in general terms. What do I think of his shot selection? I think he is the best judge of hisshot selection as he was there. Would I take a shot at a quartering towards deer that isstanding still but alert? YES, I willtake a quartering towards shot at a deer that is standing still(provided the angle is not too severe) even if the deer suspects something is up. Would I advocate others to take this kind of shot? This kind of shot being aslightlyquartering towards and alert deer, if they feel it is within their capability.Let me ask you a question.How often do you get a perfect broadside, standing still, unalert deer to shoot at in the deer woods? I know my answer....Not as often as Iwould like.

snake123

Congrats on the successful hunt. I knew that deer would head to water but would never expect to find oneIN a pond. At least it made the drag out a lot easier.

Ray Hunter 42

Congrats!!

chrissmay

Again, congratulations are in order,
what a great ending, in your back yard.
I am in MS and cant wait till this weekend for our season to open.

BobCo19-65

Really. I guess I would consider a quartering away shot and a broadside shot on a calm deer high percentage. If I'm not 100% sure I can get both lungs or heart without having to go through heavy bone (possible arrow deflection, or penetration problems), it is considered low percentage.

A deer looking at you has you pegged. And I'd have to say that there are a lot of different levels of a deer being alert. For example:

A buck following right behind a hot doe.
A standing deer grazing.
Two bucks fighting.
A doe quartering to you directly looking into your eyes.

Not just my opinion. Trust me. Did you happen to attend any Bowhunters Education Courses?

That is why I specifically said to you in the original question "from the information given". Didn't want any assumptions made. So actually, your reply to me seems a little "silly".

Pretty much every year. I would also add quartering away. But, to tell you the truth, I don't need to have a deer in my freezer to survive. And if I did, I may think differently. That is why I asked the question to Rocky. IMO, people who are hunting because they need to may have a bit different intention the the "normal" sportsman. FWIW, I don't have a problem with that. What I do have a slight problem with is the person that calls themselve a sportmanwho have received mandatory educationbut still purposelyand willinglymakes bad decisions just to put game down.

In leaving this thread, I'd recommend and welcome everyone take another look at these two links and read the full page. This is one of the few true "Authorities" on the subject. I would alsowelcome anyone who feels the information given on this site is inacurate or outdated, please feel free to contact the Foundation. Really. The last date this was modified was I believe January 18, 2006. So it may be outdated.


http://www.bowhunter-ed.com/course/ch7_shot_strategy.htm

http://www.bowhunter-ed.com/course/ch7_setting_up_shots.htm

NEW61375

Yes I have attended the bowhunter education course and although it was almost 20 years ago I did find it useful. However, your definition of a quartering towards shot is very broad. Any deer that is even slightly angledfrom broadside towards youis quartering towards.Those links you provided offer good information butlike your description of quartering towards the illustration representing a quartering towards shot is about the most extreme angle the deer could be quartering towards (and no I would not take or recommend that particular shot). That illustration does not coveranything but that particular shot. If it were attached to a 3-d program where you could rotate that deer fully back to broadside and adjust the shoulders and legsit wouldbetter represent some of the angles (that fall in between)you may encounter on a real live deer. A deer can be standing broadside then just by rotating it's neck or swiveling it's shoulders block your shot. If a deer is quartering towards but stillat a good enough angleto get an arrowdirectly behind the shoulderit is ashot that can and hasbeen made. The information on the sites is good butthere is not a Hunter Safety Course or Bowhunter Safety Course out that covers everything you will encounter as a hunter. They are there to provide general information and facts for beginners/youngsters andperhaps those new to hunting. When I took both the State Hunter Safety Course and theInternational Bowhunter Education Program course there was very little there that was new to me because I grew up around hunting and had to take the courses morefor license requirements and base permits than for necessity. That being said, I am in no way advocating taking bad shots on deerI'm just saying each hunter should use his/her best judgement because ultimately he/she will have to live with the results. Not sure what deer in the freezer and survivalhave to do with you point but I'm sure it was something. I said it was silly because the fact is the information given was not enough to answer that unless you are Rockytop who was there and in the tree.

Edited this to include an interesting quartering away shot that doesn't in any way resemble the illustration on the Bowhunter Education link but is still quartering away and no good. Just as quartering away has good angles and bad angles so does quartering towards.

If you can' see the pic try this link.
1024X768

BobCo19-65

I basically come to these threads/topics for four reasons.

1. To keep an open mind and hopefully learn something.
2. To help somebody learn or maybe relearn something or point them in the right direction.
3. Chat about experiences
4. Communicate

I've done all that I can on this thread and said what I felt that I needed to.

Wholeheartly, good luck to everyone. And as I have said before, I'm glad you found your deerRocky!

Gadeerslayer

Ain't that wur watrs flow'n ?

NEW61375

I love lamp.

nutter

Rocky CONGRATS on finding your deer!

It's a shame that everytime someone comes on here to post a SUCCESSFUL story theres always that one person that has to critisize like they're better or wiser than the rest. Why is that?Rocky took the shot, and killed the deer, and he found the deer, that sounds like a successful hunt to me.Why all the preaching? No two people are alike, he felt confident in the shot (or he wouldnt have taken it). The successful hunt isover. Congrats again Rocky