I am still replaying the nice buck I missed last year. I knowas soon as I get into that stand, I'm going to look at the very spot he was standing and where my arrow didn't go.

mobow,


I am sorta the same way, although if i make a bad shot, I will feel horrible about it but when i make a good clean kill i dont really have any remorse for the animal. I am glad that the lord has given me an opportunity to take one of its magnificent animals to help feed my family.Thats what animals were put on this earth for.I have all the respect in the world for animals, and if i make a bad shot it is replayed over and over and i get sick to my stomach to think about what that deer is going through.I also replay the good shots.A quick clean kill does not bother me at all, at that point i am thinking of how good the backstraps are gonna be

I still replay my shot on a buck I lost about 7-8 years ago. It still makes me sick to my stomach every time I think about it. But I do take a little comfort knowing that I did everything I possibly could to recover that deer. Just ask my wife about that day she'll probably remember it, I was miserable and grumpy for about a week. Piebalddoe this shows you are mature beyond your years and really care about the animals you hunt. Try not to let it bother you too much. The best thing to do to get your confidence back is to go out and practice shooting. To show yourself that you can make the shot. Keep yer head up kiddo, look at it this way mother nature is not always the nicest to God's creatures and causes them to suffer. But in this instance you have probably provided food for some other of God's creations

I've always had a mix of emotions on a kill - elation, satisfaction, excitement, and remorse. It's an odd mixed bag that is unique to hunting. Taking a life is not a small thing, but it is necessary and, when done right, fun.

As for shots gone bad, that sick feeling will make you a better hunter. It will drive you to practice. It will cause you to be come a student of your prey and strive to get closer, shoot straighter, move more stealthily and consider all angles. It's a good thing.

I keep having my choke last Saturday AM go through my head. I am sure if I make a bad shot it will mean insomnia until I find that deer. Good luck Piebald.

a bad shot or a miss i'll replay it over and over for days

Yep, I still replay the doe that I never found 3 years ago. It frustrates me because I probably shouldn't have been out in the woods with that bow, the draw was too long and I knew it.

That makes me feel even more miserable because it was my fault, no one else's. Although we found lung blood, I probably only hit one lung and she may have eventually died, but she wasn't in my freezer, feeding my family like my intentions were the whole time.

Like everyone else has said, something would have to be seriously wrong with you if you didn't feel badly for a wounded animal. That's just MHO, but either way, it shows maturity.

I also don't feel remorse when I shoot a deer with a good clean shot, respect, grateful attitude, and elation is more like it. I thank God for bringing him/her to me, so I had the opportunity to feed my family in the healthiest and cheapest way possible, but no remorse. As my husband has taught me, if you make a good clean shot, the deer is only acting on it's adrenaline rush and likely is dead upon impact... they don't have time to feel the pain or have *any* idea what has happened. That's what draws me to practice my shooting skills in archery and firearms whenever I get the chance.

I'll agree we all lose sleep, maybe not over a bad shot but a mistake while hunting or something...

I have

Yup, i shot one 3 years ago that i never recovered. I felt so bad, and just could not sleep good at night.