HammytheHunter

Can't we all just get along.

rookie51

I personally feel that this was a good topic that people ignored. He didnt want to start contraversy, he just want to raise awareness. I think the whol point of his topic was clearly missed. However if you check out the home page of the web site and click on the bowhunting link there is a link that has when to shoot and when not to shoot for several situations. Might be helpfull.

oldpops

Hoytail: Good topic. I think this thread has more to do with a hunters attitude than shot placement and one lungers. I started bowhunting for deer in 1962, so you can assume that I am fairly experienced. I look at myself as one of the best trackers I have ever known. In my younger years I have even been known to kill a buck running at 70 yards. My most leathal kill was a skip shot that hit the animals lower rear calf. He went 35 yards, stopped and licked it until he bled to death. I have been very lucky until year before last. Until then my attitude was "if I can draw blood I can find him". Well, my attitude has changed and this year I didn't even draw my bow once because the right shot didn't present itself. Three poor shots in a row has changed my life forever, even though chances are all three bucks survived. I hope your brother-in-law will see the light and change like I did.All hunters go throughchangesas they gain hunting experience. At first you kill anything that walks, then your a meat hunter and then someday we all hope that we attain the level of sportsmanship that only themature animals are harvested. Hopefully your BIL will progress to a higher level sportsmanship before he makes all the coyotes fat in your forest.

bowman15

Didn't mean it to sound so harsh.

iowabob85

I think that the topic was blown way out of proportion. I would take yer b-i-l's bow and hide it and tell him that if he doesn't care about what he is hunting for maybe he should hunt for something that he does care about. He sounds like a real a-hole to me. Shouldn't even be allowed to get a hunting license if ya ask me. Maybe they should start competency testing with yer bow be4 they issue a hunting license. I am sure that he would never get a license if they did that. I know competency testing is a little overboard but in this guys case it would save the lives of a few deer.

rybohunter

um, yea......OK.

c_str

I've hunted with a guy like that and it is frustrating as hell. He simply doesn't care about the deer. He hardly ever practices, he bangs his bow, messes up his sights, and still goes out hunting. He's gut shot a deer, looked for a little while and then gone back hunting. I've specifically told him, "you do realize that with a bad shot like that, that deer is going to die a horrible painful death don't you". He just doesn't care. Then he doesn't understandwhy I won't let him hunt on property I have access too, unless he passes a basic accuracy test. (ie all gear on, 20 yard shot)

I think the religion angle was mentioned because the poster probably found it surprising that a heavily religious person would have very poor ethics in bowhunting. Kind of a paradox. But I'm old enough now that nothing really surprises me, and that just because somebody goes to church every week doesn't mean anything as to the type of character and integrity they actually have. Not knocking religion at all here as I go to church every week except during bow season... :-)

Hoytail Hunter

Fellas,

We're all on the same team here. All I was trying to do was raise a little awareness to the fact that perhaps we might be thought of as group in a better light if we took a pro-active approach at helping instill knowledge and ethics into our inexperienced or up and coming bowhunters. I don't think anyone's watching but if they were, I don't think the way we jump down eachother's throats paints us in any positive light. I don't know any of you personally but I do know for sure that most of you are more of a hunter than my bil and some of my friends. One guy I know said he doesn't care and that he'll shoot deer in the head if he has to. I refuse to go to the woods with him. PERIOD. This is a big part of the reason why I'm here on this forum. There is nothing that I can learn from those physically around me except how many precioushours I can waste looking for gut-shot deer while I could otherwise be on stand. Conversely, there is much I have learned here through the collective wisdom.

I have 2 kids and a wife and my time out therein the woods is very limited. My equipment is as top notch as I think my top notch can be at this point. I practice with my Vectrix regularly to make sure my shooting ability isas honed as possible. My bil and the like bring out the bow they probably drop regularly on the weekends for what I call "deer shooting." Some of them are family and friends so I don't push my views too much if at all on them for sake of the relationship. The only reason I picked at my bil's Christian background is because he has on more than one occasion preached it but then turns around and carelesslylays God's creatures to waste. I was born and raised Christian so I know that one of the commandmentsis "thou shall not kill." And yes, I know the implied meaning is that of killing other human beings. Implied yet from that though,is thou shall not recklessly take away life even that of animal form. I'll leave it at that.

The main reason I started this whole (wasn't supposed to be a debate) was because I know of 9 unrecovered deer this year just between 3 bowhunters/deer shooters. One of those lost deer was mine that I described. (For the guy who came up with fancy biblical proverbs and said I was pointing fingers but later deleted his post... yes, I was pointing fingers but also equally at myself) Anyway, I hit my intended mark but later learned it was sooooo not supposed to be the mark for that particular shot scenario. After whoopin myself silly, Ibegan a quest for self-improvement. I studied many deer anatomy photos and imagined arrow paths for various shot scenarios. Since then, I've harvested a button buck and a 4 1/2 yr old 250lb 10 pointer with fairly speedy expirations. I am glad for whoopin myself silly over my one bad shot because 2 good shots followed as a result. This baby step in my maturation as a bowhunter(the way the definition should read) is what I wanted to contribute to those who have just taken up this love we all have.

As a token of my appreciation for the collective wisdom I've been graced with here on this forum, I will start a new thread where you can add your experience post by post. The focus of the thread will be "what to do before the shot." This will encompass everything that one can do to prepare him or herself for a safe, responsible, ethical, and successful hunt.

As a wise man once said, you're either part of the problem or you're part of the solution. The solution or goal here is instilling the right things into the new or inexperienced or even those humble enough to accept a refresher.

Hoytail Hunter

link below:

http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=2460593&mpage=1&key=&#246059 3

loogout1

I want to apologize to hoyttailhunter for lumping the ten mile tracking comment in on him. I know it was not him who said it. But I still call BS on it. And sorry Hoyttail, I have and still do consider a one lung pass thru a bullseye since I have never had a deer mortally wounded in this manner go further than I could find it. Once again, I will reiterate that double lung is the objective, but one is as good as done. At least it has been for me. I did fire off the cuff too quickly and tried to edit it as fast as I could, it was not meant to be so harsh.