Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

1. How many deer have you taken with bow/arrow - 14

2. How manyof those either "reuired" or were you able to get a follow up shot on? - 4

3. What's the most number of follow up shots you've gotten on a deer.....and how many times? - 4 shots (2X ...3 hits, each time); 3 shots (2X.....3 hits, each time). ALL animals dead in less than 20 seconds.

I wonder if they're (follow up shots) that unusual. That's why I'm posting this. I shoot until they're out of range or still (dead).

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

I spine shot a doe almost straight down when I was very young, that won't happen again.

Two poorly executed follow up shots ended the fiasco,one of the lowest moments in my hunting career.[:@]

They deserve better.

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

There have been 3 or 4 times where I've had to shoot deer again, all of them spine shots. All of them (exept one) clusterf__cks. The one that turned out ok, I waited about 15 minutes, detemined that the deer was not going to die soon, got down and walked up on it and shot it through the lungs. My rule of thumb now is to advance on a deer that is down in almost all situations.

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

I don't know the actual numbers but of the deer I have hit well I can't remember any that stuck around for a second shot. However in the past few seasons I have had two spine shot deer that I did have to finish off with follow up shots. One of those deeris the reason I now carry more arrows, long story but short version = I had 4 arrows, Arrow 1 hit spine, Arrow 2 missed flailing deer on ground, Arrow 3 I accidently touched my trigger as I was just beginning to draw and it shot about 20 ft in a nice little rainbow arc, Arrow 4 I finally regained my composure and double lunged the buck. Total time was about 1 minute and had I screwed up the last shot I would have had to climb down in my climber and either recover an arrow to finish himor dispatch the deer with my knife, either way I felt that was too much time andIwas a little unprepared that day, lesson learned. I truly believed I wouldnever need that many arrows in the woodsuntil that evening.

LOL that was my "short" version.

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

Jim.....I've spine shot 3 out of 14. In each instance.....the deer was DEAD in 20 seconds or less. Now....I agree that we should all strive to make boiler room kill shots.....and you KNOW I'm trying to do better (shortening effective range).

But....I'm not sure the rest of my kills were dead in 20 seconds. I know some were. Some I don't know.

I'm not "proud" of any of them. But they happened. I will agree with you that they DO leave you feeling "low". No contest.

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

I really think most people have very little understanding of just how quickly a sharp broad head properly placed kills a deer.
I do not use one of the super bows or mechanical broad heads favored by many now of days.
And of the last ten bucks I've shot I have watched them all die within 50 yards of my stand.I have hit bucks through the lungs that never knew any thing happened to them ,they walk twenty yards ,wag their tail a couple of times and fall over,and I have shot through shoulder bones and had deer panic run 40 - 50 yards and die in mid stride. Todays tools of our trade are very effective in the right hands and whenproperly used.

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

With last year being my first year bowhunting, I've only taken 4 deer. Of those, only onecould have really used a follow up shot. I totally botched the shot (used the wrong pin at close yardage on a quartering away shot) and the arrow went through the neck and cut the arteries. She dropped, then got back up and fell 15 yards away. By the time I fumbled an arrow out of my quiver which was hanging on my stand, she had looked up, busted me,got up and stumbled outof range in a hurry.If I'd had another arrow in an easy access position, I could have easily taken another shot and ended it.
I still recovered the deer, but it was a 300 yard track. It was an easy track, but still a long one. My brother and I couldn't believe she made it thatfar.
I learned an important lesson that day.

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

I am a rifle hunter turned bow hunter. I have shot very few animals with my bow.
1-whitetail
2-mule deer
2-elk
1-antelope

I have only taken a follow up shot on the 5x5-bull elk. All other animals ran into cover & died right away.
I should also add that I shoot until the animal is dead with a rifle or bow. I have watched animals get away, on what looked like a good shot with a rifle.

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

Over 5 years I've taken 5 deer with a bow, single shots on all. Two were spine shots that expired before I could get out of my stand and to them, the other 3 didn't stick around for another shot attempt.

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

I spined one buck but he wasnt going anywhere so I didn't shoot again. My advice is to shoot until the animal is dead. gun or bow. How many stories have you heard over the years about people losing a deer to another hunter because the deer traveled far enough to get to someone else? I hunt the north country and I will tell you that those deer are BIG AND TOUGH! I shot a buck 3 times-broadside, straight on , and quarting away. he was still alive when I got to him and he got up and ran away! He went another 50 yards before going down again. That was with a 30-06, 150 gr. bullets. I double lunged a buck with my bow and thought he would not go far. He went about 300 yards and we had to do a tough track job to get him. IF YOU HAVE ANOTHER SHOT TAKE IT!

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

I have no idea how many deer I've killed over the years, I suppose if I thought about it I could come up with a number but that's really irrelevant to my answer as I do remember how many times I've reached for another arrow after I've shot my first.

I've taken6 additional (follow up)shots over the years.

One was after a complete and utter miss:)in 2003.To this day don't know what happened and I never did find the arrow, the doe sorta jumped and bolted for about 20yds to my right then stopped and started to feed again. My second arrow found it's mark.

fourwere follow up shots on deer I spined.

One was a follow up shot I took on a deer I thought I hit well but wasn't sure. After I hit her (doe) she ran for about 30yards stopped, turned around and started to walk back to me. I could tell she was hit and again it looked pretty good but the opportunity was there for a follow up shot so I took it.

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

I am a firm believer in shooting until you can't shoot. I shot a huge doe at 6-7 yards with the bow on a field edge a few years ago. I thought I smoked her. It was sooo close I couldnt see the arrow in flight and it zipped through her. She ran out and stood looking back towards the tree at 45 yards for a few min. I could see "blood" dumping out of her as she stood there. The blood was blood and stomach matter come to find out later. I watched her and was letter her get weak or so I thought. She took off on the "death run" and I eventually recovered her hours later and few hundred yards later with a very poor blood trail. This was pre "Rage" days. Two years ago I shot a nice 8 pt that I thought I had hit a touch back. He trotted out to 50 yards and stopped. Couldn't really tell where I hit him so I shot him again and found him within 60 yards.

Whether you need the extra shot or not take it. Better safe than sorry.

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

1. 18
2. 0
3. 0 with bow

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

Sad to say but........if its movin I'm still shootin. Kinda reassures recovery. Older I get the less it happens. I'm still bad about unloading my gun. But thats another story. I lost a big buck to another hunter because he was sitting 100yds away and shot my dying deer. Now I shoot my gun til the deer is on the ground. And again the older I get the less it happens.

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

i've shot 8 deer with a bow. spined 2 of them. one i got a second shot into rather quickly.(under a minute) the other i actually ran out arrows (3 shots). they hard to hit when there spinning around like curly from the 3 stooges. while she was spinning she broke 2 arrows and bent the other in a L-shape. i had to run back to my truck and retrieve a slightly bent but useable arrow to finish the job. i am ashamed to admit she did suffer a bit but i was young and didn't any better. i should have got out of my stand and shot her from upclose. a good learning experience i guess. the farmer that owned the land was plowing the field got a good ckuckle watching me walk to my stand and come running back out half an hour later with no arrows left in my quiver.

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

85
3
4 on two occasions It was a wild chase

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

Never had to take a follow up shot....I have killed 2 deer with the 1st blood 2nd shot...

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

1. How many deer have you taken with bow/arrow - 20

2. How manyof those either "reuired" or were you able to get a follow up shot on? - 3

3. What's the most number of follow up shots you've gotten on a deer.....and how many times?3 of 20 deer were a spine shot which required finishing. 2 of these were does and because of them thrashing so bad I chose to grab their head an just cut the throat, I didnt feel comfortable trying to get another arrow where it needed to be in quick time. The 3rd was a buck and because of the antlersI didnt try and grab the head but waited until I could get an arrow where it needed to be, just one.

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

1. How many deer have you taken with bow/arrow - 21

2. How manyof those either "reuired" or were you able to get a follow up shot on? 4

3. What's the most number of follow up shots you've gotten on a deer.....and how many times? 4 shots, 1 time (that was not a good day) & 2 shots, 3 times.

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

1. How many deer have you taken with bow/arrow - 7

2. How manyof those either "reuired" or were you able to get a follow up shot on? - Only 1-spine shot

3. What's the most number of follow up shots you've gotten on a deer.....and how many times? - 1 and 1

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

1. How many deer have you taken with bow/arrow -54

2. How manyof those either "reuired" or were you able to get a follow up shot on? - 0

3. What's the most number of follow up shots you've gotten on a deer.....and how many times?0

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

Because I never had a follow up shot EVER.. I have to believe they are fables.. myth.. like Bigfoot and "Nessy".

The only follow up shot I believe in is in the game of Basketball.[8D]

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

Duke notice all my zero's, LOL
After I fling an arrow the run, unless I hit a tree[&:]

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

I think I've taken 43 animals with the bow in 23 seasons. (I lose track because there are years I hunted 3 and 4 states)

Anyway in all that time I've only shot multiple times at an animal twice. Most get out of Dodge pretty quickly and are dead on their feet anyway.
I shot one doe twice because she ducked a bit at the shot and I took her just under the spine. She was bleeding hard due to an artery hit after the arrow passed through but she bolted only to come back and stand 10 yards next to my tree. The 2nd shot anchored her right there. 10-12 seconds tops.

The only other was my 06' Antelope.He was really twitchy at the waterhole and Imade a bad hit in the stomach and actually followed up with 2 more shots, 1 was a miss at 63 yards right after the first shot, and the other was a perfect double lung shot at 37 yards in his bed.

So in 23 seasons of bowhunting I've only shot multiple arrows at one animal TWICE.

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

I've killed 17 deer, with a bow and arrow, only 1 required a follow up shot, and that was really unnecessary, but hastened the dying process as I'd lodged a Spitfire in his spine on an upward angle, tearing up the near side lung. I think part of the reason that guys often times SPINE deer is because of the way 3D target are "zoned" and scored. I know that most of you guys who shoot 3D have probably shot 100 3D targets to each live animal they shot, or likely more. That is part of the problem when shooting 3D a LOT, you start aiming for the 10 or 11 spot, which on a LOT of targets is right about where a spine hit is going to be, especially if a deer jumps string at all. Just my opinion, but I know at least a few guys who've fallen into that trap because they shot 3D all summer so when it came to that first deer of the season, they left that arrow hang a little high.

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

38 bowkills
8 spine shots,6 of which got quick follow ups. One was dead before I got another arrow nocked, and the other I was young and just slit its throat.

3 deer I've followed blood trails to a still living deer and administered follow ups.

My 1st spine shot deer ended up a pin cushion.

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

1.Closing in on 2 dozen deer and 1 turkey with a bow. 2.2 and it's my best buck to date.The miss was at 22 yds and the second shot was about 15yds.The second was this year,I spined a doe and got down to finish her off.I think it was worth another arrow.I do believe in flukes now.

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

Thanks for that post Rybo. Things happen. I'm trying to make all my shots "perfect".....but it's a process.

Thanks for the honest post (and everyone else, too)

RE: Follow up shot thread......got me thinking.
 

1. How many deer have you taken with bow/arrow - 35 I think

2. How manyof those either "reuired" or were you able to get a follow up shot on? - 2

3. What's the most number of follow up shots you've gotten on a deer.....and how many times? - 3 on one and 2 on the other. Both were hit far back in the guts. I let them sit all day and went out in the afternoon to track them. I found one bedded in a fallen treetop and finished her off with another arrow. The second was bedded but offered a poor shot but I figured another arrow would help. She jumped up and walked off a little waysand the third arrow put her down for good..