RE: i lost a buck this past weekend
 

Deer hunter 21, I do commend you for wanting help and advice. You said you are learning by this......thats good! Sometimes it happens and as bad as it feels, well, it happens, but by learning we can all improve all aspects of hunting.

I am not going to flame you, because you tried and are seeking advice.

RE: i lost a buck this past weekend
 

Sure seemed to me that you were piling on the guy. Dredging up the guys past was a classy move to boot. I re-read your post thinking I missed something but I came away with the same impression. Sorry...I obviously have missed something. Maybe it' s all the words in your post that are capitalized for emphasis. Just seemed to me like you were beating a dead horse, so I took up for the guy.

The noisy bow thing was my way of pointing out that we all still learn as we go, which using your words " can be full of heartache........and lost deer" . Aren' t you learning as you go with the noisy bow? Should you go hunting with it knowing you could end up with a crippled or lost deer because of the shot noise?

Your lengthy response to my post also indicates that your feelings can be hurt by some guy that you never met typing away at a keyboard.

I apologize for getting you riled up. Are we cool?
Jim

RE: i lost a buck this past weekend
 

As this thread proceeds it is obvious that some are dumping on this shooter. Made me think that he may have perceived my post to be specifically directed at him and condemning him for what he did or did not do. I was not. I was talking in a 3rd party sense.

The shot that went awry cannot be use against him. Mainly, because 1) the hit may have been right on target, but the shaft and broadhead may have did its own thing once inside the deer, something no person has control over, and 2) because for anyone to assume an attitude and claim that a bad shot or bad hit is beyond them, is full of crap

Yes, it does appear that the guys may have been too early on the trail, and may be lacking in some tracking skills and " stick-to-ness," but that is not uncommon as one acquires the skills. Keep in mind, you need to have some repeated OJT. Therefore, if the opportunity to follow a post-hit trail does not often present itself, the learning of the necessary skills will be slow. In my original reply, I was referring to those that do not care to learn and are too lazy to put much effort into a demanding track.

And, yes, " atlasman," you are unfairly dumping on the guy. Do not get so high hat behind one bow kill. If you stay in the sport long, there are some screw-ups waiting down the road for you too.

RE: i lost a buck this past weekend
 

As long as he learns something I really don' t care if it seems like I was piling on him...........which wasn' t my intention. In the end he will be a better hunter and tracker and increase his success rates in the woods.......that' s all that matters to me.

It was a very important observation. When you see someone show the same pattern in threads asking for help once it is already too late I don' t think it is out of line to point out that they would be better served to ask BEFORE they find themselves in that situation.

Yes I learned that it sucks when Bowtech leaves a hunk of machined metal in your riser to keep your cable rod loose.........I learned it sucks when the shop owner sets you up with a rest that has problems on the Patriot.......I learned that spending a lot of money does not mean you will get great customer service.

You' re kidding right? My bow doesn' t sound like a cannon going off. It is probably as quiet as 75% of bows in the woods. I just don' t think it is as quiet as it SHOULD be. Considering a deer will have 2 tenths of a second to get out of the way I doubt I will have any trouble. All our bows COULD end up crippling or losing a deer........should we all not hunt?

Dude....I am bored on a wednesday night. Trust me my feelings are not hurt. I like chatting with other hunters and getting excited about the season. One more week to go baby!!!!!

Jim........if I were riled up you would definately know it. LOL You crack me up

RE: i lost a buck this past weekend
 

LOLOLOL

Call it what ever you want...........as long as he learns the proper thing to do next time. Too bad a deer had to be wasted to learn something that he could have learned on this forum in 10 minutes of reading.

I have been in the woods with my father as a child and hunting probably 16-17 years now...........and still when I got into archery I sponged up every bit of knowledge I could get my hands on to become even better in the woods. Any screw ups I have in the future will NOT be because I am unsure of what I should do in a given situation. Sometimes bad things happen on a hunt..........if you have done everything properly and skillfully and it still goes bad then at least you know you did everything in your power to prevent it.

I practice religiously and soak up every tidbit of info I can find about deer hunting of any kind. That is my nature. I am a very detailed kind of guy. When I see others just winging it or doing things half assed it bugs me and so I say something........maybe they just don' t know.......after I say it if they still do the same things at least they know......they just don' t care.

I am not trying to sound high hat..........I get my ways from my father. He doesn' t mess around. Very business-like. You didn' t get to be sloppy or do things half assed and still hunt with my dad. If you couldn' t shoot well or didn' t know what to do or weren' t safe......you didn' t hunt, plain and simple. So you learned fast and you learned well.

If I stay in the sport long?? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Easy big fella ;)

RE: i lost a buck this past weekend
 

atlas:

A " detail kind of guy" should know that rain is in the forecast, how much rain is in forecast, and how imminent the rain is for reasons of deciding if taking a shot is appropriate at a particular time, and whether to stay in the field to be ready to immediately get on the track if the rain begins to fall and it is heavy enough to dissipate the blood.

I am not being argumentative. Just pointing out that just when you believe you have your act together, you find that you always have room to learn. ;)

RE: i lost a buck this past weekend
 

It seems that you are the type of guy that no matter what anyone says...You have an answer for. Then I come to find out that you have one bow kill to your name to back up your high brow attitude. Now that cracks me up! I' m sure you are a expert tracker after one kill. Give me a break. That is a skill that takes years to develop. Not one bow kill. I' m through with this. It' s like peeing into the wind...
Jim

RE: i lost a buck this past weekend
 

Deer hunter 21 you can hunt in my camp any time!!! That post right there said a lot about you as both a hunter and a man! You made a mistake, you admitted it, you learned from it! That is how you become a good hunter, many hunters do not have the advantage of learning from hunting with seasoned veteran hunters as a result the mistakes made are known to the new hunter, but how to overcome them is hard.

You and many other new hunters come to places like this to learn either how to avoid mistakes or how to correct them. I have hunted for 40 years and I still have a lot to learn, especially about bow hunting, this season is only my 4th. I know a lot about deer, but I will tell you right now that when it comes to bow hunting them this forum has really taught me a lot.

Please do not hesitate to post questions in regards to a mistake made here, I know there are some folks here that will rip into with a vengance, others will simply critisize you, and other that will take a more tactful approach and point out the mistake/mistakes made and how to correct them. The great thing about all of this is it could prevent some other novice hunter from making the same mistake which is why almost every one of us is actually here, is to learn, and also to share our experience or lack of!

RE: i lost a buck this past weekend
 

I understand what you are saying and I agree with you. However, would you agree that there could be times even if it is raining heavy that you should not get on a deer.

RE: i lost a buck this past weekend
 

BobCo19-65:


First, if heavy or " set in" rain is occurring or is expected, I will not shoot unless I am absolutely confident that I am going to get a killing hit. I know how rapidly fresh blood can dissipate, even in a light rain and on just a wet surface. Remember, quite often you may be finding only small droplets of blood. Heavy moisture will wipe those drops out very quickly.

When to get on the trail of a wounded deer always comes down to the individual' s best call based on information and facts that only the shooter knows at the time. Later, it is difficult to give the reader' s the same perspective that you had without writing a lengthy report and include all the observations, details, and thoughts you had at the time.

For me, the decision to get on a blood trail if rain or snow begins to fall depends on other conditions such as a dense canopy provided by the trees still having heavy foliage, etc. Unless circumstances allow me to wait, if rain or snow begins to fall, I will be on the trail much sooner than usual. That does not mean you hurriedly bulldog your way on the trail. If the ground is saturated but it is not raining, I may also get on track a bit earlier.

Regardless of the decision you make, if it has been raining and the ground is saturated, or rain or more rain is imminent, is not the time to go have a hamburger; at least in my book. ;)