Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

wounded a deer before or never found a deer you shoot? if so how many times has this happen to you?

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

Happened to me last year...just that one time....arrow hit a branch and caused a flesh wound on the deer....I was crushed last year but that buck has been seen since and appears to be in great shape.

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

Thankfully I have not had it happen yet. (Knock on wood!)

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

After 24 years of hunting, I' ve lost four deer. (OUCH!!!!) One due to not being able to access private property the deer ran onto, two for bad shots because of branches I didn' t see or whatever, and one because of alien invasion.

It sucks, but it is part of hunting. Shot placement isn' t always a guarantee. Deer will live a long time on one lung for example.

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

I' ve lost one deer!! The absolute worst feeling in the world.
I shot a nice 7 pointer at 22 yards. The arrow went a touch left of my mark and hit the shoulder blade. I saw it sticking out of him as he ran off. My stomach sank to my feet. I waited 4 hours and started to track it. I was hoping maybe it deflected and caught some vitals. Had good blood for a long way then lost the trail after about 5 hours of tracking. I called the DEC to give me a number of a pro tracker/bloodhound. He came out immediately and the dog(amazingly) picked up the trail again and followed it for awhile longer til she lost it. Went back the next day and walked up and down the creek banks and swamps. Nothing!! Had to call it off after 2 days of tracking.
17 days later a 7 pointer comes by with a blood stain on his left shoulder. 20 yards away on the same exact path!! This time I did it right. Double lunged it and he ran about 30 yards and expired. Sweet justice.

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

I lost the first one I ever shot with a slug gun ........ I was much younger, less experienced, and think it was a leg hit ...... lost the blood trail, hopefully it healed and survived. If anything, that lost deer really changed my ways, because I am now " extra careful" before releasing an arrow or pulling a trigger. I pass up a lot of shots that I would have likely taken when I was younger.

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

Twice in my hunting career of 20 years have I wounded and not recovered a deer.

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

luckly it has only happened once to me. actually happened while hunting with my shotgun. It is absolutely the worst feeling in the world. I spent the better part of a week looking for that deer to no avail. I know damn well that I killed the deer but lost blood (I' m guessing because there wasn' t any left in the the deer it bleed so much) after about 100 yards. It still bothers me when I think about it. Worst of all I know it was good shot placement. $#!^ HAPPENS! I just hope never again.:(

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

Yep,

Twice in my career, bot really high points, but definetly learning experiences!

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

5 years ago I lost a doe. I still regret that one. I should have never took that shot. It just seemed so perfect. 25 yrds. Just 25 yards.[:' (]

Good Hunting

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

Happend to me thi syear on a doe. I shot her, and she ducked at 18 yards. I hit her a little high. I' m almost positive I clipped a lung. Trailed spotty blood for 3.5 hours and over 400 yards. Then she hit a corn field and I could' nt find anything. I was very upset!!!!!!!

Fortunately, she lived. I got her on my cam trakker two weeks later. I' m sure it was her. It' s very clear the cut that was on her back. Good thing.


j

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

It' s happened to me three times in my hunting lifetime. Once earlier this year on an eight-point that I hit too far back. It left the property I was hunting and I was unable to retrieve it until the next day in 70 degree weather. It had already started decomposing and was partially eaten (coyotes?).

The other two were when I was much younger. One was a 7-pointer that I hit high in the shoulder and could see the arrow sticking halfway out as it bolted away. We found the arrow (no broadhead) bent up about 100 yards away with a small pool of blood. Two years later my brother saw an 11-pointer that had an ugly scar on the same shoulder from the same stand. I make myself feel better by believing it was the same deer.

I hit a 6-pointer behind the ribcage that was quartering away very sharply. I thought this was a good shot. It left a red carpet through over two hundered yards of woods that led to a huge pool of blood. There was no bloodtrail leading away in any direction. We had given it 45 minutes before taking up the trail. I can only assume that another hunter grabbed it a ran. It would' ve been the largest I' ve ever harvested (in terms of mass and tine length).

It' s not a good feeling at all. I think the reason we all feel so bad about it is because of our respect and love for the whitetails we pursue. Not that we' d feel any better if it was different animal.

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

come on guys 11 posts out of 120 people? kinda wierd i dunno but thanx for letting me know i appriciate it

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

I have lost a few, but not any in the past 3 years though

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

It' s happened to me once, right after I started bowhunting, in 1987. I almost gave up bowhunting because of it. Tracked that deer all day, over a mile thru peoples yards, etc. Never could get close enough to finish him off, and he showed no real signs of slowing down.

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

Once in seventeen years. Made a bad shot on a doe when I was around 14 years old. Using a .243 and the shot hit her leg and I can only guess it didn' t enter the body cavity. Never found it.

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

one time for me

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

I lost what would be my first bow kill this year. My friend hunted the same stand and saw the deer limping in with a scab directly behind her shoulder two weeks later. I went ahead and got rid of the mechanicals afetr that one. I am not saying they dont work because that isnt true, but it didnt for me that day.

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

It happened to me last year. It would have been my first deer - a beauty 10pt, broadside at 15yrds. I thought I hit him very good - gave him 2 hours to die before looking, then tracked him for 3 days. Never found him.

I learned a valuable lesson about perfect shot placement that day that I will never forget!

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

In 23 years I lost 2 not something I am proud of.

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

Hey guys, let' s kill this post quickly.
It sounds to me like an anti is baiting us to dig our own hole.
We all know an occasional loss happens, but we do NOT need to document every instance for use against our sport.
Maybe I' m just paranoid because the aliens can read my thoughts:eek:

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

Thinking the same thing,Whats the point .Don' t mean to be judgmental, but all this post is accomplishing is to give the antis more fodder.

Joe

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

Sorry for double post... puter' malfunction...

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

2 deer this year it sucks.


go deep hunt hard.;)

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

i am no anti i was just wondering i bowhunt myself just started this year shot my first deer juss a little fella but it was the greatest feeling in the world anywayz i was just wondering because my buddy seems to be having some terrible luck on bowhunting he has wounded 3 deer this year and i have helped him look for 2 of them and never came up with much but a couple of beds and i circled and did everything i could but came up with nothing but the one he shot did die and the farmer found it and he got an eight pointer this year too but juss seems that he has bad luck or needs better shot placement i dunno anywayz what i am trying to get at is he might quit bowhunting and i dont like that idea so i am trying to convice him its happen to more people than just him so he should juss think about the shot and nothing else right or wrong just trying to help out a friend thats all the post is about

thank all you guys who did post about your shots hopefully this will be a real help to convince him not to quit and take more ethical shots

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

14 yrs. = 1

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

If he is not willing to practice ethical hunting, including passing up on less than perfect shots for now, then he does need to quit... in my humble opinion.

Yes it happens to most of us, something all of us regret. But from what I' m reading in this discussion board, the people here have gone past that, tried to learn more, and practice harder to make those better shots, better decisions, and improve their tracking. I know I have and will continue to.

Hopefully he can turn that aching feeling into a powerful ally to become a better hunter.

In my humble non-expert opinion.

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

one for me it was two years ago , and i still sometimes think back in my mind and say should have ,could have , would have. but no matter i can' t change the results now .

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

My brother just had it happen to him this year. He was hunting the Golden Triangle in Illinois and had a nice 10 about 20 yards away. He arrowed the deer a hair high and the deer ran off with the arrow sticking out both sides ! they followed the blood trail for hours but never did locate the deer. Boy was he pissed !!

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

1 time in 11 years of hunting.

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

Last year, I lost the first deer I ever shot at with a bow, and it was a sickening feeling. Broadside, 20 yds, the shot was high and left, with about 8 inches of penetration. I must have struck the shoulder bone. I bloodtrailed for 3 days and finally lost all sign. I hope it never happens again.

Others have mentioned we shouldn' t talk about this, but as soon as we start acting like we have something to hide, we are betraying our sport. These types of discussions can help others grow in their learning and understanding, including me, a fairly new bowhunter. The antis will be against us and try to destroy hunting no matter what we do, so lets focus on making ourselves better hunters.

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

Lost what would have been my first opening weekend. A doe I shot high behind the shoulder. Trailed her with very little blood. Really want to believe she is alive.
GREAT Topic.

Screw the antis, this site isnt for them

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

So far, Knock on wood, I have killed 8 with my bow and never lost any. Only one that I shot had to be tracked down the next day, but still found it about 300 yards from the shot location.

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

great posts you guys he wants to practice and does i just think he gets anxious in the stand and wants to shoot a deer so bad he dont think but yea this is my first year bowhunting and he has been bowhunting for 3years so yea i dont noe but its just my opinion and all but thanx for the post it been very interesting

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

I' ve only lost one animal and it was with a rifle. Never lost a bow kill.

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

well...first of all, there is no such thing as LUCK! is doesn' t exist and the word might as well not even be used. yeah i' ve lost a few deer, just bad shot placement, not luck, it has a whole lot to do with how bad you wanna find the deer too. if youll be patient after the shot...remember the last place you saw the deer, listen for it, and really look for a blood trail then you may have a better chance of finding it. tell your buddy to practice and take good shots and he' ll most likely recover his deer.

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

Wow, I must be a complete slob....

It took me a few minutes to relive them but the best I can come up with is 5. Two in one year, both neck shots....end of that experiment. The first deer I ever shot at, gut shot and never found. Two deer I found the next day that the coyotes got.

I have killed 32 deer with my bow and have been bowhunting since I was 14 (22 years, do the math). I have not shot a deer in the last 5 years that didn' t end up on my dinner table.

I have never lost a deer with my muzzleloader or rifle.

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

BTW-

Rico

GREAT POST!

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

2 in 28 years.

RE: Just out of curiousity how many of you have ..... ?
 

Hmmmmmmm. Charlie, your number matches mine, what a coincedence!!!!!!!!