This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

I know most of you are going to get on here and say "don't read the thread" if you don't like it. I am finding myself coming to the bowhunting forum less and less because of the endless post about wounded deer. This is really getting ridiculas. I know wounded animals is a part of hunting, but man I'm getting sick of reading all the post. Don't some of you people have books on finding wounded game? I do. The last thing I'm going to do is get on here and post about a wounded animal. There is no advice anyone on this forum can give you, that is better then a book on tracking wounded deer, written by a professional with hundreds of tracking under his belt. I recommend "Finding wounded deer" by John Trout Jr. It is full of diagrams and pictures. There is even a section that shows how a deer will walk when hit it a certain place. Buy it, read it, carry it with you, and find your deer, then come on here and post your picture. I'm not trying to knock anyone, or challege the tracking skills of anyone, but remember, you shot it, your there, your the only one who can put the pieces togather and find your trophy.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

I agree, but I guess most people that post don't know how to track a shot deer and are just looking for advice. You should know in advance how to bloodtrail if you are hunting. You owe it to the quarry. It is like this every year at this time though, and it does get on my nerves. I hate when people post questions that cannot be answered by anyone but them; "Was my shot good?" "I made a good shot but I don't know where the arrow hit" That's the reason I started using arrow wraps and will never hunt without them.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

Practice and only ethical shots ,clearing shooting lanes helps also. My dad always told me .You going to shoot at it you better make sure you kill it or I would get my butt beat.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

m69,
I couldn't agree with you more. I realize that there are a number of young hunters out there and in this forum and the last thing I want to do is discourage them, but PLEASE DO YOUR HOMEWORK. We owe it to the perpetuity of our sport and to our quarry to make the best, ethical shots we can even if it means passing up marginal or low percentage shots. I realize that in bowhunting there will be wounded animals but our duty is to keep that to a minimum by practice and good judgement. JMHO:)

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

I agree with everything you said. However if a tid bit of information can help the person recover their deer by posting something, then it's worth it. Yes 99% of the time there is nothing we can tell them to help. They ultimately will be the only ones to figure it out and should have more tracking knowledge, better understanding of shot placement, etc..... But the thing is unfortunately it's not going to change. It's going to continue to happen. Because a person doesnt' post their story here doesn't mean they arent' going to go in the woods and wound a deer. So, other than the painful disgustingly sick nature of some of the stories, I'd rather see them and possibly help. JMO

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

How can you know in advance if you are a new hunter. Say it was someones first deer, no prior track jobs to go from, how are they supposed to know? A book will teach these guys everything they need to know? I highly doubt it.

For once in my lifetime, I am going to agree with NY Bowhunter. IF we can be a part of teaching people to track, then we should help.

And if you are coming to the message boards less and less because of these posts...well then it has been nice having you here. Cuz I don't beleive it will ever stop.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

Hey IL_BOW_MAN, I couldn't of said it better!

I thought this forum was here to help not hinder.:)

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

I agree with a lot of the things you mentioned Muley, and I also highly recommend the book you mentioned.



Maybe, mabe not, but at least by reading the book before hand there is a starting point. And going into the woods prepared sure can't hurt anything. Wouldn't you agree? There are two pages from the book that a beginner can laminated that is sort of a summary of all the hits that can be paced in a backpack. It's a great reference pont, especially if you do not know how long to wait. There is also a set of posters that I would also recommend that can be bought from the Deer Shack. Included is a disection of a real deer, deer anatomy, blood types, hair types and location, and some other neat stuff:

http://www.deershack.com/bookstore/posters/posters.html


I would also agree with that 100% and do not have a problem what so ever on people posting and asking help in tracking.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

It's my son's first year bowhunting but he's been on several tracking jobs before. Being a new hunter shouldn't mean new to the woods.

What I've done for years is this. If I shoot a deer and feel it needs time I'll come home and when I go back my son comes with me.If he isn't around I'll bring the deer home and when he get there we'll go out into the woods and he'll track to the gut pile. He's been tracking deer since he was about four yrs old.

If a buddy calls me to help track Tyler is coming too. He's learned alot from doing this even on short track jobs.

Another thing he does is the the deer tracking competitions on another site we visit.

Books I'm sure could be a big help but doing it for real is invaluable.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

Ditto!! Best thing you can do for a future bowhunter. My son goes with me on EVERY track job.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

it shouldn't but for a lot of people it does, your son is lucky to have you!

its to bad that not everybody on here had that luxuery, people that are self taught have to go on what they read from books and places like this, i don't get mad at the new hunter for his shot if they have done what they need to do, like practice and become proficent with a bow, things happen in the woods it's not like target shooting. the person that pisses me off is the one that buys his bow m/l'er or rifle a few days before the season and is goin huntin. i read one state regs that says you have to demonstrate profiecency with a bow don't remember where but i thought that would be a good idea.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

This forum states
IL-BOW-MAN well said;)
Some come here for help and hopefully we can help and teach others so they may become a better bowhunter.

We would like for people to learn these things before entering the woods but in reality its not always gonna happen, some are inexperienced and havent had the opportunities to learn to track or havent bothered to and want the help after the fact....some are weekend warriors.... we hope to help and teach so they dont go out and wound or lose another deer.

Before I bowhunted my husband would go out bowhunting and come and get me when he would shoot a deer and make me blood trail it alone while he would go and get our son and his friends whom wanted to learn about bowhunting... He would tag the Deer and I would drag the deer to an area to field dress it while the kids would watch and help hands on if they liked to learn to field dress a deer, and then help to load and transport the deer to check it in..... it taught me alot and the kids were very interested in learning!!!!!

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

I feel any info from anybody is good . You owe it to the deer. Anytime i can help someone i want to. Some people have a lot more experience than others. Experience helps.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

I really hate to jump in here but I have to. Nobody on this or any other site will ever know if I wound a deer. This is just the kind of bait the ANTI's are looking for and are logging in for their next fight. I believe the Moderators should delete any post that starts with "I hit one but...". If you do hit one, and it probably will happen to a lot of us then later on ask a general tracking question but don't chalk up another wounded deer story.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

I refuse to live my life to tip toe around the anti's.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

I have to disagree with you longbowman. We help each other out in many ways on this forum. The specifics of the hit, location, what the deer was doing or how it reacted all can make a difference in the feedback you get from others, and potentially may help you recover your deer. I got some great feedback on my post that helped me find an additional 100 yards or so of blood trail. Unfortunately the buck was not at the end of the blood trail for me, but perhaps for another hunter he will be.
As for waiting a while then asking a general question about tracking... What good would that do? The sign is probably gone, the deer is rotten or eaten, and you won't go out to "track" any sign that still isn't there, therefore losing a chance to get first hand experience so that if (hopefully not) it ever happens again you may be more prepared.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

I have to say -- I agree and disagree with this thread.

First of all, I agree with Muley on this one. This forum has become a "I Hit one BUT..." forum. I'm not saying that's bad. In some cases, good hunters are asking advice for certian aspects of tracking or finding their deer. These posts should be here.

But the posts that get me upset are those who say the following:
1. "I Hit the deer, but i'm not sure where" -- I understand it's not always easy to see exactly where you hit a deer, but in most cases, you should have a good idea....

2. "I keep missing deer" -- These are the people who practice once or twice, but never out of their stands. I have very limited sympathy for them.

3. "I tracked the deer but couldn't find it" and then later "after about 100 yards, I figured it was lost". -- I've only seen this in one post, but I was so angry I couldn't even respond. Do people really think a deer will just fall over on the spot???

We have to uphold the morals of our sport. If someone is hunting with marginal ethics or practice, it is OUR responsibility to let that person know they are in the wrong. Otherwise, we are only encouraging them. And another thing before I put my soapbox away -- when people come here saying they screwed up, but could we help them, why do we just keep telling them they screwed up? Everyone screws up, but it's the bigger person who can admit it and learn from it...

Okay. Soapbox back in closet.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

The forum is here to discuss bowhunting. We don't talk about tracking a deer just hit in the middle of July. It is now season. Tracking, wounding, and killing are part of the hunt whether we want to accept it or not. I am not ashamed of talking about this part of the hunt and will not coward in the corner because of some anti peta freak lurking about. This is my 24th season of hunting. I've tracked many deer over the years and have had some unique experiences in which I've gained some cool knowledge from. Part of the reason I joined this site was due to the common ground we as hunters have in discussing every facet of the hunting experience, and ultimately learning. I am not an expert by any stretch, but will stretch out my hand for those that ask for advice. No, we can't determine the exact hit or find a deer over the net, but if anything else, it supports those that need a pick me up, encourages the young or inexperienced hunter to go back out and look for different things, and most of all, helps people learn and grow as a hunter. What is wrong with that? I hunted alone almost all of last season, and 98% of my season this year will be by myself. I find this place to be a virtual campfire at times. Nothing wrong with that either.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

If your sick of the topic, why make a post which brings the issue to the fore-front yet again??
We've had similiar posts, and you could have just bumped up one of them, with your comment.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

I also will NEVER decide what to do or not to do based on what I think the ANTI's might have to say about it. If they don't like what I do too bad. I don't like them either.....get on with your life.


Having said that..........I think what drives people crazy about the lost deer threads are not the mishaps or bad luck or that the deer hasn't been found yet.

What drives everyone nuts is when

#1 We hear idiotic comments that show a lack of even BASIC knowledge required to properly execute a successful bow kill and recovery. If you don't have even BASIC knowledge about what to do you should not be in the woods hunting.....plain and simple. Jesus.....some of these people say things that make you wonder if they even took the bowhunter education class. You don't have to be Chuck Adams to kill a deer and find it.........but if you can't shoot, have lousy equipment, don't know what happened after you fired, and get up and chase after the deer thinking it is just gonna lay down and wait for you then you are a pinhead. Stay home and play your X-BOX and stop wounding animals. If you hit a deer in the ass and you were aiming for his chest their better be a really good explanation for it. If you think a 45 yard neck shot is a good idea even though you can't hit a pie plate from 20 yards then you don't deserve anyone's help because you didn't bother to put ANY effort into the job yourself and are now crying for help because it blew up in your face.

Everyone thinks it's funny or that they will be able to handle it when it happens to them.........until a 12 ptr walks out at 15 yards and they wet their pants and forget their names. Then they come here saying "Please help me"

I have no problem helping someone do whatever possible to find a deer. I do think that it is very apparent just by reading a thread if anyone stands a chance of offering any meaningful help. If someone is totally clueless they aren't gonna do what they are told anyways. They didn't listen to anyone right up until they shot the deer.........what makes you think they are gonna change now?? They are just gonna go out and walk all over the woods hoping to stumble on him............and probably shoot at another one while they are at it.

It's funny(sad) how everyone becomes this overly caring heart felt sorrow victim of circumstances AFTER they screw the pooch on a nice deer. If you REALLY cared as much as you are pretending to care now.........you would have done more to properly prepare yourself for going bowhunting. Your crying now is not for the deer.........it is for the selfish reason of wanting the deer for YOU so you can show everyone what a great hunter you are.



The BASIC information needed to become CAPABLE of killing and finding a deer with a bow can be obtained in one night of reading in this forum alone or about 100 other web sites out there. You should have some idea already from bowhunter education class. Numerous books are also available and let's face it guys........it's not rocket science. Anyone can learn the BASICS and experience will teach you the details. There is absolutely no excuse for being unprepared with all the resources available today.

People don't take it seriously enough.........until it hits the fan and they are standing in the middle of the woods alone after poorly shooting a big buck 15 minutes before they have to go to work and it's raining and they were so excited they don't really remember what happened.


TOO LATE!!!

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

I really don't like the wounded deer threads, I am all for helping others to find thier deer, but I really don't feel we can tell them anything that isn't already said in the tracking thread. It gets harder and harder to read when details are left out or just plain old the person screwed upp and they should have known better. On a shot that is just really bad luck, its more understandable. I know not everyone cacn know everything when they go out into the woods, but in this day and age an effort can easily be made to gather as much info as they can before heading out. If they are here to post their misfortune, they were here to read the tracking thread, but its long, and takes time. SO instead we are all subjected to listening to the numbers stack up of unfound deer, cause they look for a magic hint on a computer screen when they should be out there still beating the brush, and trying to apply what they've read in the tracking thread to the current scenerio.

As much as I hate to tip toe around anti's, sometimes it is called for in our screwed up society. These threads don't help.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

Don't get me wrong guys. I am not saying that the book wouldn't help out some of these guys. And I would rocomend it if you can.

But for many (such as myself) I would have to track down a book and buy it, when now I already have internet access and plenty of friends here that would be willing to help in a heartbeat.

I will however totally disagree with that statement...basically from my own experience.

I grew up with my mother, 1800 miles away from my father. I didn't really know anybody who hunted while growing up. When my father moved back to the area was when I had my first intro to hunting. It didn't really interest me until a few years later. So being a new hunter did mean being new to the woods. I have learned a lot, messed up a lot in the process. If I would have had a place like this message board way back then, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble.

Hey Muley, thanks for the name of the book...I might try to find a copy for future use.

But please don't shy away from the boards on the account of somebody asking for help tracking a wounded deer. A lot of us know that sometimes a little attention to detail would help these guys out when they made the shot. A lot of us also know that hunting is not 100%. Lets try to help these guys this year, and then next year we will have another few thousand members and the same questions will come up and we will just have to do what we can to help.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

Ilbow man, What I meant by that statement is ,ahh nevermind.;)

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

No need, here ya go!!!

http://www.sportsreading.com/Finding...970749309.html

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

good post atlas

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

I ain't wonded none. Hell, I ain't even seen one yet.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

I had no idea this thread would be so contentious. I have read and re-read every post on this thread and it seems we are all a little divided. I'm sure every hunter on this board wnat's to help our fellow hunters, that goes without saying. It really gets frustrating, however, to hear the countless stories of wounded deer. My take is this: everyone should be prepared to kill an animal when the walk in the woods. How many of you read all the magazine articles about lures, scents, rattling, the rut etc? How many of you watch hunting videos and practice calling? Now, how many of you study up on finding wounding deer? You see the comparison? Why should such a critical componant of hunting recieve so little attention until in many cases, it's too late? The fact is, almost nobody even reads about finding wounded animals and tracking.
Before for firing at an animal you should be in position to sucessfully track down and recover that animal. You should gather friends and family to help in that recovery, you should have a recovery book of some sort available to you. When all methods have been exhuasted, then perhaps, you might come on to look for advice in this forum. Any information you recieve is not always better then no information. Bad information is worse, and can lead you down the wrong path. Everyone who hunts with a bow, should own literature on how to recover a wounded animal, period.
I don't want to pretend that I am above mistakes, I am not, and niether is anyone on this board. Yes, wounding in an unfortunate part of hunting, but we need to make this a rare occassion, not a common place event. Every opportunity I get, I go and track wounded animals for friends and family, and usually, the recover is rather quick, but I NEVER assume I don't need the practice.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

I think the root of the problem is the transition from hunting with a gun to bowhunting. When I used a rifle, all but one deer I have killed I shot in the neck. When you hit them there they just dump where they stood. Who ever needed to learn about tracking? Even a well placed shot in the shoulder usually results in a very short run and easy tracking. My rifle made a small hole going in and a softball crater on the exit side so a blood trail was something that took little effort to follow. Now here comes the new bowhunter and he shoots in the back yard and does all he can to get ready only to make a marginal shot and then finds that following drips of blood is much harder than following buckets of blood.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

There are 71,391 registered members here. Let me spell that out. Seventy One Thousand Three Hundred Ninety One Registered Members. Assuming most are hunters don't you think there are gonna be deer there are hit and are not easily found? I have one or two deer each year that I have difficulty finding. I'm severely color blind and have a very difficult time recognizing the blood on the ground. Luckily I haven't had any deer get away yet that I've hit. Each person will have his or her problems.
I commend any person who gets on here to ask for help. No book...that's NO BOOK will tell you how to deal with every situation that can present itself when hitting a deer and having to track it. Every persons hunt, shot, kill is going to be diff't than any other. Look at the success ratio here of deer found after asking for some help. I have no idea what the success ratio is but I would bet its a whole hell of alot better than if noone asked questions. There would be more deer not found and left for other animals to devour. It would be a good idea for people who need to learn about tracking to get the book, but that should not keep anyone from asking for help.
And how does this fuel the fire for the Anti's? Do they go out and protest, riot, and campaign that there are hunters out there that shoot deer and ask for help on finding it. Is that really so wrong?
I'm sure there are a few people who have lost deer because they didn't want to ask for help because of the arse ripping that goes on in this forum.
I'd say rather than deleting every new topic put up that says I shot and need help...I'd delete every response that says I can't believe you did this..didn't do that...don't know this...etc.

I think the people here who need help know who they can talk to and who they shouldn't bother asking help for. If you have to go to email rather than posting here do it. Don't just give up..ask someone for help...but obviously not most that have responded here.

'Nuff Said

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

I'll put my money on the guy that read the book and did his research BEFORE going hunting any day vs. the guy who knows nothing and is not prepared for even the most basic situations. No one expects new hunters to be flawless.....just have a good knowledge foundation to work with and build on.


I would bet it is aweful. Single digit % of "need help" threads will find their deer because of help they get here. The problem is they have already done so many things wrong that no one can help them at that point and they are going on pure luck from then on. When someone gut shoots a deer with a low KE setup and 2 1/2" mechanicals and doesn't know where he went except that he saw him run after he went looking for him 10 minutes later............What can anyone here do to help that??


Asking for help is one thing.........everyone needs help at one point or another. We all love to help fellow hunters. It just gets old real fast seeing people in the same old nightmare situations year after year that could have easily been prevented with minimal effort on the hunters part BEFORE hunting season even started.


I'm sorry for not sugar coating the truth but if you come on this forum and say you hit a deer at 40 yards who knows where with broadheads you have shot into a target for 3 weeks (or not at all) you were aiming at his neck, you don't know any details of any kind that would be useful.......you don't know how to track and/or you jumped him twice and chased him into the next county.

You DESERVE an arse ripping!!!

I know my case is extreme but I assure you some or all of those scenerios have been played out here over and over again.

BASIC knowledge is not too much to expect of someone shooting at live animals IMO.



BTW my brother is massive color blind and he was of ZERO help in tracking my first buck...........I feel for you because that must make things even harder. Glad to hear you never lost one.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

Muley69,
I would agree with you. I have been out of hunting for about 18 years not just bow hunting but all hunting. This is the first year for me back in a tree trying to shoot a deer with a bow. I have passed on about 15 deer not because I'm waiting for that "BIG ONE"
trust me that is not the cast. It is because I am only sure of myself out to 20 yards. I've had a lot bigger deer with in 35 - 40 yards but I can't hit that target with confidence
so I stay within my limit. My first deer this year (and it’s my first deer with a bow) was
a doe about 70lbs field dresses. It was raining that night & it took over 2 ½ hours to find her. Sure I could have given up after the first hour, but I shot that deer & was not going to
just give up.
I think some people just give up, (I’m not talking about anyone here trust me)
I talked with a guy this afternoon, he only goes after the “BIG ONES” well
this weekend his son, son’s friend and himself all shot (in his words) BIG deer.
I asked if he had any photos and he tells me they only tracked them for about 45 minutes
and could not find anything. Found blood tracked em found nothing.
I’m going to buy two copies of that book and give him one.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

Bad shot, you bring up another aspect and that is overconfidence in ones effective killing range. 40 yards in the back yard is a heck of a lot different then 42 yards down hill, adrenaline pumping, sun at bad angle, walking target, with limbs and such in the way. There are a lot of good post on this subject and good points have been made. My opinion is that too many folks have not adequately prepared for the job of tracking an animal, then come to the boards and ask help. The big problem is it is often hard to tell who just happened to get a bad break, and who screwed up. Whether people on this site like to admit it or not, there are too many shots that shouldn't have been taken to begin with, too many people not capable of doing a tracking job, and too many people spending more time with their trail cams, then with focusing on the fact that they are killing. It's our duty to recover all animals we shoot, or die trying. I seriously doubt that the number of deer recovered is enhanced by posting on this site. If we sit back and evaluate every scenario that has resulted in a wounded animal, it is virtually always human error in one form or another, that's something I don't think we should be so quick to post up.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

It seems like the bowhunting sport is growing so rapidly that the new hunters want instant success and do not want to put the time into basics. Bowhunting is a sport that requires alot of shooting, reading, and research that is applied in the field. With the internet there are unlimited resources for us.
Only the hunter can judge what happened when the arrow wa released.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

Here's the thing. Is it the same people year after year that need help? Or week after week? It's the newer members for the most part. One MAJOR contributor to the new hunters in the woods not knowing what they are doing is they have very few if anyone people or friends to tell or show them what they need to do. I blame alot of it on the archery dealers who sell the newcomer to the game whatever they want. Most..NOT ALL..but most of em out there are there to make a buck, or as many bucks as they can. My first setup I bought was sold to me as "everything I would need to be able to bowhunt." A year later or so after stumbling into a a new friend who ran an archery shop and range I found out that what I had was straight poop. KE was horrible, broadheads were very cheap, bow was extremely slow and loud, and the bow was cheap..very cheap. Who knows how long I would have hunted with this if I didn't run into this guy. I knew nobody who bowhunted or knew anything about it.
Eitherwho, Anywho, or whateverwho, I still think it's great that people come here asking for help when they don't know what to do. The book will help, but it won't answer everything that 70,000 + members with Millions of years of combined experience can do.

I still think the success percentage is much greater of those who come and ask questions vs. those who don't ask and end up giving up because they didn't think that the deer may have gone for water to soothe the burning in its gut, or whatever....

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

Oh yeah,
Being color blind does suck. But I swear I can spot a deer a whole heck of alot quicker than any of my friends while in the woods. They seem to just stick out like a sore thumb. Many of times I've had to point and explain over and over for my buddies to see the deer. But when it comes to blood you might as well stick me in a dark room and ask me to find a needle in a haystack.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

Sorry guys im one of the new bowhunters. Im only 16 and my dad only slug hunts. I have a couple of friends that were so bought one for x-mas. Got a Buckmasters G2 Sl. I praticed alot this summer. Shot up to about 35 yrds. I set my treestands up in the woods and the farest shot i can take is probable 25yrds. I knew i was right on the buck i shot at Sunday nite. But somehow i hit a small limb. Well anywayz went out after school today n here is the big boy i missed bedded 50 yrds from my stand when i spooked him. This site helps me more then any magazine i've read. But i know if i would of found anyblood what so ever i would of been skipping school, and searching for the rest of season. I was just confused and had too much buck fever sunday nite.

RE: This has become the "I wounded one" forum
 

You obviously are not in the group some of us are talking about. You sound like a great young hunter who is eager and willing to learn. Just reading some of the things you wrote makes it easy to see that you are headed in the right direction and have a good head on your shoulders.

Now go get that big boy and post some pics for us to see ;)


BTW I had a Fred Bear TRX a couple years ago and it was a great bow for the money. My brother still shoots it and it has taken 2 bucks in 3 years. The NAAG line of bows is highly underated in the market IMO.

I shot a G2 when looking to buy but I like the TRX better. I never shot the longer G2 because I already had my Patriot but I bet it is a smooth shooter.

Good Luck