So you wound an animal

slamdunk · Sep 10, 2024

Tristate said:
Almost 30 years ago I had a mule deer tag in Colorado it was late season I was in a good area and it was a guided hunt. One evening a bad northern was blowing in. The guide and I were headed back to camp before the weather went to hell. We ran into a large mule deer buck. I took a shot and thought I heard the bullet hit the deer. The deer walked down into a timbered ravine. We hiked to where I thought the deer was when I shot. The weather started hammering us. I looked in dwindling light and heavy snow. I could not see blood. We finally ran out of light and headed to camp. That night about 10 inches of snow fell. The next day was brutal cold but we got out and searched all day. We never found anything.

We went back to camp. Normally it was a rule of draw blood and that's your deer. The guide talked to the landowner and then talked to me. He told me we never found blood so let's go hunt. The last day I killed the oldest mule deer I have ever killed. It was a good time. I still think I did hit that first buck even though we never found blood. Not sure how to feel about that but I am happy for some of the lessons on that hunt.

That is actually a perfect scenario in the outfitting/guiding world, I've been through this myself and it's a no brainer to move forward.

Kudos to giving it everything you could do under the circumstances, that's all you can do.

eelgrass · Sep 10, 2024

Not to hijack anything but remembering my old duck hunting partner. Dan kept a written record of all his duck hunts. He moved to Montana, and he called me one night to brag about how he killed his 500th Mallard that day. I do remember when he killed his first Mallard.

huntindad4 · Sep 10, 2024

JPickett said:
Ok boomer

Pretty sure this is the biggest compliment I've seen you pay on MM.

I think Eels grandkids are Boomers..

Rie bread · Sep 10, 2024

If im bird hunting with out a dog unusually only strive to get one or two birds. Definitely lost more than a few but I’m not sure counted it toward my limit. Iv only limited out a few times and in those time had a dog or was on a lake and able to swim for the birds.

Ropinfool · Sep 10, 2024

experience and age have a lot to do with it. when i was younger, i wanted to fill my tag no matter what. now i could care less if i kill something so i definitely would not take another animal if i knew that i took that animals life.

elkassassin · Sep 10, 2024

So Nilly?

You're Out Bear Huntin!

And It's The Last Day Of Season!

You Spot A Bear & The Bear Fever Sets In!

You Shoot The Bear!

But it Sounded Like A GUT Shot!

And Bears Can Be Tough As Well!

You're Having A hard time Tracking It!

And It Gets Dark!

Who You Calling?

Vanilla · Sep 10, 2024

elkassassin said:
You're Having A hard time Tracking It!

And It Gets Dark!

Who You Calling?

Ghostbusters?

elkassassin · Sep 10, 2024

That'd Probably Be A Better Choice Than Who You Called last Time!

Vanilla said:
Ghostbusters?

Rie bread · Sep 10, 2024

elkassassin said:
That'd Probably Be A Better Choice Than Who You Called last Time!

Dose he call your cousin?

elkassassin · Sep 10, 2024

I Doubt He Even Knows Who You're Talking About!

No!

He'd Call The Warden to See If He Could Try & Recover It The Next Day!

The Warden Would Tell Him Sure!

But Don't Be Packin A Gun!

Rie bread said:
Dose he call your cousin?

Vanilla · Sep 10, 2024

elkassassin said:
That'd Probably Be A Better Choice Than Who You Called last Time!

Good golly Bess, I was 15 years old!!! We didn’t even have the internet then. I don’t even know if we had a cordless telephone at the time in my house.

I think you can get over it.

elkassassin · Sep 10, 2024

Gotta RAZZ Ya Niller!

But You See What I'm Saying,Right?

EDIT: I Give All Hunters A Few decades To Grow Up!

Vanilla said:
Good golly Bess, I was 15 years old!!! We didn’t even have the internet then. I don’t even know if we had a cordless telephone at the time in my house.

I think you can get over it.

tallelkchaser · Sep 13, 2024

Lost my LE bull last year, hit him twice good with the old smoke pole and thought it was a done deal. Tracked him for 2 days, 2nd day was with a blood dog, never found him. Ended my hunt but went up multiple times to see if I could find my bull. Sucks to wait 20 years and not recover him, but things happen. Was definitely tempted to go out again but felt I had mortally wounded the bull and personally didn’t feel good about continuing to hunt another. I agree that it’s a circumstantial decision, especially if you are able to confirm the animal has survived and likely will continue to do so. If I have a tag to take the life of 1 animal or if I felt like I did so, I’m done. If anyone hears of a dead bull on the south cache, would love to find him.

slamdunk · Sep 13, 2024

tallelkchaser said:
Lost my LE bull last year, hit him twice good with the old smoke pole and thought it was a done deal. Tracked him for 2 days, 2nd day was with a blood dog, never found him. Ended my hunt but went up multiple times to see if I could find my bull. Sucks to wait 20 years and not recover him, but things happen. Was definitely tempted to go out again but felt I had mortally wounded the bull and personally didn’t feel good about continuing to hunt another. I agree that it’s a circumstantial decision, especially if you are able to confirm the animal has survived and likely will continue to do so. If I have a tag to take the life of 1 animal or if I felt like I did so, I’m done. If anyone hears of a dead bull on the south cache, would love to find him.

Those stories hurt, I've been there more times than I'd like to remember.
Good on you for making every attempt to find him and I hope the antlers eventually end up in your hands.

wytex · Sep 16, 2024

2 times I lost an animal I shot with my bow, both times I could not muster the want to keep hunting for another animal. I had a sickening feeling the rest of the season and did not hunt for those licenses.
Needing meat, we go buy a cow elk tag and fill it.

DeerHunter53 · Sep 16, 2024

eelgrass said:
I lost a blacktail two years ago, but I kept hunting because I had two tags but didn't fill either one. Karma, I guess.

If I catch an undersized fish, I always release it even if I know it won't survive and then keep fishing and don't count it toward my limit. It doesn't matter what State I'm in. I don't know anyone who does it differently.

Hey Eel

I am hunting up north on a B tag this fall decided to take a b tag maybe hunt up by the cove