one shot that is it

[desertpointbrian]

let me start off by saying i am an archery hunter as well as a muzzy and rifle hunter.with that being said i am so sick of hearing stories of guys coming back from the bowhunt.explaining how they shot at 7 deer and think they hit two but never found the animals they followed blood but just never could find them.i do not care what tackle you hunt with if you shoot and even think you might have winged an animal your hunt is over.some people will sit there and try to convince themselves that it was a clean miss when they know damn well it was not .yet they keep hunting.i have heard this story from co-workers neighbors and people on the mountain on a yearly basis it is giving the sport a bad name.

 

[mevertsen]

I agree with you there.

I talked with a friend last week. A person he knows was hunting for cow elk in a blind over a water hole. During his hunt, he shot at, and wounded a cow elk with an arrown in the hind quarter, and also a mountain lion the same way. Apparently he told my friend that his arrow kept nicking the blind material and was going off course! And he kept shooting that way!

I was kind of struck in awe.

Later,

Marcial

 

[mmwb]

Generally, I agree. However, sometimes a poor shot does happen. It should be very rare. Your example of seven shots, two wounded, none found, clearly indicates someone shooting way beyond their level of competence. I hear of bowhunters routinely taking 60+ yard shots, when few are really consistent at that yardage and when there may be objects to deflect an arrow that you would see at a closer range. I hear of rifle hunters taking 400 yard shots at an animal who have never taken a shot at that distance. Poor skill on follow through is also a problem among many. Some don't pick land marks on further shots and are starting off looking in the wrong place. Many don't know how to blood trail or track. Many just give up too easily. I've found a regrettable number of downed animals, some shot through both shoulders so you know they didn't go far. They were either not found or someone decide the ground shrinkage was to unacceptable.

I'm not dissing on people who take long shots, who are practiced and competent at long shots, just those outside of their level of competence.

As for the original premise. Some hunters simply hunt for the meat. They need it, and a rare bad shot shouldn't necessarily preclude further hunting.

 

[desertpointbrian]

>Generally, I agree. However, sometimes a
>poor shot does happen.
>It should be very rare.
> Your example of seven
>shots, two wounded, none found,
>clearly indicates someone shooting way
>beyond their level of competence.
> I hear of bowhunters
>routinely taking 60+ yard shots,
>when few are really consistent
>at that yardage and when
>there may be objects to
>deflect an arrow that you
>would see at a closer
>range. I hear of rifle
>hunters taking 400 yard shots
>at an animal who have
>never taken a shot at
>that distance. Poor skill
>on follow through is also
>a problem among many. Some
>don't pick land marks on
>further shots and are starting
>off looking in the wrong
>place. Many don't know how
>to blood trail or track.
>Many just give up too
>easily. I've found a
>regrettable number of downed animals,
>some shot through both shoulders
>so you know they didn't
>go far. They were either
>not found or someone decide
>the ground shrinkage was to
>unacceptable.
>
>I'm not dissing on people who
>take long shots, who are
>practiced and competent at long
>shots, just those outside of
>their level of competence.
>
>As for the original premise. Some
>hunters simply hunt for the
>meat. They need it, and
>a rare bad shot shouldn't
>necessarily preclude further hunting.


i agree with some of what you said. besides the some people hunt for the meat part. once you acknowledge you hit an animal your hunt is over point blank. a rare bad shot happens especially if you do not practice. it does not mean you can keep wounding animals that are eventually going to die and go to waste.just because you can not shoot your weapon right.and oh yeah you need meat.give the dwr a call and see if they agree with that

 

[eelgrass]

"once you acknowledge you hit an animal your hunt is over point blank"

desertpointbrian, is that in the regulations? Or is that just your opinion? You asked mmwb to check with dwr, so I assume it's a law. I do know that some private land owners enforce that rule on their own land.

I wounded a buck once and after a couple days of looking and not finding him, I continued hunting. As luck would have it, I ended up killing the exact same buck I hit earlier. He had a slight flesh wound from my first try and was healing nicely. I will keep doing the same until there is an actual regulation against it.

Eel

 

[desertpointbrian]

>let me start off by saying
>i am an archery hunter
>as well as a muzzy
>and rifle hunter.with that being
>said i am so sick
>of hearing stories of guys
>coming back from the bowhunt.explaining
>how they shot at 7
>deer and think they hit
>two but never found the
>animals they followed blood but
>just never could find them.i
>do not care what tackle
>you hunt with if you
>shoot and even think you
>might have winged an animal
>your hunt is over.some people
>will sit there and try
>to convince themselves that it
>was a clean miss when
>they know damn well it
>was not .yet they keep
>hunting.i have heard this story
>from co-workers neighbors and people
>on the mountain on a
>yearly basis it is giving
>the sport a bad name.
>


and this is not limited just to archery hunters. some rifle hunters and muzzy hunters are just as guilty.

 

[desertpointbrian]

>"once you acknowledge you hit an
>animal your hunt is over
>point blank"
>
>desertpointbrian, is that in the regulations?
>Or is that just your
>opinion? You asked mmwb to
>check with dwr, so I
>assume it's a law. I
>do know that some private
>land owners enforce that rule
>on their own land.
>
>I wounded a buck once and
>after a couple days of
>looking and not finding him,
>I continued hunting. As luck
>would have it, I ended
>up killing the exact same
>buck I hit earlier. He
>had a slight flesh wound
>from my first try and
>was healing nicely. I will
>keep doing the same until
>there is an actual regulation
>against it.
>
>Eel


don't know the law on it. but yeah i think it is unethical hunting once you damage an animal and lower it's risk of survival you are taking responsability for it.no matter if you harvest the meat or not you shot him he is your's

 

[txhunter58]

I don't know anywhere where it is the law, but if I wound an animal, I only hunt for that animal for the rest of the hunt.

I have heard in Africa on most hunts, if there is blood, you bought the animal. You can still hunt for another one, but you pay for two then.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

 

[justr_86]

Here we go again......

No it is not a law. There's no way to enforce it. It falls more on ethics than anything. My grandpa has always pounded that home. It hasn't happened to me yet although I have made bad shot but have always been lucky enough to recover them quickly. If I draw blood and can't find it I will hunt for him or eat tag soup. It happens and it sucks when it does, but it falls on personal ethics.

 

[Daxter]

The law is worded something like a hunter will make a "reasonable effort to retrieve" game. That is where ethics comes in, for some guys it seems reasonable to look for blood for half and hour and then they move on. Other guys spend days looking for a wounded animal.

You have to admit that archers are the worst for wounding loss. Yeah rifle hunters make bad shots too, but when you hit a buck in the guts or butt with a 300 Win Mag you have a lot higher likelihood of finding that buck and finishing him off than if you do it with a bow. There are way too many guys have watched a couple FMP videos and think they can effectively shoot 100 yards with their bow.

Dax

 

[one_dryboot]

Does this kind of thing also apply to women and dating? If you poke a hole, draw blood, that one is yours and you can not go after another one? Cuz I see lots of guys not following that rule!



<Stu Padasso Pro Staff

<Dixie Nourmous Field Staff

 

[eelgrass]

LAST EDITED ON Sep-04-10 AT 12:32PM (MST)[p]I hear stories "around the water cooler" about irresponsible behavior when it comes to wounding animals. It makes me cringe too. One involved crippling two bucks within an hour of each other. Neither one retreived. That's just plain wrong, IMO. So I understand your point.

Eel

Edit: one_dryboot, those must be "meat hunters"

 

[justr_86]

LAST EDITED ON Sep-04-10 AT 01:05PM (MST)[p]If you poke a girl and draw blood she turns into a stage 5 clinger! Then the game is totally different cause she finds you.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?gl=CA&client=mv-google&hl=en&v=ycuZqJzSocE

 

[hornhunter247]

This debate is getting old. I have wounded and lost an animal and then harvested a different one later on during the hunt. I shot one of the biggest bucks I've ever had an opportunity at while hunting. I ended up gut shooting him with a muzzle loader at just under 200 yrds. All because of a dead limb 50 yards in front of him that I never saw until my buddy pointed it out. I looked for 4 days crawling over every square inch of that country looking for him and still look to this day. And on the last day of the hunt yes I shot a different buck. The way I see it is ##### happens sometimes and you just have to pick up and start again. If someone gives it every effort to recover an animal and just can't well I feel harvesting another isn't always a bad deal.
Now guys that brag about it or think it ok every year, well no. Do your best to recover every animal because they deserve that much! Good luck to everyone this fall and I hope it never happens to you!


I just call em as I see em!

 

[B_BOP_A_LU_LU]

Opening morning of LE Archery Elk I seen a TARD rainbow a 175 yard shot at a Bull!

Can anybody tell me what an average Arrows speed/knockdown would be at 175 yards?

I love not acting my age,
Damn I love my NASCAR race,
And Hell yes I love my Truck!

 

[mathewsman]

my take; 1 tag=1 animal. Once you pull the trigger/loose an arrow, you've committed your tag to that animal whether or not you find that animal.

 

[Magicman]

We've all heard folks say "I drew blood, or it was just a pass through, or it was just a flesh wound, and he will be OK".

My question is "just where would you want an arrow to pass through you, and you would be OK"?

Before you die.....Take time to live

 

[elkchaserreturns]

Good Lord here we go again! If you hunt long enough, you WILL wound an animal that you don't recover. And when it does happen, be man enough to analyze what you did wrong and don't do it again!
I would bet that most of the folks that read this forum have had very very few, if any lost animals.
As long as you give it every effort to;

1) Not take the shot until you are positive that you can place the shot properly and,
2) Make every effort that you possibly can to follow up and find the animal after you do shoot.

Quality tags are very hard to come by and very expensive. As long as I stay within the law, and MY PERSONAL MORAL STANDARDS, I will be the person to decide when my hunt is over.

Elkchaser

 

[powellpounder]

+1 elkchaser

 

[IdahoSmitty]

I think that their are too many variables in this debate. There are so many instances that can inserted or omited that leave this debate with ethics issues. Just like eelgrass I have shot and animal and after tracking for a couple of days the blood just ran out. Then a week later I shot the same animal. It was a terrible feeling that I wouldn't wish upon any hunter. But there are also the years that I have passed on many and not taken a single animal (in this case it was a bear)That was my only bad shot so far. I try and practice enough, and get to know my equiptment so that the chance of this happening will shrink. Do you think that if I have ate tag soup for a few years and then wounded a animal and after searching and exhausting all options could not recover the animal, would my past unnotched tags validate hunting another animal?

 

[TINEBROTHER]

+1 elkchaser

 

[desertpointbrian]

>Good Lord here we go again!
>If you hunt long enough,
>you WILL wound an animal
>that you don't recover. And
>when it does happen, be
>man enough to analyze what
>you did wrong and don't
>do it again!
>I would bet that most of
>the folks that read this
>forum have had very very
>few, if any lost animals.
>
>As long as you give it
>every effort to;
>
>1) Not take the shot until
>you are positive that you
>can place the shot properly
>and,
>2) Make every effort that you
>possibly can to follow up
>and find the animal after
>you do shoot.
>
>Quality tags are very hard to
>come by and very expensive.
>As long as I stay
>within the law, and MY
>PERSONAL MORAL STANDARDS, I will
>be the person to decide
>when my hunt is over.
>
>
>Elkchaser


great points personal moral standards being the key here it seams alot of people don't have them anymore

 

[Mbogo]

I recently returned to archery hunting after a 10 year hiatus. I drew an archery elk tag for a decent LE unit and was able to contact 6 people who had hunted it recently. After talking with them I was shocked to hear that 4 of the 6 had wounded bulls and not found them. One guy said he wounded 2. I kept wondering if this was just some weird anomaly but now I don't think so. I don't know what the answer is. Perhaps an archery skills validation or certification before you are able to apply for archery hunts? I don't think this is fair as I am sure a lot of animals get wounded in muzzy and rifle season too but at least it would require some proficiency before heading out into the field. Of course, this kind of thing can happen to the best archer. An unseen branch, sudden gust of wind, string jump etc.
It just seems that I hear about this kind of thing more from archery hunters.
(As a side note, I have lost 1 animal during my hunting career, a muzzleloader deer. After looking for 3 days it made me so sick I packed it up and went home. Definitely one of my worst hunting experiences.)

 

[elkchaserreturns]

Hello DPBrian,
Thank you for your post. These types of conversation makes all of us re-evaluate our own experiances.
I share your concern when I hear some of the stories about wounded animals.
It is hard to judge when a person has been irresponsible, or just inexperianced.
Hind site is 20/20.
I hate to admit that each time it happened to me, (3 times now in 45 years of hunting), I took the shot when I shouldn't have.
I am not proud of those 3 times, but I did learn from them.
Thats all I can ask of my fellow hunters!

 

[O_S_O_K]

There is a reason that most outfitters enforce the policy of "Draw blood and your hunt is over".

Not only is it the ethical thing to do, but they understand the concept of game management and conservation.

Tags are issued based on herd counts (as accurate as those are) and other management data.

If all of us went around wounding animals and then just kept hunting we would start to see a drastic decline in numbers and then the tags available would have to lower so we didn't wipe out the herd.

I guess I am just glad that most hunters have the right point of view when it comes to this issue or we would all be in a world of hurt.

Way too many "if's and but's" scenarios for sure, but at the end of the day the right thing to do is hunt the animal you wound or none at all.

Just sayin!

 

[rutnbuck]

I will decide! Repeate after me. I will kill more bucks and bulls and spend less time trying to track a wounded animal that run off with my arrow or didn't have time to reload if I keep my shots under 45 yds for archery and 125 yards for muzzleloaders. Get a handle on it Milk Liver Rat Brain.
Try not to let your wing nut come loose. That way if you do wound one and he gets away you won't feel bad about killing another one because you know your fool-born gudgeon.
I am still trying to find the buck that ran off with my arrow 30 years ago. I want that arrow back. Them were the days! Cedar Shafts that had the curvature of a sporting girl with implants.


Rutnbuck