johnplav

This handsome fella wandered by this morning... Obviously he is a bigger fan of "antler-less only area" than I am. He survived the season, should be great deer next year.

Just a little follow up... the new fangled broadheads did the job. Can't say there is any difference in effectivness between Shurikens and Muzzys. Similar price... but you can get replacement blades for the Muzzys. However, I imagine any broadhead would've succeeded here:

Ill be hunting in an "antler-less only area" It'd be nice to put one more big doe in the freezer. Of course, I have the sneaking suspicion that Ill be coming home with some cell phone pics of the healthy, live, big bucks that survived the season. Safe to call that "catch-and-release hunting"?

Correct. Hunter #1 could certainly learn from seeing the deer's body. See exactly where he hit the deer, what he may have done wrong. I have trouble believing it was a solid heart/lung hit and still traveled 1.35 miles. Of course, it may have been a decent shot, and an extremely tough deer. AND the final take home message for hunter #1... keep tracking! If he followed blood for 1.3 miles, he shouldve been out searching after the blood stopped. At that point, you pull out everything you have at your disposal. Search dogs, groups of buddies, kids. No matter how thin it may be... 1.3 miles is a lot of blood. Any deer deserves a complete search, but if you give up on finding it, you are giving up that giant trophy rack as well.

You can use a small havahart style trap also. Harbor Freight has them for $7. Works great.

Lets not forget there's alot more to a deer than its antlers... no matter how impressive they are. The buck was lost, and the meat was wasted. Like was said before, I wouldnt want the constant reminder of my mistake hanging on my wall. If 3 weeks had passed... the guy who found it pretty much found a beautiful pair of sheds, absolutly should keep them.

Or a nagging injury from a car collision. We all know how resilient deer can be, but sadly, some injuries will take quite a long time to kill the deer.

For those of us who bowhunt all season (and gun guys too), snow is great for keeping track of changing patterns, and as stated about... very helpful when tracking a deer after the shot.

With rifle I aim just above my normal point of aim for bow. In my opinion, a perfect rifle shot will take out lung, and damage arteries above heart, but not damaging heart (because it is delicious). However, many of these deer will run as if hit with an arrow. A shoulder shot is much more likely to drop the animal where it stands, but you will lose some meat.

Got out for 2 hours this morning in 8H. Saw a small buck chasing a doe, but she wouldnt let him get close. All activity stopped at 7:30 when the wind picked up.

Shot looks a little low... but certainly high enough to hit lungs. Iv seen similar shots drop a deer well within view of the stand. Goes to show how incredibly tough deer are, as well as how a fraction of an inch can change the result of a shot.

Public land, gut them where they land. However I usually hunt the family farm, and quickly get the deer hung and gutted in the barn. I then bury the guts and scraps... no need to attract addition coyotes.

Not the strangest... but kinda funny. We all accept that squirrels will be loud and annoy us while deer hunting, but this pair was downright rude.

I lost my grunt call last weekend... time for a new one. Anyone have a favorite?

Wow thats a beauty.

Strange 5 point. It was my first achery deer.

You mean a crossbow? Just kidding.

A sharp broadhead kills by depriving the deer's brain of oxygen. This can occur due to massive blood loss, or damage to the lungs. Typically, with a well placed shot, it is a combination of the two. Even with a near perfect shot, depending on several variables, the time of death can be quick, or may takes several minutes. If a deer is "spined", a well placed shot to the vitals should quickly finish off the deer. Of course, this may not be immediate. As for a bullet to the head, this simply destroys the brain. Effective, yes. Necessary, probably not.

I always assumed that if you could get close enough to a wounded deer to put a bullet between its eyes... it should die soon on its own. If you cant get that close... put another arrow in it.

I let a nice 6 point pass under my stand in 8H. Wasn't feeling temptation, just disgust with a nonsensical law. And for the record, I didnt get a chance to harvest a doe that day... so as expected, the "antler-less deer only" rule proved ineffective in this case.

Wow... that coulda been a beast

Beard has been good enough for me so far. When its freezing towards the end of the season I will wear a fleece mask. This weekend I might look around for a thin mask, mostly to keep bugs off my neck. Any recommendations?

.50 cal Hawken Muzzleloader

2013 Buck was hit slightly forward, Muzzy MX-3 blew through humerus. Clipped both lungs, and broke off immediatly. Deer made it about 80 yards. If you look at a diagram of a deer skeleton, you dont need to be off by much to hit this bone, which is much stonger than the shoulder blade. I agree that the key is a good shot, and sharp broadheads, but Id be curious how other (expandable) broadheads would perform with the same point of impact.

I'v only used Muzzy MX-3, and they always performed perfectly. Father-in-law bought me some Carbon Express Shurikens for my birthday, so Ill give them a try this season. Anyone get a chance to try these yet? They look pretty scary, Ill report back as soon as I put one to work.