Frustration with fellow bowhunters continued

[erussell]

Well I just got off my week long bowhunting sabatical. and It was for the most part, minus being sick and almost drowning in my own snot, I good experiance. Though I have to say I am getting a bit perterbed with my fellow bowhunters. Unlike 308 It has been my experiance that the gun season leaves more dead bodies in the woods than bow around where I hunt on account that after 25 yrs of hunting I have only found two deer that I could definately say were killed by a bow. Well that count went up this week. It started Wednesday with a four point that hobbled up to my stand with an arrow sticking out of his neck. There was so much damage to the neck muscles that he couldnt raise his head. He was skin and bones and I couldn't let him suffer any more so I took him out at 10 yrds as he tried to eat an apple. Double lung and he dropped in a pile where I shot him, apperently he was on his last legs. I pulled the arrow out of his neck and the wound looked old and infected and he smelled terrible. I put my tag on him and threw him in the back of my truck and took him home. I called the game warden and he came out the next day and gave me a new tag. He didn't want to put that stinky thing in his truck so I dragged it out through the woods behind my house for the yotes to eat. On my way down the bank behind my house I was startled to see a deer laying there and walked over to it. It was a spike I saw crossing the road by my house all summer, gut shot and dead a few days.So I grabbed him by the leg and dragged him to the bottom of the hill to so it wouldnt stink up my yard. I can only imagine what the gun hunters are going to think when they come across a pile of bow shot deer laying in the woods. I hope the coyote's get to them before Saturday. Game warden just shook his head when he saw the buck and said this yr is bad for lost deer. He's heard of a lot. So if you are a bow hunter, that next time you pull that bow back are you 100% sure you are making the best shot possible. A tag sandwich is better than a maginal shot and a wounded buck. Same goes for gun hunters too. You guys are up next.

Edited November 14, 2011 by erussell

[First-light]

I was full draw twice on one deer and let up. The shot wasn't 100%. Know your limits when your out there and practice!

[erussell]

And practice doesnt stop once the season starts. I shoot atleast ten arrows a day during the bow season also. It really improves your confidence when just an hour earlier you were puting them in the vitals at 10 yrds out to 30 yrds. Same goes for gun, i plink with the 22 to improve my shooting all summer and shoot atleast 4 boxes of ammo through the rifle and 100 rounds with the muzzleloader to keep proficient. It just doesn't make sense to spend all that money and time and not be able to bring a deer home when you pull the trigger because you dont know how to shoot straight under pressure.

Edited November 14, 2011 by erussell

[fasteddie]

That's one of the reasons I don't like to do late in the day hunts . I don't want to get a marginal hit and have to track in the dark . The main thing is , keep looking for a deer that you hit for as long as you can .

I know that I would be embarassed if someone came up to me during gun season after finding a dead deer and said , Ed , this looks like one of your arrows !

I take a couple of practice arrows along with me in my quiver and shoot them from the hunting stand to make sure everything feels right .

[nyantler]

I think you should just throw as many arrows at deer as you can.... hell, one guy on here missed 2 deer and took a guess at a 40 yard shot , aimed high and got lucky hitting a buck right in the heart.... all in the same day...wow...now thats the way to do it huh????

Edited November 14, 2011 by nyantler

[growalot]

erussell....that's hard to read...been there but I have only found one dead doe over the years from bow...5 from gun BUT..have had several wounded ones stroll by out of range....this year a 7pt hobbled by off the leased land ....he had been shot in the front leg.....the lease guys had asked another neighbor if they could track a wounded 4pt...permission granted and then the owner found the 4pt rotting in their field.....what bothers me is this week....time is tight and guys get stupid...last night we spotted the "great white hunters" Suburu parked up on the lease land hedgerow.....he snuck out at 5:25...turned the vehicle around with out hitting the break lights and drove away with out turning on the car lights....gee whats that say?

Unfortunately I know what it says for I've heard them releasing the string on deer a half hour after shooting time as I've walked out of the woods...all during full moons which we have now...I'm pretty sure they are not the only ones to do this

[virgil]

I don't think that this is a bow vs. gun thing. It's just a matter of guys not having any ethics.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I don't think that this is a bow vs. gun thing. It's just a matter of guys not having any ethics.

Amen VIrgil, I would be willing to bet the same ones that act this way with a bow are also acting the same way with a gun. But son'r call any of these guys on ther choices....seems that is mean and they get all offended. Well you know what...you can get offended...I am, when I hear of the piss poor choices being made out there. (and they are choices).

[nybuckboy]

I think you should just throw as many arrows at deer as you can.... hell, one guy on here missed 2 deer and took a guess at a 40 yard shot , aimed high and got lucky hitting a buck right in the heart.... all in the same day...wow...now thats the way to do it huh????

Whoa there NYAntler!!! I'll give you the "lucky" to have pierced the heart but the shot was an ethical shot from the ground. It was a standing broadside shot.

It is a shot I practice all year round. I only use one pin set for 26 yards. I know that at 40 yards I place the pin high just behind the top of the shoulder and the arrows drops into the vitals. The shot was ethical and I'd take it again.

Regarding the other 2 misses: Have you ever hit a branch? Have you ever just missed?

[UpStateRedNeck]

Misses happen, I just feel like guys don't make enough effort to recover their deer. I know if I gut shot a buck, and could not do it on my own, I'd call deer search. Hell I'd drag out a gun just to finish the poor bastard off. When it comes down to it, it's your responsibility to make it right, don't let the animal suffer.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I can honestly say that I dont believe I have ever found a dead deer that I can 100% for sure say was killed with a bow. I have found plenty of them with bullet holes. It does bother me when people dont make every effort to find the deer they have shot, even if they believe it was a non-fatal wound. I shot a deer high my second year out, knew it was over the spine and that she would live, but still spent the rest of that day looking just in case, saw her a week or so later healing up. This year I made a shot on a deer, couldnt find blood or the arrow but spent almost an entire day searching for any sign, and went home feeling sick. I cant explain that shot other than I must have pulled it a bit and I hope that he survived. Misses, hitting branches and mistakes happen, hell you might not be able to track a deer through due to not gaining permission to go on the land that the deer went on, but you owe it to the animal to do your best to take an ethical shot and do everything you can to find it. Same goes for gun hunting.

IMO, This subject should be directed at all hunters, not just bow or gun hunters.

[Elmo]

Hunting with a bow takes a lot of discipline and skill then hunting with a gun. Due to that fact, I think there are a lot of people who aren't true dedicated hunters using guns while there would only be a few if any using the bow. So while a lot of factors can cause an arrow to miss much more so that than a bullet, there's also a lot more idiots walking around with guns than bows.

[5.9cummins]

Here we go again.

I wish we had a popcorn smiley on this forum.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Hopefully this one doesnt get out of hand, the original post was nothing like the other thread was.

[fasteddie]

Is this what you were looking for ?

[nyantler]

Whoa there NYAntler!!! I'll give you the "lucky" to have pierced the heart but the shot was an ethical shot from the ground. It was a standing broadside shot.

It is a shot I practice all year round. I only use one pin set for 26 yards. I know that at 40 yards I place the pin high just behind the top of the shoulder and the arrows drops into the vitals. The shot was ethical and I'd take it again.

Regarding the other 2 misses: Have you ever hit a branch? Have you ever just missed?

No need to explain... I think i described it just how you said it happened. Which part did I get wrong? you did miss two deer... and you aimed high and got a lucky hit in the heart... all in the same day...

Edited November 15, 2011 by nyantler

[dave6x6]

Elmo, I'm not even going to re-quote that last statement because i don't even want anyone to read it again. We just fought that one through the dirt and the mud for the last week or so. As a bow and gun hunter alike i would just respectfully say that to be proficient with both takes equal amounts of skill and discipline. They are just different skills.

[nyantler]

I should add too Dave.. that proficiency and making good choices are also very different

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Who's got the link to NYB for Elmo....sorry couldn't resist

Edited November 15, 2011 by Culvercreek hunt club

[Elmo]

Sorry if I bought up an old discussion. The last thread was filled with a lot of junk so I skimmed through most of it. Me personally, I find shooting a firearm much easier.

[wdswtr]

Who's got the link to NYB for Elmo....sorry couldn't resist

Thats funny right there. Seriously though I think as the season progresses the need to fill the tag gets overwhelming to some as well. I hear of people taking risky shots that they would have never thought about earlier in the season. Its been said by many guys who understand this already but again its not the weapon of choice its the hands its in. Make sure that first shot is the only shot you need and then lets it takes its course. If you do everything you can to be proficient at shooting and making the right choice in shot placement you are a step ahead of the yahoos who are flinging arrows or lead. Things happen that we can not explain nor control. What we can do is make sure we are good at what we do and that means undertanding whitetail behavior, where the vitals are at all angles for the best shot placement, shooting your weapons on a regular basis and knowing the limits they have. Also knowing your own personal limits and at what distance you can comfortably and confidently make a kill shot. My opinion is if you practice these thing you are a hunter, if you dont then your just another one of those wannabe lead and arrow throwers wounding deer.

[nybuckboy]

No need to explain... I think i described it just how you said it happened. Which part did I get wrong? you did miss two deer... and you aimed high and got a lucky hit in the heart... all in the same day...

NY Antler... It was the first sentence and what appeared to be a sarcastic remark. You stated

"I think you should just throw as many arrows at deer as you can...."

unless this wasn't meant as sarcastic.

I did intend to fill my tag last Sunday as it was the last day I was going to be able bow hunt this season. I did not plan to miss twice nor did I think I would have 3 opportunities in one day.

[steve863]

Seriously though I think as the season progresses the need to fill the tag gets overwhelming to some as well. I hear of people taking risky shots that they would have never thought about earlier in the season.

That is why I am a strong believer in taking the FIRST deer that gives you a good opportunity if meat in the freezer is important to you. Passing deer after deer the whole season waiting for the big one and then thinking that a good, easy opportunity will present itself on the last day is wishful thinking at best. Put one in the freezer first, and then worry about getting Mr. Big.

[Fantail]

Pierogis stuffed with ground venison, broccoli & ricotta cheese.

You want frustration? I think it'll work, but noooooo, none of my fellow bowhunters beleive me. I feel so alone.

[Elmo]

Again, I tend to tune out of a thread when it starts to move away from the main topic and into a bunch of name calling so feel free to shut me up if I'm bringing something up that has already been hashed out.

I wasn't getting that one is harder than the other or one type of hunter is more disciplined than the other. Rather it is the preceived notion that one type is harder or requires more skill than another. I think if you grab any average joe in the street they would "think" they can shoot a gun but will probably admit that they can't handle a bow accurately. Maybe it's because of those shooting video games they've played or a "macho" thing. I had one guy fumble around with one of my rifles , pointing the muzzle in unsafe directions, ranting about how he shot guns while he searved in the Navy but yet he was all over the place at the shooting range. Yet, he admits he doesn't know how to handle a bow. (I didn't allow him to touch my guns again until after he took the hunter's safety ed course) I myself didn't think I can hunt with a bow until I went to the achery range and gave it a try. Now I can hit a 3" target 30 yards out consistently and I would never shoot anything beyond that but prior to the archery range I thought I wouldn't be able to hit the board side of a barn and so I never even considered bowhunting.