Big game wound/recovery ratio

[Fatcamp]

My team has killed about 20 big game animals since we started this journey. Lost the first archery deer I ever shot at and it has crippled my ability to shoot at deer with a bow.

Found it the next spring and it is hanging in my garage.

Other than that they have all come home.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I am a rifle hunter and am pretty picky about my shot selection. I also practice a lot. I have never not recovered an animal I shot. I have made bad shots and had to track them down and finish them, but never lost one. I am probably just lucky…

 

[Billy Goat]

Enough to keep me humble, but not what I'd view as unethical.

 

[sierracharlie338]

Ive lost one doe with a bow. Arrow was high and too far forward never found blood. One other deer bounced an arrow off his back and had some hair come off but no blood. Those are the only two non recoveries for me in 30 years and hundreds of deer taken.

 

[RocketRob16]

Looking at the poll results compared to my own really makes me evaluate what’s going on with my own situation. First thought is that pure excitement has led to most of my non-recoveries. Not all of them but most. For you guys that are on the other end of the spectrum, are you fighting nerves/excitement before the shot? Are you going through a process to calm yourself prior to killing the trigger?

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

4 Archery whitetails in 27 years of hunting them with a bow. Every one of them hurt and made me sick thinking about them suffering. Thats out of roughly 70 does/bucks during that timeframe.

I don’t recall ever losing one with a gun, but helped out on some long and unsuccessful tracking jobs with buddies.

 

[Wheels]

I think with social media we are hearing about a lot more unrecovered animals, but bad shots have been happening forever.

 

[Boarmaster]

I have been hunting deer and hogs in areas with long seasons and liberal bag limits since 1986. I have shot well over 120 deer and several hundred hogs. I can recall losing only three deer and two hogs that I could positively identify as wounded that I failed to recover. My hunting has been mostly closer shooting and long range for me is anything over 200 yards. So that probably makes a big difference. Plus I’m a lazy bastard and don't like missing happy hour back at camp because I’m stumbling around in the woods after dark looking for my deer. So I make sure I anchor them good and shoot them with enough gun. I aint a trick shooter. Not really even that great of a shot. In fact I’m probably sorry bushwhacker and a marginal hunter. I eat pretty good tho…….

 

[Boarmaster]

A tangent from this thread last year. It popped into my mind when I was in WY last weekend and came across a few fres pronghorn carcasses. https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/how-often-do-you-find-unrecovered-animals.334329/

Also to continue on the current wounded animals threads. I am a bit surprised by the attitudes expressed by some, especially with how they contrast with what is expressed in the thread about Australian buffalo bow hunting.

For you AND your immediate hunting group/family/friends how many animals are you wounding per recovery? Big game animals only.

Do you think hunters should/can do better?

Most deer wounded and not recovered on our lease are from a few of our guys that bow hunt. I’m not against bow hunting just I notice as a percentage there are more not recovered in bow season. At least that the guys are admitting to.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Looking at the poll results compared to my own really makes me evaluate what’s going on with my own situation. First thought is that pure excitement has led to most of my non-recoveries. Not all of them but most. For you guys that are on the other end of the spectrum, are you fighting nerves/excitement before the shot? Are you going through a process to calm yourself prior to killing the trigger?

There are always nerves/excitement for me. If there wasn't I wouldn't be doing it. For archery it comes down to shooting as many arrows in the off season as possible at a 3d target from my stand. I vary distance and target presentation from broadside to quartering away/to, etc... The more you practice in real world scenarios on a realistic target, the better prepared you will be at the moment of truth. I also don't obsess over horns, and if its a mature buck with a big body, swollen neck, and representative rack, I will shoot him. This makes the decision easier, and allows me to focus on the shot and not the horns.

Gun hunting is usually from a blind, stand, or ambush spot. In these situations there is more distance and time usually, and once the decision to shoot is made, the offseason practice/process kicks in...

 

[sndmn11]

Looking at the poll results compared to my own really makes me evaluate what’s going on with my own situation. First thought is that pure excitement has led to most of my non-recoveries. Not all of them but most. For you guys that are on the other end of the spectrum, are you fighting nerves/excitement before the shot? Are you going through a process to calm yourself prior to killing the trigger?

This is exactly why I started this poll, and I am really happy to see someone openly wanting to discuss improving. Thanks!