Deer hunting ethics

[7RemMag]

If people think only 100 yard shots are ethical well then they can do that, but there are plenty of situations in the west where you can’t get closer and thats a fact!

Well, given your experience this year, maybe when there's a situation when you "can't get closer" that's a sign that you oughtta let the critter walk then, right? Surely you can agree that would've been a better end result than the potential, or in this particular case, the reality, that the animal suffers unnecessarily, right? For the record, I haven't seen anyone here say that only inside 100 yards is ethical.

The point of this whole forum is to talk hunting and make others better hunters/shooters, not bashing and shit talking. Just saying

I don't think anyone here is bashing anyone. I see nothing more than constructive criticism that I personally feel is well deserved. I see no one here bashing you as a person. Based on your subsequent posts after the original, you didn't have a great hit. If the deer is still alive, that much is obvious. You're adamant that the distance simply could not have contributed to the situation because, and I quote "You shoot a lot".....Ok, great. One of the great things about this country(or this forum) is that you have the freedom to take what others are advising of you, plenty of whom may have more or varying experience, wisdom, etc., and throw it in the can and ignore it. That seems to be what you're intent on doing. If that's what you want to do, then so be it. Although, if that was your intention, I can't help but question why you even made the thread in the first place? Regardless, I hope that a tale like this deer is something that you don't experience again anytime soon.

 

[rookieforever33]

I have personally not hunted on a tag I wounded a deer on.

 

[Speaks]

Buddy of mine put a bullet in a does lower leg. I sent a follow up and hit the bottom of lung. We tracked her 3 miles before I got a follow up and put her down. The chest shot was very likely fatal. Lots of blood for a mile then very very little. Could have never kept on the trail without snow.

Make of that what you will.

 

[kabee411]

Hello roksliders,
I want to know would you punch your tag or continue to hunt. I shot a deer after sitting on him for an hour to finally stand. Shoot, impact, then go to track the deer, track the deer for a mile and a half in a loop, deer initially goes downhill then eventually uphill. Pretty consistent blood with 5-6 decent puddles. I go back the next day morning and evening with a hound to see if we can turn him up. To no avail, we believe the deer is still alive since we didnt turn him up alive or dead. i have 4 days of season left.

Keep hunting. You’ve put in serious effort toward recovery, and a tag is hard to get

 

[Pilsner]

If you were my guided hunter or hunting my land, you would be punching your tag.

If you're flying solo, it's your conscience, not mine.

I 100% agree with this. I've even guided hunters under these terms (sometimes it's literally in the law or the contract). However, where I live in the Ozarks we get a half dozen tags per person before we apply for any extra tags. So it doesn't stop the hunt.

 

[Pilsner]

Hmmm, after seeing that blood picture , I’d go back for another round of searching. That’s a lot of blood in a pool to not be dead. A front high shoulder or low brisket clip puts out 1.5+mile drip lines but rarely pooled blood like that, in my experience. If I put in one more solid half day search effort and still nothing, I’d hunt my last few days.

As part of our training for being combat medics we had to look at X amount of (simulated) blood on say the floor of an APC or in the sand and estimate how much blood loss the PT suffered. NO ONE got it right and EVERYONE VASTLY overestimated the amounts. What everyone -keep in mind that most folks involved were already experienced first responders - forgot about was how far and fast blood spreads and its weird characteristics. What looked to us like multiply liters of blood spread over what looked like a crime scene would actually be less than a cup of liquid volume. If anyone has ever painted something with an air pressured spray gun and seen how much surface area a quart of paint will cover will have a fair idea of what I speak.
The amount of blood in the picture could be measured in teaspoons full not quarts or liters. The average 150# cervid has around a gallon of blood in it so losing a few teaspoons, as pictured above, won't even make it lightheaded much less in danger of a lethal outcome.
That is also consistent red colored blood without bubbles so it isn't a lung shot. I'd wager a fresh $10 bill that that deer is walking around just fine right now unless someone else shot it.
-Doc

 

[wkk]

I’m reminded of the saying “What you permit you promote. What you allow you encourage. What you condone you own. What you tolerate you deserve.”

In your shoes I would punch the tag.

 

[fwafwow]

The point of this whole forum is to talk hunting and make others better hunters/shooters, not bashing and shit talking. Just saying

I shoot regularly to 1000 yards, practice 0-600yards almost weekly. Handload, and shoot good setups…. There was no way to get any closer. If you have ever hunted in the west you would know that

im not going to get into it but obviously youve never hunted beyond a tree stand . And you have always made a perfect shot because you are perfect lol

If you think 500 yards is a long shot, with a modern rifle system…. You are a fudd @Steve300xcw

Pot meet kettle

 

[Swamp Fox]

Well, given your experience this year, maybe when there's a situation when you "can't get closer" that's a sign that you oughtta let the critter walk then, right? Surely you can agree that would've been a better end result than the potential, or in this particular case, the reality, that the animal suffers unnecessarily, right?

https://imgflip.com/gif/1whrif

 

[Predator_SD]

I shoot regularly to 1000 yards, practice 0-600yards almost weekly. Handload, and shoot good setups…. There was no way to get any closer. If you have ever hunted in the west you would know that

I’ve been bowhunting the West since the 90s. I assure you i am getting much closer than 500 yards. So you could absolutely get closer you chose not to and the results are apparent.

 

[FLS]

When my boys were young they would ask my opinion and sometimes if I didn’t tell them what they wanted to hear, they would continue asking hoping to get a different answer. This thread reminds me of that…
If the area you were hunting only supports one tag per hunter, per season I would chalk it up as a loss, notch my tag and be done. Figure out what happened and try not to make the same mistake twice.
If it is a multiple tag area I would notch one, try and figure out what went wrong and continue to hunt trying not to make the same mistake again.