Mountain Mule Deer Hunt Video!

[Ryan Avery]

You and Ryan Avery both have the same problem.....you make general statements without statistical data to support your assumptions with archery and/or traditional equipment. It’s no wonder many of the very experienced hunters have left this site.

I lived the stick bow life for six years, it's was the only weapon I used. From what I witnessed first hand the VAST majority have no business using this weapon. I think in your heart of heart you know this to be true or you would be shooting one. There are some that are truly deadly but most are not.

Since you brought up statistics can you show me any credible statistics that show wounded animals lost, bowhunting vs long-range hunting? I am betting no because people don't report their failure. So all we have is our first-hand experience.

I personally hope that one day we can all pull in the same direction.

I do love the passive-aggressive comment. There are over 50,000 members on this site, we are going to lose some for sure. But make no mistake there are lots of VERY experienced hunters on this site. I consider you to be one of them.

I have nothing but respect for you Roy.

 

[Trial153]

In any event, situations like this should be fleshed out. Will it change hearts, minds or actions? I don't know. However I do believe this a conversation that needs to happen.

 

[Copen1822]

Enjoyed the video and thought Justin made the best decision he could after the shot. Way to stick with it and get it done. Nice filming and editing from Jordan too!



On the whole "long range rifle vs bow" argument I do think there is a major difference. Long range shots with rifles are a choice IMO. I'm a bowhunter when it comes to big game and see situations with the mindset of how can I get to 40yds. On a relaxed bedded deer I have a hard time thinking of a situation where I couldn't get to 100 yds, definitely 200 (not saying this was the case in the video). Typically you can get to those distances standing up! But "long range" rifle hunters choose to take the long shot vs putting in the effort to cut the distance to a 100 or 200 yd shot with much less potential for error. Long range is sexy and 100 yd shots are not.

In contrast, when a bowhunter makes a poor shot at 40 they've put in the effort to get as close as they can. That's the best opportunity they can put themselves in. If bad things happen (which they do) it's perceived differently because other hunters know the difficulty of getting to that distance and 40 yds is considered a "typical" bow range. It's no different then how a bowhunter would be treated of they took a shot at 80yds when they have a clear opportunity to get to 40.

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[ColoradoV]

Video highlights and internets banter...

2cents from the gallery......

I would never even considered to shoot that buck w a bow at 5 yds. Or I fast forwarded most of the video.. You cant get big bucks if you shoot dinks for net fame and it is very clear this is what happened here.. Hype hype hype it up for a 160" deer??? Come on boys!

Bad shots happen but to jump to the archery hunters wound more argument is just plain bad form. Anyone who has shot to 800yds knows shit happens more often than not and it seems some are more willing to get it on their hands..

Just take responsibility for "shooting for the net" and your gut shot "trophy" move on leave the archery guys out if it.

Your choice, your shot, your deer take responsibility for YOUR choice and leave it at that..

 

[robby denning]

Video highlights and internets banter...

2cents from the gallery......

I would never even considered to shoot that buck w a bow at 5 yds. Or I fast forwarded most of the video.. You cant get big bucks if you shoot dinks for net fame and it is very clear this is what happened here.. Hype hype hype it up for a 160" deer??? Come on boys!

Bad shots happen but to jump to the archery hunters wound more argument is just plain bad form. Anyone who has shot to 800yds knows shit happens more often than not and it seems some are more willing to get it on their hands..

Just take responsibility for "shooting for the net" and your gut shot "trophy" move on leave the archery guys out if it.

Your choice, your shot, your deer take responsibility for YOUR choice and leave it at that..

thanks for sharing but I’m not sure what you mean by “hype“ over 160 deer. if it’s because we ran the video as a premier, that wasn’t anything to do with the size of the buck. that was Justin having the steel to dare to release a controversial video and be available for comments live and after on this thread. Had we not ran it as a premier, might’ve got accused of trying to bury the video. Maybe I misunderstood you.

Also there’s a whole pile of guys on here who I support that would love to get a 160 deer. Not everyone wants or is capable of 190. (And that’s good for you and me in my mind)

and I do agree about comparing archery and long range shooting as sometimes being unfair. I can’t remember everything that was written on here, but I thought the Archery comparison was more along the lines of what to do after you a wounded buck. Justin left the buck overnight and I think people were questioning that move but we do it with Archery frequently.

That was my take on it brother.


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[Justin Crossley]

Video highlights and internets banter...

2cents from the gallery......

I would never even considered to shoot that buck w a bow at 5 yds. Or I fast forwarded most of the video.. You cant get big bucks if you shoot dinks for net fame and it is very clear this is what happened here.. Hype hype hype it up for a 160" deer??? Come on boys!

Bad shots happen but to jump to the archery hunters wound more argument is just plain bad form. Anyone who has shot to 800yds knows shit happens more often than not and it seems some are more willing to get it on their hands..

Just take responsibility for "shooting for the net" and your gut shot "trophy" move on leave the archery guys out if it.

Your choice, your shot, your deer take responsibility for YOUR choice and leave it at that..

You are making a lot of assumptions here. I allowed, not asked Jordan to accompany me on my hunt. I hunted exactly the same as I would have whether it was on video or not. The "hype" was to support the Rokslide YouTube channel. Not myself. It is way easier for me to just go hunt and not worry about any of this stuff. In fact, I've been doing that for about 30 years now and will continue to hunt as long as I find joy in it. And, yes I'll still make mistakes sometimes.

I 100% took responsibility for taking that shot. I'm really not sure how anyone could say otherwise.

As hunters, we should hold ourselves and each other accountable for bad choices. If I had a problem with that, I could delete all the negative comments very easily. I won't do that because this conversation is very good to have in an open and honest way.

I don't want anyone to think I'm attacking or against archery in any way. I also like to archery hunt and I do it whenever I get a tag I want. I was just trying to get people to think with an open mind. I grew up with grandparents who were the gatekeepers at a very popular timber company and saw literally hundreds and hundreds of animals come out the gate over a 22 year period. It's been my experience that the vast majority of animals that were wounded and not recovered were during archery and muzzleloader seasons (I still hunt both by the way). My point is that distance is not the problem. The problem is when a hunter (as in my video) takes a shot at an animal with too much risk for failure.

Me making a bad judgement call and shooting at that buck as I did is no different than if I'm hunting whitetails from a treestand and I take a shot at a buck that is looking at me and ready to bolt. If I shoot that arrow and the buck jerks forward the result is the same. I'll be kicking myself for not being more patient while tracking a wounded deer. Hopefully, what I'm trying to say makes sense?

 

[sagebuster]

There is no ghost more difficult to lay than the ghost of a wounded animal, lost because of a poor shot that should never have been taken. In 60 years of hunting mule deer, I have two ghosts that continue to haunt me to this day. Both times I was brimming with an overconfidence that bordered, I'll admit, almost on arrogance. I see that here in this video. Know thyself. Know your limitations. It's you that is pulling the trigger. Lets hope Justin learned at least that much.

Kudos to all for crawling through the sage on hands and knees to find that buck. I guess the rub that sticks in my craw in all of this is, if you didn't find that buck, would there even have been a video? Was this video a commercial venture dependent on success? If so, I think it failed...miserably.

 

[Justin Crossley]

There is no ghost more difficult to lay than the ghost of a wounded animal, lost because of a poor shot that should never have been taken. In 60 years of hunting mule deer, I have two ghosts that continue to haunt me to this day. Both times I was brimming with an overconfidence that bordered, I'll admit, almost on arrogance. I see that here in this video. Know thyself. Know your limitations. It's you that is pulling the trigger. Lets hope Justin learned at least that much.

Kudos to all for crawling through the sage on hands and knees to find that buck. I guess the rub that sticks in my craw in all of this is, if you didn't find that buck, would there even have been a video? Was this video a commercial venture dependent on success? If so, I think it failed...miserably.

I think the fact that Rokslide has produced multiple videos without "success" answers that question. There was absolutely no pressure put on me by Rokslide to kill a buck at all. I made the decision to pull the trigger on my own and am the only one responsible for the outcome.

 

[Randle]

I watched the video several times. my take away is Justin did not glorify his shot decision and I'm sure the kick in the gut feeling is the same at 40 yards or 800 yards. We as hunters wish we could pull the. bullet out of flight and have a redo.
That's not reality, what shows your true character is what you do after the fact.
I see that show thru very well ,
Congrats on a nice buck and film

 

[robby denning]

I think the fact that Rokslide has produced multiple videos without "success" answers that question...

Hey, quit making fun of my videos

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Hmmm, lots of great comments.

the comparison to archery hunting was uncalled for. The reasoning is completely different in leaving them overnight by the way. If you don’t understand why, well, you might want too shoot an animal with both and compare.

wait for it.....

you did kinda, the rifle side anyway.
An archery buck would have been dead, the blades “cut”....

As for a rifle gut shot deer, you have a pin hole..... now that partially depends on bullet, speed, etc. on how the bullet performance is at 800 yards. Obviously it didn’t do the damage it was supposed to do. I can give examples later if asked.

Now I give lots of credit for the recovery effort! Top notch!

I believe it should have been left off of YouTube but that’s just my opinion. I do however see that you are trying to educate people on what not to do. You maybe should have done an interview at the end have explained that to the audience.

One last thing, I would have suggested you to sneak in to 3-4 hundred yards and have gotten an eye on the buck, maybe put another round in the deer!
Matt

 

[TLammert]

Awesome!!

 

[dirtytough]

Please explain how a gut shot deer with an arrow is better than a gut shot deer with a 215 grain Berger? I honestly want to know. I haven’t gut shot a deer with an arrow before. Everything I’ve always read says to back out and wait for the next day. Sometimes they are dead and sometimes they get shot again.

Ethics are different for everyone. I won’t pay a convicted poacher for info on where to hunt but others will.

I won’t take a quartering to shot on a buck with my bow but others will.

I won’t shoot at a running deer with bow or rifle but others will.

I won’t pay someone to run a cat up a tree so I can shoot it but others will.

And on and on. I don’t judge others about it either. That’s their decision not mine. If it’s legal great. I’m not God and I doubt anyone in this thread is. So who are you to judge someone else?

RS posted something they didn’t need to. They knew there would be some flak. Pretty honest. A lot more honest than most people. I’ve read a lot of stories on this site and others. Hardly ever do you read the full story. Stuff gets left out like paying a convicted poacher for info, missing 4 shots before connecting, using radios, and on and on.

Hell most of the negative posters on this thread don’t even post stories. But they have zero problems pointing out what they think is wrong about what others do. Pretty brave of them.

As for the guys posting scores and being derogatory about them that’s just a bad look. Extremely mature.

Good job on the buck! Don’t worry about the negative posters on the thread. Until they air out their dirty laundry publicly they are just taking shots from cover while you are standing in the open.

 

[Justin Crossley]

Hmmm, lots of great comments.

the comparison to archery hunting was uncalled for. The reasoning is completely different in leaving them overnight by the way. If you don’t understand why, well, you might want too shoot an animal with both and compare.

wait for it.....

you did kinda, the rifle side anyway.
An archery buck would have been dead, the blades “cut”....

As for a rifle gut shot deer, you have a pin hole..... now that partially depends on bullet, speed, etc. on how the bullet performance is at 800 yards. Obviously it didn’t do the damage it was supposed to do. I can give examples later if asked.

Now I give lots of credit for the recovery effort! Top notch!

I believe it should have been left off of YouTube but that’s just my opinion. I do however see that you are trying to educate people on what not to do. You maybe should have done an interview at the end have explained that to the audience.

One last thing, I would have suggested you to sneak in to 3-4 hundred yards and have gotten an eye on the buck, maybe put another round in the deer!
Matt

I'm all for an open discussion but making smart-ass comments and assuming what I have or haven't experienced as far as bow hunting doesn't add or help at all. By far and away I've killed more animals with a rifle but I've also killed a number of deer and elk with muzzleloaders along with one bear and one elk with my bow. I've been on many other successful archery hunts as well.

I don't think it's that hard to understand my comparison. If an animal is shot properly with a bow it dies very quickly. Yes, an arrow kills differently than a bullet but leaving them because your shot wasn't immediately fatal still leaves the animal suffering. If you don't believe a bow can be immediately fatal, why would you use a bow in the first place? Again, I have nothing against archery and will continue to use my bow when the opportunity arises.

A couple of questions I would like you to answer since your name is "Duck-Slayer". Do ducks and geese get wounded when hunting them? Is that okay because they aren't deer?

 

[Duck-Slayer]

No smart comment in my post? I wasn’t trying too, my bad if it came off that way.
I was also not assuming what you have or haven’t done....


Comparing waterfowl to big game..... really? Not going there.....

way to get your blood pressure up,
I’m a very chill person, I don’t try to ever undermine anyone.

so don’t take my comments negatively boss
Matt

 

[orionthehunter1]

I'm all for an open discussion but making smart-ass comments and assuming what I have or haven't experienced as far as bow hunting doesn't add or help at all. By far and away I've killed more animals with a rifle but I've also killed a number of deer and elk with muzzleloaders along with one bear and one elk with my bow. I've been on many other successful archery hunts as well.

I don't think it's that hard to understand my comparison. If an animal is shot properly with a bow it dies very quickly. Yes, an arrow kills differently than a bullet but leaving them because your shot wasn't immediately fatal still leaves the animal suffering. If you don't believe a bow can be immediately fatal, why would you use a bow in the first place? Again, I have nothing against archery and will continue to use my bow when the opportunity arises.

A couple of questions I would like you to answer since your name is "Duck-Slayer". Do ducks and geese get wounded when hunting them? Is that okay because they aren't deer?

This is hilarious you have made more assumptions and called more names then anyone on this thread. You really should quit talking out both sides of your mouth. In one post you mention how your going to catch flak and it doesn't bother you, then on the next post you are calling out people who question your shot choice. Here's a couple questions; Why didn't you try to get closer? Also why didn't you wait for that buck to stand? He obviously wasn't boogered and you said it was evening so he would have stood at some point either to feed or move why not wait?

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Please explain how a gut shot deer with an arrow is better than a gut shot deer with a 215 grain Berger? I honestly want to know. I haven’t gut shot a deer with an arrow before. Everything I’ve always read says to back out and wait for the next day. Sometimes they are dead and sometimes they get shot again.

I cannot speak for anyone else, I personally have not gut shot anything with a rifle, but have been around a couple. Secondly I’ve only gut shot 1 antelope outta the 50+ animals I’ve harvested with my bow.

with the rifle gut shot’s they have used my rifle/ammunition combo (6.5x.284) 2878 fps at muzzle with a 143 grain SST or ELD-X. These bullets are “soft” massive hemoraging on impact. Shot a buck at 650 yards right behind the shoulder, the exit hole I could fit a golf ball through without touching the animal. Went 20 yards..... back to the gut shot my buddy did on a mule deer buck. Went in just behind the lay rib about 2 inches. Turned the guts into soup and drained out the baseball size hole out the other side, 350 yards. Went 15 yards....

that particular antelope I gut shot with my bow, went 100 yards bedded down. Waited till next day, dead and stiff. Antelope are fairly weak animals when hurt compared to Mule Deer. I’ve watch quite a few YouTube person’s gut shoot animals and they all have been dead the next morning. Not saying it doesn’t happen, I’ve yet to see one live through a gut shot.

I’m not saying anything negative towards the shooter, it was his choice....

Matt

 

[dirtytough]

I cannot speak for anyone else, I personally have not gut shot anything with a rifle, but have been around a couple. Secondly I’ve only gut shot 1 antelope outta the 50+ animals I’ve harvested with my bow.

with the rifle gut shot’s they have used my rifle/ammunition combo (6.5x.284) 2878 fps at muzzle with a 143 grain SST or ELD-X. These bullets are “soft” massive hemoraging on impact. Shot a buck at 650 yards right behind the shoulder, the exit hole I could fit a golf ball through without touching the animal. Went 20 yards..... back to the gut shot my buddy did on a mule deer buck. Went in just behind the lay rib about 2 inches. Turned the guts into soup and drained out the baseball size hole out the other side, 350 yards. Went 15 yards....

that particular antelope I gut shot with my bow, went 100 yards bedded down. Waited till next day, dead and stiff. Antelope are fairly weak animals when hurt compared to Mule Deer. I’ve watch quite a few YouTube person’s gut shoot animals and they all have been dead the next morning. Not saying it doesn’t happen, I’ve yet to see one live through a gut shot.

I’m not saying anything negative towards the shooter, it was his choice....

Matt

If I am understanding correctly what you typed, the rifle shot deer died fairly fast yet the archery shot antelope you backed out on and it was dead the next day? Did you guys put a kill shot on the deer?

I guess I still don't see where it's better to shoot something in the guts with an arrow over a bullet? And maybe that's not what you were ever saying and I misunderstood that part of your post?

 

[Duck-Slayer]

If I am understanding correctly what you typed, the rifle shot deer died fairly fast yet the archery shot antelope you backed out on and it was dead the next day? Did you guys put a kill shot on the deer?

I guess I still don't see where it's better to shoot something in the guts with an arrow over a bullet? And maybe that's not what you were ever saying and I misunderstood that part of your post?

Did not put a follow up shot on the deer, by the time we got there it had expired.

I was saying archery equipment almost always kills an animal over night because it’s cutting flesh, where as some of the long range bullets stay together to much and only put a pencil hole with no hemaraging of the animal, example is this video where the deer was still alive the next day.
Gut shooting an animal is in no way an effective way to harvest an animal.
Matt

 

[ColoradoV]

No worries guys I would not have touched this train wreck of a video/thread with a 10 foot pole = except for the fact that archery was brought in and continues to be.

From what I saw in the fast forward experience I got on the video (not watching it again) there was nothing to do w bowhunting at all so not sure why it is even being discussed.. Or can anyone answer one question why is archery still even being discussed?? Good ol internets banter I guess..

Also I understand this is a money making site. I get it. You guys have to produce content to make $ just part of the deal. Some will be good other content will be well not so good just how it goes. All content gets clicks/views and that is the ultimate goal. Content good or bad is king - again I get it.

I also understand this "content" is not for a guy like me and pry better received by your target audience. Times like this I realize I realize why I dont produce content as there is no reason or need for me to do so as my income comes from other avenues. I prefer it this way as it is a much more comfortable seat for me.

Lastly you can say what ever about a checked gate somewhere.. I have never hunted behind a checked gate so not sure what it is but I can say for a fact that knuckleheads banging away at 800-1200 yards and gut shooting deer has been a big problem or one of the biggest problems I see hunting mulies today.. I would say 60-70% of the attempts end like this video or worse. For mulies where I live and hunt not even close to archery guys wounding deer so give it a rest.. Again just the opinion of a non content producing big buck hunter...