There is quite an increase in lost deer threads on here this year. There seems to be almost as many lost deer threads as there do successful hunt threads. Any guesses for the increase? I'm not sure if I can come up with a solid reason why. Maybe its a combination of a few things. I think its partly due to people putting too much stock in their equipment, as well as the commonness of lost deer threads. Perhaps hunters feel more comfortable confessing a lost deer since the threads are so common? It makes me nervous. By in large, this forum is made up of good, ethical hunters. If lost deer are becoming so common for the hunters on BHC, imagine what is happening to average hunter. Scary.
I think alot of people are getting away from the basics, Archery IS meant to for getting close to deer, and taking high percentage shots. Nowadays, people are taking 30, 40, 50 yard shots with mediocre angles because "My bow shoots 330 fps and i have the newest badass broadheads". This is just from my personal experience locally, which im sure translates to the forums.
Maybe its just a bunch of newbies that haven't learned they will be crucified for creating such threads. Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
I think part of it is things like this, and part is the fact that there is so many more members than in previous years and the likelihood of it happening to someone on here is rising.
Have a neighbor that works with Department of Natural Resources. Avid bowhunter. Gave me some really good advice. Don't put up a tree stand or blind in an area that allows you to take a shot that you shouldn't. For example, if you are comfortable shooting to 25 yards then try to set your stand in a tree that doesn't allow anything beyond 25 yards. That way a big buck won't force you into taking a bad shot. My neighbor says he won't shoot past 25 yards. I would feel comfortable shooting to 30 yards, but I don't shoot enough to shoot 40 yards, etc. I think we will tend to go hunt in bad conditions, but won't practice bow hunting in windy conditions, snow, rain, etc. I realized this after sitting for a morning this fall which was very windy. I started doubting any shots I would take past 15 yards. I went home and shot my bow to make sure I knew what I was doing with wind involved. Made a pretty big difference with a straight cross wind at 25-30 mph. I'm no expert with a bow, but I know my limitations. I'm sure I will lose a deer at some point, but I've been fortunate with first year going 2-2. I would give my neighbor credit for telling me the tip that I said at the beginning for helping me.
My opinion, In allot of cases It's not enough practicing. You have to practice the right way too, practice like your hunting. Practice Is NEVER a bad thing. I proved that one yesterday. On my 3rd practice arrow before I left for my hunt the string broke on my recurve as I released and I hit the leg of my target.
Agree 100% Plus people are willing to risk bad shots on deer and the bigger the antlers the worse the shot they are willing to risk. When I did my max range challenge I was a little surprised at how many would not risk damaging an arrow and BH to shoot the 4" hole at their max range but they were more than willing to risk the same shot on a deer. That told me a great deal.
Sure, but wouldn't the number of successful hunts increase the same if the only change was the number of members? I understand lost deer happen with bowhunting. Bowhunt long enough and it will happen. I'm just wondering why there seems to be an increase.
I made one of these threads today because Im being honest with the people that I share the details and experiences in my passion for bowhunting with; EVERYONE ON THIS SITE! I think Im a very ethical hunter in that I wont shoot a deer much past 30 yards, I wont take a low percentage shot (the deer I lost today was broadside), and I practice during hunting season to ensure Im always at the top of my game, and if I do find my deer tonight, Ill still be tagging him. I didnt make the shot that I truly wanted on this particular deer, but not because the perfect shot wasnt presented, but because I simply made a mistake. I dont know if I peeked on the shot or if I rushed the shot, but it was a shot that an ethical bowhunter would feel confident in taking. The fact is, its going to happen eventually. It sucks...bad...but its the downside to our sport. So if you want to "crucify" everyone that isnt able to recover a deer, go for it, but thats the time you should be trying to lift up someone who's down. Were all part of the brotherhood of bowhunting, so be a brother and help them shake it off and move on.
Lift them up? Maybe help them understand what they did wrong. But, if they wounded a deer and it got away, they should feel like crap and be down. After all, it was their fault.
If you look at a lot of these types of threads, they usually start or have something in them about "biggest buck to date", "huge buck", etc. I think there is merit in the thinking that some are more than willing to take risky shots on big bucks. I also think we do have a lot of newb's here these days who are learning the ropes and of course, as we all have experienced in our "rookie years", big bucks at close range tend to unravel the very best of hunters. But, to the OP, whats the point of posing this question? Do you think its a bad thing for those who do lose deer to post about it? Would you rather everyone keep such things a hush-hush? I know a lot of these posts end up with one or two posters crucifying the OP for wounding an animal, finding fault wherever they can. I'm all for constructive criticism, but sometimes it gets to a point where I can honestly see why some wouldn't post their misfortunes or look for advice. I'm guilty of such a post this year. I was honestly surprised I wasn't grilled for it. However, I am not afraid to create such a post. I know my limitations as a hunter and know when I should or shouldn't take a shot. I think that's the issue at hand for our newb crowd and I'd venture to guess it was every single one of us' issue when we first started as well. Some of us, who've been either here or another forum for a long time, view this place as sort of a hunting camp. A place where we can show off our trophies, ask advice on stand placement, ask for help with equipment and even ask for advice and vent our frustrations over finding a deer or worse case, losing a deer. Sure, you should expect some critical views on what happened and if you deserve it, don't get your feelings hurt when someone calls you on it. The problem is, there are some on here that portray themselves as God, or the all mighty hunter who never screws up or at least owns up to it. I try not to be judgmental about these posts. I wasn't in that tree stand or ground blind with the OP so I can't say he or she did the right thing or what went wrong. The best us as a community here can do is offer advice and if needed, be critical of certain aspects based on the information provided. I don't think anyone should bash another for wounding a deer. I've said this before and will say it again. If you've hunted long enough with a bow, sooner or later, you will wound and lose a deer. If you've hunted a very long time and haven't lost an animal, please share that mojo with all of us.
Ok, so like I said, I made 1 of 2 possible mistakes. And trust me, I feel like crap about the whole situation...I dont feel sorry for myself, but I feel bad for the deer because I made a mistake and wasnt able to harvest him even though I made what looked like a well placed shot. Either way, whats the point in kicking a fellow bowhunter while he's down though? Unless that kind of thing just gets you off... Im not some new guy either. Ive been bowhunting for 14 years, minus a 7 year break, so a total of 7 seasons spent in the woods. Ive shot 9 deer with a bow. Sure I dont have a ton of posts on here, and I generally spend most of my internet time on AT because theres simply more daily traffic, but I posted my thread on here because I thought the bh.com crew was a better class of bowhunter. One that wouldnt bash, one that would be as kind as Tony and Jim that took time out of their day to help me look for my deer.
Vito, I know I am new to bow hunting and only have 8 months with the forum but, since August I have noticed a huge increase in "I am new to bowhunting" threads. Not to mention since September a huge increase in new members. If you were to compare the two, I am willing to bet that probably 50% or more of the new members are new to bowhunting. That being said, the new members have seemed to be more open to posting all kinds of details. As a new hunter I feel the reason for that is to seek sound advice from the more knowledgeable bow hunters that have less of a bias than say a personal friend that may have altered opinions due to not wanting to seem like they are being rude and not wanting to hurt their friends feelings. Heck they may have the same amount of experience themselves thus the reason the new forum member joined the forum in the first place.
Honestly, I have no idea what happened with your deer. Didn't see the post and I wasn't even referring to you. I never said to kick him while he's down. But to say "lift him up" sounds a little, well, Like I said, he should feel bad and be down. But, he better learn from his mistakes. I guess what really gets me and a lot of others is that there is soooooooo much information out there on when, where and how to shoot a deer that when someone screws it up by being uneducated and taking a bad shot, we have no sympathy for them. People are lazy now a days and refuse to educate themselves. Those people would be better off playing Connect Four than to be out flinging arrows at deer. Take responsibility for your actions.....its that simple.
By identifying the problem, hopefully it will result in less lost deer in the future. I understand those asking for help when tracking deer, but I do not understand the sympathy threads. Whats the point?
Dan, I understand where you're coming from and agree with almost all of this. I we see here a lot that many obviously take stupid shots, don't follow up thoroughly enough, or go about it in a really, really dumb way. Then, go on the defensive when others call him on it and "hurts their pride". However, I think there is a line that needs to be drawn from being a total D!@k about it and giving the person sound advice, not blowing sunshine up their ass, but sound advice on what they did wrong or what they should have done in that situation.
If everyone posted the deer they couldn't find .... you would all puke ... thank God it didn't happen to me this year ... but it sure has in the past ...it is a part of Bowhunting more than gun hunting IMO ....
Amen... If (and God forbid, when) I lose a deer and I post about it, it's not going to be looking for sympathy, it'll be an educational thread on what I, emphasis on I, did wrong... or I won't post about it. I personally, although understand asking for help, and although it's part of archery, feel that these type threads are detrimental to our sport, passion or obsession. If a person is sincerely asking for advice, I'll respond with a recovery thread and or advice, otherwise I move on. If you can offer advice, educate or share an experience that can help, I'm all for it, otherwise somethings are better off left unpublicized. Oh, and having so called celebrities like Craig Morgan taking hail mary 96 yard shots on game with a crossbow then jumping for joy when he actually hit the animal is repulsive.
I shot and never recovered an 8-point two weeks ago. I am a new member here and posted my situation. There were some amazing responses to my post (thanks Vito and others). I will compile a list of 'Beginner pointers' during the off-season and post on this site. Three rules I will use from this point forward, I was given from the thread responses: 1. Never shoot unless you can hit both lungs. 2. Always aim for your exit hole. 3. Shoot to kill the deer, not hit the deer (heart/lungs). Since my miss, I have shot two deer - a doe and a 4-point. I did make double lung shots on both and was taking the shot to KILL the deer not HIT the deer. I am confident to 40 yds on the range, but will now not shoot over 30 yds. Been bow hunting for 3+ years and lack of patience has been the reason for both my lost deer (the perfect kills were all less than 20 yds). I will either wait until I have the perfect KILL shot or let them walk.
