Finding your lost buck after time .......

Your right Mike.

 

I think it would be prudent to have been in the situation.......and THEN form your opinion.

It's kinda like watching "Deal or no Deal". I'm rootin' "no deal!", every time. 'Course, it ain't my $.25M they've gambling with.

 

Just trying to keep the peace.

 

Says it all.

 

Will .... I hear what your saying ... and it works in a GENERAL sense .... but specific hunts are more memorable than others .... its just the way it is ...so for SOME... hunts that result in a lost animal arent considered by them "successful" where those that end up in a target animal recovered, are .... to each their own ...

 

I haven't read through all of the posts and don't know what all arguments have been made, but this is my take on the situation, and like others have posted it is all situational.

If I shoot a deer, back out because the shot wasn't great and come back in say 6-10 hours later and the deer has been eaten by coyotes, I'm going to be upset with myself for not making a better shot, but in someway I will be relieved knowing the deer died somewhat quickly and didn't live for days on end suffering.

If I wound a deer and don't find it for a week to a month later I will be upset at myself for wasting a deer and knowing that I killed a animal for no reason. I didn't feel any better after shooting my moose this year. I shot it, clean kill as it died within 1 minute and 15 yards from when he was shot, but when we recovered him he had a ear tag in his ear. The tag said DO NOT EAT and call Fish and Wildlife. We called, reported the tag number and they told us that the moose was transported out of a city 4 months earlier and that I shouldn't eat it as they recommend waiting a full year for the drugs to clear the system. If I brought the moose in they would dispose of it and give me a new tag. I didn't kill that massive, beautiful animal just for it to go to waste. I shot it cause of the meat and knowing it would take stress off of everyone hunting with me as we would all have good meat in the freezer. We ended up butchering the animal and taking our risk with it. Butchering was close to $600 for just steaks and burger, but it was a risk I wanted to take. A month after getting it butchered and after finally finding a Vet that would give me it's honest opinion without trying to save themselves they assured me the meat would be good. But how could I just walk away from a animal like that knowing I just killed it and all it would do is go to waste. I am still not happy/proud of that moose just based on the stress and the issues that I went through with it. The moose tastes amazingly good and I would never handle the situation differently, but it still wasn't a good experience.

 

(I think) Comparing flinging a lure at random and lucking into a monster walleye then getting your line broke because you make the rookie mistake of using to much drag is a far cry from spending your summer hours targeting a certain buck or even a certain size buck then loosing it because it jumped in the river, yotes ate it, could not track it any farther or any other reason out of your control.
Walleyes don't have Antlers.

 

I never mentioned how much preparation went into hooking this walleye. If you think fishing is all random, you must not catch much. Your drag will have little to do with a deep hooked fish with sharp teeth, without braided or a leader..you're screwed. Even if walleye did have antlers, it would still be a waste to me.

 

They call me Big Fish John. I was a fishing Guide! I can teach you how to use a drag and what fish have sharp and which ones have pointed teeth.

 

Oh, oh show me John! I'll be better equipped to do risk assessment and expectation management. Can I use the drag to get Christine's buck home?

 

LOL Will, LOL!

 

Hey, did I just log into AT by mistake?

 

Wow. I never knew this law existed anywhere. In fact, most states operate in opposition in that it is illegal to "tag" an animal you haven't claimed possession of.

Good thing to know for the future though. That is interesting. Lucky I didn't run into this situation on my last trip. lol I may have quit hunting if I lost an animal depending on the circumstances and how I felt about it, but I'd have never thought to actually punch my tag and what not.

 

To be more clear, the reg.'s state that you must validate your tag upon "killing" an animal. Most guide contracts are more stringent than that and if you wound an animal they may require you to validate your tag. It's the guide's call on a guided hunt as to whether they will take you afield again. If you're required to have a guide, you're at their mercy. Otherwise, you're only at the mercy of your own conscience as to whether or not you "killed" the animal.

 

I like you a lot Will and mean, pointed sarcasm does not become you.

I may be in the minority but the primary reason I hunt deer is not for the antlers but for the meat and if the meat is unrecoverable then my hunt was a failure. I don't know why that leaves me open for incredulous ridicule but I accept that. Do I like the antlers? Well sure, but, just because a deer has small antlers doesn't make the meat taste any worse and, in any case, the antlers go downstairs with the others. No one sees them except my family and a very few friends. No one in my family really cares about them, except maybe my daughter LOL, and only one of my friends even hunts. On the other hand, all of my family and, even my friends that don't hunt, have very much enjoyed the venison that we have cooked in many different ways. When I killed the first deer this year I gave the land owner that allows me to hunt his land half of it. He doesn't bow hunt and like very much having fresh venison in September. I don't think he would have been quite as happy if I had given him half an antler rack instead.

If you trophy hunt and value antlers the most that is fine with me. I just don't understand why, if I just like to hunt for meat and don't mind killing a spike because his antlers don't make the meat taste any worse, that it bothers the **** out of some of you.

 

Very well said. I totally agree.

 

I can do that without killing something and leaving it to rot in the woods. I appreciate the experience of hunting as much as anyone..........wounding and/or killing animals just to leave them suffer or rot somewhere takes AWAY from that experience for me. It certainly doesn't enhance it.

I shot a buck a little far back and left him overnight couple years ago...........I didn't go home and sleep like a rock elated over coming face to face with him. I was sick to my stomach and didn't sleep a wink because I thought I killed something I may never recover.

I just see it as starting something and failing to finish it. A great analogy was made that a fish is not caught until it's in the boat. I've hooked tons of lunkers and had some spit the hook inches from the net. Some people would still say they caught those fish but not me.........not until I put my hands on him and snap a quick pic before releasing.

Being involved so heavily with trophy minded folks from places like SCI may cloud your feedback but I can assure you Will...........a great many people do just that. I wouldn't say it's the ONLY goal, but certainly the primary one.

My best friend wounded and lost 2 deer this year when I was with him in the woods........I love the guy like a brother and treasure all the time we have spent hunting together for roughly 20 years now............but we won't look back someday on those mornings as some of our fondest memories. Those are days we wish we had just slept in.

What is the conservation value of killing something and leaving it to rot in the woods?

Where is the ritualistic rejuvination occurring when some knucklehead wounds a deer only to have it limp off and die weeks or months later.............then when they find the rack next spring they hold it up above their heads in self praise??

I made it clear in my post that I wasn't comparing any legit hunter to a poacher in case you missed it...............but you are right, in many cases the only difference is a paid tag and legal kill.

 

I wonder why we never see any pictures of guys smiling from ear to ear holding a rotted out head or whatever other part they could find of a doe they wounded/killed and never recovered only to happen upon her later. Surely it is still a great accomplishment that any hunter would be proud of............in fact when someone stumbles onto a rotted out doe carcass I know it frequently results in hard feelings between landowners because everyone sits around and wonders if the guy who found it will be kind hearted enough to return it to the tortured soul who lost it.

You guys get those calls all the time too right??

"Hey man, it's Joe from the farm..........just wanted to let you know I found a rotten set of bones today near the pines where you said you lost that doe last fall. Don't worry, I didn't touch 'em but I'll take you to them when you come over as I'm sure you are excited to finally get your hands on that deer to obtain some closure."



Come to think of it, I can't remember ever seeing a picture of a guy holding a rotten stinky half decayed fish carcass for a picture either.


Weird.

 

I was thinking of this pertaining to this thread last night. That feeling of walking away or calling it off after expending every effort to recover. That walk back to the truck and feeling of complete disgust and failure. Why would finding it a month later make that feeling jubilation?

On the flipside that feeling when you are just about to give up and then find more blood or stumble on the deer doing a body search. One of the better feelings on planet Earth. Goes from failure to success in seconds.

 

Amen.