Time to be honest with yourself and figure out that you really don't have time to hunt at this stage in your life. Recovery effort is the most important part of the hunt. You don't have that time.
I see the dilemma he's in, you hunt when you can and you try to do the right thing and hope your shot is true. I know most of us hunt Sunday nights when we have to go to work the next day so the argument about the decision to hunt is weak. The decision not to get dogs or try like hell to have someone get the kids is what I'm questioning. If he's dead a dog would find him quick. Well worth the money.
Do not give up! You can't find your deer at home!. Get out there and follow where the buck last ran off. You shouldn't be hunting if your gonna not recover the deer. Get dogs if you have to, great way to find a deer.
Prior planning prevents piss poor performance. So you planned for everything to go perfect? Seriously you don't deserve to hunt an animal you show no respect. And I am judging. I understand you have obligations that come before hunting I.e. your children. And you are right they are more important. You should have realized this before you went hunting. We have to be hard on you so this doesn't happen again.
Dog trackers are free by the way..I would definitely try that if it's legal in your state Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk
You're right. He may never post again. But also he may have learned a valuable lesson here about ethics. Even if he doesn't go look again and never posts here again I'm sure he will remember being scorned.
If you think you are the only one here that has family and work commitments you are crazy. You looked for a couple of hours and that is not enough plain and simple. You need to figure out away to spend more time looking for that deer. I dont care if you pick up the kids get McDonald's for them and take them for a walk in the woods. We as hunters owe it to the animals we hunt. If you dont think you need to do that...then you are not a true hunter.
Hell, Tom has his business keeping him busy but still finds the time to take his kids hunting and put in the work required.
I wouldn't come back here if I was being berated by a bunch of self-righteous, holier-than-thou d-bags either. Was this entire scenario ideal? From what I've read obviously not. Starting with not knowing if the animal was hit this has been a train wreck from the start. But you know what? It's a learning experience. Not everyone was born with decades of experience like many people here have, nor was everyone raised by family members who hunted. Many people learn along the way and plenty of people have made mistakes. That's simply the way life goes. Telling the guy he doesn't deserve to hunt certainly doesn't help the situation, nor do I think it's something half of you guys would say to his face if he was in front of you. I'm in agreement that he could have, and probably should have, done some things differently. But who am I to sit here and judge a guy I've never met in my life? If he needs to be at home to help out with his kids and take care of his family IMO that's his decision to make. A lot of you guys need to quit acting like your poop doesn't stink and instead of jumping down the guy's throat you need to take a hard look in the mirror and ask yourself if you've ever made a mistake. Maybe offer some helpful advice or words of encouragement instead.
Oh get over yourself Lester. What if he's got a 2 or 3 year old kid? He's going to "get them some McDonald's" and make them hike around the woods after dark? Please.
