I've shot 3 of 4 deer this season, the three kills I had were on deer that I purposely didnt stop and shot them walking, (Granted they were close all under 15 yards) The only deer I shot right over was at 26 yards, really steep slope and he had me pegged and was frozen solid after I had "baaaaaa" at him to stop as I drew.. I shot right over him.. In the past I almost always stopped deer for the most part.. I decided after that early season miss on that big buck I was gonna just shoot them walking if they were under 20 yards.. It worked out pretty good. So how about U guys.. what is your take on shooting them walking, not alerting them to any noise whatsoever or do you like to get them to stop. ( I know distance is a big factor here) but how about on those "close" shots.. whats your preference? stop em or Not?
Ive "baaaaad" 2 of my does this year, both were under 18 yards and i smoked them. The 1st doe that i shot though was feeding in beans around 23 yards. The doe that i missed this year was on alert and looking at me at about 26 yards. Shot over her back. If its under 20 yards i have no problem "baaaaing" them, over 20, forget it, i wint do that again.
I will add I shot at that buck that I missed that was on alert.. with my 20 yard pin dead center on his side.. and still shot right over him..
I said going into this season that I would play it by ear. In the past (compound bowhunting), I never thought twice about it (stopping them). I had reservations on shooting an alert animal with my recurve. I'd MUCH rather take my chances on shooting a calmly walking deer. Then....my contest entry (and only) buck came onto the scene. He was 40yds behond a doe and on a healthy trot when he appeared from behind the blind side of the tree I was in. I knew it was a one-time chance. Since the shot was well within my comfort range (13yds), I took it. Clean pass-thru and a short recovery. Would I have taken a 20yd shot at an alert(ed) animal? I don't know. Probably. Would I next time? I'll let you know when/if it happens, again. Would I suggest YOU do it? No. But I wouldn't suggest you NOT do it, either. The greatest arbiter of the situation at hand is the man/woman holding the bow. Unless there's an egregious circumstance (and we're all smart enough to recognize those), I'll leave it to him/her....and trust them (as long as they go in with eyes wide open). When we project our own (whether founded or unfounded) personal limitations onto others.....and elude to them as the "moral std.", we're doing a disservice to the sport.
ii learned that it totally depends on the situation. nervous deer i'll shoot walking, or if i think they will bust loose if i make a noise. i stopped the buck i shot in gun season with the bhaaaa noise and it worked. that was after i called him in with challenge grunts and snort wheeze's, he came in to fight, spotted me moving and i still managed to stop him. now it wasn't long enough for a bow shot though, if it had been bow season, he'd have gotten away for sure. it just depends, i'd always prefer a stopped shot, but sometimes your better off just taking the walking shot, or let em go
I try at all costs to let them stop on their own. If they don't, I judge how fast they are walking to determine whether I shoot them on the walk or stop them.
I've never shot a walking deer and have only stopped deer that have been running or trotting. Not saying I wouldn't shoot a walking deer, guess I'll know when I'm in that situation. So far I have been lucky in that walking deer have all stopped for me within shooting distance. The majority of deer I have killed have been does and most were feeding their way to or from their bed. So they usually stop every so many yards. The only deer I have stopped have been bucks that were chasing.
The buck and the doe I shot this year were both standing still inside 20 yards without me doing anything. The doe I missed was downhill, I slightly overestimated the distance, was on alert because I stopped her, and I know she ducked the string (it was on video). I'm not opposed to trying to stop deer, but I think I am going to only use that method when it is absolutely necessary from now on.
I've never Bowhunted before, this upcoming season will be my first. But when I have hunted, I almost never stopped them, just led them to an anchor point where I knew it'd be dead on. I reckon I'll do the same with the Bow.
Not. If I stop them I end up with a shot like this and I really don't want them knowing where the shot came from... Seriously though, I don't want to alert the deer either. the only time I'd stop them is if there was a situation in heavy cover where I was going to lose the shot opportunity if I didn't.
Probably 75% of the deer I've shot were slowly walking, my longest was 37 yards at a 9 pt. Double lunged him too.
I only try and stop them if I have to. Usually they stop on thier own, but I wont even hesitate on a slow walk.
I have never shot at a moving deer with bow/arrow. Have I had deer that I stopped and put on alert jump the string resulting in a miss? You bet. That is why one is advised to aim lower (not so low you will miss if the deer doesn't move but lower than normal) on an alert deer so as to anticipate the possibility of the deer jumping the string. Seems to me this practice(aiming lower on an alert deer) is more consistent in staying within the process capability of the bow/arrow than shooting at a moving target regardless of one's personal abilities or limitations. But hey, results are all that matter and if you like your results....more power to you.
