Bad experience ever end your season?

[BuckWild]

Don't be so hard on yourself. It happens.

The fact that you even shared the experience with others, speaks volumes about you as a person.

You saved that animal from a slow, painful ,agonizing death.

You learned something about yourself at the same time...

 

[trout]

I appreciate you sharing your feelings. Life is precious and a blessing. Taking the life of one of God's creatures is a serious endeavor. I try to say a prayer for a clean kill before pulling the trigger. I will also bow my head and pray when I first lay hands on the deer.

 

[Knothead]

Nothing I can add to the great feedback already provided. But I can say I've been there and can certainly empathize. It gets in your head. That simply shows you respect the animal. Shake it off as lesson learned. Dont let this cause you to give up the sport.

 

[Snake]

It happens to us all soon or later. None of us like that feeling. Staying with it is what separates the good hunters from the bad.

Amen

 

[Snake]

As I've gotten older I feel more compassion than I once did but it has never kept me from going again . This relates to the head shot thread . Worse feeling a hunter can have IMO is hearing a deer bellow that dieing sound . Walking upon one still alive is not something I like those that cut their throat have more of something than me I just shoot them in the heart. Quick as possible ! Hate you had to experience that .

 

[Gravey]

It happens and yes it sucks! If you didn't feel bad there'd be something wrong with you. Keep your head up.

 

[killingtime 41]

It is what separates us from animals. Try having to look it in the eye and cut its throat. Some shots i just won't try like I use to when i first started dont care how big the buck is. I've regretted it and wished I'd never shot in the first place. No matter what deer I kill. When I walk over to it. We have a conversation and many thanks is given. I always get a little sad before I get happy.

 

[Tn Joe]

It's happened to most of us. It's part of hunting. I'm thankful it normally doesn't go down that way.

My grandfather taught me that you should always feel some remorse when you kill a animal. I've since taught my kids the same thing.

 

[DayDay]

I feel for you.

I had my worst experience this season after finally finding my deer still alive after a long search. It was struggling to get up and would fall back down. I shot another arrow into it to put it down for good. All the previous deer I've killed with my bow made short runs and dropped quickly. I guess my luck finally ran out and now I'm questioning whether I want to continue bow hunting. It ended my archery hunting for the season for sure.

I often don't hunt much, if at all, during archery-only and have killed more deer with my bow during muzzleloader/archery season (above was opening day of muzzleloader and first hunt of the season). I haven't convinced myself to get a muzzleloader but I may be headed that way to help improve the chances of a quick kill. I'm not ready to quit altogether.

 

[jetwrnch]

I've hit "Like" so many times I feel like UTVolsfan. Thanks everyone.

 

[MUP]

You're s good ethical hunter buddy. I've noticed the same as Snake has, that as I've gotten older my compassion has grown for the animals as well. Can't explain it, but I've always felt remorse when I've made kills, but I'm really feeling it more lately.

 

[SpurChaser]

Definitely been there as well. Not the exact situation, but bad hits leading to long tracks, to wounded deer and a lot of "what if's". Good job on being a true sportsman and doing the due diligence of making the suffering as minimal as possible.

 

[knightrider]

Been there brother it happens, the most important thing is you finished what you started instead of the "coyotes gotta eat to"! Keep your head up and carry on brother

 

[SC Manimal]

I completely stopped hunting as a kid over a squirrel. I knocked one out of the tree and it started squirming. My pawpaw convinced me to grab it by the tail and smack it against a fence post. I couldn't handle it. It was about 10 years before I hunted again. I still won't squirrel hunt. It happens buddy.

 

[mike243]

It happens, shot 1 in the hip as I misjudge how fast he was chasing a doe, put another 1 in the neck, still flopping, Didn't want to shoot him again and ruin more meat and my swiss army knife was dull, had left my sheath knife at home, all this happened quickly so I snatched up a good size creek rock and a horn, smacked him between the eyes, down for the count, over a mile drag up a long point. had him mounted, 7pt with a mane. It's a lot easier when things go as planned, when I picked him up from the taxidermist he said he must've been a fighter I had to fix a place between his eye's, I was too ashamed I shot him 2 times with a 3006 then finished him with a rock also a creek rock will sharpen a stainless steel blade in a pinch.

 

[DeerCamp]

I shot a buck at about 200 yards with a 270 that's zeroed at that range. I've made this shot at this location several times in the past, but somehow I shot low and hit both front legs and skimmed the breast bone. At first I thought I'd missed him because I couldn't find any blood or hair. I searched for about 30 minutes and finally found some leaves that didn't look right. Following the disturbed leaves eventually lead to blood. I followed the disturbed leaves and pockets of blood all over a ridge until the trail went down into a thick creek bed. The buck jumped up and started crashing through the growth, so I backed off and circled around the direction I thought he would head to cut him off. I started working my way down the creek bed towards the last place I'd seen him and spotted him hiding in some thick growth. By this time he was at the edge of the property. My concern was that he'd get in an area I couldn't track and die a slow death. I'd switched to a lever 35rem for the tracking job. He was bedded down and all I could see was his neck and head about 30 yards away. I wanted to move to a better vantage point but feared he would jump up again and be lost or off the property. I didn't care about the rack as much as I did him not suffering, so I took a shot at his neck. His head went down and then back up looking at me with blood pouring out on the ground. I put a second round in about the same place and walked over to him. He raised his head and just looked at me with blood pouring out. I put a fourth round right between his eyes. He laid there doing the death throws. At that point I just wanted to lay down my rifle and walk away from all of it. What he went through has taken all of the joy out of this season. This is the most personal kill I've ever had in 3 decades of hunting. I think it's because we just stared at each other from 5 feet apart. This put my tracking skills to the test and I'm proud of the fact I never gave up, but I regret ever pulling the trigger.

If you didn't feel a need to reflect after that, I'd be concerned. We love hunting, but we also deeply care for the animals. Death is part of the cycle, but no one wants to see an animal suffer.


Years ago I shot a doe and accidentally hit mid spine with a muzzleloader. She drug herself off with her front legs. I reloaded and caught up to he in the brush and she looked at me, inky her face showing. So I shot. The bullet entered under the eye and exited behind the ear. I was out of ammo, and it took another 5 minutes to die. I didn't hunt for weeks afterwards.


Time to reflect here and appreciate the gravity of what we are doing is normal. Sorry this happened brother.

 

[gatodoc]

Normal reaction from a normal man. You did well. Have no regrets.

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

Yes definitely been there myself, I know how you felt, it really sucks, but IMO, it makes us better hunters

 

[Tenntrapper]

The worst one for me.. If you've ever hunted Holston ammunition plant, you know their rules...and hopefully understand why.
I was hunting the bunkers and shot a doe. She ran about 50 yards outside of my "radius", and I couldn't see her from my stand. I got down and had tracked her as far as I was allowed to go, and could see her down there... another 50 yards...still alive.
She was laying down with her head up, just staring at me.
I had to go back to the road and wait about 30 mins for them to drive through. Then have them escort me back to her and decide if it was a safe shot...then finish her. That was the longest 45 minutes of my life (as it pertains to hunting).
You did the right thing.

 

[Crappieaddict]

I have become more tender hearted toward animals as I have aged. Hopefully, that's a normal reaction. I'm happy to see that I'm not alone. You did good, and I'm sorry you had to go through that situation.