what is your percentage ?
Moderator: Excalibur Marketing Dude
I am 60 years old and have hunted for many years. I have shot more deer than I can remember. I have lost only one and that was due to bad arrow placement on my part that was too high. I have had low and slow hits but have tracked down everyone of them. The high forward shots are not necessarily mortal and the deer recovers. I have just one that got away and I remember that one as well as I remember the really big bucks I have taken. So I am somewhere between 1% - 2% non recovery rate figuring on more than 50 deer.
The only ex who has a piece of my heart is Excalibur
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Todd the archer
- Posts: 42
- Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2003 7:34 am
- Location: Sellersville, Pa.
I'll be honest, I am 13 recovered out of 23 with all weapons, and only 5 recovered out of 15 with archery equipment. I think I have worst luck than most. The ones not recovered were for most of them shot close (under 20 yards) and into the front section but often I got poor penatration. Likely I hit shoulder/leg bone. Believe me I have tried my best to track them often for hours and days latter. Where most of my hunting is done is quite thick and swampy. The biggest problem is lack of blood to track with. Of the 10 deer I did not recover, I feel only 2 were lethal hits. Ironicly some of the deer I have recovered were shot with what looks like less than ideal shot placement and yet these deer went less than 100 yards. Just my personal expierence.
Todd
Todd
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bait pile willie
- Posts: 657
- Joined: Wed Mar 22, 2006 7:56 pm
- Location: london ontario.
Percentage
Shot 80+ deer, and don't want to sound like a Pompas J**k A**, but have lost none.
Roy
Roy
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mdcrossbow
- Posts: 1368
- Joined: Sat Feb 01, 2003 12:48 pm
This is good. It makes everyone think about their shots and the new guys understand that not all shot are leathal.
All I can say is have patence wait on your shot and then if the deer is looking like he will be in the area or on a trail that you can get 2,3 or 4 shot on then have in mind the best shot.
What is the best shot with a crossbow ?
For me it's 15-20 yards either broad side or quarting away. I will wait for either one but if I see the deer is moveing in a way that he will give me a quarting away shot then I will wait on it.
Good luck this season everyone. Enjoy and be safe !
All I can say is have patence wait on your shot and then if the deer is looking like he will be in the area or on a trail that you can get 2,3 or 4 shot on then have in mind the best shot.
What is the best shot with a crossbow ?
For me it's 15-20 yards either broad side or quarting away. I will wait for either one but if I see the deer is moveing in a way that he will give me a quarting away shot then I will wait on it.
Good luck this season everyone. Enjoy and be safe !
I don't know how many I have shot, probably around 15. I have cleanly missed atleast 5. I lost three that I can remember. All were bucks, two eights and one was atleast ten.
One was hit with my shotgun atleast once out of two shots, while running. He left decent blood but it was also dropping little chunks of bone along the way. I think maybe I hit it in the upper leg and lower shoulder area. It ran across a road that was a boundry I couldn't cross so I had to give up and let him go. I have never shot at a running deer since.
The other eight was shot with my muzzle loader. He was slowly walking when I shot. He acted verry strange. He stopped and started walking again with a very slight limp. He kept his tail down and kept walking picking up the pace a little as he went up a hill. By the time I reloaded I could seem him standing ontop of the hill but I had no shot and he was out of range. I went up the hill and found his tracks but no blood. Then he crossed the same boundary that the other had crossed, so I once again had to give up. I hope I missed him but I have never seen a deer keep walking after he was shot at. Plus he was walking strangely.
The third time which was actualy the first one I never found happened when I was still hunting, making my way across a creek bottom and getting ready to walk up on a ridge. I looked to my left and saw a group of atleast five deer heading right to me. I was looking at them when I saw the biggest set of antlers I have ever seen while hunting, bringing up the rear. I instantly droped down to my knee and raised my gun. I kept the scope to my eye and waited for them to pass. They came and started passing about five feet away from me. One by one the does went by and then it was the bucks turn. He walked right in front of me and into the view of my scope but all I could see was brown. I have had this problem before so I didn't shoot. Instead, I moved the gun a little to the right to clear my scope so I could let him walk infront of it again and watch for the crease behind his shoulder to pass the crosshairs so I would know it was time to shoot. Unfortunately he saw me move and began to pick up the pace which would have been a dead run soon, at the same time his shoulder passed through the scope and I swung the gun to keep the crosshairs on him as I squeezed the trigger. I only shot once because I knew he was mine (it was a very magical feeling moment) and I only had a rear end shot as he ran straight away from me. He ran up the ridge I was getting ready to go up but he ran up the side about 40 yards from the tip of the ridge that was right in front of me. I got up and began to walk to the tip of the ridge because I was planning to get on top and walk along the ridge untill I picked up on the blood. I reached the bottom of the point and looked up at the top and there he was. He had apparantly gotten to the top of the ridge, turned, and come right back towards me to the tip. I was shocked. I never would have expected him to come back towards me. I looked at him in disbelief for a second then I raised my gun and shot again then again. He never moved so I guess I missed which isn't surprising becouse I was a trembling wreck by then. I reloaded my gun and looked back up but he was gone. I walked up the hill and imediately found blood, but it was light. I followed it for about 150 yards and bleeding began to pick up. I was moving very slowly hoping I could spot him and get another shot but it was so thick I could only see abou 15-20 yards. I kept sneaking along when I looked up and saw a treestand right above the blood trail. I was looking at the stand wondering where the hunter was when I heard something walking. I sat still and watched for the noise and a minute later the hunter walked out right infront of me. I talked to him and told him I had got one and was tracking it. He said he never saw it even though it walked right under his stand but he had just gotten a small buck, so I walked off still following the blood. I followed it for another hundred yards during which the blood would get thin and stop for a little bit then pick up again, over and over. He eventualy came out of the thicket and into a open forest of large oaks. He walked out into a small logging road and I think he stopped because there were a few small spots of blood. Then he continued through the forest to somewhere. The blood in the road was the last I saw. It was 9:30 am and I searched for the next 8 hours with no luck. I even had the help of my dad for atleast 5 of those hours
. I made a lot of mistakes that day, unfortunately the whole thing happened so fast that I didn't have any time to think about what I was doing. I think the worst mistake was the shot I took. I new of the danger of trying to shoot a deer that is so close you can't tell where you are aiming and I thought I had the best solution of aiming in front of the deer so I could have the best idea of where I was aiming after he had walked into the scope. Unfortunately it didn't work. Also, possibly because I had a tendency to aim low on deer at the time because I always wanted to hit the heart if I could. I probably should have just pointed the gun at him and fired without using the scope at all. I would have atleast gotten a better shot than I did. Since then all of my scopes have been upgraded to much bigger scopes with a low variable, a wide field of view, and a big tube. Hopefully it will never happen again. I went back with my dad a few times after that day but I never found him and I never saw any vultures so I hope he lived. I have never been back to hunt that place since that day. It is too sad to be there reliving the time I shot my biggest buck ever but never found him. Losing a deer is one of the worst feelings I have ever felt.
One was hit with my shotgun atleast once out of two shots, while running. He left decent blood but it was also dropping little chunks of bone along the way. I think maybe I hit it in the upper leg and lower shoulder area. It ran across a road that was a boundry I couldn't cross so I had to give up and let him go. I have never shot at a running deer since.
The other eight was shot with my muzzle loader. He was slowly walking when I shot. He acted verry strange. He stopped and started walking again with a very slight limp. He kept his tail down and kept walking picking up the pace a little as he went up a hill. By the time I reloaded I could seem him standing ontop of the hill but I had no shot and he was out of range. I went up the hill and found his tracks but no blood. Then he crossed the same boundary that the other had crossed, so I once again had to give up. I hope I missed him but I have never seen a deer keep walking after he was shot at. Plus he was walking strangely.
The third time which was actualy the first one I never found happened when I was still hunting, making my way across a creek bottom and getting ready to walk up on a ridge. I looked to my left and saw a group of atleast five deer heading right to me. I was looking at them when I saw the biggest set of antlers I have ever seen while hunting, bringing up the rear. I instantly droped down to my knee and raised my gun. I kept the scope to my eye and waited for them to pass. They came and started passing about five feet away from me. One by one the does went by and then it was the bucks turn. He walked right in front of me and into the view of my scope but all I could see was brown. I have had this problem before so I didn't shoot. Instead, I moved the gun a little to the right to clear my scope so I could let him walk infront of it again and watch for the crease behind his shoulder to pass the crosshairs so I would know it was time to shoot. Unfortunately he saw me move and began to pick up the pace which would have been a dead run soon, at the same time his shoulder passed through the scope and I swung the gun to keep the crosshairs on him as I squeezed the trigger. I only shot once because I knew he was mine (it was a very magical feeling moment) and I only had a rear end shot as he ran straight away from me. He ran up the ridge I was getting ready to go up but he ran up the side about 40 yards from the tip of the ridge that was right in front of me. I got up and began to walk to the tip of the ridge because I was planning to get on top and walk along the ridge untill I picked up on the blood. I reached the bottom of the point and looked up at the top and there he was. He had apparantly gotten to the top of the ridge, turned, and come right back towards me to the tip. I was shocked. I never would have expected him to come back towards me. I looked at him in disbelief for a second then I raised my gun and shot again then again. He never moved so I guess I missed which isn't surprising becouse I was a trembling wreck by then. I reloaded my gun and looked back up but he was gone. I walked up the hill and imediately found blood, but it was light. I followed it for about 150 yards and bleeding began to pick up. I was moving very slowly hoping I could spot him and get another shot but it was so thick I could only see abou 15-20 yards. I kept sneaking along when I looked up and saw a treestand right above the blood trail. I was looking at the stand wondering where the hunter was when I heard something walking. I sat still and watched for the noise and a minute later the hunter walked out right infront of me. I talked to him and told him I had got one and was tracking it. He said he never saw it even though it walked right under his stand but he had just gotten a small buck, so I walked off still following the blood. I followed it for another hundred yards during which the blood would get thin and stop for a little bit then pick up again, over and over. He eventualy came out of the thicket and into a open forest of large oaks. He walked out into a small logging road and I think he stopped because there were a few small spots of blood. Then he continued through the forest to somewhere. The blood in the road was the last I saw. It was 9:30 am and I searched for the next 8 hours with no luck. I even had the help of my dad for atleast 5 of those hours
. I made a lot of mistakes that day, unfortunately the whole thing happened so fast that I didn't have any time to think about what I was doing. I think the worst mistake was the shot I took. I new of the danger of trying to shoot a deer that is so close you can't tell where you are aiming and I thought I had the best solution of aiming in front of the deer so I could have the best idea of where I was aiming after he had walked into the scope. Unfortunately it didn't work. Also, possibly because I had a tendency to aim low on deer at the time because I always wanted to hit the heart if I could. I probably should have just pointed the gun at him and fired without using the scope at all. I would have atleast gotten a better shot than I did. Since then all of my scopes have been upgraded to much bigger scopes with a low variable, a wide field of view, and a big tube. Hopefully it will never happen again. I went back with my dad a few times after that day but I never found him and I never saw any vultures so I hope he lived. I have never been back to hunt that place since that day. It is too sad to be there reliving the time I shot my biggest buck ever but never found him. Losing a deer is one of the worst feelings I have ever felt.A bad day in the woods is better than a good day anywhere else.
Yes that sucks when you cant recover a animal after you shoot it.If I shoot a animal and the blood starts to get hit and miss I usually will pull off the trail and let it be for a few hours, but at night I just wait until morning to start the search.If you are in a area high in predators I will wait a few hours and start back on the search.I got myself a Mini-Daschund that Im going to train to find wounded game.Daschunds are great for this.There is a guy that has a book out for just this type of training.I can then advertise that I have this deer tracking dog.When someone can't find their deer call Snickers to the rescue.
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bucklandman
- Posts: 59
- Joined: Thu Jun 01, 2006 7:32 pm
- Location: ottawa, canada
I am 12 for 13,,
The only deer i have not recovered was the 1st ever deer i shot at
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of which i am 6 for 6 archery!!!
i had accidently stuck my finger inside my scope in a vane attempt at removing fog,, well little did i know i was not suppose to do that!!! So the next day i had no choice but to use my 12ga Ithaca,, well to make this long story short a doe run by my watch and mister buck was not too far behind, he walked about 25yards broadside to me as i started lifting the shotgun up he spotted me and bolted, i fired 1-2-3-4 shots real quick at him. Suddenly he stopped about 45yards away i aimed for his vitals and click!!!
someone had only put 4 shots in the gun... well after many hours of searching, we came to the conclusion that i was the only man alive that could miss a broadside buck at 25 yards with 000 buck!!!! clean miss almost like i was shooting blanks!!! never touched him.. oh well!!! such is life.
to this day the award they gave me is still hanging on the wall over my bed in the cottage!!! nice pair of underwear mounted to a antler base...Statting name year and F@#$ all!!!
The only deer i have not recovered was the 1st ever deer i shot at
,, of which i am 6 for 6 archery!!!
i had accidently stuck my finger inside my scope in a vane attempt at removing fog,, well little did i know i was not suppose to do that!!! So the next day i had no choice but to use my 12ga Ithaca,, well to make this long story short a doe run by my watch and mister buck was not too far behind, he walked about 25yards broadside to me as i started lifting the shotgun up he spotted me and bolted, i fired 1-2-3-4 shots real quick at him. Suddenly he stopped about 45yards away i aimed for his vitals and click!!!
someone had only put 4 shots in the gun... well after many hours of searching, we came to the conclusion that i was the only man alive that could miss a broadside buck at 25 yards with 000 buck!!!! clean miss almost like i was shooting blanks!!! never touched him.. oh well!!! such is life.to this day the award they gave me is still hanging on the wall over my bed in the cottage!!! nice pair of underwear mounted to a antler base...Statting name year and F@#$ all!!!
Excalibur EXOMAX"""
Lumi-zone scope
xx75 2219
125gr Slick tricks
Lumi-zone scope
xx75 2219
125gr Slick tricks
I am still fairly new to Xbow hunting, but not hunting Whitetails.
I have no idea how many deer I've shot, but most of my deer hunting happens when there's snow on the ground (90%), so tracking isn't very hard to accomplish, I lose very few.
I 've hunted deer for about 34 years, and lost only a few the last half of my hunting career.
All of my rifle hunting is done by stalking deer in the bush. I only shoot at deer that are standing, usually looking away, never, never on the run. Almost all of my deer drop within 100 yards.
Grey Owl
I have no idea how many deer I've shot, but most of my deer hunting happens when there's snow on the ground (90%), so tracking isn't very hard to accomplish, I lose very few.
I 've hunted deer for about 34 years, and lost only a few the last half of my hunting career.
All of my rifle hunting is done by stalking deer in the bush. I only shoot at deer that are standing, usually looking away, never, never on the run. Almost all of my deer drop within 100 yards.
Grey Owl