My apology to all hunters

[kbstenberg]

I have to apologize for my inept deer hunting this year. I have been proud of a 35+ year record of no losses and quick kills. I hold myself responsible for a fast humane death to any deer I shoot.
This year I lost 2 well hit deer. And the 1 deer I recovered (which had a hole in his heart, liver, and no lungs left) still ran 200 yards with no blood trail.
Tonight I just feel very inept.

[Prodigal Son]

Happens, I lost my first this year too!

[Texas by God]

My regrets. Hunt long enough and it happens. God's other creatures will make good use of them, though. Chin up, be proud. Best, Thomas.

[CastingFool]

No need to apologize, most of us have been in the same situation at one time or another.

[c1skout]

Been about 15 years since I lost one, it happens. My consolation is the fact that nothing goes to waste in nature.

[Bayoubulldog]

I did it two years ago. Never recovered him! First time hunting with a friend too. It was pretty embarrassing! Live and learn!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[jeepyj]

From reading you post I can tell your the type of person who genuinely care and that my friend isn't my definition of inept. I think your the type of sportsman we need more of. Best of luck to you.

[toallmy]

May God bless the critters .

[GoodOlBoy]

Buddy it don't matter if you've shot one critter, or a dozen, sooner or later you're gonna have one that vexes you. One that just WOULDN'T go down clean. Long as you are still trying to make 'em clean kills, and long as it still bothers you I'd say you are in good territory.

God Bless, and One Love.

GoodOlBoy

[white eagle]

no need for apology
it happens to the best of us
chalk it up to experience and pull what you can from it

[44man]

Lost one myself this year. No blood. It happens.
Most important is how you feel. I will not say bad, you did the best. Go on my friend.

[DougGuy]

I lost one that I know didn't go to waste, there were at the time I lost this one, 250+ breeding pairs of black bears in the Great Dismal Swamp.

[runfiverun]

I am amazed at how far a damaged animal can travel.
I tracked one down for my brother after he zipped it open and dumped just about everything but the heart and lungs out of the cavity.
it made it across an open field two guy's were watching without them seeing it and into some cedar trees where it backtracked itself in a narrow loop before falling down.
well over a mile to the trees and another 1/4 mile in the loop it took.

[44man]

All you need is a hole and a .45 is better then a .44! Yeah sure. My deer was lost with a .475.
A few points of boolit toughness cost me. NOT BHN at all.

[ChristopherO]

Apology not accepted. Unless you are an intentional slob hunter that doesn't care and deserves to be berated and forced to apologize would this have any credence. It happens to the best out there, even with the most well placed shot that can be set up. Yes, you feel bad about it, as you should, because you are human and have a conscience. But you don't have to come on a hunting forum and apologize to us. That won't make amends nor bring the animal back. It is those who live the with devil may care attitude that do not care a whit about the animal that need to apologize for it is they who smear the hunting community every time they set foot in the woods. I don't see you as this type of person. Learn from the mistakes made, quietly grieve the loss and move ahead. Nothing in life is a given, even when hunting.

[tdoyka]

I have to apologize for my inept deer hunting this year. I have been proud of a 35+ year record of no losses and quick kills. I hold myself responsible for a fast humane death to any deer I shoot.
This year I lost 2 well hit deer. And the 1 deer I recovered (which had a hole in his heart, liver, and no lungs left) still ran 200 yards with no blood trail.
Tonight I just feel very inept.

it happens to all of us. learn from it. it will make you a better shooter. you have 1 deer that was recovered. what does it tell you? did it make an entry wound and where? did it make an exit wound and where? what kind of caliber? cast or jacketed? how fast? how fast was it moving when you hit the deer? what range? there's a couple more questions that i have asked myself:(. i still have a hard time remembering my own shot(ok, mine was during archery season).

you may feel inept, but you will learn from it.

[quilbilly]

No need for an apology. I have lost four in just over 50 years and regretted every one hoping they didn't suffer too long. Every one was due to heavy rain eliminating any blood trail in moments. Nothing goes to waste in nature though if that helps. If it doesn't make you grieve, you wouldn't be among the best of us.

[M-Tecs]

What caliber, bullet type and angle of the shot? Sooner or later it will happen to everyone.

[toallmy]

I have a lot of damaged meat but I generally try to blow out the front shoulder , in my youth I lost game with hart and lung shots , I read about in the magazines . A long time ago this old fellow asked me , wile helping me clean a deer why I shot him 3 times with a slug gun , my response was he keep trying to get up .

[jhalcott]

Years ago I learned that a deer on alert will travel quite far with a lethal wound. I have had heRt shot deer go several hundred yards . Sometimes taking a second hit with no apparent effect. Even crop raiding does would do this.