One hunt, one kill

[wilcam47]

I've always been iffy on bow hunting. Seems like the chances of a deer dropping on the first hit seems very low so the chance of losing one would, naturally, be higher. Plus I have no upper body strength

Could be totally wrong, if you know better please correct me.

Even rifle shots can go wrong...but with a well placed shot I think a bow is just as effective as a rifle. You don't need to be a weight lifter to pull a bow. I have shoulder problems and I pull a 60lb bow.

I think its more challenging using a bow. This hunting season I dropped a doe in her tracks with my bow at about 20yds...she was still flopping around so I ran out and dispatched her with my knife. The same thing could happen with a rifle.

 

[Bertfish]

Even rifle shots can go wrong...but with a well placed shot I think a bow is just as effective as a rifle. You don't need to be a weight lifter to pull a bow. I have shoulder problems and I pull a 60lb bow.

I think its more challenging using a bow. This hunting season I dropped a doe in her tracks with my bow at about 20yds...she was still flopping around so I ran out and dispatched her with my knife. The same thing could happen with a rifle.

This is true. The death of the deer featured in this thread was not as easy as I had hoped, my shot was a little back from the vitals and went in on an angle. I've shot a bow before but it was long ago, a friend of mine had a compound that we used to shoot all the time in his yard.

 

[danb]

This is true. The death of the deer featured in this thread was not as easy as I had hoped, my shot was a little back from the vitals and went in on an angle. I've shot a bow before but it was long ago, a friend of mine had a compound that we used to shoot all the time in his yard.

I shoot a handful of deer (>=5) every year, almost all with a bow. So long as you hit a deer in the vitals (lung, liver), you will never lose a deer. Ever**. Most bows are powerful enough now the arrow will go through and through the deer, but even if it does not, so long as you get the vitals you'll be fine. If you hit a deer in a spine, the deer will drop where you shot it, you wont lose it. Give it another well placed arrow (that's happened to me once). If you hit it in the gut, about a 50-50 chance of recovering it. So, don't shoot it in the gut! I've hunted with both a bow and a gun, and deer I've shot with a gun have gone farther than some deer I've shot with a bow. Get it in the vitals, you wont lose it.

You can hunt with both a crossbow and vertical bow sept-jan in MD. Practice with your weapon (vertical, compound) until you can hit a pie plate at least 8/10 at 25 yards, only take shots to the vitals, you will be fine. If you lost the deer, you did not hit it in the vitals. Go bow hunting, its is a whole lot more fun!

** well ok once I nearly lost it to a fox, because its tough to track after dark.

 

[Bertfish]

Well I just cleaned the deer up. Skinning it was not nearly as difficult as I imagined especially when it is hanging inside of a shed.

Does anyone save the pelt/head for anything? I've got it in a bag and don't know what to do with it.

 

[Indiana Jones]

Well I just cleaned the deer up. Skinning it was not nearly as difficult as I imagined especially when it is hanging inside of a shed.

Does anyone save the pelt/head for anything? I've got it in a bag and don't know what to do with it.

Drape it lovingly over the top of the next prius you see.

 

[iH8DemLibz]

Well I just cleaned the deer up. Skinning it was not nearly as difficult as I imagined especially when it is hanging inside of a shed.

Does anyone save the pelt/head for anything? I've got it in a bag and don't know what to do with it.

Send it to the nearest PETA branch.

 

[danb]

I save some of the bones and stuff as chew toys for the dogs. The rest I leave for the critters (in a spot away from people). Foxes worms and vultures gotta eat too. It's always interesting to see what comes around. The pelt wont disintegrate until spring might have to bury or compost it or toss it in a bag (doubt at this point it can be preserved).

If you bury the head where the animals will not dig it up, in the springtime you will have a nice nearly bleached skull.

 

[redeye505]

Very Nice deer. Congrats on the first and first. My first time out i only saw a doe. Unfortunately she saw me first. I saw head than tail so quick it was not funny.

 

[Bertfish]

Ah ha, the head shall go as a MDS Karma

Talk about a fast way to get no takers

 

[cww]

After I took him down though I did feel bad. He was small and pretty young, my inexperience made him seem larger than he actually was. In the future I'm going to try to take larger deer, without the young ones the population won't stay healthy

not exactly the case, proper herd balance and herd size (carrying capacity) are more important. You are not going to hurt the population by killing a young one, even a young buck. Don't sweat it if you are just starting out. Shoot what you want/can - esp doe. You can worry about QDM later after getting a few notches in your belt. At my age if I am out of freezer meat I target 60-80 pound does, easier to drag, quicker to butcher, taste good.

congrats

 

[Bertfish]

not exactly the case, proper herd balance and herd size (carrying capacity) are more important. You are not going to hurt the population by killing a young one, even a young buck. Don't sweat it if you are just starting out. Shoot what you want/can - esp doe. You can worry about QDM later after getting a few notches in your belt. At my age if I am out of freezer meat I target 60-80 pound does, easier to drag, quicker to butcher, taste good.

congrats

I suppose the relative size of the deer can be identified as you get more experienced. The one I killed looked HUGE to me until I killed him. Suddenly he seemed much smaller

 

[ride4frnt]

I suppose the relative size of the deer can be identified as you get more experienced. The one I killed looked HUGE to me until I killed him. Suddenly he seemed much smaller

Adrenaline man, it throws perception off IMO. The deer I killed yesterday looked small to me walking toward me despite the decent sized rack. Turned out to be about 130lbs dressed. Mind you he still looked kinda small at ~50yds with the scope at 3x

 

[cww]

I suppose the relative size of the deer can be identified as you get more experienced. The one I killed looked HUGE to me until I killed him. Suddenly he seemed much smaller

correct. with experience you will notice things like the lenght of the face on a doe; the sway of the back, the sag of the belly, the roman nose, the neck to shoulder transition on a buck - all things that can give you an estimation on age and size

 

[BigSteve57]

Congratulations! That's the way to do it.

Wish I could have gone on a Bambicide mission this year.