Had a bad hunt today

[Peetmoss]

I was hunting my brother in laws farm and woods with 7 guys. 4 sitting and 3 pushing. It was very warm in CNY today about 35 to 40 degrees. They pushed out 3 deer two does and what appeared to be a yearling. Very small and probably wont' survive the winter if it's a bad one.

Well to the point I here the guy in the tree stand about 50 yrds from me yell there comin right for ya. So I took the saftey off and shoulderd my shotgun. And here come the 2 does and little guy. I shot twice thinking I missed both shots so I curse my self. The back to my position after a real quick check for blood and hair. Shortly there after my step borther who was one of the pushers comes out and I told him I what happend. We started looking around and found hair so we looked more and found blood. We started tracking it. Everyone else soon found us and helped out. Tracked it for about 1/2 a mile through some real thick swampy land. Then we here a shotgun blast about 50 yrds away. We found the guy who shot at the deer. It turned out to be the same deer I shot. Come to find out I shot it in the lower front shoulder and the other shot missed. So now the deer is suffering. And I feel like a total jackass for wounding it. We tracked it some more till it crossed the road into a relitivly highly populatated area and then had to give up.

I feel like a total schmuck for wounding the deer and making it suffer. I did pay a small price for this but not nearly enough I got lost on the way back fell in the swamp face first and got cut up bad by prickers. I wish I never fired those shots.

[12-34hom]

It will happen.

Coyotes & crows will clean up after you.

That said, wounding any game animal is unfortunate.

12-34hom.

[Keith Rogan]

Instead of shooting at a running deer, try whistling or simply stepping out into the open so they can see you. Most times, they'll stop for a moment and give you a standing shot.

[Peetmoss]

Kieth it wasn't running it was more like a slow trot untill I fired. The shot was about 15 to 20 yrds away. I know I can make this shot just cant explain why I didn't. I can't stand when this happens. I bitch all the time about people who do this crap by lobbing sluigs at a deer running full speed. I could have and should have made this shot. I just hate myself at this moment for being 2" low or so. I could have sworn my red dot was right were it needed to be but I was mistaken unfortuntly for the doe.

However I thank you greatly for the advice about whistling to get the deer to stop. Great Idea that I never though of. The hunt was very exciting and very hard on me. I sure hope after all of this animals sufering it makes it through the winter. I guess and another bad mark to my kharma

[Guyon]

Buy you a good deer grunt for $10 or so and keep it around your neck.

My own personal deer hunting experience is limited to five outings, and I've never stopped a deer with a grunt. Nonetheless, several experienced hunters have told me that these grunts work quite well at stopping a moving deer.

I did, however, use a grunt to get a buck on my last trip. A buck was following a doe in (start of rut), and they angled off away from me. Two short grunts got his attention, and he circled back toward me and got within range of my muzzleloader. Dead deer.

After this experience, I won't leave home to deer hunt without a grunt.

[Kingcreek]

I've stopped deer many times using a soft baaah like a lamb makes. just use your mouth- don't want to be fooling with a call. the gun or bow should be ready to shoot at the moment they stop.

[Peetmoss]

Thanks for some good Idea's guy's.

[rick_687]

Wounding a deer is a very discouraging thing peetmoss, but you've got a hunter's mind-set and it is reassuring that you feel bad when you don't recover a deer. We all hate it when we make a less-than-wonderful shot. Good luck with the rest of the season, you deserve another chance..

[keano44]

The fact that you are bothered that a wounded deer got away from you says volumes about you as a hunter. Just as you remember all the great shots you make in your lifetime, a good hunter also never forgets the bad shots. There are two types of hunters; those who have lost a wounded animal, and those who will someday lose a wounded animal. It happens to every hunter. Its the ones who aren't bothered by it, or who don't even spend the time and effort like you did, trying to recover that animal, who give all hunters a bad name. Learn from this, always remember it, and move on. Better luck next time.

[huntsman]

I'm sorry to hear this sad tale , but this does happen. It's sounds like your a serious sportsman with proper gear who tried his best so I wouldn't beat yourself up.

Last year 3rd day of season we were walking home on our property when we found a buck dead it looked like a vitial shot thur the chest , but since we never fired a shot it must have ran at least 300 yards from a neighbors property. I got another neighbor that has arrowed a least 2 bucks in the last 5 seasons that were not recovered.