No prejudice.......

[PEARL DRUMS]

Bow hunting has no prejudice when it comes to weapon of choice. I was out yesterday with a cross gun buddy of mine. He shot a 10 point at 12 yards and we didnt find it. It happens no matter what is in your hand. His first bow wound in over 10 years. He is heavily experienced. He has literally harvested well over 100 deer, I guess experienced isnt the word for it..............crap happens with shafts and broaheads flying through the air fellers!

For the record. He respects my weapons of choice 100%. He does his thing and I do mine, we couldnt be more opposite walking out to the stands! 

[mullet]

It always sucks when it happens, but, if you do the best you can trying to find it and can't there is not much else you can do. I don't know how many hogs I've lost a blood trail on that I bow shot and rifle shot. I hit a big boar in the forehead with a 44 pistol at six yards and had him crawl off in some thick palmetto. Never did find him.

[adb]

It happens. Critters have an incredible will to survive. I shot a deer many years ago with my Ruger No.1 300 Win Mag. Perfect shot placement... right through the boiler room. Well... that deer ran across a field, through the ditch, jumped a fence and finally fell over in the field about 500 yards from where I shot it. When I gutted it, the bullet had taken out both lungs. If you shot a human (which weighs nearly the same as some deer) the same way, you wouldn't take another step. Critters are tough!

[PEARL DRUMS]

Eddie we looked long and hard for him. There is a creek that runs through the backside and many a deer have piled up in there. We walked a half mile stretch and seen nothing. He beld like a dead deer running the first 50-60 yards, both sides of the trail. We found where he stopped and dumped a bunch, then nothing. I circled round and round and found two pin drops 100 yards away from there, that was our last hope. He even used one of them heads that opens up 3 times and cuts 2" round! I asked where the hell CANT you hit a deer and not kill it with them things! Guess my answer is wherever this one was hit. He said he wished it would have been me up there at that distance... Maybe....

[mullet]

Adam, I hunt with a Ruger #1 in 300Wnmg also. I haven't lost one yet, knock on wood, that's why I love that gun. No blood trailing.

PD, ask Pappy about the hog he stuck in the boiler at the Alexacarrie Plantation. And then about the boy that was there with a compound that made a bad hit on one with one of those 2" hole Switchblade points that only walked ten feet and fell over dead.

[mullet]

 Blood trailing down here in Florida and Georgia can be very hard. There is not a lot of wide open country, you might see one run for about ten yards before they bail off in a knee deep or better swamp or thick briars and palmettos. You are usually crawling through thickets on your hands and knees or belly with mosquitos and fire ants biteing your ass. That's why I don't look hard for a nasty old boar hog but will for a sow or a deer.
 Adam, that's also the reason I switched from a 30-06 to the 300 WnMg. I wanted the short mag but got a sweet deal on my Stainless #1.

[PEARL DRUMS]

You know what was cool about all of this? No crap? I never ONCE felt inadequate. Even seeing what can happen with wicked, mean equipment. I still felt 100% sure of myself and my weapon.

[mullet]

I hear ya, Bub. happens to everybody.

[adb]

Adam, I hunt with a Ruger #1 in 300Wnmg also. I haven't lost one yet, knock on wood, that's why I love that gun. No blood trailing.

PD, ask Pappy about the hog he stuck in the boiler at the Alexacarrie Plantation. And then about the boy that was there with a compound that made a bad hit on one with one of those 2" hole Switchblade points that only walked ten feet and fell over dead.

I've never lost a deer shot with my No.1 either, but it's amazing how far a deer can go, even when it's shot well. Wild critters are tough. 

[Pappy]

Sorry to hear that ,about anyone no matter what they are shooting,it happens,don't like it when it does but it still happens. If it bleed for 50/60 yards,stopped and bleed a lot the went on with very little blood in my expedience it was probably some kind of flesh wound and more than likely will live,may stay hidden for the rest of the year but will live. Flesh wounds start out bleeding good and then will usually tapper off,good hit will start out most times not so good and get better as a rule. Always bothers me when I start out right out the gate with a blood trail you can follow in a run and as you move along it seems to be slowing. Not usually a good sign. I know what you mean about the big new style heads,a guy brought one down to the Deer Classic and it looked like it was shot with a broad ax,man what a hole.
   
  Pappy

[larrydawg]

My first bow hunt this year ended that way also two bucks sparring 7 yards from my stand in evergreen tree 11point big bodied deer truly buck of a life time. I made the shot ,hard loud Thwack, perfect shot placement, lost him! A lot of blood, found 16 in of my 29 inch arrow. Could not find him looked for two days. Still bummed.
Larrydawg

[RyanR]

No matter what equipment you use, if you hunt long enough and shoot at enough game, you will eventually lose one.  It just goes with the territory. You just have to learn your equipment and use your best judgement before taking the shot.

[Gsulfridge]

I don't subscribe to the same train of thought as some of you guys.  To me, shot placement is way more critical than hitting a deer with a .50 cal!!  Bigger is not better in my opinion.  A .30-06 is more than adequate to kill any deer that ever walked.  It's kinda ironic that we are on a primitive forum and hunting with self bows, yet discuss the merits of magnum deer rounds.  I'm sorry, but I have witnessed deer killed with everything imaginable, and it didnt matter one bit to the deer what it got smoked with.  Poachers kill them with a .22 all the time.  My son killed his first two deer as a youth with a .223 single shot, one shot each, right through the vitals.  Neither deer ran more than 40 yds.  I'm not knocking the bigger calibers, but using a cannon to compensate for poor shooting is not the right approach.  On a marginal shot, yes, I would give the edge to the big boys.  As an ethical hunter, I think that having the patience to wait for that humane kill shot is key.     (OK, Im climbing down from the soap box!)

[Marks]

I don't subscribe to the same train of thought as some of you guys.  To me, shot placement is way more critical than hitting a deer with a .50 cal!!  Bigger is not better in my opinion.  A .30-06 is more than adequate to kill any deer that ever walked.  It's kinda ironic that we are on a primitive forum and hunting with self bows, yet discuss the merits of magnum deer rounds.  I'm sorry, but I have witnessed deer killed with everything imaginable, and it didnt matter one bit to the deer what it got smoked with.  Poachers kill them with a .22 all the time.  My son killed his first two deer as a youth with a .223 single shot, one shot each, right through the vitals.  Neither deer ran more than 40 yds.  I'm not knocking the bigger calibers, but using a cannon to compensate for poor shooting is not the right approach.  On a marginal shot, yes, I would give the edge to the big boys.  As an ethical hunter, I think that having the patience to wait for that humane kill shot is key.     (OK, Im climbing down from the soap box!)

I may be confused but I think everyone agrees with you. It seems the overall consensus is even big broadheads and superfast modern bows with sights shot by well experienced proven hunters can still fail. Then mullet said he likes his .300 mag because that is less likely to happen. Its not that anyone thinks you can't kill with a .223 or one of the smaller calibers.  Marginal shots will happen at some point and he feels that on the terrain he hunts that the blood trails over the long run are shorter with his larger caliber. I personally shoot a .270 and I've never lost a deer that I hit with it so I don't have a dog in either race.

I respect your choice and you respect mine. Like the title says.....No prejudice.

[Gsulfridge]

Maybe I read into it a lttle too much.  This has always been a pet peave of mine when people begrudge smaller, capable rounds in favor of whiz bang magnums when if fact, they should go to the range and become competent shooters before hunting at all.  I too, have lost a deer or two bowhunting, but never with a gun.  I am very picky about the shot I take and respect the animal too much to just blow its guts out with a magnum with the hopes of it bleeding out.  I do respect everyone else's opinion and the choice of caliber is their own to make.  I just wanted to emphasize that it is shot placement that kills humanely, not 3000 fps.  Hope I didn't ruffle any feathers.