I was just thinking of this and was wondering your opinions. If you shot a deer broadside and you know you hitit and it only moves a bit or not at all do you do another shot?
If I am sure my first hit is where i wanted it, than no. If I am not quite sure of my hit, than yes. Shawn
Dont know about another Shot, but make SURE that Critter is DEAD before you climb down, or Approach it!!
I sure would.The more blood the better the trail.
RS, I think you should always get a second arrow into a wounded animal if you have the chance.
If it's a good hit.....Not me. I wouldn't want it to see me move and cause it to take off running. Two bucks last year never knew they were hit and expired within sight.
anr you talking about not moving laying on the ground? If it was still standing in front of me I would shoot again. I have made some 20yrd, rifle heart shots and the deer still be standing. some things are hard to kill..
i shot one in a thicket one time with my wheelie bow. it ran a/o 20 yards, and stopped. i found a hole in the brush and shot another arrow "for good measure". anyway, i believe the first shot was good, but we never found the second arrow... or the deer. a storm came up about 1/2 hour after i shot... and took care of any blood that the deer laid. the area was so thick (~10 year old clearcut) that a grid search was pretty much out of the question. i really feel like the first shot was good enough that the deer MAY have laid down where it was when i shot the second arrow if i'd left it alone. makes me pretty sick thinking about it.
Yep, I'll shoot them until they fall and don't get back up. I've seen "dead" animals fall stumble, fall over, and get right back up and move on to a difficult or non existent recovery.
I've done this several times with different species, and never once sorry I did.
Shoot it 3 times if it's still standing and you have a close, unobstructed shot.
If they're on their feet or maybe spine hit i shoot till they are down for sure. If a buddy shoots a deer and it comes past I'll always try for another hit unless there is a different agreement.
Ron
Shoot again.
I shoot most of my deer under 12 yards, most under 8 and I can see and know if i have killed that deer or not, like I said if I am not sure, but why risk wasting meat and possibly scaring an animal that was gonna walk a few feet and lay down and die. Shawn
if i get a second shot ill take it now! didnt used to and lost a few animals and always regret not getting in a second shot when i had the chance.
If he wants to stand there and let me put another arrow into him I will be happy to. Kill as quick and humanely as possible.
Yep! I'll shoot it as many times as it would let me. There have been times when a well hit deer has been lost for one reason or another.
QuoteOriginally posted by Shawn Leonard:
why risk wasting meat and possibly scaring an animal that was gonna walk a few feet and lay down and die. Shawn
Because, sometimes....they don't....or get to a place really hard to get to/find. I ask the same question...why not? Another shot to the boiler room probably won't ruin any meat. Just my preference....more arrows are always better.
Insurance isn't a bad thing when the woods are as thick as they are this time of year. More blood=easier to find, just in case they surprise you and decide to take off after all.
If it gives you the opportunity, shoot until it's down. No question about it.
How often do you hear a person tell you their first shot was perfect only to find out later, it was far from..... shoot until you cannot....
Shoot again.
He was bedded, and I made an eighty yard stalk. I shot him from eight yards. Hardest lesson I ever learned.
Killdeer :(
I'm no sicko but I really enjoy shooting animals so if I'm given a second chance I don't hesitate , you can go a long way between shots . my thoughts , Fred
No brainer, YES. The object is to kill the animal as quickly as possible.
Like Fields said, you never know what you hit 'till you put the knife to the animal. If it's on it's feet, put another blade to it.
I always put in a second if I can. Thanks, Ben
I think if you put an arrow through a deer and he goes a little ways and stops, unaware of what stung him, it would be best to wait and see what happens. A second shot may spook him into running. Then you'll have a maybe not so good blood trail and you don't want that. If he's in sight with an arrow through his vitals and not going anywhere he may go down if you wait a bit.
It's happened to me a few times, the most recent was a nice 8pt that my shot looked high and a little back. He jumped ran a few yards and stopped. I got another arrow on the string and was ready to shoot again but I held off for a minute. Even though the shot didn't look that good it cut a major artery and he drooped dead in less than a minute.
Dr Ben Peyton, a well know Game Biologist here in Michigan stopped by just a bit ago on his way north to his hunt camp. Ben just retired and is a long time traditional bowhunter. I ask his opinion on the 2nd shot scenario. He's of the same mind as I am, if the animal is not moving off, time is on your side. It of coarse depends a lot on where the first shot hit. If you know it's a bad hit, gut shot or other then yes, shoot again but otherwise it may be better to hold off and let the first shot do it's work. an animal that isn't alarmed isn't going to run off...walk off maybe but if hurt he'll lay down. If the shot is vital, he'll die shortly.
If you spook him with another shot he could run a long way and may not leave a blood trail.
The buck I told the story about was shot from the ground. Another that comes to mind was a young fork horn I shot some years ago. I was pretty high up a pine tree when the buck walked by under me. I shot and the arrow looked like it went over his back. He ran off 35 yd's or so and stopped, looking around to see what spooked him. I gave a low grunt on my grunt call to try and coax him back within rang for another shot. He looked my way and then just wilted to the ground. I found that the shot I thought went over took him high in the back and angled down through the lungs.
Anyway, I think a 2nd shot is a judgment call, sometimes called for....sometimes not. :archer:
http://www.fw.msu.edu/labs/humandim/research.htm
I agree with Ron, mainly because I think he is right, but also because
1)he has a wealth of experience
2)he makes really cool bows
3)he is bigger than me!
Really, I wouldn't shoot again if I was pretty sure of the shot for the same reason that I wait for 30 or more minutes before starting to track. I don't want to spook a well hit animal into running and turn a short, easy tracking job into a long, difficult, maybe impossible one.
I'd nock another arrow, pick a spot get ready and wait. BUT not long, 5 seconds tops, that would mean about 10 seconds from the intitial impact and if the deer isn't down within 10 seconds your first arrow probably isn't as good as you thought.Aim small and sting the deer again.
kill as quikly and humanly as possible if that means take another shot then take another shot. :coffee:
Gene, I agree, we want to kill as quickly and humanly as possible, but...an arrow causes hemorrhage which takes a minute or so on average to cause death. If a deer is standing, like I said, time is on your side. If he is spooked into running he can cover a lot of ground before going down for the count. In most cases a well placed shot through the lungs will leave a good blood trail. A fatal hit which may be in a place that doesn't leave a good blood trail makes a possibility of not finding a dead deer that has traveled any good distance if he runs off.
If you're not sure of the hit then by all means put another into him...like I said it's a judgment call. :archer:
Ron and I have the same mind set. I have killed plenty of deer with a bow both wheel and stick. Over 100 and counting, have I taken second shots, yes, but only on deer that I knew the hit was not that good and presented me with a good second one. JC, just like Ron said why risk causing it too flee and as you yourself said, make it harder to find. If we are talikg a rifle or modern slug gun than I would answer Yes, but that is not the case here. I have had the same experience as Ron, shot a young 4pt. once and thought I was over his back, he even put his head down and started to feed again, I nocked another arrow and as I was about to draw he just snapped his head up and stumbled over. It is up to the individual but I have done this long enough to know when another is neccesary. Shawn
People have different opinions about what to do in a certain situation. I don't think anyone's wrong if they decide to take a 2nd shot. I just think in some cases it may make it harder to recover a deer if they do.
Interesting topic for discussion :thumbsup:
Ron, I am jealous! We cannot hunt here in my part of NY until the 13th. Go out and shoot once would ya! :bigsmyl: Shawn
heck, I'm so pumped after making the first shot, that I don't think I could get a second one off...
The only ones I can recall that when hit stayed around close enough to give me a second shot,were already in big trouble they just didn't know it yet and by the time they did, wasn't much they could do about it.
Maybe a spine hit would drop and give you an opportunity that you should take, your going to have to put another arrow in anyhow.
If have to be there and read the deers reaction to the hit.
What a good topic.
I would shoot again if I could.Things are not always as they seem and another set of holes will not hurt a thing. :)
QuoteOriginally posted by Ron LaClair:
Anyway, I think a 2nd shot is a judgment call, sometimes called for....sometimes not. :archer:
Personally, I think that is the correct answer.
I've had times I could have, but dared not....right call.
I've had times when I should have and did....right call.
Had a friend the shoot a hog not long ago while we were hunting together that had a limp, and the hog did not run, but limped off after he made a bad shot and he said he was afraid to shoot it again even though he had plenty of time. I asked him if he'd read my story "Hail Storm Bacon and the Bay of Pigs" and he said no......I told him it he had, it probably would have triggered him into shooting again....he said 'yep, I'll know next time'...now all he needs is another limping hog...and we all know those come around once a week. :rolleyes:
You have to make the call on the situation at hand at the time....just my 2 cents.
BTW...I think Joe's been around the block more than once as well Shawn.
Sure it's a judgement thing....But if you have a good one in an animal already...why would you even worry about not finding it if you try another shot in an attempt to kill it quicker?
I've shot twice in about every scenario possible....99% of the time I'm going for a second shot!
Curt, yep. :D
On further reflection and consideration of what others have said,and playing devil's advocate. Even if the second shot caused the deer to run the two arrows through the vitals should make that a short burst of speed. I think a sprint helps the cause of hemmorhage and especially double pneumo-thorax lethality.
I shot a caribou a couple of years ago and had made (what I thought) was a pretty good shot. He went only about 20 yards and laid down. He was now about 35 yards and I stayed put to see his next move. After about 5 minutes he got up and bailed over a bank towards a lake. I ran up and put a second one in him. He dropped on the spot. If he had been closer, I would have shot again sooner but (due to the distance) I figured the waiting game would suit me better than a possible miss (that would probably get him up and moving again).....I don't think this answers anyones question but I like telling the story!