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Posted By: Freezerfiller Ever lost an animal? - 01/03/13
Just curious to see how many people will admit to this. If you have- How? What went wrong?
Posted By: rosco1 Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/03/13
yes,archery Pronghorn, just a bad hit. I didnt really lose him, but I could never get close enough to him again to finish the job.
Posted By: rost495 Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/03/13
I don't know anyone that hasn't.

Posted By: Tejano Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/03/13
Just recently first one (excluding Hogs) since I was about 12 years old.

Took a risky 2nd to last rib shot at a sharply quartering away deer. I aimed for the off shoulder. Deer stumbled hard then weaved and took off running. I was shooting a single shot and didn't even try to reload as the hit looked good. Deer parts on the ground, some dark blood and light but no wrong side of the diaphragm stuff, pieces of lung on the ground too. Thought just give him a little time and that was it.

Started getting dark but tracking was easy till he got into tall Johnson grass and Cane that was from waist high to eight feet tall. Kept loosing the trail in the grass, lots of other animals had been through the area. Tracked by flashlight for another hour, all this within 3-500 yards of the shot. Lost the track for good and left a marker.

Next morning found the marker about fifty feet from where the deer laid down. Followed that trail and found the deer about another fifty feet from where I had stopped my last circling.

The entry wound was huge but shallow I could have put both fists into it. Buck was smelly from the rutt so dressed him and took him to the processor. No good even though it was in the low thirties that night.

This was with a .243 and 100gr. Corelokt factory loads. It looked like the bullet was deflected by the first rib and then fragmented on the second. Three ribs were exposed. It took out only one lobe of one lung. If this is what happened it is the first "failure" I have had with a Corelokted old or new. I couldn't help thinking a Barnes or Nosler would have put that deer down fast with the same shot.

Mistakes: Should have waited or passed on the shot. May of misjudged the angle. Deer moved at the shot changing the angle too slightly. Could have been a one in a million fluke performance with the bullet. I shouldn't have stopped tracking, or should have gotten a buddy and more/better lights, or even a dog. Bottom line I fugged up.

Felt really sick about it. Small buck by most standards but looked to be five or more years old and heavy for the area. Small tight eight point rack but heavier than most.

Couple weeks latter passed on a much bigger buck just because I didn't want to take a chance. Much better angle but just didn't feel like a sure thing. I wasn't sure if it was at 300 or 375 yards so enough to make a difference. I think I did the right thing on that one.
Posted By: rost495 Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
hogs are animals too. Just sayin.

As to mistakes... choose a better bullet would be the main one I see there. Beyond that it just doesn't work out that sometimes there are failures. Even with the best attempts. Just how life wokrs out.

I've seen corelokts loose their core a LOT more than one would expect. Its why I say bullets are cheap comparatively.

Deer was bad after being out in the 30s overnight? Thats wild, we've had em out at upper 40s to 50 overnight and just fine.
Posted By: mudhen Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Lost a bull elk when the 175-grain Interlock from my 7mm Rem Mag came apart on his shoulder. Looked unsuccessfully for a day and a half. The shrapnel did enough damage that he died, though. We finally found him three days later, a mile or more away, thanks to the flock of ravens that were pecking away on him in the blow-down where he had crawled in and expired. I have never tried another shoulder shot on an elk.
Posted By: Lonny Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Yep.

In every case, a large part of the reason for my lost animal was taking a marginal shot to begin with. A big part of this was me being young and having the mindset of punching the tag somehow equaling success.

It was not bullet failure, optic failure, or rifle trouble, it was me plain and simple and I hated the way something that brought me as much joy as hunting could make feel lower than low when an animal was lost.

Not to sound holier than thou, but since I've outgrew the drive to notch a tag at all costs, I haven't lost an animal in a long time.

Posted By: Mauser_Hunter Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
I'm going to get crap for this, but the truth is, i've never lost an animal that i've shot.

Ask me how many i've passed up, and I can't come close to remembering.

When my dad was alive, He could say the same thing, and he drove that into me to be able to say the same thing when I was old.
Posted By: Esox357 Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
I lost a pig three months ago. Shot at 150 yards found blood and bone. Guide watched him and didn't think it was a leg shot. Tracked him for two hours and lost him. Found blood and then it would dry up, found where the pig laid down and then got up and where it pooped but no pig? Hit with a handloaded 168 TSX from a 30.06. I was not happy about it. The pig was probably 130lbs. I nailed a big boar with a 25.06 115 bt and he dropped at the shot only to get up and try to make it to the wood line and I put another in him he was anchored, walked up to him to have him jump up with his head snapping his jaw and popped a 40 caliber gold dot into him, dead right there! The hogs can be tough. I have not lost a deer yet, but sure it is possible. Hunt long enough you will miss and you will lose game? It sucks but it happens as a hunter, ethically do all you can do to recover the animal!
Posted By: GaryVA Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Game birds are animals and don't see how anyone could upland hunt and not lose a bird now and then. Seems like that would be an impossible feat. Same could be said for squirrel and all sorts of other critters. But this is a Big Game forum so I guess that doesn't count.

For big game, I've experienced losing game to being eaten by predators after waiting a period of time before starting a track. Recovered the remains, but for all practical purposes, lost the animal.

Best smile
Posted By: Winnie Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Lost a pheasant or two this season.

Lost a few rabbits that I hit a bit lower and they kicked themselves down a hole.

Lost a coyote I barely grazed with a 223 round.

It happens to everyone, best you can do is try to find them.
Posted By: MichiganScott Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
I lost my first deer hit with a rifle this year. I figure I hit him through both lungs, but too far back. I never found any bowel or anything that even smelled like bowel. He was at extreme range for the bullet/cartridge I was using. I think expansion was minimal.

Judging from the color and amount of the blood I found, he was hurt bad and never should have gone as far as he did. I tracked him for over 600 yards until he tried to swim one of the bigger and faster flowing rivers in the state. I doubt he made it.

The only other animal I ever lost was a bow kill 30 years ago that got into the bayou type mouth of another major river in the state. I've never been able to track in two foot of water. I was simply too close to the swamp and didn't know it.
Posted By: Mauser_Hunter Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
I was just talking about big game.
Posted By: bea175 Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Originally Posted by Freezerfiller
Just curious to see how many people will admit to this. If you have- How? What went wrong?


any one who hasn't lost a animal or bird , either hasn't hunted very long or is lying.
Posted By: MILES58 Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
I have lost birds. I have lost deer, but never one I put the first bullet into. Deer that I was sent to recover. Deer I spent a couple days trying to recover.

The weirdest thing was losing a double on woodcock with another person there who marked both down right where I did and with two excellent dogs on the ground who were steady to wing and shot and had also marked the birds down in the same places.

Posted By: Jericho Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
I have lost two deer, a fox, and a raccoon.
Posted By: Freezerfiller Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Originally Posted by bea175
Originally Posted by Freezerfiller
Just curious to see how many people will admit to this. If you have- How? What went wrong?


any one who hasn't lost a animal or bird , either hasn't hunted very long or is lying.

I believe everyone has lost birds. I've probably lost 100+ by having them dive into toolies or go drifting down rivers out of dog range. Im really talking about big game, and no. Not everyone has. I've been hunting since I can remember and I have never lost an animal I knew I hit. Stalk and wait for a better shot...
Posted By: Jericho Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
I have know a couple of guys that lost black bears in PA.
Posted By: Winnie Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Originally Posted by Mauser_Hunter
I was just talking about big game.


I've shot at two deer in my life. One was a clean miss... twice. The other ended up in my avatar. grin

I've hit pigs and had them run until I put another in them. Could have almost lost them, I reckon.
Posted By: 5spd Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Lost my 1st antelope this year on public land. It moved when 2 other road hunters started to run after it when they saw it 1/4 mile off as I was shooting, hit high on the shoulder and made its way to the fence & crawled under it to a private ranch.
I watched it lay down in a gully on that side then I had to call them to get permission & wait for the foreman to show up who I knew and even though we spotted it 3x it always moved off another 300 yards due to the open area and seeing his truck. The bullet went through it good & we could see tons of blood on the exit side, just about 4" to high, thanks to road hunters who made it move at the same time.
I trailed it then it got into the tall mesquite & deep canyons and we both lost it. I was pretty sick that it was going to be coyote food.
Posted By: mudhen Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Originally Posted by 5spd

I trailed it then it got into the tall mesquite & deep canyons

Mesquite in Wyoming? Not quibbling, just curious. Our mesquites here in the southwest won't survive temperatures below 12 degrees F for more than about 12 hours. I'm wondering what plant is called "mesquite" up there.
Posted By: kaboku68 Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
I lost a mountain goat two years ago. I had a great set up-200 yards. 30/06 three shots through shoulder. That guy looked at me and bounded of the side of the cliff and got hung up 65ft from top in a rock pocket. He was 300 ft up from bottom of rock face. No rope and I tried to dislodge him by shooting him off. Didn't work.
I am sure that I lost a caribou when I was younger but the losing the goat really stung.

Sincerely,
Thomas
Posted By: ingwe Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Originally Posted by Freezerfiller
Just curious to see how many people will admit to this. If you have- How? What went wrong?



Lost a buck mule deer once. 80 yards, high lung shot with a .243 and a 100 grain hornady. Done it two dozen times before with that gun and load, and predictable results.

Dont know what went wrong...I just know I spent a BUNCH of time looking for him...to no avail...
Posted By: Tejano Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
For ROST I have tremendous respect for all animals. Feral Hogs are great game animals and probably much more intelligent than deer and probably quite a few people. The problem is they are so successful here that they are considered vermin. So not the highest of ethical standards but the SOP is to shoot as many as you can whenever you can. In spite of this RAMBO mentality I have only lost one Hog, shot too far back while running with a .375 H&H.
Posted By: rattler Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
lost a speed goat....gust of wind hit me as i took up the last bit of the trigger.....hit him way forward.....spent most of a day trying to get another round in him, last i saw of him he was still going strong over a ridge almost a mile ahead of me so i think he lived......there is another mule deer buck that im pretty sure i hit but never found blood, never found a trace of him......still not sure what happened there....but thats it for big game.....numerous gophers have made it back to their hole before i get them stopped....im sure most didnt live long but they did get away....
Posted By: mart Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
I've lost a few coyotes. It always bothered me to loose one but if you shoot at game sooner or later shots go wrong. Like any bird hunter I know I've lost bird, both upland and waterfowl, despite concerted efforts to retrieve them.

The only big game I think I lost was a mule deer buck. I was considerably younger and my wife and I felt under the gun to fill our tags for the meat. I took a last day of the season low percentage long shot on a buck far too far away. He kicked at the shot and ran off. I don't know to this day if I shot under him or if I hit him. I scoured the area for blood or hair. I never found blood or hair. He ran off apparently uninjured. I played that shot over and over in my mind and still don't know if I hit him but concerned that I might have.

We didn't fill our tags that year and we still made it through the winter just fine. Lot of hamburger that year. I did make the personal decision to limit my shots at unwounded game to 300 yards. I've kept that personal limit for the last 20 years and haven't lost any big game, or coyotes, since.

Mart

Posted By: Ringman Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
One: A doe from about 10'. It took off without leaving a blood trail. I searched and searched with no success. I did find one that someone else had lost so I tagged it.
Posted By: nighthawk Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Lost one the first time I used a Partition, 180 grains, .30-'06. There was a big doe standing with two smaller does at about 150 yards on tilled cropland, pretty much a chip shot for here. They all took off but my cousin thought he saw the big one react to the shot. No blood or hair but you don't always get that. There was just enough snow to show the deer didn't leave the half section. We started a search after waiting a bit for the deer to bed and kicked the two smaller ones up out of a weedy corner. We spent the rest of the morning checking every plow furrow and every patch of weeds and every inch of the perimeter of the half section for signs she left but never found a thing. Not even a spot of blood but the snow was patchy on the dark tilled earth. Was like a UFO came by and sucked her up. Hope I just plain missed but I'll put it down to me screwing up for lack of evidence of anything else. Did leave a (undeserved) sour taste for Partitions though.

Have lost a few pheasants, it's inevitable. The last one was dead in the air but fell into a big patch of horse peppermint so the dogs were no help. We tromped around a bunch but funny how those gaudy colored birds can disappear in the weeds.
Posted By: NathanL Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Shot a buck with my bow a little low and caught the shoulder/leg at least I thought. I could tell from the sound it whacked a pretty good bone.

It was at the house so I looked for a long time, got a friend over and we looked all night. I looked over the next couple of days and then I started hitting up the creeks and stock tanks looking for a dead deer. Only found a few drops of blood and the back half of my arrow.

I saw him again the next year missing his front leg. Didn't seem to bother him. I saw him again over the next 3 years total. He never did grow a funny rack but even tho he got much larger in body size he never grew a rack any bigger than the first year I shot him.

I also never saw him around the house till well after gun season was over in late January and he hung around a long time each time but then would disappear in the summer each year.
Posted By: Coyote_Hunter Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Originally Posted by mudhen
Lost a bull elk when the 175-grain Interlock from my 7mm Rem Mag came apart on his shoulder. Looked unsuccessfully for a day and a half. The shrapnel did enough damage that he died, though. We finally found him three days later, a mile or more away, thanks to the flock of ravens that were pecking away on him in the blow-down where he had crawled in and expired. I have never tried another shoulder shot on an elk.


Sorry about the loss of the elk but nothing wrong with shoulder shots using the right bullet. Took my first elk with a Hornady 162g BTSP and wasn't impressed, although the bull went down. Switched to 160g Grand Slas and it took 20 years to recover one. When I did it had destroyed both shoulder joints of a 5x5 and dropped him where he stood.
Posted By: Raeford Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
My biggest buck to date[as of then] Oct.31 2011 with bow. Large 10pt about a half hour before dark. Climbed down just after dark. Went over and checked his trail/direction with flashlite. Good blood trail. Walked to the house, ate some dinner and went back looking/following blood. Heard an ankle biter yapping on up the mountain where a subdivision backs up to it. When I got up there I found where the deer had bedded and bled heavily. Apparently the dog had pestered the deer and it fled the area. I trailed it for 3 hours that night and tried to pick the trail back up the next afternoon to no avail after 4 hours.
Posted By: rost495 Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
the thing I take home from reading this is what I already knew and has prevented further losses on our end at this point.

Never rush a shot. I have ended up not getting shots because of it but so be it. Every time you HAVE to shoot a doe or buck etc on THIS hunt for some STUPID reason.... you put to much mental pressure on the situation which creates a bad situation.

I saw it on our lease again last weekend. A friends Dad gets this [bleep] in his head that TODAY he is going to shoot a doe. Never mind the last 2 months of season, come hell or high water he is going to shoot. and he takes a shot at a moving doe early in the evening. Its a high flesh wound after my wife and I trail and serach for about 2 hours. I knew that from the first blood we saw that it was only a wound. But we have to look.

Worst part had he waited, he had 7 doe out later at closer range feeding broadside not moving.....

Posted By: Mauser_Hunter Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
He deserves a swift kick in the nuts.
Posted By: bangeye Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Lost a doe hit with a cast bullet out of a 45-70.must have hit her too far back Wait about an hour tracked her size able blood trail and jumped her within100 USA lots of blood waited again same thing again and yet again until she finally crossed to property where we couldn't follow. Still think about her after probably 10 years
Posted By: davet Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Lost a bow shot buck on a Saturday morning, that should have been a gonner. I wouldn't have aimed at him any different if I had to do it over. Quartering away, hit at back of ribs angling forward. I have no idea what went wrong, but I didn't recover him after looking the rest of the weekend.

The other was a bow shot doe that was farther than I usually shoot, and at a very steep quartering away angle. I plain didn't accound for enough angle, and made a bad hit, running the arrow up along the ribs.

Lack of experience in both situations. I hit wrong on the doe, and I think I would have recovered the buck if I had the sense to see I was pushing him along the track, but being young and energetic, I couldn't lay off.
Posted By: rost495 Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Originally Posted by Mauser_Hunter
He deserves a swift kick in the nuts.

Yes, as do any that rush shots. We give him a pass since we are simply glad that at 88, even though stubborn, he is in well enough health to hunt.
Posted By: Mauser_Hunter Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Because of his age.

Make it a slow kick in the nuts.


Age is no excuse for being stupid.
Posted By: rost495 Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Yep, I gotcha, but its not like we all haven't made a mistake and age still gets some respect regardless. At least its how I was reared.
Posted By: catman925 Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
I loss sevral deer dis year, all wuz shot with my bow. But i did git my furst bow kill dis year, wuz a big ol doe. I shot dis buck dat ran in sum thik schit an i cood not fine it, went bak nex day and fount him down by da river. Sum try to git me to eat it but i said hell naw. 1 oter trip i shot dis doe and went to track her an laid my bow down and wuz trakin dat doe an a big ol buk was standin der. Cood hav kick my on ass dat day. I have hit treez an errything else but i end up wit 9 deer dis year. I gues i jus git in a hury and shoot to quik. But hell i is tryin and yotes need to eat to.
Posted By: renegade50 Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
wtf????????????????????????????
you just slinging arrows everywhere like stevie wonder or something????????????????????
Posted By: 5spd Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/04/13
Originally Posted by mudhen
Originally Posted by 5spd

I trailed it then it got into the tall mesquite & deep canyons

Mesquite in Wyoming? Not quibbling, just curious. Our mesquites here in the southwest won't survive temperatures below 12 degrees F for more than about 12 hours. I'm wondering what plant is called "mesquite" up there.

Tall scrub brush...Im just used to calling any waist/neck high scrub brush mesquite.
Posted By: Coyote_Hunter Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/05/13
Originally Posted by rost495
...

Never rush a shot. I have ended up not getting shots because of it but so be it. Every time you HAVE to shoot a doe or buck etc on THIS hunt for some STUPID reason.... you put to much mental pressure on the situation which creates a bad situation.
...



^^^amen^^^
Posted By: JD338 Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/05/13
I shot a big buck earlier this season with my S&W 629 44 Rem Mag. High shoulder shot dropped him in his tracks. He thrashed for about 20-30 seconds and then got up stumbled and fell a couple times and disappeared in the thick stuff. I never found him! I was and still am just sick about it.
I spent over 10 hours looking for him but never found him.
Here is a picture of him after the shot on the trail cam.
[Linked Image]
I do a fair amount of shooting through out the year. I know my equipment is good, sighted in and I am pretty proficient with it. I guess sometimes "things happen".
I have to live with this and the fact that I could have, and should have, put a second bullet into him.

JD338
Posted By: kawi Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/05/13
Yes freezerfiller and so must have you,hence the post. I have learned off of it.
Posted By: moosemike Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/05/13
Lost several animals with a bow but none with a rifle. The boy lost a 6 point buck last year he shot in the shoulder with a 130 grain ballistic tip from a .270. Don't really know what went wrong?
Posted By: rost495 Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/05/13
Originally Posted by JD338
I shot a big buck earlier this season with my S&W 629 44 Rem Mag. High shoulder shot dropped him in his tracks. He thrashed for about 20-30 seconds and then got up stumbled and fell a couple times and disappeared in the thick stuff. I never found him! I was and still am just sick about it.
I spent over 10 hours looking for him but never found him.
Here is a picture of him after the shot on the trail cam.
[Linked Image]
I do a fair amount of shooting through out the year. I know my equipment is good, sighted in and I am pretty proficient with it. I guess sometimes "things happen".
I have to live with this and the fact that I could have, and should have, put a second bullet into him.

JD338


Another reason I don't take high shoulder shots. You simply shot a bit high, where if you'd have taken center lungs the deer would have been dead right now, you only shot above the vitals and spine more than likely, and he'll be fine which is good news actually.

I've seen same exact shot 3 times this year on our lease, going for high shoulders... 2 broke the back and the folks were amazed, both had to be shot again. The other was the doe a buddies dad lost. Just takes an inch or so too high when you are aiming at the fringe of the vital zone.

And yeah the 2nd bullet may well have helped.

No flames inteneded but the idea of high shoulderblade shot so folks don't have to track bothers me and always has. Why not shoot for center of vitals to give room for most error/largest target. As noted we are not always perfect. Some like me are rarely perfect.
Posted By: HughW Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/05/13
Lost two with archery -shot at dusk and when we found them the coyotes had eaten large portions. Still tagged but not usable.
Have not lost any with rifle or black powder.

Posted By: JimR Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/05/13
I shot a cow elk Thursday evening, found a good blood trail and decided to let her lay up over night as dark was coming on fast. Went back yesterday and followed the blood trail a mile or so before the blood stopped. Makes no sense, plenty of snow and there was a good, steady blood trail right up to where it suddenly ended. Kept making bigger and bigger circles looking for it to pick up and after a couple of hours reluctantly gave up. Other elk in the area made following a set of tracks without blood a losing proposition too it seemed.
Posted By: Klikitarik Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/06/13
I lost a slug-hit whitetail when I was 16 or 17. That animal was grazed enough to have stopped initially, but was spooked by friends I was hunting with as I was readying for a simple kill shot. We tracked that doe for quite a distance with very little to follow other than her footprints- specks of blood were scarce. When we finally found her again one of the friends, a fellow who fired his gun once or twice with slug loads before we hunted, stepped in front of me to make the less than 50 yard shot, a simple deal with the gun I was practiced with for weeks before the season. He missed. We never saw her again.

I haven't a lost anything bigger than a fox since. I have had some pretty horrendous tracking jobs at times, but I generally do the same whether it be a rabbit or a ptarmigan too. I see it as good training. You never know when the ability to follow and find will mean saving a friend or other person.
Posted By: Elkmen Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/06/13
Yes I have. Two deer both standing head shots (thats why I call a head shot a chump shot). On one, I believe that I just scratched the head between the horns. The other one went off leaving pieces of her lower jaw. Trailed her on and off for two days never recoverd. Cow elk muzzle loader, 125 yards, square in the middle of the near shoulder. Wandered around while I reloaded and then joined the herd for a walk about. 5 mile, two drainages, and 2,000 down, below the snow line in a different county,I gave up. I believe the bullet failed to break her front shoulder. Deer with a bow, 25 yards standing broadside downhill. Arrow went high just a little far back, little blood, and poor tracking conditions. I am thinking she may have lived because it was in my back yard and no crows or dogs ever showed up. I cris crossed the area several times over the next few days. Two elk both drew very little blood, never stopped for "miles". Both probably recovered. Both shot low, long dark hairs on the snow.
Posted By: Savage_Hunter Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/06/13
lost a housecat one time. It took 3 attempts and a half tank of gas, but I was finally successful.
Posted By: kamo_gari Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/11/13
Haven't taken but a dozen-odd 'big game' animals, but haven't lost one yet. One antelope I shot badly was a horrible thing, however. She was bedded down and I must have spooked her just as I squeezed, and the round unzipped her belly as she stood. UGLY. Ended up putting 3 more 7RM rounds in her as she ran along dragging 20 feet of intestines behind her. A bud with me finally rolled her with two .35 Whelen rounds. Not a proud moment, that.
Posted By: Ole_270 Re: Ever lost an animal? - 01/12/13
Several years ago I lost a poorly hit doe, knew it when I heard that hollow thump that I'd gut shot her. She had come up out of a hollow and stopped for a moment before starting off again just as I shot. Trailed her across two neighbors places before I lost the trail. I'm always very careful about shot placement as I don't want that feeling again.
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