Photos: 23-Point Non-Typical Buck

[CoG]

JPH,
Head on down to my hunting cabin anytime!

Deebz,
I personally don't think he respected his quarry.  I don't mind a hunting story, but again this isn't between close friends in hunting camp.  It's public.  It's smart to watch what you relay to the public, just like watching what you decide to say by reading a room.  If you let it all out, that's fine by me, but don't be surprised by a lil backlash.  That's all.

[rudedog36]

You guys are missing my point.. Never once did i say that he couldnt shoot 60 - 70 - or 80 yard really well. What i sad was that he shouldnt have. AT ALL! PERIOD!
Anybody can shoot that far with tons of practice .... AT A TARGET. Its not moving. At 60 yards one step of the deer and you go from a perfect lung shot to a gut shot and never finding an awesome deer. Even he said.....
"As I watch the arrow flying, it starts to go to the right and then a loud smack sound and the buck takes off through the brush, stops and walks away. My heart sank to the pit of my stomach and I just held my head down. I knew I missed..."
He thought he missed plain and simple..... thats what 60 yards does... its too far to shoot an animal the size of a deer. Not to mention a gust of wind, or a branch, or anything.
I have taught all my kids that hunting is not the killing, but the experiance of the hunt. Weather you kill something or not. Enjoy the experiance, hunt hard and smart, and everything will fall into place. And if that trophy shows up ... Great, but if not, no big deal, there is always tomorrow.
As for shooting. Ive been hunting for 27 years, and I know for a fact that i am way better at 30 and under than anyone shooting at 60 and over. Hitting a plate at 80 yards isnt good enough....ever heard of picking a hair and hitting it???? You cant even see hair at 60.
As far as me hanging out at a deer camp with you guys???? No thanks i would rather hang with my kids and friends who i know respect the animal they are hunting enough to kill them quickly. Not flinging arrows....praying it hits something.
I love whitetails, to me they are the most beautifull animal in the world. They deserve all of ours respect.
Im glad he got the deer, its just the way he got it.

[kumprey]

I'll take the confident shooter in my deer camp any day. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, with your adrenaline (epinephrine and norepinephrine) pumping through your veins, you lose focus and miss the finer details, like if your arrow connected, which direction the deer ran, etc. That's why we do it, "the thrill of the hunt." It happens with bow hunters and gun hunters alike. It even happens to people who hit a long drive, and then can't find their ball because they were so amped up they didn't follow it all the way. If you have killed many a deer, and state you have never nervously searched for your arrow, or then looked for blood on your arrow or the vicinty to tell if you hit the deer, or that you never lost site of which direction a deer headed after the shot, or that you never shot over 30 yards, never wounded a deer, never missed a deer, know the exact yardage of every deer you have shot at, or have never told a tale about the hunt without mentioning what arrow or bow you used, you are not welcome in my deer camp... because you are a LIAR! My response, if a friend came with that quote, would be "grab another arrow! That crack was your arrow hitting bone, not a branch. Let's go get your deer!" Keep shooting, they'll keep hating. That's why we get to choose who we hunt with! I'll tell you what's a really boring camp story... I saw a nice buck at 55 yards. He was really pretty. Then he walked away into the timber. The End.

As far as hunting with family, that's my pick every time. I like what you have taught your kids. That's nice. But things can go wrong at 10 yards, 30 yards, 60 yards, 80 yards. Hitting the vitals every time you shoot at 80 yards is enough with a stationary target. I have wounded deer as a kid with a crappy bow from 25 yards that I would not wound today at 60-80. That being said, 9 out of 10 times I see a white tail at 50-80 yards I am not taking the shot, because of wind, trees, movement, etc. Just because you respect the animal does not mean people who shoot farther than you do not. It's a different comfort level. I always pick a clump of hair when I shoot, good point. But the fact is, my brother and I (and plenty of other people) have had great success with proper practice at further yardage. As we love and respect deer and elk, say a prayer after the kill, only harvest what we can eat, use all that we harvest (including the hide for clothing), own land and plant crop, practice QDM, and donate to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Turkey Federation... I am troubled by the fact that you act all high and mighty, "we respect the animal, you do not" attitude. That's a bunch of crap! Guess what, if I start to injure or miss animals at 60 or 80, Ill stop shooting at this range. Why, because I too would never want to injure such beautiful creatures that I too respect.

Don't hate, CONGRATULATE!!! And it doesn't count as a congratulations if there is a BUT blah blah blah blah blah. Lame~

[kumprey]

I do get what you guys are saying to some extent. But don't steal the dudes thunder or rain on his parade, cuz that's lame. Yes, most people should not shoot over 30 yards. A lot of hunters injure most of their quarry at 15-20 yards, and shouldn't be in the woods at all. But to say no one should shoot over 50 or 60 yards as a rule is just plain wrong. Special Ops snipers can nail a guy in the head up to 1.5 miles taking wind, temperature, humidity and motion into play, an ethical bow shot over 50 yards is possible! I am sure that you don't hit the hair you are aming at every time you shoot at a deer with your bow, or take a 300 yard rifle shot! And I am guessing, that if your staff writer asks him to tell the story about the next big buck he drops at 60 yards, he might relay the story as a 39 yard shot, double lunged, say "I knew it was a lethal shot," or at least leave out the second arrow that missed. But that's not what really happened, and not what I and many others want to hear. We want to hear the truth, and that hard work and practice doesn't always lead to a perfect ending, but that with persistence and confidence in one's abilities we can accomplish things routinely that others find impossible. That's another real good lesson for the chillins! Otherwise, we can all swap deer cam pics and eat beef.

[rudedog36]

Here is a better story .... i shot at a deer at 60 yards and gut shot it only to never find it... End of story. Never get a shot at him again.OH Well...
No respect for life.. "its just a deer"
Ho hum I gotta get that big buck to prove im a great deer hunter.. CRAP.
I hunt almost every day of the fall. if i see the big guy thats great to me, I know i will get a shot at him again.
what you are telling me you are a better shot at 80 than 25??? Doubt it.
Your Damn strait shit happens.... i have missed deer, i have wounded a deer, and yes shit happens at 10 20 30 or any yardage. Thats why i CHOOSE not to shoot over that yardage (not because i cant!) Im not high and mighty. ITS CALLED LEARNING FROM YOUR MISTAKES. i dont have to prove anything to anyone, but apparently you think shooting at deer at that distance does. My trophy wall says it doesnt.
I really could care less what you think about me. The reason your pissed at me is due to the fact you know im right. Do you really think your a better shot (not that you can or cant make a shot at 80) at 80 than 30 ... Liar.
One more thing ... im willing to bet you have injured more deer at those distances than you have put in your freezer. Very sad
Youll learn some day.
i really dont mean to argue, but i just dont see the sense of a 90% shot at 30 or less. To a 40 or at best 50% chance at a deer at that range.

[kumprey]

well well, potty mouth....

I never said I shoot better at 80 than 30.... I said I believe I shoot better at 80 than a lot of other people (not all) at 30. I shoot better at 30 than I shoot at 80, certainly. I shoot better with my rifle at 30 than I do at 200 too ... but that doesn't mean I'm not confident and dropping the Booner at 200. Like I said, most shots I will not take at long range taking everything into account. When everything is in my favor, I will, and I am confident that the shots I take over 50 yards are at a 90% success rate. I pass at 20 yard shots that don't make sense to me. I am not trying to brag, and I don't need to learn from your experience. Like I said, when I cannot make these shots, I won't take them. And I haven't wounded a deer for years. Before taking my craft seriously, I wounded deer at 20 yards and still feel terrible about them. I am sure I may eventually wound one at 60... that's life. It does not mean that you respect nature and the original hunter and I do not. I am not asking you to justify your point, I understand and agree with most of what you say. Many of my friends and family were very skeptical as well, until they have seen my brother and I target practice, and then go out and ethically hunt big game, with great success, and an immense love and respect for what we do. To each their own, I hope most people have your attitude vs mine, but believe we both can be right on this. Keep on keepin on, and God Bless our great country and the freedoms we have!

[JPH]

Wow krumpy, that was a rather long and angry reply to my short post. I only posted one sentance. Everything else was a direct quote from the hunter in question. If his words make you uncomfortable, maybe that is your issue.
 
This thread has turned very ugly and I'd rather it just go away. One thing does puzzle me though. Ben had to have known that it would draw a reaction when he posted it. Was that the idea? If the intent was to encourage respectful discussion among level headed hunters, it failed.

[Deebz]

Yeah, this thread definitely went south...
 
I think everybody needs to remember that hunting is a very personal thing for everybody involved.  We all make our own choices and set our own standards.  No one person has any right to tell someone else that what they did was wrong, as long as it's inside of the law.
 

[USN_Sam1385]

Have I taken a shot at 60 yards, no. Have I taken a shot at 50 yards, yes. once... And I should have never taken the shot. I read my range pins wrong and thought it was 40 yards. Luckily it was a clean miss.

I have also missed the same deer THREE TIMES in a row, within a 5 minute period, from a tree stand. It kept running a distance away, then coming back in at a different angle, etc. So... I have messed up a lot...

Am I going to sit here and bash you, and say I wouldn't have taken the shot that you took. Well, I could tell you that I wouldn't take the shot, but I wasn't in your shoes. Who knows what I, or anyone else would do with that much adrenaline running through their veins. The highest pin I have though is 40 yards... so I guess that limits me.

I 100% congratulate you on this deer. However, I agree that posting publicly the way the shot played out is not intelligent for our group of hunters. As several have said, this can be used as some serious fodder for the ant-hunting community.

[BBD23]

Thank you all for the support, especially Kumprey, Deebz, Pickleguy, USN_Sam1385, and Ben. I just recently received my 23 point buck back from taxidermist and looks great all by his lonesome on my wall.  Yes, he is my only buck on my wall.  When I first started hunting 14 years ago, I shot a 12 pointer at 20 yards and double lunged him.  I was un-experienced and got out of my tree too soon.  I know I double lunged from where I jumped him and and saw the frothy bubbles in the blood on two sides where he laid down.  I had my misses and there have been times when I couldn't find deer. I am not perfect, but I have licked my wounds and I have practiced very hard.  I had a bow prior to the one I own now that I never shot over 30 yards with and I was very successful.
This year I had to get a new bow and I practiced at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 yards and everything in between.  I even practiced at 70 yards and was not comfortable at all. You can't have a pin for every yard. You do have to aim a lil high or a lil low at times.  If you are comfortable with the shot and you have practiced that shot then take the shot, just as I did.  After shooting this buck I practiced again at 60 yards to make sure it wasn't just luck. Once again, I double lunged the target at 60 yards.  I am confident at 60 yards and below.  I have 5 deer in my freezer just from this year's bow season. I've shot does at 20 and 25 yards, 40 yards through brush, and 30 yards and then this buck at 60 yards. If I wasn't confident at shooting that far, I wouldn't have shot.  I'm not stupid, but I enjoy the challenge. Hmm, isn't that what bow hunting is all about, challenging and sometimes luck. Of course, there is no luck when you have fenced in deer, you feed them, or have a guide.  I have none of these and I don't own this land.  I was lucky to hunt this property. No food plots and only 5 cameras for 80 acres. LUCK!
Still, I am sure somebody will pick this apart, just like the rest of my posts, but you know what??? I don't care.  This is my story, I told the truth and I was open to all of you about my hunt and this deer is on my wall, not yours.  If I see another buck at 60 yards and he is bigger than this one, I will shoot him also!
I hunt for meat, but if the opportunity arises, like this one, I'll shoot.
Some of you brought up ethics? I was ethical!!!!  I did not shoot this deer, cut off the head and leave the rest. I did shot this deer because of the rack, but I kept the meat and he is very tasty.....yummy[:D]

Last time I checked PETA stands for "People Eating Tasty Animals"

Once again thanks to the above mentioned for all the support!!!!

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