Help- Gut shot deer?

[Patriot]

Awesome job!  I'm so happy for you!!

[schlupis]

Be proud of that buck its bigger than my first buck which I still proudly display...good job and good hunting.

[JOEL]

I also agree with WW i would do a euro mount of the skull

[buckhunter21]

Congrats.  Even thought the shot may not have been ideal, we all have made them one time or another.  Just another learning lesson!  Good job on keeping on the track job...

[JPH]

ORIGINAL: Woods Walker
 
"He's ONLY a 1.5 year old 5 pointer..." 
 
Please don't sell yourself, OR this fine game animal short. He is, in my mind, a GRAND trophy for you, because he's your first, AND you hung in there when many would have become discourged and quit, and you found him! I'll bet that you also LEARNED a lot from this fine buck and the drama that went with it. These are the lessons that one can only learn through trial and error, but they are also the best teacher the woods can offer. 
 

 
Nailed it!

[Eight_Oak_Acres]

Glad you found him, and congrats on your first bow buck!

[ILBowhunter]

I'm glad that you found the deer, it is a shame to have them go to waste. 

This is a good lesson to learn.  No matter what you think you saw when you executed the shot... perfectly broadside, quartering away, etc... and no matter where you think you saw the arrow hit... perfect double-lung, a little high, a little back... you'll never know for sure until you find the buck. 

But the next best thing is to find the arrow and let that be your guide as to how to proceed.  Any indication of gut shot, regardless of what your eyes told you... wait at least 4 hours.  If that means a sleepless night, so be it.

[buckhunter21]

ORIGINAL: JPH

ORIGINAL: Woods Walker

"He's ONLY a 1.5 year old 5 pointer..." 
 
Please don't sell yourself, OR this fine game animal short. He is, in my mind, a GRAND trophy for you, because he's your first, AND you hung in there when many would have become discourged and quit, and you found him! I'll bet that you also LEARNED a lot from this fine buck and the drama that went with it. These are the lessons that one can only learn through trial and error, but they are also the best teacher the woods can offer. 
 

Nailed it!

 
I agree wholeheartedly with you JPH.  As I'm a big QDMer now, I have plenty of fork horns and basket racks on the wall from when I first started hunting.  I think this is actually what got me going so much in Whitetail hunting and why I have such a passion for it!  I'm not saying that it's bad to shoot something like that at my age and experience, since depending on how you're hunting the land and what you want to do with it, ANY deer is a trophy in your eyes as long as it makes you happy!  Have respect for yourself as well as the animal...Nuf said! [:)]

[JPH]

Yep, QDM is about so much more than the size of the buck we shoot.
 
Anyone who has read my posts knows that I really enjoy talking about how we as hunters should consider self-regulating our buck harvest. But this is a converstaion to be held BEFORE the shot! Once the shot has been taken, it is all about enjoying the moment and being grateful for it!
 
Young and inexperienced hunters should get out there and hunt! Be a steward. Master the art of making good shots and recovering deer (our friend Bigwisconsinbucks just took an advanced course in that). When you've got that down, you can begin to consider buck age structure.

[PrairieShadow]

Back a few years when i was trying to practice QDM, before i knew much about it,   i found myself shooting small bucks as i hugely misjudged them and the ground shrinkage was huge!
 
Each year in the field is a huge learning curve for me and i absolutely love it!!