break the ice

[The Rookie]

In joy this laugh at my expense... When I first started hunting no one ever told me that when you shoot a deer they would run and leave a blood trail, I guess I watched too many movies. My first season I fired at a nice size buck, I felt like I had a great shot but it ran away. My father and grandfather herd the shot and they came over and asked me if I got him!! I said no that wasnt me it sounded close. My father would take me to the range and work on my shot all the time I just didnt have the heart to tell him I missed. lol, my second season I saw a doe at about 50 yards, there was no way I would miss this deer, took my best shot and the deer ran. Dad comes by I tell him the samething. Finnally I go bow huting with my cousin I was getting sick of missing with the gun thought I would try something new, I take a great shot at a doe and too my surprise it kicked its back legs out just like the others and ran like hell, however it didnt go far I saw it drop I couldnt belive it, latter that night I told my cousin how lucky I was that I was able to get this deer it must have been a bad shot bcause it didnt drop when I hit it, he laughed at me and told me 90% of the time they will run you have to follow the blood trail.. I told him what happen the first too seasons and we laughed the whole weekend.       
 
The Rookie

[danesdad]

The sad part is, you didn't recover those first two.

[The Rookie]

[font=arial]Tell me about it.. It was a nice buck too.[/font][/align]

[ILBowhunter]

What did you learn from the first two experiences?
 
I hope it was to tell the truth.

[DeerCamp]

even the best miss... believe me, waddell, bear, ect... the list goes on and on.. so you should never be ashamed that you have missed a deer. I will put $100 down right now that says everyone on this form has missed a deer..that is if they have hunted at least 5 or more years.. however if you let led fly or even an arrow fly you should ALWAYS make an atempt to look for the animal or the arrow or even blood.. you never know.. ive heard tons of storys where the person was 110% postive that they had missed, only to find the deer lying a few yards away. ALWAYS LOOK! But hope that you learned from this experence.

[msbadger]

I remember a year at camp when sis in-law had her gun stolen at airport and borrowed my browning 20ga ...I borrowed a guys mossberg 20ga...the guys set the 2 of us at the top of the hill about 200yards apart and drove towards us...she was in a stand and I stood tucked into a small group of trees....well I heard  snap and looked to see a herd of 15 feeding just 50 yrds from me and to my left...crud ...I shoot left handed so knew I had to step out from trees turn quick and shoot...eye on largest doe I did this and all he11 broke loose ..deer running in all directions...I saw deer running toward sis and figured I missed so shot in ground behind ones going toward her.....then heard one bang!...Well the guys were still coming up hill..... I went to check for blood and found nothing...Man was I upset.... told the guys I quit.... I can't hit deer that close I'm not hunting again ...they were looking for blood ...nothing...we headed for the road and post man was backing up and yelled ..hey theres a dead deer up here...to this day it was the biggest doe ever shot at camp...I was 28 then...sis came over and said she saw a big doe at over a hundred yrds.... it stopped and she shot ..but didn't see it again...I said well I killed mine we better go check...she'd dropped that doe in it's tracks....it was the second lrg. doe ever taken....We may have lost both...of our special delivery doe that day....

[hunter480]

Wow-that`s a sad story. You likely hit those deer, but never had a chance at recovering them since you didn`t let on what really happened. Very sad.

Now that you`ve learned, hopefully, you`ll ALWAYS follow up every shot to be certain whether you hit the animal or not.

[:@]

[RNC]

Ouch that hurts to not even check on a blood trail. Hope it doenst happen to you again.

[UncleNorby]

If your state requires hunters to take hunter's safety or hunter's education, the instructors that taught your class should be fired. If no such course is required in your state, then it should be.
 
Heck, even in the movies all things shot with guns don't drop instantly.

[whitetailtime]

That is so sad, and you guys laughed the whole weekend.