Ethical killing 101

[Dannmann801]

Good posts all. Sean, thanks for sharing those ethics definitions. Perfect timing, I'm spending time with a new hunter today and this is one of the topics I wanted to discuss, that printout will be a good place to start.

Phil, your thread is titled "Ethical Killing" and so far the focus has been on when to shoot and shot placement, covering the first part of Sean's definition - "knowing and respecting the animals hunted". Do you care to open it up to discuss the ethics of how hunters approach laws, and how hunters treat other hunters? Or do you think that is a subject for a different but similarly titled thread that would be part of a "sticky series"?

@ Frank: What's the name/source of the deer anatomy computer program that was helpful to you?

@Jamie: would you elaborate on NBEF? Been doing this 8 years and never heard of them. just looked at their website http://www.nbef.org/

PS: I've seen shot placement diagrams, good ones, on this site and others, but don't remember where they are. If someone has 'em saved, this might be a good place to post/link.

 

["J"]

If you have multiple deer come in (doe and fawns mostly) you can't totally get fixated on your target keep in mind you've got 6+ eyes looking for you.... Keep your moments minimal and they too keep all them in your thought process..... Been busted a few times by wandering eyes I wasn't paying attention too..... Sounds like a lot of work but actually it's not.... Years ago I'd sit on stand before season and have them walk by and stand and move around while trying too not get busted.... Sounds strange but actually helped me out in the long run....

 

[hickslawns]

Dan- My thoughts were along the lines of ethical shots, shot placement, shots to take, not to take. Things to put deer on the ground and avoid injuring them. I didn't mention "Sticky", but in the back of my mind it seemed like solid sticky material. Sort of like Scent Control 101. . . One of the threads to go back and read again at the start of a season. Sounds like basics, but there is always something we can learn from our peers.

 

[Jamie]

Good posts all. Sean, thanks for sharing those ethics definitions. Perfect timing, I'm spending time with a new hunter today and this is one of the topics I wanted to discuss, that printout will be a good place to start.

Phil, your thread is titled "Ethical Killing" and so far the focus has been on when to shoot and shot placement, covering the first part of Sean's definition - "knowing and respecting the animals hunted". Do you care to open it up to discuss the ethics of how hunters approach laws, and how hunters treat other hunters? Or do you think that is a subject for a different but similarly titled thread that would be part of a "sticky series"?

@ Frank: What's the name/source of the deer anatomy computer program that was helpful to you?

@Jamie: would you elaborate on NBEF? Been doing this 8 years and never heard of them. just looked at their website http://www.nbef.org/

PS: I've seen shot placement diagrams, good ones, on this site and others, but don't remember where they are. If someone has 'em saved, this might be a good place to post/link.

not sure how much I can tell you beyond what is on the website. classes are free. I'm acquainted with an instructor. he usually does his classes in the summer, usually one at an OSTA shoot. the information covered in the class is invaluable to any beginner, helpful to everyone. they cover everything from safety to anatomy and shot placement, blood trailing, and treestand safety. probably more, but I took the class in 1985. surely, it is more refined by now.

 

[Dannmann801]

Well then we should limit our discussion here to respecting the animal. I challenge you to start a thread titled "Ethical Hunting: Respecting the Law and Other Hunters 101"

The hardest part of that thread will be to keep the Amish-bashing to a minimum

 

[giles]

Good info guys! I would like to add a little bit about "after the shot". Watching a deers reaction after the shot will often tell you A LOT. Did you hear that "thump/smack" or nothing? Did the deer bolt off? Did the deer stumble at all? Did the deer run through things that it would normally walk around? All these things are very important questions you should ask yourself and know the answers to.

Then tracking that animal is the next thing that needs to be done correctly. This is not something that can be learned very easily. It seems some people have "it" and some don't. If you don't have the tracking skills, you shouldn't track alone, call a friend/multiple friends. You owe it to the deer to make every effort to recover that animal. If you hunt long enough, you will loose an animal. It happens, but I believe all this is just as important as everything that leads up to the shot. Once that arrow is launched, you can't take it back. Make it count!

 

[Curran]

everything mentioned here(and considerably more) constitutes the core of the NBEF program. some states out west require bowhunter education certification to buy permits. even seasoned archery hunters learn stuff in Bowhunter Education classes. everyone who hunts in archery season should take it.

Good point Jamie!

I would encourage everybody that bowhunt to take the class. It's time well spent no matter how many years you've hunted.

There's usually one offered in Central Ohio around early August. I think the one I took was at Apache Bowhunters a few years ago.

 

[Fluteman]

Lots of good information here, so I'm not going to repeat it. The one suggestion I have to any bow hunter, no matter your years of experience is practice. Practice shooting from an elevated position, and shooting short distances. Learn to bend at the waist when shooting from a stand as opposed to just moving your arms. If you don't keep your torso square with the bow, you are changing your anchor point and affecting your shots.

Also, practice shooting frequently. A bow requires a ton of practice and muscle memory, and if you change something as simple as your grip from one time to the next, it will affect your shot.

 

[Steelheadtracker]

How much is the archery class you guys are talking about? I'd be interested in something like that. To me the more you learn and utilize the knowledge the more variables of causing something to go wrong you can eliminate. Even if it's more work, I'd rather have none to 1 or 2 variables than 10 and have to work harder to get that. That's why I went over board this year trimming around my stand. I don't want to even have to think about small limbs deflecting the arrow causing a bad shot. Same thing with the trail markers I use for yardage marking, it eliminates the variable of possibly guessing the yardage wrong or forgetting your yardage land marks in the heat of the moment.

 

[DandaMan]

Good points guys. Two worth repeating Like Bigslam said check you sight every time you go out.
And like giles said "what happens after the shot". I have never regretted backing out and letting a deer go over night. If your not sure of your shot placement back off and give it time.

 

[Big_Holla]

Admit when you fucked up (to yourself most importantly) and made a bad shot. Don't sugar coat it and don't pretend everything will be OK. Prepare yourself for a long day of busting your ass trying to find that animal. Like many others keyed in on, before the shot is even taken know a little about the animal you are shooting at and what to look for on your arrow, blood, hair, etc. BEFORE you step foot in the woods. I can't count the number of posts I saw this year on other forums that amounted to 'well I just hit a deer, now what do I do?!' Are you fucking serious?? Go on to a forum to ask for advice before you even start tracking?? Unreal. And the never give up while looking for a deer.....I actually read where a guy lost blood and decided to not look any further because the woods it headed into were soooo big and it coulda went anywhere!

 

[bowhunter1023]

Admit when you fucked up (to yourself most importantly) and made a bad shot. Don't sugar coat it and don't pretend everything will be OK. Prepare yourself for a long day of busting your ass trying to find that animal. Like many others keyed in on, before the shot is even taken know a little about the animal you are shooting at and what to look for on your arrow, blood, hair, etc. BEFORE you step foot in the woods. I can't count the number of posts I saw this year on other forums that amounted to 'well I just hit a deer, now what do I do?!' Are you fucking serious?? Go on to a forum to ask for advice before you even start tracking?? Unreal. And the never give up while looking for a deer.....I actually read where a guy lost blood and decided to not look any further because the woods it headed into were soooo big and it coulda went anywhere!

:smiley_clap:

 

[xbowguy]

Clear your shooting lanes and remember where the clear shots are! An arrow deflecting off of limbs will go anywhere. Again, this is not a gun.

 

[hickslawns]

Clear your shooting lanes and remember where the clear shots are! An arrow deflecting off of limbs will go anywhere. Again, this is not a gun.

:smiley_couch::smiley_bagonhead:

It happens. The window I thought was big enough yesterday? Guess it wasn't big enough. Call me a hypocrit or whatever you want. Just saying, stuff happens. Deer didn't stop where I tried to stop him. First deer I ever remembered to try to stop. Most of them are at a destination point or walking by without a care in the world in my sets. That said, you might try to stop the deer a step or two before he gets to your largest window? I tried to stop mine in the window and his momentum took him another step or so as he turned his head to see what the noise was.

Which comes back to what Chuck said: I admit I screwed up. I am not afraid to analyze it, share it with others, and learn from it. Wasn't horrible. End result was a dead deer. Just not the way I like to hit them.

 

[Big_Holla]

Which comes back to what Chuck said: I admit I screwed up. I am not afraid to analyze it, share it with others, and learn from it. Wasn't horrible. End result was a dead deer. Just not the way I like to hit them.

Keep in mind (just like you said) shit happens and can result in a bad hit which isn't necessarily the same to have to admit you did something wrong, rather you realize it was a bad hit and you prepare for the worst right then and there. All too often you hear guys say I hit it back yet they start tracking within the hour, as if they convince themselves that what they saw really didn't happen.

 

[Boarhead]

When in doubt..back out.
Come back later.