Recovery rate

[Big H]

75% of the people you see at OSTA shoots don't hunt or don't hunt with traditional archery equipment. fucking posers.

Geezer, I'm definitely not one of the best trad archers you know. mediocre at the top of my game. I'm pretty damn good at getting close, "easy" shots that I know I can make, though.

And THAT is the difference right there.

 

[Jamie]

75% of the people you see at OSTA shoots don't hunt or don't hunt with traditional archery equipment. fucking posers.

Geezer, I'm definitely not one of the best trad archers you know. mediocre at the top of my game. I'm pretty damn good at getting close, "easy" shots that I know I can make, though.

I need to correct myself here a little. not everyone who enjoys traditional archery is a hunter. lots of people just like to shoot traditional bows for fun. like golfing or bowling or whatever. it's not right to call those folks posers, and true enough, most of them are not great shots. Still, many of the OSTA (or any trad shooting event) attendees who do hunt in archery season hunt with something other than traditional archery equipment as their primary weapon of choice. being a traditional archer isn't quite the same as being a traditional bowhunter. most of the best traditional bowhunters I know are not great shots, they are great hunters, adequately proficient with their equipment, and highly disciplined in their shot selection. some of them are really, really good shots, though.

sorry for wandering off into the weeds.

I'd say less than 20% wounding loss in archery season sounds about right. disappointing, but seems correct to me.

 

[Jackalope]

btw how is George? Haha just kiddin

Oh muh dam

 

[giles]

Yall are a mess.

 

[Geezer II]

Yall are a mess.

 

[Jackalope]

View attachment 107931

Huzzies! Look at them knees.

 

[Geezer II]

Huzzies! Look at them knees.

Hurt yur ears

 

[Schu72]

I know small data sets can be misleading, but I'm willing to share my stats and they aren't very impressive. I'm 4 for 5 with the xbow. My only loss was a stud of a buck I hit right square in the shoulder and didn't get much penetration. Sparse blood trail. After having 5 years of TC pics, I never saw him again. With the compound, I'm only 7 for 10. Kind of hard for me to believe, but it is what it is. One was the first deer I ever shot with a compound. Hit looked fatal, but never found her. The other 2 were bad shots, both hit back. So in total for archery I'm 11 for 15 with a 73% recovery rate on hit deer.

 

[brock ratcliff]

My guess is AZ is very close. I know a lot of archery hunters personally. I hear countless tales of the one that got away every year. I’m willing to bet for nearly every story about one killed I hear about one wounded. They may not all die but a lot of em do. No guess what the percentage would be but a solid hit to the body isn’t easily overcome. The mythical “no man’s land” does exist, but not all arrows claimed to have hit it actually do. If you have an arrow with chunks of food or crap on it—— ya didn’t hit the no mans land and that deer is dead. Maybe not before dark, or even early the next morning, but it will die.

 

[Fletch]

I think I've lost 2 deer in all my years of hunting... Not a good feeling... Main reason for such a low number is I know my limitations and love hunting thick nasty spots where shots are up close... Even in Illinois you won't find any of my stands on a field edge... Why be tempted into taking long shot...Furthest deer I've ever shot was 20 yds and under...

 

[Geezer II]

My guess is AZ is very close. I know a lot of archery hunters personally. I hear countless tales of the one that got away every year. I’m willing to bet for nearly every story about one killed I hear about one wounded. They may not all die but a lot of em do. No guess what the percentage would be but a solid hit to the body isn’t easily overcome. The mythical “no man’s land” does exist, but not all arrows claimed to have hit it actually do. If you have an arrow with chunks of food or crap on it—— ya didn’t hit the no mans land and that deer is dead. Maybe not before dark, or even early the next morning, but it will die.

Agree - its amazing when ya add in road kills, disease , predation and ect. This is the golden age of deering in Ohio - take care of it - i remember when if ya saw some tracks it was a good day -

 

[brock ratcliff]

Dad killed a little buck in 1962, Meigs county at one of my aunt’s farms. That was a 2.5 hour drive from home. He stopped to show it off all the way home. It was a big deal. By the time I started hunting we actually had a few deer in Pickaway county too. I remember the first buck I ever saw in the field in front of our home. I killed my first deer in 1982 with a bow, right behind mom and dads house. It was a doe. We hung her up in the barn and people stopped in from all over the area to see it. No one could believe I’d killed it with a bow and I had killed it in Pickaway county. For perspective, there are now probably close to as many deer killed in Pickaway county every year as there were in t he entire state in 1962. We’ve been through ebbs and flows, but things are pretty darn good right now. Every animal deserves our best efforts and sometimes that’s not even enough. Sure is aggravating to hear the stories where no effort is given to recover. I’ve lost em, but never due to lack of effort.

 

[Geezer II]

Dad killed a little buck in 1962, Meigs county at one of my aunt’s farms. That was a 2.5 hour drive from home. He stopped to show it off all the way home. It was a big deal. By the time I started hunting we actually had a few deer in Pickaway county too. I remember the first buck I ever saw in the field in front of our home. I killed my first deer in 1982 with a bow, right behind mom and dads house. It was a doe. We hung her up in the barn and people stopped in from all over the area to see it. No one could believe I’d killed it with a bow and I had killed it in Pickaway county. For perspective, there are now probably close to as many deer killed in Pickaway county every year as there were in t he entire state in 1962. We’ve been through ebbs and flows, but things are pretty darn good right now. Every animal deserves our best efforts and sometimes that’s not even enough. Sure is aggravating to hear the stories where no effort is given to recover. I’ve lost em, but never due to lack of effort.

For sure - i know a guy in Asthabula county had a single set o deer track in the snow in his grandpas front yard-- the word got around and the newspaper came out and took photos - made the front page

 

[brock ratcliff]

btw how is George? Haha just kiddin

George appears to be shooting pretty darn well these days. He’s gone away from “instinctive “ and now aims. I assume being retired has afforded him more time to practice too. That guy struggled for a while. Glad to see him shoot well again.

 

[brock ratcliff]

For sure - i know a guy in Asthabula county had a single set o deer track in the snow in his grandpas front yard-- the word got around and the newspaper came out and took photos - made the front page

Yeah, things were different when there weren’t many around! Dad killed that buck in 1962 and didn’t kill another deer until 1978. It wasn’t uncommon for folks to go years or even decades with killing a single deer. He would bow hunt most Saturdays and then the entire week of gun season with little hope of actually killing a deer. It didn’t matter, hunting ain’t killing. Dad never was one to do drives. The guys that did drives during gun week had better odds and killed more deer but it just wasn’t the way he wanted to hunt.

 

[Geezer II]

George appears to be shooting pretty darn well these days. He’s gone away from “instinctive “ and now aims. I assume being retired has afforded him more time to practice too. That guy struggled for a while. Glad to see him shoot well again.

Good to hear - George hosted me at his one and only turkey camp down on the Wayne - he is a great guy and treated me just super - got to camp,with George several times and a couple trad showsc- always a treat

 

[Geezer II]

Yeah, things were different when there weren’t many around! Dad killed that buck in 1962 and didn’t kill another deer until 1978. It wasn’t uncommon for folks to go years or even decades with killing a single deer. He would bow hunt most Saturdays and then the entire week of gun season with little hope of actually killing a deer. It didn’t matter, hunting ain’t killing. Dad never was one to do drives. The guys that did drives during gun week had better odds and killed more deer but it just wasn’t the way he wanted to hunt.

Yep a lot of guys from Ohio went to Pa

 

[Jamie]

A Bowhunter Education course should be mandatory for ever person who wants to hunt in archery season. I seriously believe it would make a difference in the amount of wounding loss. I had a good mentor, but I still learned a few things when I took it way back in 1985.

 

[Geezer II]

A Bowhunter Education course should be mandatory for ever person who wants to hunt in archery season. I seriously believe it would make a difference in the amount of wounding loss. I had a good mentor, but I still learned a few things when I took it way back in 1985.

Agree - got picked to hunt the Revanna arsenal, wwII ammo plant during gun season, they had a bow hunt also and those chosen had to go shoot their bows to show proficienfy to get their permit it was all trad then

 

[Ohiosam]

Agree - got picked to hunt the Revanna arsenal, wwII ammo plant during gun season, they had a bow hunt also and those chosen had to go shoot their bows to show proficienfy to get their permit it was all trad then

Mill Creek Park In Mahoning county had some kind of special hunt years ago. Iirc Doe only and there was some kind of test to pass.