Am I a bad hunter?
I guess I probably won't like the answers, but I guess I deserve honest feedback.
I shot my first deer this morning, from about 80 yards away. She was in a field, so I didn't have any frame of reference for size. But she ended up being young doe. I was very nervous and missed my "best" shot, but still went above the shoulder, breaking her back. She still died very quickly.
So on the one hand, it was a more-or-less clean kill, and we still harvested her for meat (of course). On the other hand, I feel a bit bad because she was a "baby." No spots, and it was all perfectly legal. And I did get my first out of the way (I was very anxious and excited).
Did I do wrong, or is it OK?
Personally, I feel remorse that I could have been more selective. But I know I will be more patient in the future.
I shot my first deer this morning, from about 80 yards away. She was in a field, so I didn't have any frame of reference for size. But she ended up being young doe. I was very nervous and missed my "best" shot, but still went above the shoulder, breaking her back. She still died very quickly.
So on the one hand, it was a more-or-less clean kill, and we still harvested her for meat (of course). On the other hand, I feel a bit bad because she was a "baby." No spots, and it was all perfectly legal. And I did get my first out of the way (I was very anxious and excited).
Did I do wrong, or is it OK?
Personally, I feel remorse that I could have been more selective. But I know I will be more patient in the future.
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quote:Originally posted by guntech59
I wouldn't spend any money on a rangefinder unless you have someplace to hunt that offers shots over 250 yards. Depending, of course, on what cartridge you're using.
Congrats on your first deer. Hunting is a blast, isn't it?[:D] (no pun intended)
Thanks. Yes, I'm addicted. I'm very lucky to work a job which allows me to hunt on weekdays when I'm off.0 -
What kind of rifle do you use? Do you have a scope? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by allen griggs
What kind of rifle do you use? Do you have a scope?
I used a Remington 700, chambered in .270. It does have a scope. I know just about nothing in terms of scopes, so I don't even know who made it. All I know is it works very well, and makes things bigger when I look through it.0 -
sounds as though you have the makings of a hunter moreso than a killer. That is a good thing. It gets much easier from here,..you have taken the "first deer" pressure off of yourself. As you harvest more and more,..you will become smoother and more accurate, and then eventually get to be very picky since your freezer will not be empty anyway. I have let some 30-40deer walk in 1 afternoon only to return to the lodge with a full magazine. I had meat,..and they just weren't nice enough to put on the wall,..so they get a "pass" today.
You made a "slight" misplacement, but nothing like most first time harvesters usually do. They miss a LOT of times, and blame the gun or scope or whatever,..only to find that when on the bench it is still dead on accurate. You had Adrenaline pushing your heartbeat wayyy up, and had to shoot from a different postion than you practiced from (I assume you did practice[?]), this difference in cheek weld will cause a POI change as well as a racing heart. The heart thing will get better over time. Your shot was NOT where you wanted, but HARVESTED the animal humanely. She was most likely dead in less than 1 second with a spine shot,..so in reality it wasn't a error as much as you simply didn't hit exactly where you wanted to[;)]
Congrats on the 1st,..that one is hard to get out of the way, but once it is,...game on[^]0 -
Thanks JustC. I appreciate your words and advice.
And yes, I did practice at the range. I only wish there was one clsoer to me. I would do MUCH more shooting.0
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