seadog

410, you have shown everyone here that you have respect and care for the animal. You will go through this again in your life as a hunter. BTW, congrats.

Gryan

.410 You should be proud of yourself for feeling that way. We all slip on shots here and there. We always pray not to but it happens. Let it motivate you to try to bring off a one shot kill next time but the respect you payed the animal is, to me, priceless! Your dad must be one heck of a teacher. He should also be proud of you.

A side story...My 10 year old son began hunting this year and during the bow season he missed a very nice buck. We talked about how it was lucky that the miss was a clean miss and he didn't wound the deer. Well, about two weeks later, a young button buck comes through and my son draws as the deer was about fifteen yards out. He hits it squarely in the shoulder. Shooting 40 Lbs with 1916 arrows, there was no way the arrow would penetrate the shoulder. At the hit the deer bawled and took off and bawled, it seemed, every step. The look of pain on my son's face turned my stomach in a knot. That really bothered him for a long time. I told him, like we all told you, it happens. He was so pumped to do better next time that he practiced like he never did before. He did not get the chance but the respect he payed that deer through prayer and through working harder made me realize that he loved this sport and he loved the animals he was trying to kill. He felt a bit better after seeing that deer again two weeks or so later, moving around the property with only a slight limp. That is what all us parents hope for our kids and for the future of this sport.

Keep up the good work.

Greg

Tazman

410 I do not care how long a hunter has hunted or how many deer they have killed, this will happen on occasion, it tears me up every time I have to finish one off. What this shows is contrary to what many anti-hunters think, we do care about the very animals we hunt and do not want them to suffer, but when they do we suffer also. We finish the job as quickly as we can and if we were at fault for the first shot not being fatal we try to make sure that we do not allow it to happen again.

Deleted User

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click

410 --it has happened to all that have hunted for any period of time. on the last day of the season last year i found myself knelt beside a buck in the pouring rain, rubbing its neck with some tears running down my face. to this day i don't know why it hit me like it did that day. but i do not apologize for the respect and love i have for the animal that feeds my family

NY Bowhunter

I agree with everyone else. YOu have great respect for the animal you hunt and that can't be replaced. It doesn't matter how many years you've hunted, how many animals you have killed, how many hours you practice, sometime in your hunting life (probably more than once) you will make a less than perfect shot. It sucks and you can't bring it back. Sad part of hunting that we all go through. Make it a positive and learn from it. I especially like the part where you actually said thank you to the doe for her life. Ive done that with every deer along with a prayer. Good stuff!! Keep your chin up.

slugman

happens to us all at one time or another ....keep ur head up

txbowjunkie

Not that it means anything, but I'd think a lot less of you as a person if you didn't have some type of reaction given the circumstances (sorrow, compassion, guilt...... the list goes on).

Keep your head up and try to take solis in the fact that you followed though and ended it quickly.

By-the-way, congrats!