Shooting a buck after ?Missing? the first

[Ohiorut]

Okay, so this question stems from a show I watched yesterday on the Outdoor Channel as well as some personal experience...

If you shoot at a buck from any given distance and it looks as though you missed but are not 100% sure b/c you see no evidence that concludes a miss, other than seeing the buck walk away normally, would you shoot at another buck that comes in minutes later?

Yesterday I was watching Realtree Roadtrips and one of the seens was exactly as I mentioned above. All though he was sure that the first buck that he shot at was a miss, he made contact with the other. I have in the pass done the same with my first shot, and the buck walked away as if nothing happen but I was not 100% sure that I missed so when the next buck came in about 15 minutes later, I let it walk in fear that I hit the first. I was about 80% sure that I missed the first but couldn't see anything that could prove that assumption from looking at my arrow from the stand.

What would you all do if you were in the same situation? I think I made the right choice by not shooting at the second b/c of not being sure of the first shot but boy was it a dandy that I let walk.

[CritterGitter]

While bowhunting, I wouldn't shoot anything else until I was sure of a hit or miss. While gun hunting though, I have missed(@10 yards....I know how could I miss at that range but man she was haulin) and then shot at the next deer to come in.

Kyle

[eschatts]

If I was 100% sure that I had missed, then yes, I would shoot another. If there was a question in my mind that possibly I hit him, then I would not shoot another buck if it came in min later. I would get down after a reasonable wait and then make all attempts to track the first buck and make sure that I had missed.

[bowhunter1023]

I would only shoot at another buck if I was 110% certain I missed. If I was even close to the buck, I would wait to take another shot until I climbed down and verified I missed.

In 2003, I shot at a nice and hit a vine. (See excuses thread for the details.) I was 110% certain I missed because the arrow landed 10 feet in front of the deer after hitting the vine. I shot my first buck, an old 5-point, not 20 minutes later.

[XX78]

Don't shoot at the second buck until you get down and verify a miss. I shot my buck last year within the first few legal minutes of a november morning. I hit him hard, really hard, and the deer startled from the noise/hit. He stood around for a minute (honestly over 60 seconds) which is a really long time. I thought I clean missed him, so I knocked another arrow and put a second shot on him. He calmly walked away with no symtoms what so ever. I waited for 15 minutes, got down and checked my arrows. My first shot nailed him, and I found him in the brush 40 yards later. Wierdest post hit behavior i have ever witnissed, but had I not confirmed my hit, I would have missed out on a hell of a deer.

[dtabor]

I saw the same show. I was questioning his reasoning too. Id never shoot at another until I had verified I had missed the first.

[swantucky]

In Ohio I would not shoot at another buck untill I had climbed down and 100% verified my miss. In Mich. on the other hand, being allowed 2 bucks, I would probably take the shot at the second.

[deerhunter_matt]

Anyone see the Ted Nugent special where he filled all his tags within like 30 minutes? Kept firing away, dropping deer. I guess in Mich. you don't have to tag in a deer before taking another...

[bakerboy]

Shot at one a few years. Deer didn't flinch, just stood there looking around.
Couldn't believe I had missed at 15 yards. Usually I'm always within a inch at 15 yards. I'm trying hard not to spook this deer while getting another arrow nocked. Deer took a couple of steps and fell over stone dead. Another time,
on a steep downhill shot, the deer ran thru trees and heavy brush for 15 yards and then stopped. Stood there awhile, wagged his tail and slowly walked off. Dang, missed that nice 10 point. Marked the spot in my mind and got down to look. No hair, no blood, no sign, and no arrow. That last part bothered me. The steep downhill shot had caused the arrow to go completely under the leaves. Looked for twenty minutes, couldn't find the arrow or any sign of a hit. Started following the deer's path. Nothing. Came back, looked some more. Followed the deer's path again , only went further. Came back, looked some more. I couldn't have missed that shot. Followed the deer's path again. 75 yards out, I find a drop of blood. I found this deer a good 1/2 mile
away, floating dead in a creek. The shot had passed thru the chest as low as possible, just enough to be inside the rib cage. So, it can be very hard to tell what has actually happened even when you get down and look. Ethically, you should not shoot again. Hell, who wants to kill two bucks off of your property anyway?

[bakerboy]

Whose property is it? If it's yours do as you please; if not, no second shot. I've already explained just how difficult it is to tell what happened.

[Thunderflight]

I thought I had missed my 2005 Ohio buck. I had 10 or 15 minutes of legal shooting light left. To top it off it was over cast and dark. I didn't see the arrow hit the buck and he ran off like he was just fine. I knocked another arrow and something said to get down and check before another buck comes by. Well I couldn't find my arrow or any sign of a hit either. I got a friend and we did a grid search for about 30 minutes before giving up. I figured I had hit a limb and would come back the next morning to find my arrow in the brush.

30 minutes later I get a call from my wifes uncle telling me that the farmer who was combining the field found my buck dead. I had hit him high in the kidney and he died 400 yards away.

[LcHunter]

if it was the show where he missed at 10 yd then shot a buck at 40 yd. i think he said he ment to miss the one at 10 yd to scare it off b/c he did not want the big buck to chase it off and not come back. my buddy has this show on tape i will watch it agin and see if that is what he said. p.s. must be nice to miss big bucks on purpose