[ada33]

The other day I was reading an article in Bowhunter Magazine (think the writer's last name was Hoyt? - not sure) that touched on taking ethical shots. He mentioned that a booth at a show he attended kept showing a loop of a hunting video (filmed by the booth owners). In the video the guy took an absolutely terrible shot at a game animal (past quartering to almost straight away as I recall), but ended up putting it down. When he addressed the booth owners about the video, they shut it off. He then said that the guy who took the shot came over to speak to him. He said that the shot looked bad because there were a few twigs and limbs in his shooting lane - said he hit one of them and it deflected the arrow making it look like a bad shot. The writer was even more upset after finding out the shooter didn't even have a clear lane for the shot. The point of the article was that this does not help our cause with those who don't like archery hunting. I tend to agree with his assessment. I have a few relatives who have no problem with hunting in general but don't like archery hunting because of the way an animal is killed by a broadhead (hemorrhage vs. shock & tissue damage) and the number of animals they believe archers injure.



It is a shame when hunting shows that should promote the sport end up doing more harm than good. I had a couple of Primos videos a few years ago - one was a big game video and the other a whitetail video. As I watched the big game video I was appalled at the shot Brad took at an antelope from a ground blind. The antelope was at a watering hole FACING straight at the blind with his head down drinking. He shot the thing at the base of the neck while it was in this position. He later said it was a good shot because the arrow would go from the base of its neck down through the vitals... Yeh, whatever you say buddy... Even though he claimed it was such a good angle, they decided they better leave him overnight just to be sure. He got it, but that was an awful decision. And why would you put it on the video when it might influence someone to take a similar shot??? While I was a bit upset, I was willing to chalk it up to a ;-) on Brad's part.



But then i watched the whitetail video. Good old Brad was hunting somewhere in the midwest with a rifle and had a nice whitetail @ 300 yds. away on a windy day. No worries, he decided to take the shot anyway. Aiming for the vitals, he hit the buck square in the head. Killed it instantly of course, but the bullet also could have drifted a few more inches off course and hit it in the mouth. Starvation would have been a pleasant way for that animal to die over the course of the next several days. An ethical hunter would not have taken that shot under those conditions - and that hunt should not have been on the video. Is the pressure for these guys to make a video so high that they must resort to taking these kinds of shots... then put it on the video??? I will say that good old Brad was the only one I saw do this... and if I owned the company, he'd be... :? after a good... :evil:



I just threw the videos away. I'd rather not give someone else something that might influence him to make a similar decision "since the Primos guy did it". It's really a shame when people show no respect for the animals we try to harvest. :-x

 

[Ridgerunner]

i once shot a deer in the base of the neck facing me, i knew not to but after 20min of the deer standing in the same spot looking in my direction i guess i was to messed up on adrenalin i took the shot anyway, at 25yrds i hit exactly where i was aiming, watched the deer stumble away gave it 45min, great blood trail but never found the deer, i learned a very important lesson that evening and will never take a facing shot again the vital area is to small on a deer. :-x shot angle on a deer is really important with a bow to be efficient DR

 

[mosouthpaw]

Id say the stress of getting a kill on a video was greater then the producer wanted and they wont buy footage w/o shots.

IMO hunting video producers and video hunters should be held to a higher standard. and those that allow/shoot at bad angles and questionable shooting position should be ashamed of what they are doing to the sport and pursuit of game. There are only a few shows left that i enjoy watching, most are all ego boosting of the hunter, and have no substance.

I personally find all those "mega bucks vol 486" type videos nothing but fluff.

 

[semobow]

I've seen some horriable shots on TV. But I've also made some horriable shots on game even though I try to be ethical. I hit a limb one time and gut shot a doe, it sucked. Another time I shot a nice little buck too far back and didn't find him. I didn't do these things on purpose but they happened. I saw Ted Nugent a couple of weeks ago shoot a buck way far back. He didn't do it on purpose but it happened.

 

[OwnMoreBone]

I have had my fair share of mishaps while bowhunting. But, I would not want to have on video for all to see. One of the worst does not even happen to be with a bow. I use a 450 Marlin as a back up during gun season. Anyway, to make this short. I was driving home to eat lunch, and in the field about 100 yards out was a nice high racked 8 point. I stopped got the gun out and he was still out in the field. But, he had turned and faced me by that time. So I thought, hey I have a 450 that I am shooting him with. After the shot I chased that deer for hours. Where I hit him first it looked like I took all the hair and hide off his brisket. I even tried with a 300 Win Mag one time and lost that deer also. I cringe when I see that shoot done and will never do it again while hunting. To much margin for error. :-x

 

[Kansas Boy]

I watched a show last night, think it was Relentless Pursuits, they were hunting in Illinois doing a deer drive. The guy had a recurve and took a running shot at a buck. It looked like a 20-25 yard shot and the arrow hit behind the rib cage just in front of the hip bone. It was a horrible shot but the guy high fived the cameraman and was very excited. They did find the buck but never mentioned what a bad shot it was. Instead they congradulated each other and patted themselves on the back. I guess they think people watching the show don't care how you harvest an animal. I have made poor choices and bad shots at times but if it were on a hunting show I would feel obligated to point out the errors I made and why I wouldn't make those same choices in the future. I guess when it comes down to it, making money from a TV show is higher on the list than ethics and responsibility.

 

[weave]

i once shot a deer in the base of the neck facing me, i knew not to but after 20min of the deer standing in the same spot looking in my direction i guess i was to messed up on adrenalin i took the shot anyway, at 25yrds i hit exactly where i was aiming, watched the deer stumble away gave it 45min, great blood trail but never found the deer, i learned a very important lesson that evening and will never take a facing shot again the vital area is to small on a deer. :-x shot angle on a deer is really important with a bow to be efficient DR

Weird, I did this exact same thing, once, a long time ago...

Never again.

 

[Antlermass]

One morning I had a decent 4x3 buck come walking down a trail heading right for the spot I had picked as a nice 15 yard shot. As he walked behind my stand I came to full draw and he stopped in the spot I wanted. Then he turned to face my dirrection but not looking at me or alarmed at all. I had been at full draw for a while with a 80 lb bow and 65% letoff and was getting tired. I made a choice to settle my pin just to the front of his shoulder (qaurtering to me) and let go. Fortunatly for me the arrow penetrated well and the buck never made it 50 yards.
I still wish I would not have taken that shot because for the hour I waited before traking I was tore up thinking I hade made a bad shot. So I have never tried it since and always advise against it if guys ask what I think about a straight on or qaurtering to shot. For the most part there is no more bone or cartilage in the breast than the ribs its just a smaller target and they usualy do not bleed out as well so tracking hard.