And your opinion on the matter means the entire world should believe exactly as you do, huh?

Good thing it was not your buck RM!!!

Great rack on that deer!!

Yelp I'm just like you I either use a really small caliber and forehead shoot them or rope and choke them so that I don't loose an ounce of meat. Its waste to cause blood shot meat.

The jaw meat makes great stew and the fat behind the eye ball tastes like cookie dough.

I also never back out on a deer regardless on how marginal shot it is, it better to run him down three
miles and four fences away then let one lucky yote possibly find him.

Kidding of course, but were sure are quickto judge and degrade our fellow hunters, when he clearly worked hard to find that deer

Nice deer and way to stay persistent with the recovery efforts. Hate that you lost the meat for the freezer!

I have to agree. This has happened several times here where someone finds the rack days or weeks later and still say it was great and or crack a smile in the pic. I would be sick to my stomach if I lost my best deer. If you are unable to recover a deer in time to utilize the meat, I do not see the success.

Ok guys I have shot a lot of deer with no problems with this exact gun. Officer Dowdy told me that the deer was shot through the front shoulders, so I wouldn't say it was a bad shot. Second my family eats deer meat exclusively so that I do not have to buy meat throughout the year so yes I'm not happy about losing the meat. Third this is not my best season because of this deer only, I've got to experience hunting with my grandad for another year and that alone could be reason for my best season. But I also shot a mature buck off our ranch in jack county after many years of passing them, and I got to spend my birthday a couple weeks ago with my little brother and dad in Colorado elk hunting. As far as all the perfect hunters on here I could care less what you think.... For all the compliments that have been posted thank you. I think I'm about as ethical of a hunter as there is and that's the way I will continue to hunt. I can a least sleep at night knowing that I tried everything in my power to find him and if that landowner would have granted permission for me to look for him I would have had the table fare to enjoy.

Good on ya

Way to stay with it Hunter.

This kind of thing happens from time to time when hunting and I am positive JJL had no intention of shooting an animal that took days to find but it shows the kind of sportsman he is for staying with it to recover the animal. I have been a similar situation and never recovered the deer after 3 days of searching and believe me it is something that still bothers me so I say all of the critics should lighten up.

Also for you guys that only hunt for the meat I guess when you didn't recover the deer in time for the meat to spoil you would have just shot another one so you would have had the meat. This is wrong in my book I used my tag on this deer so therefore I am done.

I read this post back when it was posted and thought I responded. Guess not..

Congrats on a great buck and great job doing everything in your power to find him

x2

Good job! It sucks losing one, but they can be extremely tough creatures and there will always be one that fools you. Several years ago, I was in the blind with my oldest stepson watching a bunch of does behind a clump of weeds when I saw a big old buck walk out of the trees. I whispered "buck" and Jeremy was a bit freaked out when he saw him, as he'd never shot a BIG deer before. I told him where to put the crosshairs (he was about 250 yds out, and he squeezed the trigger, dropping the buck in his tracks. We waited about 20 mins. and walked out in the field to find the buck still breathing, even though he was spined (I didn't know the gun was sighted for 200 yds and it hit high). Jer then shot it in the neck @ 3 ft. with his .40, hitting a major artery. We waited for another 15 min. and he was still breathing, so Jer tried cutting his throat with his pocket knife, and we walked the 3/8 mi. back to the truck and drove as close as we could to him. When we got back to the deer, he was STILL breathing, but it was faint. We grabbed him by the horns and drug him to the truck, about 150 yds. away, thinking he'd expire, but he was STILL breathing. I finally got my big Ka-Bar and dang near sawed his head off before he gave it up.
It sucks that you lost the meat, but you gave it all you could, and that's something to be proud of.

Let's be open and honest. There are those who care zero about the meat. After all, how many times have we seen heated debates over how best to cook venison. And unfortunately, catch and release doesn't exist when you're using bullets. It's why we see such division in many of the comments being shared.

IMO, those who have an issue with overall success being measured by whether or not the true resource was lost or found have solid ground on which to stand. Otherwise, we might as well consider ourselves as shooting trophy rats.

Bottom line, JJL was sharing his story....Not asking anyone's opinion on the matter.

Great buck to a solid and ethical hunter!
Happy Hunting always!

I have to believe he may have also caught some pent up frustration from many of the posts that have been shared this season over deer that have gone unrecovered. There seems to have been many more than usual.

Some of you guys could find a way to moan and complain about an orgy with the Swedish bikini team.

Great deer for any county. Congrats.

Indeed.

x10

Awesome deer thanks for sharing!

you look like Merle Haggard back in the good O' days

That is a great deer. There are have been several large bucks killed here in Wise County this year.

X3

I for one appreciate your effort and persistence and especially appreciate your GW helping you.
As far as the 25-06, I think it is plenty of gun, shot placement is everything. A lot of deer are killed every year by a .243

Agree. Those posts always make me laugh when someone says 25-06 isn't enough. It's absolutely perfect and if you have to have a 300 Win Mag to kill a 130 lb deer then you probably shouldn't be hunting.

Great deer! Good to hear all of what has made this such a successful and memorable season.