A bad morning

[henry d]

Went out early to keep up with the buck cull, first thing that went wrong was I forgot my mobile, not a big thing, but still very useful.

 

Arrived at the area I was going to try and there was a buck in the field about 100 or so yds away and I could just make him out to be a yearling with a poor head, possibly due to the bad winter. I got out of the car and went round to get the rifle and sticks and when I am all set I turn around and he`s still there, 120 yds away and broadside to me. Instead of setting up on the sticks I chose to use the door of the car to aim from, I heard the strike but he was off and he kept on going until around 400 yards away and he drops, but his head is up and he soon revives and runs on to fall again a short distance on.

All the way across I could see he was running odd but I didn`t think he had been hit in the leg. Anyway I saw him reach some thick cover and I knew he wouldn`t get far in there, nor would I.

 

I shot off home to get the shotgun as I didn`t want to have worries of ricochets and dead cattle/sheep/etc. and after getting back started a methodical search. An hour and a half later I was beginning to lose hope and then I saw him in a ditch near where he entered the cover, thankfully dead. The shot broke his humerus and exited the bottom of his neck with little damage to major arteries

 

Out again in an hour and I hope I will be better with my shot placement !

[soreshoulder]

at least you tried your best to reach the wounded animal - a fine example of even the pros get it wrong sometimes

[henry d]

Yes, it does nothing for ones confidence.................

[Essex Keeper]

thats life mate aleast you went back and found it

[Mungler]

thats life mate aleast you went back and found it

 

Exactly.

[sako751sg]

A good ending though fella.Most of us have been there,and i personally detest not getting spot on with deer.Even to see a roe dissapear into cover after what i think is a good shot makes me start thinking.

[gixer1]

You sure that's a yearling h?

 

Looks like the coronets/ped's are quite wide?

 

Well done on finding him though! I had one last night that was shot at about 130y and it dissappered over a wall about 30 yards away into ferns and I even called my friend to say I'd lost him but he turned out to be 60-70 yards away in the ferns, and I thought the shot was off but it was just a bit high through lungs.

 

Regards,

 

Gixer

Edited October 9, 2010 by gixer1

[left & right]

Well done mate at least you found him

[tonyrapid177mk2]

nice one mate bet your glad you found it to put your mind at rest atb

[bullet boy]

Glad you found him Malc.

[stevethevanman]

At least you did your best to find it

 

Bad shots make you feel guilty, but you have to remember that bad shots happen sometimes!!...neck shots are abit strange, you sort of have to hit the back of the neck, you made a good call at that distance, just so happened it didnt kill him ..some animals can survive extraordinary things

 

Steve

[MM]

Your a **** shot Malc At the last second he could have flinched without you even seeing it. Top marks for the follow up. Im sure that nobody gets it 100% all the time.

[henry d]

You sure that's a yearling h?

 

Looks like the coronets/ped's are quite wide?

 

It may be the photo, but me and the `keeper had a look at his teeth too and it`s a yearling and a good weight of 19kg in the larder. We`ve found that the yearlings are a good weight this year, but the fawns are scrawny wee things and not worth shooting as we get a lesser price for them under 12kg and most are @ 7-9Kg. It could be that the bad winter set them back in the does womb, I also wonder how many were re-absorbed by the mothers or were later born than normal.