Finishing shots, follow up shots.

When do you stop shooting after hitting an animal? How long do you wait to finish it?

  • When it is 100% dead or unsafe/unwise to continue shooting.

    Votes: 78 21.1%
  • When I think I have made a fatal shot.

    Votes: 40 10.8%
  • When it drops but cannot get up, I wait for it to die.

    Votes: 18 4.9%
  • If I can't see it but hear that it is in pain I will approach it carefully and finish it.

    Votes: 21 5.7%
  • If I can hear that is in pain I will listen to it and wait ten minutes.

    Votes: 14 3.8%
  • I dispatch game as quickly as possible out of respect for the animal and myself as a hunter!

    Votes: 283 76.5%

  • Total voters
    370
it boils down to humanity and common sence, and as of late I see a great lack of both showing up here on CGN, I know not everyone has been a hunting guide for several years or been involved with alot of death in the bush but common sense should kick in at some point and NOT 10 minutes later, there are sircomstances were YES you must wait or your fate could be sealed in stone like hunting grizzly bears and the such but black bears moose and deer are simple easily dispached animals, and especialy when you can see them laying there suffering, deal with it in other ways than having a smoke and a beer cause your proud of your unfinished acomplishments!

I said it before a bear crying isnt going anywere hes crying cuzz he cant get up a moose grunting and flailing its head around on the ground ISNT going anywere its whooped! walk up and paste it again ONLY cowards leave animals to suffer, maybe its a feelgood thing to compinsate for small man syndrome or whatever they lack in manliness but in the end its still WRONG!!!!!


X 100

Well said Bone
 
Not trying to pick on you Red, but I knew there are some profesional shooters who prefer head shots. I just remembered who & where.

An exerp from about half way down the page.
http://bullshooter.########.com/2006/03/professional-kangaroo-shooting-part-1.html
This is just one example of many I found on google saying this.

Another myth busted :stirthepot2:

One Aussie advocating head shots on kangaroos at night with a Jack Light does not qualify as a professional hunter in my books and I stand by my original contention that Head Shots are Unethical.... Period.:kickInTheNuts:
 
AGREED!! If you have respect for the game your hunting you will, practice,practice,practice!!

It not always the caliber of gun, it's a good bullet and MOSTLY good shot placement!! IMO.

KR.

And for the same reason a Tazer will drop one fella, not phase a second, and kill a third is why you cannot make blanket statements as above. By all means, practice, and practice a lot, however there are times when one square thru the boiler just doesn't drop them. Then it depends where you are as to how far you want that animal to go on "auto pilot". For example, the ravines around Cabri/Sask Landing. I don't know about you, but when you have a good shot, and make your shot, and the animal decides it's going to bolt, you better have a backup plan, or one s**tload of rope.

I said it before a bear crying isnt going anywere hes crying cuzz he cant get up a moose grunting and flailing its head around on the ground ISNT going anywere its whooped! walk up and paste it again ONLY cowards leave animals to suffer, maybe its a feelgood thing to compinsate for small man syndrome or whatever they lack in manliness but in the end its still WRONG!!!!!

+1 bigtime.
 
Last edited:
I have truely been blessed when it comes to getting great shots at the big game that I have harvested. I've shot all 5 of my deer within 30 yards using slugs and slugs only! All were one shot kills with the exception of the first which got a second slug cause I was young and excited and he was still standing!

Was lucky enough to harvest my first moose this past fall, a very healthy bull with a 45" spread. After the fact, we got out the range finder and he was dropped at 362 yards! My first shot completely obliterated his lungs into dozens of pieces. He ran about 30-40 yards and stopped. Not knowing if I hit him, a second shot hit him in the spine and down he was into the waist high grass. I'm a very strong believer in bringing enough gun to do the job and only shooting if I absolutely know that its going to be a near instant kill.

For the most part, I'm a diehard waterfowler. I can't count the amount of times I've passed on shots cause I didn't feel the birds were close enough to be humane harvested. I absolutely can't stand wasting or losing game do to incompetance on my behalf!

This is an amazing thread, can't wait to see some more responses.
 
I was taught that a bullet to the head after the animal is down is just $2.00 insurance policy and it ends any suffering asap.
 
BIGREDD; [QUOTE said:
Yep & there will always be some-one that thinks .22 is enough gun for deer!
I guess in your case if it's a head shot you should be good to go eh ;)
[/QUOTE

You just keep blazing away at and blowing the guts out of those deer running through the brush and keep telling yourself you are an ambassador for humane harvesting of animals.:jerkit:
 
Waiting to see if it will die on its own, or not administering a coup de gras in order to preserve a trophy is not ethical and should not be condoned.

Well then I guess you are against any form of bow hunting then..

my rules are:

1) if you can't make a clean shot, then don't take it. (or if I'm not 100% I can track it by blood trail/tracks in the current light/rain/weather, then I don't shoot)
2) if I have a rifle, and I can take a second shot without damaging the meat, then I will take a second placed shot (no shooting in the ass just cause it's running away.. but one through the boiler room is fine. )
3) if the animal has run off, then I leave it and wait 30 mins, (and if it's still going after 30 mins, then I will take a second shot no matter what, if I can get close enough)
 
Last edited:
I wonder how many head shot animals ran away with a broken jaw, and starved to death.

Case in point; I had to shoot a small spike buck this season that had it's lower jaw shot away :mad:. It definitely would have died a painful death by dehydration as it sure couldn't drink or eat. I really don't care what anyone else thinks, head shots just don't make sense to me. Too small a target, with too much chance of wounding the animal.

George
 
Back
Top Bottom