2nd (follow-up) shots - Your thoughts?

I will not hesitate to put another round in any game. To me it was more of a matter "I don't want this critter to get up and I have to go through the thickest briars I've ever seen to get it out." Granted ethics do play a part of it as well, but I'll chock this one up to I don't feel like tracking if I don't have to.
 
Had to employ a follow up shot today. So perplexing! If the first shot had found its mark I guess it would be academic. Fortunately the follow up was a double lung strike. Meat hanging...what can I say...
 
I've actually come to the point that I always put another in the head to make sure, I have lost more than one deer permanently because I didn't want to waste a bullet on a dead animal and sure enough once that adrenaline starts pumping, those poor animals just don't stop until they have been completely drained.
 
A lot of the "deer getting up and running off" could be avoided if hunters would wait 15 minutes before getting down from their stand. They told me that in hunters education course I took when I was 7 or 8 years old, and I still adhere to it unless I see its dead as a hammer.
 
Seems to me that the gist of all this is that you need to be ready and able to take a second shot if necessary.

I guess that if you're a bit twitchy about how good the first shot was, keep Bambi on the ground with a second shot and save a bunch of trailing.
 
Art Eatman wrote:

Seems to me that the gist of all this is that you need to be ready and able to take a second shot if necessary.
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Yep that's what I was taught. Never needed a second shot on deer, but have nailed a couple of nice bucks after shooting a doe! So... be prepared.
 
May be only rumors, but I have read or heard more than once about deer taking off with a tag on it. You hear some weird stuff when hunters get together.
 
I've told this before, either here or at THR. My father told me of an event from sixty years back. A woman shot a nice buck. Set her rifle down, tagged the deer. As she was getting her knife out to field dress it, the buck jumped up, ran off, and jumped the fence onto a neighboring ranch. She had grazed the base of an antler, cold-cocking the buck.

As she was running to try to catch up, she heard a shot. Crossed the fence. Approached two hunter standing over "her" buck.

"That's my deer! That's my deer!"

"You're nuts, lady; I just shot it."

"It has my tag on it!"

They look. Sure enough, there's the tag.

"Oh, okay, lady. Anybody who can run that fast deserves a deer."
 
I remember reading in one of the magazines years ago about a bull elk running off with the rifle that shot it. For some reason, I guess to get the rifle in a picture, the hunter lashed his rifle inside the Elk rack. The Elk got up and ran off with his rifle. He never found elk or rifle. Wish I could remember which magazine it was in. I read it when I was a kid. I remember the article had cartoon type pictures. It was probably one of those funny stories Outdoor Life used to run.
 
I've been hunting four legged critters (coyote, pronghorn, whitetail, mule deer, elk and black bear) for about 40 years with a rifle, shotgun, handgun and bow. A few have required a second shot and I do not hesitate to shoot the animal a second time for two simple reasons: (1) to end suffering and (2) to avoid a long search and drag. Nevertheless, I've had a couple of two to three day searches for whitetails taken with a bow. Where legal, I will carry a handgun for that final, if necessary, shot.
 
I hate to shoot an animal a second (or third) time but, if there is any doubt that the animal isn't hit well, a second shot is required.

Most of the time, but not always, you can tell the how well an animal is hit and if a follow up is required. I've personally only had one that needed a coup de grace but have been around a handful of others.

In Wyoming, my buddy shot a nice buck well, but after giving it a few minutes, it was obvious that a follow up was required. After a second well place lung shot from 15 feet didn't dispatch him, a third shot was required to finally put him down. All three shots hit him well and while antelope aren't particularly tough animals, this old boy simply didn't want to give up.

My buddy and I strive to make clean kills and if a shot strays, to dispatch the animal as quick as possible. That day was a pretty tough day.

In the end, we did the right thing but felt terrible about the suffering we caused.
 
I guess that if you're a bit twitchy about how good the first shot was, keep Bambi on the ground with a second shot and save a bunch of trailing.
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And Art makes a great point again, always be ready for a quick follow up to anchor the animal.

Losing an animal is thankfully something I've never had happen although last year I though we were going to lose my buddy's first buck. It took some serious tracking but thankfully we found him.
 
For those who state "they've NEVER had to shoot a deer twice", I can only say temper that statement with YET. I would call it outright BS but I don't think that's appropriate since there are some very ethical shooters who simply won't take anything but a chip shot. I've shot a LOT of deer and several have been shot twice(or more) even though the first shot was fatal.
Regarding the carrying of a handgun: I've done so but usually with intent to shoot an "easy" deer with the handgun OR to test bullet performance on a freshly killed or not quite dead animal. I had a Great Uncle who loved his 45 ACP. I think he shot every deer he killed after it was dead with that 45 just for satisfaction.
I'll firmly say that sooner or later, you WILL need a follow up shot so be ready with it. Stuff happens: wind shift, stick gets in the way, errant moonbeam causes bullet to veer off course, cosmic disturbance affects trajectory.
 
Here we are talking about followup shots when we are totally bypassing the fact that the OP broke one of the basic rules of hunting big game.

When you shoot an animal and you are reasonably sure that you have made a fatal shot (even though it may not be immediately fatal) - STAY PUT AND DON'T SPOOK THE ANIMAL. If he had just sat down and waited for half an hour that deer would have probably stayed right where he was and bleed out. When you spook a wounded animal, he'll run. They can sometimes run a long way even when mortally wounded if they think something is after them.
 
A lot of the "deer getting up and running off" could be avoided if hunters would wait 15 minutes before getting down from their stand.
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Doyle and some others are dead on IMO.
Time to go into shock and bleed is essential. Ive tracked a buck for hours that was well hit with a 7mm mag. If you dont wait, youll just push them.

I wait an hour with a bow. Ive found deer that were POORLY hit during bow season that simply lay down 50 yards from where they were hit; as long as you stay quiet.

Some may say "inhumane", but "time" is the best second shot Ive ever taken.
 
Originally posted by NHSHOOTER:

I hope I never have a deer run off after tagging it since I dont usually tag till after its field dressed. :D
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In Wisconsin, by law, you are required to tag the animal before field dressing or moving it. Altho, I have heard the same rumors of tagged animals running off with a tag on them, I've yet to know anyone personally that has done it.
 
Some may say "inhumane", but "time" is the best second shot Ive ever taken.
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Depends on the shot. Gut shot deer yes. Deer shot in the boiler room, makes no difference. Deer wounded in the legs or other muscle tissue, not so much. Then laying down decreases blood flow and allows the wound to close. Pushing that animal increases the heartbeat and the blood flow allowing you to continue to bloodtrail them and to weaken them so you can get that second shot. Knowing how deer react to different types of wounds, knowing the sign, both the body language and the type of blood on the ground, from the hit, and knowing what to do in those different scenarios, can be just as important as any second shot. If the deer goes down within sight, one can generally keep an eye on it and watch for movement or struggle as they walk up on it or as they watch it expire. If the animal runs off outta sight, one can usually go to where the animal was hit after a short amount of time and find the sign from the hit. There is no generic response after shooting a deer. One needs to know the difference between lung blood, stomach blood and brisket blood. One also needs to know what color hair is on different parts of the body. In any case, any time there is doubt, a second, finishing shot should be taken.
 
Back when i was host hunting, I carried a handgun to finish off deer for poor shooting customers. Started out with a 357, but quickly switched to a 22.

Over the decades, I guess I've had to reshoot a few deer, but not many.

Did shoot a big 10 point once that went down hard. Even though I could see the deer, it was very dead. Decided to have my coffee. About 10 minutes or so of me enjoying coffee and a fine morning, the very dead deer twitched. What the...and thn he jumped up and was gone. I'm sure I hit him high, above the spine, and had knocked him unconscious. Coulda shot him a dozen times, but I knew he was dead...or so I thought.
 
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