bamaranger
New member
follow up
I quit hauling a rifle and a serious handgun to the hunt a while back,..... too dang much stuff. I still do tote a Ruger Bearcat in my old wool pants pocket when bowhunting, not so much as a backup, but a signal device and last ditch SD piece.
As far as following up game goes, I love to bowhunt, and following up a bowshot deer is part of the game. Usually, I know from the hit and sign if I've got a deer down, or am in for a tough recovery. When gun season runs concurrent here with archery, and I can do it legally, my follow up for a poorly hit deer with a bow is a short 12 ga coach gun and OObuck, logic being you'll jump the deer close in thick cover, and have a running shot. Oddly enough, I've never had to use the shotgun, ever! Minimum of 4hr on a borderline hit, and 6-8 is better. Only ever lost 1 to coyote damage, the others were usually there with diligent tracking.....and a pretty low loss rate too.
I quit hauling a rifle and a serious handgun to the hunt a while back,..... too dang much stuff. I still do tote a Ruger Bearcat in my old wool pants pocket when bowhunting, not so much as a backup, but a signal device and last ditch SD piece.
As far as following up game goes, I love to bowhunt, and following up a bowshot deer is part of the game. Usually, I know from the hit and sign if I've got a deer down, or am in for a tough recovery. When gun season runs concurrent here with archery, and I can do it legally, my follow up for a poorly hit deer with a bow is a short 12 ga coach gun and OObuck, logic being you'll jump the deer close in thick cover, and have a running shot. Oddly enough, I've never had to use the shotgun, ever! Minimum of 4hr on a borderline hit, and 6-8 is better. Only ever lost 1 to coyote damage, the others were usually there with diligent tracking.....and a pretty low loss rate too.