We all have them; experiences that taught us (the hard way), what not to do when deer hunting.
Since the season is underway I thought it would be a good read to hear what everybody's "learned in the school of personal experience" was.
Mine is: don't assume the deer you just shot is really down & dead.
I learned this the hard way when I was 16, sitting in an old abandoned barn looking out a window that overlooked a small field. A deer stepped out at about 100 yards and gave me a broadside shot, so I took aim & let fly with the 30-30 bolt action Savage - Stevens that was pretty ancient even back then. The deer went down, and I thought that was all she wrote. But as I was climbing over the windowsill congratulating myself, that deer suddenly came to her feet and bolted, never to be seen again.
So my tip "learned the hard way?" - Get that second round chambered and ready to go immediately and be prepared to shoot, even if the deer is down and not moving.
Since the season is underway I thought it would be a good read to hear what everybody's "learned in the school of personal experience" was.
Mine is: don't assume the deer you just shot is really down & dead.
I learned this the hard way when I was 16, sitting in an old abandoned barn looking out a window that overlooked a small field. A deer stepped out at about 100 yards and gave me a broadside shot, so I took aim & let fly with the 30-30 bolt action Savage - Stevens that was pretty ancient even back then. The deer went down, and I thought that was all she wrote. But as I was climbing over the windowsill congratulating myself, that deer suddenly came to her feet and bolted, never to be seen again.
So my tip "learned the hard way?" - Get that second round chambered and ready to go immediately and be prepared to shoot, even if the deer is down and not moving.
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