As every hunter knows, for a quick and clean kill, you must wait for the most opportune shot. This rings even more true for the big game archery hunter. Even with today’s archery set up, despite how advanced the rigs are getting, we automatically limit ourselves to a decreased range with fewer shot opportunities.
Too many times we see people taking dicey shots resulting in a miss or even worse an injured animal. If you are not confident in a shot, will it hurt to wait? Chances are if the animal is calm, you will be presented a better shot in the following minutes. Worst-case scenario, you will have to pass on the quarry, but isn’t that far better than possibly fatally injuring and not finding the animal?
There is an obvious difference, in my mind, between taking a bad shot and making a bad shot. Bad shots are an unfortunate reality of our sport and happen to even the most seasoned hunters. There are so many things that must go right for the perfect shot, and all it takes is one out of place factor to mess things up. However, by disciplining yourself to take an ethical broadside or quartering away shot, you increase your chances of a quick humane kill.
The fortunate thing about bow hunting is that in most states it provides ample time in the woods. With this additional time you can learn different set up techniques and other strategies that will help generate more ethical and effective shots. In conclusion, I hope that bow hunters realize the responsibility and respect we must have while in the field. Not only does it give our sport a bad name when unethical shots are taken and animals are injured, but our game is potentially wasted, and therefore our time, resources, and efforts are lost. So please make the ethical choice, the way bow hunting was intended.
“When a hunter is in a tree stand with high moral values and with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God”.
-Fred Bear
Check out this link for a fun game while also learning shot placement
http://bowsite.com/bowsite/features/articles/deer/deergeometry/
