The shot not taken

[dirtguy]

First, some background.  I have been Trad hunting since 2008 and have not taken a deer. This is due to a combination of factors. First becoming good enough with my bow to feel confident taking a shot. Second finding and getting permission to hunt private land. Third having the time to devote to it.  

This all has resulted in a tremendous learning experience and a lot of smiles on my face.  I have taken exactly one shot. It was at the biggest buck I have ever seen. It was a clean miss.

This year my wife and I became empty nesters.  I have much more time to devote and so I can also travel a bit further.  This includes and hours drive to a friends property that I have only barely hunted in the past.  The property is a patchwork of farm field, forest and swamp and supports a robust deer population including a buck whose shed antlers have the thickest girth I've ever seen.

Hunting this land comes with some restrictions.  I'm only allowed to shoot bucks with a spread wider then the ears. No fawns. Shot any coyotes on sight.  This is all fine with me.  Or so I thought.

I went up to hunt for the first time yesterday afternoon.  The owner had been hunting and had a good idea of how the deer were moving and so put me in a stand just in the edge of the woods on hayfield that faces his back porch.

Less than an hour before sunset, I spot two deer moving along the edge of the field to my left and coming towards me.  I stand up and get ready.  They continue to close the distance and I see that its a good sized doe and her fawn.  Then the doe lifts her head and starts to trot along the edge of the field, coming closer but clearly not interested in stopping.  She trots through the shooting lane and keeps going

The fawn trots along for a while, but stops directly in front me.  She is 17 yards away and broadside. I get twitchy. She turns into the woods and starts walking toward my stand. She walks under the stand and stops about 7 yards away offering a perfect quartering away shot. I can count the hairs in her tail.  This is a chip shot. I know for most of you on Tradgang, this would not be difficult to pass up.  But I'm still looking for my first!  

I let her walk. She offer me another shot at 18 yards but the decision is already made. I watch her feed away from me. The adrenaline recedes and a little while later I climb down.

The land owner meets me at the far edge of the field.  He tells me that he watched it all unfold.

He says "You Da Man" for not shooting the fawn.

He knew the big doe didn't offer a shot.
Then he says he knew I could have killed that fawn and thanks me for respecting his wishes.

My freezer may still be empty but my heart is full.

[abbatoys]

Way to honor the land owners wishes, you have earned his respect and will always be welcome back. That adrenaline will keep you coming back to hunt and your opportunity will come.. Congrats on a good hunt

[threeundr]

You definitely did the right thing. Many of us on here are passionate about hunting, but in hunting, as in life, we must always conduct ourselves with integrity. You will get the right opportunity some day,  and when you get that first one, it will be that much sweeter! Good hunting.

[Homey88]

Great encounter! And way to respect the wishes of the land owner!

[pdk25]

Not gonna pat you on the back for living up to your agreement.  If you didn't, it sound like you wouldn't be allowed back to hunt.

[Bladepeek]

I have no compunctions about killing a fawn. I spent 20 years hunting in Germany (gun - no bow hunting allowed) where they shoot the required number of bucks, does and fawns to keep the herd balanced and within the number that can be supported by the area. As a general rule, you take the fawn first and then the doe so as not to leave an orphan to face its first winter alone.

What I really respect in this case was dirtguy's making a decision not to shoot an animal and then remaining firm in that decision. He was not out there just to kill something - anything. He was out there wanting to make a good kill on his first deer and wanting that first kill to be something memorable to him.

I'm not the one who said it first, and my failing memory can't pull up the original author, but the quote (probably not exact) went "Character is what you do when nobody is watching". I admire hunters with character!

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I've had the doe with fawn thing happen to me many times, and i can't get ever myself to shoot mama when she's got a fawn on her heels.... i know the fawn will live.... i'm just an old softy i guess... but i can live with it...

Next time you get that situation, practice coming to full draw unseen even though you have no intention of shooting. its good practice counting coupe and learning to keep your cool while doing it.

"You done good, Pilgrim"

Kudos to you for respecting the LO's wishes. You will get yours soon enough!

Good luck on your me t hunt!!!

Bisch

[dirtguy]

pdk25 - you are absolutely right.

[Bernie B.]

You made the right decision.  It's just exciting to have deer in  front of you that you know you could have shot.  Your time will come!

Bernie

[ChuckC]

As Bisch ( and others before him) said... "You done good."

Life comes with rules.  If we obey the rules of the folks that allow us to hunt on their land, they often allow is to continue doing so.  

Put in the time and you will have your shot.  With each of those " no shoots" be sure to still pick a spot and pretend ( I myself would not draw etc, just envision...)  to get used to doing so later.

Smelling the roses is a large part of what we do.  Take to time to enjoy what just happened as a handful of roses, not sour grapes.
ChuckC

[achigan]

I'm the guest of a farmer who considers deer to be "long legged rats" for eating his corn. We're allowed to take 8 antlerless deer here in this county, so there are plenty of deer. If I get the chance, I'll happily take mama first, leaving two less-smart fawn to get later. I've done it like that with firearms, and the farmer appreciates it. Updates to come...

[Wheels2]

I too will not shoot fawns.  I know that in MD, the guys are more prone to do so due to how their buck limits are structured. I know of several guys that hunt the Aberdeen Proving grounds and joke about shooting "Spotties" in the early season.
I would rather go without.  I know that it is legal, but just not for me.

[fmscan]

You did good and the landowner knows you are trustworthy, that could get you years of hunting access. Also I know you would have had a lifetime of regret had you taken the deer, now you have pride that your word is valued...

[Sam McMichael]

Honoring your commitment is always good. It shows you have a proper since of honor and truthfulness to your word. I never shoot a doe/fawn situation. I don't care to take this year's fawn. If the fawn doesn't still need the doe, why are they still together? In my opinion, the fawn still has a lot to learn from Mama.

[achigan]

Originally posted by fmscan:
You did good and the landowner knows you are trustworthy, that could get you years of hunting access. Also I know you would have had a lifetime of regret had you taken the deer, now you have pride that your word is valued...

x2

[Hawkeye]

Some of my most memorable hunts of the past 50(!!!) years are the ones where I chose NOT to take a shot.  You'll remember that evening fondly after you take your first deer later this season.

Also, years ago, I allowed a young man permission to hunt on my farm, even though his family owned property (and would not allow hunting).  I told him I had only two rules he needed to follow:

1. The permission was for him only, and he was not to bring anyone else on our land, and

2. I did not want him to nail any homemade stands to the trees, since another friend had previously done so to three of the best stand trees... and each had died.

He agreed, and I wished him well.

10 days later, as I was busy harvesting a field, I saw him walking across the horizon with a friend.  They were far away, but I could see both had bows, and they were carrying something.  That evening when I had finished for the day, I went to check things out.

I found a new wooden stand nailed into my favorite stand tree.  

The next morning I saw him walking across the field and was able to drive over and say "Hi."  He looked very nervous, and replied honestly when I asked if he had brought a friend and nailed up a stand.

I told him I had asked him to follow only two rules, and he had ignored both.  I told him to go ahead and hunt the rest of that morning, but that was it, and he would no longer had permission to hunt my place.  He agreed, apologized, and I wished him well on the morning's hunt.

I tell this story simply to say you acted wisely in honoring the request of the guy who holds the "key" to your access.  We never go wrong doing the right thing...

By the way, that tree died, as well...

[Tajue17]

the same thing happened to me two afternoons ago in Rhode Island ,,, I came real close to shooting the doe because it was alone and it wasn't a fawn but a skipper with no spots that I didn't notice trailing way behind.     right when I got my bow ready I heard foot steps to the left and that's when I realized she had a skipper in tow!

it was maybe 40-50lbs and crossed by me at about 12yds,,, any easy shot but where I still  have meat in the freezer I opted for the good karma and a decent nights sleep.  

that stuff pays off trust me!

[Archie]

Last year I was given a tremendous privilege by a man I'd just recently met to hunt some property of his.

During our several conversations over a few weeks, he came to realize that I really want to shoot a deer with my traditional bow.  He told me that I could shoot anything legal that offered me a shot.

I hunted several days and had no shot opportunities.  Then on the last day I was there, I had a half-grown fawn walk within 10 yards.  I knew I could have made the shot, but passed on it.  I knew the landowner was trying to manage his deer population, and felt that his offer to shoot a fawn was not in line with his wishes for the deer herd.

It would have been nice.  I haven't had any venison for a while.  But sometimes you just don't feel like you should shoot.