Here's some food for thought. I was visiting with a friend of mine who just happens to be a Game Warden in a fairly large region in my state (Wyoming). He mentioned that he would like to see a state law that would allow a citation to be issued if a game warden saw a person shoot at an animal and then just walk away (assuming a miss) without checking for a blood trail.
I asked him what the approximate loss/cripple rate is on big game animals and I was quite shocked. It seems the loss rate on Pronghorn antelope in Wyoming is approximately the same as the harvest rate. In other words, for every 100 pronghorn that are harvested, another 100 wander off to die a slow and lingering death.
I asked the guy what type of cripple he typically sees, assuming he would answer a crippled leg. Turns out one of the most common crippling injuries are failed head and neck shots. He sees a lot of animals with jaws blown away, shot in the wind pipe, etc.
Please, when you shoot at an animal, walk over to where the critter was standing when you took the shot and take a look. Also, practice what archery hunters already know, the highest percentage killing shot is a double lung shot. If you want to shoot for the head or neck, consider what will happen if you are off just a couple of inches...
I asked him what the approximate loss/cripple rate is on big game animals and I was quite shocked. It seems the loss rate on Pronghorn antelope in Wyoming is approximately the same as the harvest rate. In other words, for every 100 pronghorn that are harvested, another 100 wander off to die a slow and lingering death.
I asked the guy what type of cripple he typically sees, assuming he would answer a crippled leg. Turns out one of the most common crippling injuries are failed head and neck shots. He sees a lot of animals with jaws blown away, shot in the wind pipe, etc.
Please, when you shoot at an animal, walk over to where the critter was standing when you took the shot and take a look. Also, practice what archery hunters already know, the highest percentage killing shot is a double lung shot. If you want to shoot for the head or neck, consider what will happen if you are off just a couple of inches...