Fantasist Prepper?

[Midnitemo]

I've seen a number of Deer shot and only one dropped stonedead on the spot.....a quartering 60 yard neck shot on a smallish red doe.....all the others ran from 10 to 1000 yards +

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not being a bow hunter or even a bowman I'd say it would have to be an arrow to the engine room(heart/lungs) and rely on blood loss as there will be no hydrostatic shock with arrows.....I reckon they might cover quite some ground before they succumb.

[Scythe13]

(15 June 2015, 21:52)Midnitemo Wrote: I've seen a number of Deer shot and only one dropped stonedead on the spot.....a quartering 60 yard neck shot on a smallish red doe.....all the others ran from 10 to 1000 yards +

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not being a bow hunter or even a bowman I'd say it would have to be an arrow to the engine room(heart/lungs) and rely on blood loss as there will be no hydrostatic shock with arrows.....I reckon they might cover quite some ground before they succumb.

I have a couple of friends in America who bow hunt, and they say the heart is just behind the shoulder, so get the deer's shoulder, up a bit and right a bit. But that's when shooting from a tree stand. If you get it right, it'll be a pretty quick job. If not, then you're trailing it and checking for blood.

My concern is that people will have unreasonable plans based on films, and a romantic view of life post SHTF, and not based on reality. Even great bow hunters don't get kill shots every arrow.

My plans don't involve deer at the moment, because it's outside of my skill set. Coming across a deer caught up in a fence is the most likely chance I have, at the moment. Outside of that, I have very little deer planning. It's a lot of meat to cool down quickly, and especially in summer, it'll be riddled with fly eggs before it's even home. Bare in mind I already have cotton meat bags for game meat, which will protect against flies, to an extent.

Accepting capabilities is key to actually forging a valid plan. Creating a plan on what you 'think/know' you can do, is a fantasy plan. Creating a plan on what you have done, and can still do….now that's an ACTUAL plan. As SS says, knowing shortcomings is important.

[Steve]

Aside from the initial shot placement, which is crucial, you should resist the urge to follow up a wounded deer for at least 15 minutes. It will lay up and die if you don't chase it.

[bigpaul]

(15 June 2015, 18:44)Straight Shooter Wrote: ....i have only ever met BP....once....but i trust him 100%.....he would be welcome at my place ANY TIME....

many thanks for that SS!!!

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even the greatest hunters come back some days empty handed, and hunting is very time consuming, in a SHTF world we will have a million and one things to occupy our time, we may find that snaring and trapping is a better use of our time.

[Scythe13]

(16 June 2015, 08:31)bigpaul Wrote: even the greatest hunters come back some days empty handed, and hunting is very time consuming, in a SHTF world we will have a million and one things to occupy our time, we may find that snaring and trapping is a better use of our time.

Both of these things are 100% about practice. If you've never built a snare and tried it out, once you pick up a book about it…you're buggered. Maybe not with trapping, but snaring…100%. If you follow what most books say, you'll catch a cold, and little else. If you practice, you'll learn that most the books are full of crap and old-wife's-tales.

[bigpaul]

depends on what books you are reading I suppose books are good for info and ideas, gives us an idea which we can then use and practise and maybe improve or personalise them.

[bigpaul]

I certainly wouldn't condemn all books just because of one bad review, that's "cutting ones nose to spite ones face", nothing wrong with old wife's tales...some of them actually work.

[Steve]

Buy the right book / DVD then.

http://www.fourteenacre.co.uk/shop/profe...oodga-dvd/

[MaryN]

Quite interested in what you say about snaring and trapping, Scythe, but has anyone considered keeping ferrets? I've seen ferrets working and they are remarkably quick.

[Scythe13]

(16 June 2015, 21:39)MaryN Wrote: Quite interested in what you say about snaring and trapping, Scythe, but has anyone considered keeping ferrets? I've seen ferrets working and they are remarkably quick.

We had a ferret for a while, but I hate the smell. Yes I know if you clean them out loads, then there's no smell…but there is. Maybe I'm just super sensitive to the smell of them. They're great, if they don't eat a rabbit then fall asleep. One of the people down the farm has him now though.

I've known guys get around 100 rabbits in a day just clearing out warrens, but they do it professionally. Personally I have helped a friend before. But failed to find a hole and net it and a couple got away.

As for what Steve said recommending Woodga's DVD…spot on Steve. Best DVD by far! I recommended it to SD a while ago. Was going to lend it to him when he came down, but left it at work (we don't have a DVD player at home, so watched it at work, then my mother in law's house, and again at the farmer's house with him). It's one of the few things you can learn from and apply later that day. Not like most DVD's and books which are unclear.

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But please note, even if you know this DVD word for word, have built the snare jigs, and everything else….you still NEED to practice!!!