Thread: Should I have shot this Deer?

Good on you for asking the question. If you've done the work to have the deer in your sights then it's your decision, based on your ethics. There will be no shortage of stags on public land for those prepared to put the work in so don't be too worried about that aspect.

Good on you for not shooting hinds at this time of year. I'm not too judgmental about what people shoot, but I simply can't understand the ethics of a hunter who will shoot a lactating hind and leave a fawn to starve to death.

A good effort for someone newish to hunting - keep up the good work.

Bit late to debate it I think

I know a lot of guys will tell you that particularly when your starting out don’t be afraid to shoot what you can. But as a young hunter myself it’s amazing how quickly once you see one animal there’s normally others not far away. And while I know it’s not always possible you’ll learn a lot more about their behaviour by just observing them instead of shooting the first thing that comes into view. My advice is change your hunting objective away from just trying to shoot something and more to seeing how many deer you can find in a trip. Even though it might not always feel that way there are no shortage of deer around and the more time you spend learning their behaviour the more you’ll see instead of just bowling the first one you see.