Bow hunting of deer leaves half of animals to suffer

[Steve in PA]

Anyone catch this piece of crap in the CV today??? I haven't archery hunted in over 15 years, but this irks me to no end!

http://citizensvoice.com/opinion/let...ffer-1.1576176

Editor:

Now that bow hunting is here, hunters claim that deer are never left to die of a wound by an experienced hunter. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are hundreds of thousands of animals that are crippled and wounded, lying terrorized in the woods.

In bow hunting, half of the animals hit with arrows, wind up getting away and bleeding to death, dying a slow lingering death. When deer are hit in the esophagus or nose it might take anywhere from a few hours to a few days to die from starvation. There is no instant kill with bow hunting - the crippling losses are horrendous. It's just a tremendous amount of suffering being caused in the name of recreation.

Twenty-two published scientific surveys and studies indicate that the average wounding rate for bow hunting is over 50 percent. More than one out of every two deer shot are never retrieved, and usually die after prolonged agony from septic infection, peritonitis, blood loss, or other complications. Wounding rates for rifle hunting are also significant. Many of these studies were conducted by state wildlife agencies.

For example, "Preliminary Archery Survey Report" Montana Dept. of Fish Wildlife and Parks report 51 percent wounding, "Archery Wounding Loss in Texas" Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (51 percent wounded); "Deer Hunting Retrieval Rates" Michigan Pittman-Robertson Report, Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources (58 percent wounded); "Effects of Compound Bow Use on Hunter Success and Crippling Rates in Iowa" Wildlife Society Bulletin (49 percent wounded); "Bow hunting for Deer in Vermont: Some Characteristics of the Hunters, the Hunt, and the Harvest" Vermont Fish and Game Department (63 percent wounded. The average wounding rate from all 22 reports is 55 percent.

If hunters killed a dog or cat in this manner, they would be charged with cruelty to animals.

Silvie Pomicter

Chinchilla

[A-5]

Whats up Steve we need ya back in the woods! We can call the paper and complain, I dont live up there but anti's need to be fought. If you guys call I will Let me know whats up.

[NathanB]

http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Silvie-Pomicter/496071882

ummmm looney tunes.

[ReconLdr]

Anyone catch this piece of crap in the CV today??? I haven't archery hunted in over 15 years, but this irks me to no end!

http://citizensvoice.com/opinion/let...ffer-1.1576176

Editor:

Now that bow hunting is here, hunters claim that deer are never left to die of a wound by an experienced hunter. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are hundreds of thousands of animals that are crippled and wounded, lying terrorized in the woods.

In bow hunting, half of the animals hit with arrows, wind up getting away and bleeding to death, dying a slow lingering death. When deer are hit in the esophagus or nose it might take anywhere from a few hours to a few days to die from starvation. There is no instant kill with bow hunting - the crippling losses are horrendous. It's just a tremendous amount of suffering being caused in the name of recreation.

Twenty-two published scientific surveys and studies indicate that the average wounding rate for bow hunting is over 50 percent. More than one out of every two deer shot are never retrieved, and usually die after prolonged agony from septic infection, peritonitis, blood loss, or other complications. Wounding rates for rifle hunting are also significant. Many of these studies were conducted by state wildlife agencies.

For example, "Preliminary Archery Survey Report" Montana Dept. of Fish Wildlife and Parks report 51 percent wounding, "Archery Wounding Loss in Texas" Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (51 percent wounded); "Deer Hunting Retrieval Rates" Michigan Pittman-Robertson Report, Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources (58 percent wounded); "Effects of Compound Bow Use on Hunter Success and Crippling Rates in Iowa" Wildlife Society Bulletin (49 percent wounded); "Bow hunting for Deer in Vermont: Some Characteristics of the Hunters, the Hunt, and the Harvest" Vermont Fish and Game Department (63 percent wounded. The average wounding rate from all 22 reports is 55 percent.

If hunters killed a dog or cat in this manner, they would be charged with cruelty to animals.

Silvie Pomicter

Chinchilla

I call bullshit on the the statistics cited in this article.... I've recovered EVERY deer I've shot in the past 32 years. (holy shit I'm old enough to have been hunting for 32 years!!!!!)

[HKusp 45]

No way a dog or cat survives long enough after being hit least not if you did it right ........ Are these recurves they are using?

[thefirstndsecond]

Bow season is the best. I love bow season. Great weather great challenge.

So sounds like this writer is kook.

[Pector55]

My son and I started bow hunting the 2011 season. In that time we have hit 6 deer and only 1 was not retrieved. We tracked that on for 7 hrs and found that someone else had taken it. We are newbs and we don't see 50% cripple rates.

[bronco]

My comment that I left in response to the article:

I wonder if the author actually read any of the reports she sites, or just pulled the list of reports from an online anti-hunting resource without verifing their accuracy. In trying to look up the reports listed I couldn't find an actual report. What I did find was a list of reports, including the ones above, that included the years the reports were done in; http://www.all-creatures.org/hope/DO...per%20Kill.htm . They are all over 25 years old, 1988, 1987, 1984, 1983, and 1972 respectively. Some current information that is actually accessable to the reader for verification and context would be nice. I question that the numbers in the listed studies are accurate, or really mean what the author would have you believe they mean, but that's very difficult to verify since the studies don't appear to be available online.

[Gunplummer]

The article is mostly weird made up facts, except the part about the loss rate. I used to be a big time bow hunter but don't have the time lately. I used to hunt public land in PA and Maryland. From what I have seen and heard over the years the article is pretty close on loss rate. Please do not jump in and claim your loss rate as "Facts" either. You are not the only hunter in the woods and I doubt if you are hunting public land. The only thing that really slowed the loss rate down is the thinned out deer herd in Pa. and other states. I don't pay any attention to "Studies" because they are usually done by someone with an agenda. This includes both sides of a debate.

[P89]

Are these recurves they are using?

Shouldn't matter if you're an ethical hunter.

I've never had to track a deer more than 50 yards...no matter what I shot it with, including a recurve.

Even if those stats were remotely close, Archery is not the problem...slobs are the problem.