Making Amends

[Ben M.]

#4216

The recent post about the deer in NJ has me wondering: If you shoot a deer (elk, bear, etc.) and, for whatever reason, are unable to recover it, how do you make amends? Do you feel the need to try to make it right with the universe (I hope you get my meaning), and how do you go about doing that?

-Ben

[paleoman]

#28304

Having been there and having giving it my all, I just get right back to the basics, understand what went wrong and get back to it hopefully a little smarter. Sometimes it takes a bit. I guess a person has to be resilient and forgive themselves if all honest efforts were made. If not you’ll end up with a neurotic complex of distorted thinking.

[David Petersen]

#28821

I tear up my tag, as I no longer have the stomach to hunt that species that year. I figure I have killed my animal. One year, long ago, I kept searching for a one-lunged bull elk (back in the days before I encountered the Ashby study and ended all penetration problems forever) for, I think three weeks, determined to find and tag its remains. Remarkably, he survived and I got a second chance and made it right. That was something of a miracle.

Biggest thing, to elaborate on what Paleo touches on above, is to ponder honestly what went wrong and what can be done to assure that same type mistake never happens again. A well lived life is a process of bracketing toward wisdom. The real mystery and tragedy is why some people bracket and grow, while others don’t seem to have a clue or give a hoot, go around boasting about having “stuck one,” and never learn anything about themselves or life … and pass that smug ignorance on to their kids.

[T Downing]

#28858

Making amends is truly difficult. However, I always ask for forgiveness, from the animal and yes, the Lord. Then I attempt to recognize what I did wrong. Could I have done it better, differently? Its a humbling place to be… But in humility comes an honest drive to improve, give the animal and the hunt more of myself.

[Ben M.]

#29847

Wow, Dave. That is really making it right! What an amazing story.

[William Warren]

#30417

Yep, I would punch my tag too. I have heard game wardens ask hunters if there were any lost deer. One guy said yes and the warden punched his tag on the spot. There are many who would not admit it or punch their own tag in this situation.

[George Fritz]

#30914

In 40 years of waterfowling, you count those in the boat and those you lost in the field in your limit. No difference here. After you’ve made every effort to recover the game, try to learn from the experience and do something better next time.

[Author]

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