Well, Yobuck, I enjoy the banter. No worries there. :) Can't speak for everyone, but I hope they see it for what I do. And I do enjoy hearing about whatever it is that other hunters do and their various hunting strategies in various environments/terrain.
To answer your question about follow-up shots... I am not unwilling to take a second shot at a missed animal, and will AWAYS attempt one if I believe it is only wounded. Truth is, where I hunt, it is almost unheard of. Not entirely, of course, but the opportunity just isn't there due to the heavy cover. Of course, I have wounded deer and had to track them for a second shot, but I don't consider that "follow up" shot, per se, because it is several minutes, if not hours later. In fact, I clearly remember a time when I dropped a buck at 30 yards from a tree stand with a 45-70. Assumed he was dead. Before I climbed down, I called my wife, sent her some pics... Lowered my rifle down to the ground on a rope... "DANG! He just got up! WTF?!" Went to where he laid... no blood. Dang! Started looking for sign, walking in the general direction he ran through the thick cedar swamp... Could not find him or blood. Knew I was in for a long search so I dropped my coat and back pack and pistol and headed out in search. 1/2 hour later I kicked him up again, he was obviously hurtin' but moving good. Threw another shot at him, through the heavy cover, he kept going. anther 1/2 hour, same thing... Dang! Finally catch up with him and get a good clear shot at the back of his head from about 50 yards and drop the hammer. "Click". What the hey? Nothing. Bad round. Now I am outa bullets. 1/2 mile from my pack and coat and pistol and just an empty guide gun in my hands and a knife in my pocket. Longer story short, I called my buddy, told him the situation and he headed my way. I kept an eye on the buck, but he kept moving... I had to stay with him so as to not lose track of him, but did not want to get so close as to spook him further or drive him away... I don't know how long we "walked together", but there were a few times I was so close I could see him turn back and look at me with a pitiful look in his eye (maybe I only imagined that) and there was nothing I could do about it. Eventually my buddy showed up and we finished him off. As it turned out, I hit him with all three shots, but my bullets were too hard they just would not expand at all. It was like all I was doing was driving steel rods through him. Yeah, that sucked. Big time. And I was lucky (if not good) to have recovered him. But it was a tough day and a lot of frustration and agony for me, let alone the buck. He deserved better. Much better. I am not ashamed of all that, but I made a couple mistakes, one being the bullet choice and the other not having my pistol or extra ammo with me. I also did a few things right. One of which was I managed to keep track of the deer in a very heavy, thick, wet, dark and nasty swamp and I did not push him too hard so as to lose him again. Live and learn.
SO what's my point? Yes, crap happens, and we all make mistakes. However, I still make every effort to not take shots I believe are "iffy" or questionable. I ALWAYS believe I will make a clean kill with one shot or I don't shoot. I am often tempted, but simply won't do it. (as stated earlier, though, I feel differently hunting farm country with literally dozens of hunters for every 40-100 acres.) That's just a different kind of hunt in totally different environment. Does that mean I don't miss? Of course not. I just don't want to hope for a good shot. I want to KNOW I have a good shot.
As for bowhunting, I carry three arrows. One is to replace the one I all-too-often drop while in my tree stand. One is for a kill shot, (if necessary) and the other is in case I have the opportunity to continue hunting after taking my first deer. (On morning hunts, I always stay in my stand till I decide it's time to go in whether I have a deer down or not. No reason to stop with just one, is there?)
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