Great to hear you got the deer!!
I have been following this and could almost feel the pain in your words.
I like to think of myself as an ETHICAL hunter. Unfortunately, I have had the heart break of losing a nice deer. I had practiced the shot at much longer distances. I tried taking my time and not getting too excited. As soon as my arrow left I knew it wasn't a good hit.
I spent no where near as much time looking for my deer as you did but I felt like I had put in an honest effort and could not find the deer anywhere.
IMO, you deserve to enjoy that deer as you went above and beyond what most people here would do.
Yes it is sad to lose all that meat but having those antlers will bring memories for life. I hunt for meat but once the meat is long gone and enjoyed I like to have a set of antlers to relive the hunt and memories.
I can not believe how lucky you got to have them found by the gentleman who did. Honestly, even if I didn't harvest the animal I would have a hard time giving away a 220 inch rack I had found. I wouldn't claim i had shot it but who doesn't like to look at a 220 inch rack in the corner of their game room?
|