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Witch Shot Dilemma

3K views 23 replies 4 participants last post by  JPDFL 
#1 ·
Ok folks here's the deal. Archery season opens here on Saturday. On my lease I have one spot set up specifically for archery due to tight quarters and another spot set up specifically for gun hunting later this year. The archery spot will be my prime huntung spot for the next 6 weeks. So here is where the dilemma begins:

I have good deer and hogs coming in to the archery spot on a regular basis. The deer can be taken by bow or crossbow only, (I use the latter) but the hogs can be taken year round by whatever firearm or bow of your choosing. I allways carry a sidearm with me while hunting. It's a .357 mag with a 4.2 inch barrel. So the dilemma is do I try to take the hog with the revolver or the crossbow if they come in first?

Some particulars:

Shot distance- 25 yards (ish) from a boxblind.
Crossbow speed- 355 fps.
Broadhead- Fixed. 125 gr. 3 blade. 1.5 inch cut dia.
.357- 158 gr. JHP. Novak sights
Can use the blind as a rest for both shots

Concerns:

-Will most likely "not" get a complete passthru with the crossbow. (Don't really want to lose $20 worth of broadhead and bolt)
-Report from .357 spooking off deer for the rest of the archery season.
-25 yard distance with handgun. A little concern, but off a sturdy rest more confidence than concern.

Would love your opinions. I want to make a decision on which shot to take pryor to hunting so I will know and plan exactly what I will do if the situation arises. That in itself gives one confidence.

So, there in lies the dilemma. Which shot do I take???
 
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#2 ·
Ok folks here's the deal. Archery season opens here on Saturday. On my lease I have one spot set up specifically for archery due to tight quarters and another spot set up specifically for gun hunting later this year. The archery spot will be my prime huntung spot for the next 6 weeks. So here is where the dilemma begins:

I have good deer and hogs coming in to the archery spot on a regular basis. The deer can be taken by bow or crossbow only, (I use the latter) but the hogs can be taken year round by whatever firearm or bow of your choosing. I allways carry a sidearm with me while hunting. It's a .357 mag with a 4.2 inch barrel. So the dilemma is do I try to take the hog with the revolver or the crossbow if they come in first?

Some particulars:

Shot distance- 25 yards (ish) from a boxblind.
Crossbow speed- 355 fps.
Broadhead- Fixed. 125 gr. 3 blade. 1.5 inch cut dia.
.357- 158 gr. JHP. Novak sights
Can use the blind as a rest for both shots

Concerns:

-Will most likely "not" get a complete passthru with the crossbow. (Don't really want to lose $20 worth of broadhead and bolt)
-Report from .357 spooking off deer for the rest of the archery season.
-25 yard distance with handgun. A little concern, but off a sturdy rest more confidence than concern.

Would love your opinions. I want to make a decision on which shot to take pryor to hunting so I will know and plan exactly what I will do if the situation arises. That in itself gives one confidence.

So, there in lies the dilemma. Which shot do I take???
I would not fire that .357 unless you were thru for the day, cause you will most likely be if you shoot it. Will you get a pass thru on the hog with your bow? I don't know, but if you don't, you will most probably loose that arrow due to damage, the broad head is just a guess. I've seen broad heads twisted like they had been put in a vise, and turned. If you are not thru hunting for the day use the bow, if you think the pork is worth the possible loss of an arrow. I would probably use the bow anyway.
 
#4 ·
I'm thinking this... If you use your crossbow and shoot a pig, most likely there will be cause for you to track the creature for some distance. Pigs are hardy creatures and from what I’ve read there will be need for an arrow shot pig to be tracked. The reason that comes to mind is I’m of mind that walking all through your small archery area tracking a bleeding animal will be more destructive to deer movement than a gunshot and short track (with a chance there will be no tracking involved). It seems to me gunshots don’t always scare deer as it is just a loud noise, like sonic booms, thunder, and falling trees. I remember several deer I harvested while dove hunters blasted away in the field beside the woods. I’ve also shot a second deer on the same day, sometime after harvesting the first one with a 12 gauge. A few deer gave me a second shot when I missed with the first. On the other hand, after tracking a blood trail through the woods and dragging out a deer, it took weeks for the woods to return to normal.
In any event I wish you luck. Let us know how you are doing. (pictures please). :D
 
#5 · (Edited)
Guard dog
Fish


Well I ended up taking the advise of a long time Irish friend that is also a member of our lease, who said in a heavy Irish accent " It don't freakin matter which one, just keep shooting till they quit coming". So I did. Took the hog Saturday morning and the doe Sunday morning. Both with the crossbow. A pretty good weekend for me here in Northeast Florida.
 
#6 ·
Congratulations! You did good! Now tell us, which ran the fartherest, the hog, or the deer?
 
#7 · (Edited)
The doe dropped where it stood, tried to get up once and then expired. The hog on the other hand is a story unto itself. First I'd like to say whoever made up the saying "Bleeds like a stuck pig" has been playing a cruel joke on us, at least in my experiences sticking pigs with arrows. Blood trails just aint happening for me so on this one I used sight and especially sound immediately after the shot to help me locate the hog. I located it without any blood trail about 40 yards from my blind after about 20 minutes of searching.

However 5 minutes into my search I was looking to my right, standing near the spot where I last had a visual of the hog and I heard a sound to my left that insantly made my brain say "Oh S**t" because it was close. The sound was the same sound that a dog makes when it shakes it's head violently. You know, that ear slapping sound. But I knew it wasn't a dog. So at the same time I turned my head to look I sent my right hand to my revolver. Everything met at the same time, hand to revolver, my eyes to the eyes of a hog that looked just like the one I had just shot at, standing 5 yards away and staring at me. So.....
 
#10 ·
However 5 minutes into my search I was looking to my right, standing near the spot where I last had a visual of the hog and I heard a sound to my left that insantly made my brain say "Oh S**t" because it was close. The sound was the same sound that a dog makes when it shakes it's head violently. You know, that ear slapping sound. But I knew it wasn't a dog. So at the same time I turned my head to look I sent my right hand to my revolver. Everything met at the same time, hand to revolver, my eyes to the eyes of a hog that looked just like the one I had just shot at, standing 5 yards away and staring at me. So.....[/QUOTE]

So, did one of the other guys there get a hog with your revolver?;) Rubber boots, and shorts; reminds me of myself!:eek:
 
#12 · (Edited)
:D
However 5 minutes into my search I was looking to my right, standing near the spot where I last had a visual of the hog and I heard a sound to my left that insantly made my brain say "Oh S**t" because it was close. The sound was the same sound that a dog makes when it shakes it's head violently. You know, that ear slapping sound. But I knew it wasn't a dog. So at the same time I turned my head to look I sent my right hand to my revolver. Everything met at the same time, hand to revolver, my eyes to the eyes of a hog that looked just like the one I had just shot at, standing 5 yards away and staring at me. So.....
So, did one of the other guys there get a hog with your revolver?;) Rubber boots, and shorts; reminds me of myself!:eek:[/QUOTE]

Thats funny. I change out of my camo gear and keep an old pair of boots to clean the critters. No sense making a mess out of my camo gear and getting them all stinky. Plus it's hotter than snot down here right now, 90 degree average daily this time of year. However, I have sat in blinds and boxblinds in shorts and a t-shirt.
 
#11 ·
.......So what happened next was this. Since at that moment I was no longer in hunting mode and was now in self defense mode I didn't care about making sudden movements. I yanked my .357 and had the hammer cocked before it cleared the holster and by the time I got it pointed in the direction of the hog it had started to turn and run off away from me in to some tall grass/weeds. It stopped about 40 yards out and looked back at me, but that's to far for a shot. To be honest, being without "gun in hand", all I really wanted was for it to be MORE than 5 yards away from me.

And that is precisely why I always carry a sidearm in the woods, especially while bow/crossbow hunting.
 
#13 ·
I've killed deer wearing shorts, T shirt, and flip flops! Didn't even have a knife on me!
 
#14 ·
It's a southern thing. We have to weigh sent control against heat stroke and that won't change until the end of October.

Use the wind in your favor young grasshopper.
 
#15 ·
I just might have a few years on you, old man!:D Born in Dec, of '48.
 
#16 ·
:D

Yeah, there's a little spread there. So that means what, you have an air conditioner and a mini-fridge in your deer blind there in Texas. I'll get there one day.

P.S. How do you get the stupid smiley things to go where you want them old wise one?
 
#17 ·
Simple. Just make sure the cursor is where you want the smiley face to go, click on the smiley face above what you are typing, and underneath there will a short list of faces to choose from, click on the one you want. It will appear in your thread where ever your cursor is. No AC, or mini fridge in the blind, but I do have an ice chest for keeping things either cold, or warm. I also use a home made alcohol heater for when it's cold!:D
 
#23 ·
There is one other way to get this done, and that's to down load smiley faces to your pictures album. Then upload a file when you need one. You can only put them under the typed message, but it's better than nothing.
Black Emoticon Yellow Smiley Smile
 
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