To me ground shrinkage is a interesting thing. It's like making a bad shot on deer or hog. It defines you, I believe. As a hunter, as a person, as a parent. It is a not so subtle reminder why you are there in the first place (to kill the animal). Funny to me how we forget that. For the animal it is life and death, for us we enjoy what we are doing. The question is, what do you do after you make that shot?
It's usually too late to take back the shot, and put the animal back together again. So what next? Finish the job you were there to do. Yes, you feel very bad, and YES your first instinct will be to put your rifle or bow up for a few days, weeks, months or even until next year. That's completely natural, or it should be if you're concerned about the management of the property you are hunting. (No, this is not ANOTHER deer management article)
I have friends who have had this happen recently. It almost always happens when there is 1 deer in the shooting lane. It's very easy to size up deer when they are with others you can compare it to. It's hard to stay positive when it's a basket 8 that you've been growing for 2 years, but in the name of hunting I think you should. I haven't seen a single experienced hunter that didn't know they screwed up when they have a case of ground shrinkage. And you know what? The hunters that are less experienced that have never had the opportunity to hunt are usually so excited it doesn't matter. You can't take it back, so move forward with it.
It's important to know what the management goals are for the property you are hunting. Ask the people that hunt it regularly, or that manage it what the objective is, and what the deer population looks like. Asking a few questions like this will help you a great deal when you are in the stand.
Take our place for example. We have been managing our deer population for 4 seasons now. Each year we don't take the "correct" number of does off the property. Our buck population is increasing, but we have a condition now that we didn't have in years 2-3.... button bucks and more than usual. So, this presents a special condition where the hunters and kids need to know that they should double and triple check that the doe they see is not actually a button buck. Despite all of that we still had one button buck taken last year with a rifle. Again, it was a great lesson for the guy that took the animal. He was completely distraught and ready to hang his gun up. Reality is, it happens. It's just like working with a knife... Sooner or later you're going to get cut. Hunt enough, and sooner or later that "go or no-go" decision isn't going to be 100% perfect.
Another situation that has occurred here in recently is we're having a great deer season. I'm not sure what it is exactly but we're hitting them pretty hard. As a result we have alot of yearlings and 2 1/2 year old does (we only take does here for now). Well, that's okay, but the hunter needs to keep in mind that there is alot of younger deer running around without their older mother now. When they come into the feeder by themselves it's kinda hard to tell whether or not you should take the shot. It's hard to size them up. (We're also avoiding the "shooting does with yearlings in tow" argument)
Again, those are defining moments. I passed on a doe last night that was 2 1/2.... how do I know? Because I know where we are at in the management cycle. I know she hasn't been bred yet, and I also know that she was probably running closely with her mother and she was no where to be seen (good deer season for us).
So, as a hunter, ground shrinkage happens... to everyone sooner or later. It's going to define who you are as a hunter no matter what you do after you take the shot. Find a way to keep it positive. Figure out how to turn this into a lesson for others so they can learn how to avoid the pain of ground shrinkage.
As the host, take it easy when someone screws up. Usually it's not a $10,000 breeder buck that gets shot. If you don't like the way the person hunts, you should look at your reasons for inviting them or being present when they are hunting. Also, SAY SOMETHING! Make an effort to tell people about you property. Tell them about where you're at in your breeding program, and what kind of deer they're going to see. If you don't say something, then shame on you too.
I think above all else it comes down to knowing where you are at in the management program, and know what kind of deer hunters can expect to see in the stands. It didn't dawn on me until we had a young deer taken last night by a hunter that is very experienced. I should have told him what kind of deer to expect. So shame on me. Nevertheless, it was the "proper" sex for our program here so it worked out.
Did he feel horrible? You bet he did. Did he want to hang up his bow? You better believe it.
It's in that moment when ground shrinkage occurs that you need to stop for just a second and realize you are being defined as a hunter. What would 20 seconds before the shot have cost? What kind of legacy do you want to have? What do you want to be able to share with others? Will you keep hunting or hang it up for a while? All I can say for certain is ground shrinkage happens to everyone at some point in their hunting career. It's the people that learn from it who go on to make a big difference in other hunter's lives.
By: Steven Wiley
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