Bowhunter shares lesson in ethics – toledoblade.com

By Steve Pollick

Bowhunter shares lesson in ethics

What happened a year ago to Mike Shriner, a young bowhunter from Waterville, is something that no hunter ever wants to happen: He shot a big buck and lost it.

But that is just the beginning of his story, a story of determination, persistence, and ethical dedication that serves as an example for all hunters.

Its central message is that mistakes sometimes happen in hunting, just as they do on the kill-floor in the slaughterhouse that provides meat to most of us. What you do about it and the lesson learned is the key.

Shriner’s story has a positive if a bit bittersweet ending. He found the big buck, but five months too late. The tale makes a thoughtful message now at the opening this weekend of a new bowhunting season.

“At the beginning of October [2007], I was scouting for some big deer in the Monclova area where I hunt,” Shriner begins. “I had spotted a big buck in a field where I hunt, [and] I watched him for about two weeks trying to find out the best time to set up a stand and where.

“The first two nights he was a no-show, but the third night at about 6:30 he showed up and came right my way.” Shriner, at 20, already is an experienced hunter for his age, having made successful big-game hunts to Montana and Alaska with his dad, Larry.

But the big buck standing before him would be his first with a bow. He was excited, and he missed.

“I grunted [a buck call] and he returned at 30 yards, facing me. I thought this would be my only shot so I took it, but it was a shot I would soon regret.” The arrow struck but did not kill quickly, as it should, and the buck ran off.

Mike and his dad began an evening-long search, finding the arrow but not the buck.

“My dad and I looked until 11 that night. We decided that we would look the next morning.” The tracking continued, across a road and into a soybean field – “and there he was.

“He stood up, looked at us and off he went. After we saw him, we could not find him. My dad and I looked for three days but could find nothing. I could not get permission to trespass on the land [where the buck had headed], so it was a lost cause.

“I went on-line and started looking up who owned the land. It turned out a private investment company owned it. I thought they never would let me look so I just gave up. Every time I drove past that last woods [where] I spotted him, I slowed down to look for anything. I lost sleep that first week and still do because I could not find him. After many attempts to get permission I decided to give up  Full Story

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