Poison Pods, do they work?

[kajunhunter]

I live in the great state of Louisiana. I just started bow hunting this past season and love it. It is illegal to use poison pods here though. I had a friend who lost 2 deer this year by bow, and he made good shots and drew good blood. We blood trailed both deer 250-300 yrds before loosing them. I was wondering if the poison pods really worked and how they work. Also, is there any dangers in using them.

[Rock Horn 1]

Kajun,
Welcome to the awesome sport of bowhunting.
I have never seen an advertisement for anything called a poison pod. But if it is as the name implies some sort of delivery system for a systemic poison ment to bring down a 100+ pound mammal you bet it would be dangerous.
Poison arrows are not allowed here in Nebraska either, but as you will discover a properly placed (prefrerably double lung) sharp (scary sharp) broad head is extremely deadly ( and dangerous) in its own right.
If your friend lost 2 deer as you described probably 1 of 2 things happened in those cases. Did he wait a good 30 minutes before tracking? If not you could easily push a dying deer a long way in a short time. If you wait quietly a mortally wounded deer will usually lie down and die much closer than 300 yards. The other possibility is that the shots were not really that good. and I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything, its just that a well hit deer will not usually go that far. Some marginal or poor hits can also leave what looks like a lot of blood and not kill the deer.
A lost animal is always a dissapointment, but it happens to EVERYONE. and nothing in nature really goes to waste. We can limit our dissapointments through practice before the hunt and patience on the stand waiting for the right shot, but it still happens. Trust me I know.
Sorry for the long post and I hope I didn't sound preachy or anything. Just trying to help out a new guy like the old guys helped me.
Welcome aboard and Good Hunting!

LARRY

[kajunhunter]

Thanks for the reply. Poison Pods are supposed to effect the respritory sys., causing it to shut down. As far as my friend goes, I questioned his shootign ability myself. We have been hunting together for about 10 years now, mostly with rifle and mussleloader. I never knew him to make a bad shot, but like me he just started bow hunting also. One deer we did wait about 2 hours before starting the trail and the other we waited till the next night. He stuck that one just before dark.
I do know people that use the pods in Miss., but I wasn't told of the performance (its one of those friend of a friend things).

[mshunter1111]

kajunhunter,

i live in mississippi and i am aware of the poison pods and have possessed some. i never got a chance to shoot a deer with a pod, but i have heard from others that they are effective. before i was able to shoot a deer with a pod, i 'graduated' up to the liquid version. the liquid version is injected into the deer from a syringe that screws on to the end of the arrow. this form is very effective. most of the time the deer never runs and dies within a matter of seconds, they think it is a wasp sting. i used this version for several years (until you could not get the poison anymore) and never lost a deer. it is still legal to hunt this way in mississippi, but it is illegal to sell the drug. it does take over the respitory system of a deer by relaxing all the muscles to a point that nothing works. its the same drug used by many doctors, in a weaker version, that puts a person to sleep before surgery. hope this helps.

ms hunter

[tjen]

Pods are not the lest be necessary for bowhunting nor are they desierble. They have been fuel for anti's and are bad for hunters Image to non hunting public.

Welcome to the sport of bowhunting, and all you need is a sharp broadhead on your arrows thats it.

[deltahunter]

When i began hunting i used pods just for added confidence. i stopped using it for many years, but after losing a few nice deer i have starting using it again. it is legal to posses and use here in mississippi, but is illegal to buy. there are ways that they do get aroung selling it. all of my freinds that bow hunt use it and it is very safe. it is just a powder that is put into a balloon on a piece of plastic. it is just that added safety to make a clean kill if something does go wrong with the shot. if you need more info just ley me know.

[dubyam]

I can tell you from my experience here in Alabama, I have no need for anything but a good shooting lane, a deep breath, and some 'shaving sharp' broadhead blades. I don't use a lot of fancy equipment bowhunting, though. I have a 14yr old PSE compound that shoots big aluminum arrows at about 216fps (chrono'd more than once) with very sharp, balanced three blade broadheads. All the deer I've shot have expired within sight of my treestand, and I hunt in some pretty nasty thickets in a place called Blackwell Swamp off the Tennessee River. Mosquitos big enough to mate with a turkey! I shoot for the lungs, and I can tell you that off-season practice and careful shot selection means I hit the lungs, too. I suspect that's the reason your buddy's deer were lost. Either that or someone else found them before you did. I have heard stories of people tracking along to find a gutpile at the end of their track. I'd suggest being sure of your shot, shooting lane, target, and shooting ability before trying to use some kind of poison to make up for poor preparation overall. Good luck with the deer season.

[headoftheholler]

When i began hunting i used pods just for added confidence. i stopped using it for many years, but after losing a few nice deer i have starting using it again. it is legal to posses and use here in mississippi, but is illegal to buy. there are ways that they do get aroung selling it. all of my freinds that bow hunt use it and it is very safe. it is just a powder that is put into a balloon on a piece of plastic. it is just that added safety to make a clean kill if something does go wrong with the shot. if you need more info just ley me know.

This is the precise reason hunters are viewed in the negative. If you can't make a clean kill with a modern compound bow without using poison, you don't need to bowhunt. Pick up a rifle or better yet practice more. Not too long ago there was an article in Field and Stream describing those among us that put us all into a negative perception in the public eye. The title of this article? "There be morons among us." I couldn't agree more.
-Andrew

[Arnie Oakley]

Just say "no" to drugs.