I've heard of "being blooded" but never knew anybody who actually did it. A first deer was greeted with just a slap on the back, and some good natured ribbing.
A miss meant a cut shirttail. My understanding is the tradition comes from the days of muzzleloaders using patched balls. You cut the shirttail to replace the cloth patch that was wasted with a miss. Doesn't make total sense, because the powder and shot was wasted too, but I suppose there was no way to replace them. Besides, it's a good story.
The club I hunted with had a very strick rule. You couldn't ruin a man's shirt. Just a small corner was taken, maybe an inch square.
We had a "shirttail board" in the clubhouse. Every shirttail that got cut, was tagged with the hunters name, date, and what was missed...buck, doe, turkey, fox, etc. They became a treasured momento of seasons past. I'll bet there twenty or more years of shirttail boards in there, and that was when I was last there, many years ago. Far from being ashamed of having your name up there, it was somewhat a point of pride. And I had a few up there myself. Sometimes it's not so much the kill we remember as "the one that got away."
My ex-wife hunted with us from time to time. She always made sure to wear something frilly and lacey. She wanted everyone to KNOW it was her shirtail up there.
Larry
