Saturday morning I had this nice 2 year old come by me at 25 yards and I passed on the shot - just not the deer I'm looking for. We've been getting pics of this guy since summertime and feel like he's one of our up and comers for the future. In total I probably watched this deer for 10-15 minutes as he milled around the ridge I was on - eating raspberry leaves, scent checking a couple does, and kind of just milling about. I filmed the entire thing, mostly watching the buck through the tiny 3" LCD screen on the camera. Upon getting back to the truck after the AM hunt we found the neighbors waiting for us - they had shot a buck and it ran onto our property. So like any good neighbors we headed out to help with the recovery. Unfortunately blood was pretty much non-existent. One or two drops every 15 yards for about 100 yards in total and then nothing. With no blood to go on and the hunter being unsure of the hit, we decided to call it quits after a few hours. Fast forward all the way until last night. I'm cataloging my footage from the weekend and notice something funny from Saturday morning's hunt. Turns out the 2 year old that walked by me was the deer that we were looking for! The shot was very far forward through what appears to be the meat of his neck. From the way he was acting when I saw him, and the fact that after he left me he walked by my brother-in-law who was a few hundred yards away, I have to assume the deer isn't going to die from this injury. So my question is this - if this buck walks by and you see the hole in his neck, do you shoot or pass? I never realized he had been shot already so was never put in that position, but in this case I say I'd pass. I don't think it's a fatal hit and hopefully he makes it another couple of years. What would you do?
All depends on his actions. From what you described, I'd still pass. If I thought he was gonna die, I'd stick him.
It's crazy to me that a deer can get shot through the neck and just be walking around 1/2 hour later like nothing happened. They are incredible animals. Someone runs an arrow through my neck and I'm not going anywhere for a while.
Opening day i killed my first deer. It was a great shot my any means it looked like this one but with the deer i shot it dropped right in front of me. So im guessing i hit a major artery, and on the buck above it must have just missed anything major. Thats why its not the best area to shoot at its a matter of inches up there.
Looks like one tough deer, personally i would pull the trigger on this buck because to me it is a trophy. Another question to ask would be if you didn't happen to shoot this deer and recover it, but the other hunter tracks it to your stand and finds you with "his" buck? How do you resolve this issue if you both believe you made the lethal shot? and what are the legal aspects of this?
From what u described I think he's more than likely gonna be ok. If I were in ur boots id pass. But in my neck of the woods I have no deer or land to manage and that's a fine looking buck so if I had a shot on him here he'd get stuck wounded or not.
A big part of it may be it was such a short time later, there's still that possibility the next to around he's much worse for the wear. Keep infection out and he will probably live. Hopefully he does. I got shot through the foot with a 9mm about 15 years ago. Happened so fast I knew it happened but I was in no pain for the first few hours. Afterwards I was on crutches for much of the next 3 weeks, and pain was an understatement.
I shot a small buck one year during rifle season because he had a neck wound that looked a whole lot worse than your pic. I was convinced that he would die a slow horrible death. Once we skinned him and started processing, I looked at the wound a little closer and found a 4 blade broadhead and 2 inches of arrow in his neck. After I gutted him, I cut open his stomach and found it full of freshly eaten corn. Now that I know more about how tough these deer are, I'm convinced that he would have healed up and lived on. Assuming he doesn't get taken by another hunter, I bet your deer will be around next year.
The shot that kills it takes it. The neck shot was, obviously, not lethal. If both were lethal, within reason, the first shot gets it IMHO. FWIW, I would shoot that buck based on size alone. If I was hunting for something bigger he would get the pass, though. Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2
Agreed. Edit: I do agree that if it wasn't mortally wounded there is no need to quicken the death but.....I shoot that deer anyway just because his body is quite big enough for my standards LOL..
No on both accounts. If he didn't die from the neck hit within a 100 yards he's going to be fine. When you have studs like that walking around hell no.
If I were you (going by your standards), I would definitely pass even if it was a mortal wound. I wouldn't shoot a deer simply because it was going to die.
Initial question: I dont shoot cause its wounded, I shoot cause its big enough. Follow up question about other bucks out there: Yes. Because there are almost always bigger bucks out there on every single property I hunt whether I see them or not. If one is big enough to shoot, it gets shot regardless of what else might be around
Really? So if that same buck came gimping by and was all hunched over with a gut shot wound, you wouldn't shoot him? Regardless of the other deer walking around on the property, I'd shoot. If it means I can slow his suffering by a few hours or days, so be it.
Yeah, I am not real picky either. I hunt for meat and end up tossing my antlers in a bucket in the barn. I would say this deer survives if the esophagus and airway are clear of serious injury.
