This is probably not something I should be concerned about but I'm hunting close to private property and would rather avoid tracking deer there if possible I'm curious about predicting (as much as you can predict wild animal behavior) the direction a deer will go after a successful shot by how you set up your hide location? My question for those who've killed a lot of deer; Generally speaking, do they more often bolt in the direction they were heading or do they more often turn around and bolt back the way they came? Does stopping them with a "meh" vs shooting them unawares make a difference in this? After watching tons of hunt vids on youtube I get the impression that they tend more often to turn back, but it's not something anyone ever talks about. Of course, wind is #1 setup priority. I don't use any scent masking marketing gimmicks and I'm thoroughly drenched in sweat after hiking in so playing the wind is top priority but I'm curious if anyone sets up with the thought of where their deer will go after the shot.
There is no way to predict the direction a deer will run after being hit by an arrow. It would be a good thing to talk to the adjacent property owner about the possibility that you may need to enter a property to retrieve a deer.
Sota is correct. Now depending on your set up and poundage. I being a woman was 49 #'s and usually an older bow, shoulder shot within 25 yards every time possible. I'm in hill country and they run down hill that's bow and always gun. A shoulder shot with a bow will usually drop them in their tracks. Occationally they may require a follow up shot, yes unfortunate but not as bad as a lost deer. Best is a clean dbl lung or dbl lung heart. When unaware at the shot I've had buck simply startle then stand and tip over or walk a few yards and drop. Just my experiences.
Yea, That is what I had to do this year. I had to wait until the next morning (12hrs) to call a landowner and get permission to recover my deer after it went quite a distance further than I'd anticipated. It wasn't a big deal, just an unexpected hassle. This year I'm going to work on getting 'pre-permission' from nearby owners...
That is sort of the answer to the question I'm asking...from your comment above I'd take it that you can predict which direction a deer will go (downhill) depending on terrain, or maybe I'm misunderstanding here... I'm also hunting hill country...
Oh yah both home and camp are hill country and they will go down hill. Now to that I've had them go a ways across the hill side, but if still on their feet they will turn and head straight down hill. We up here commonly say a dead deer here can travel a 1/2 mile or more down hill.
The one I got this year went downhill now that I think about it, but that just happened to be the direction he was heading anyways...
