Ethics of leaving a deer overnight with warm temps

It fit before .... Dan has just spent too much time with Canadians to understand why ...... Dave got the meaning right ....

 

I started posting about the 200 yard rule a friend taught me earlier but decided against it. If you see a puddle of blood... you've jumped him. Stop tracking, go home and wait at least 8 hours in hopes he will lay down again to expire... otherwise... he's probably gone for good if you push him. Before you jumped him, he had no idea why he suddenly started bleeding, but when you jump him, he knows and will run for the next county. Most of the time you know within the first 25 yards what kind of hit you made. Getting excited will not make him die any faster and the meat will be fine in the morning with temps in the 50s-70s if you wait. The ethical dilemma is the shot you shouldn't have taken... or the practice sessions you skipped... or that 35 yard shot through thick brush at an odd angle at dusk because you got excited. The ethical dilemmas are countless and as Dan said... making decisions as far as what you will or will not do before game shows up and sticking to them are key.

 

I can't tell you how much I love this post ....

 

I will not bash anyone for how they handle it but I've thought about this question a lot myself.

For me I will not let it lay overnight in hot weather. I will give it extra time if it was a bad shot but I think letting a deer knowingly spoil is a bad move. You can slowly take up the trail and many times get close enough to see if the deer is alive or dead.

 

I hope this isn't way off track but what about tracking deer and/or letting them lay in an area with a high coyote population? It's a little different but similar in that the partial or total loss of meat is likely. Last year I was forced to let my buck lay overnight due to the fact it ran 150 yards down a ridge onto the neighbors land. He insisted that he come on the recovery but was busy that evening and I was forced to wait til morning. We got too it at first light but the coyotes had already eaten the butt and rear quarters. I was able to save the front shoulder and 3/4 of the straps.

How do you guys handle the yote situation?

 

Last I checked not all deer had racks. What if it were a doe ?? You internet trophy hunter haters are all the same. There is more to hunting then just a rack. Didn't your momma teach you anything ?? Geeze !!

Seriously... I agree. I wouldn't leave " any " deer lay over night if I knew it would spoil due to temps or probably get chewed on by coyotes. Here I would be more worried about the coyotes though.

Tim

 

You deal the best you can with coyotes but don't let them drive your decisions. I have had a couple deer torn up by yotes but there is a time when you just have to let a deer lie and take your chances. There are also times when you make a hit so lethal you can get down and go get your deer. I am not going to wait hours when I see a spilled paint bucket blood trail and I heard or saw the deer crash 50 yards a way. He gets maybe 5-10 minutes.

I also have had it start raining right after the shot... now what? The temptation is to start tracking while you still have blood... but if you jump a deer in the rain, it is over. What if you take note of his direction, listen closely, and wait it out... til tomorrow if need be? I used to take up a blood trail quickly if it looked like rain but I have learned to wait it out... they don't usually go far if you don't push them and they are very recoverable when they are close. Every situation is different and as has been said, reading the evidence from the arrow and first few yards of blood trail is critical to recovery. If you need to wait, warm temps or not... wait! If the sign says dead deer ahead... go get him. The ethical questions abound and evolve with each situation, but when we calmly make our decisions about tracking based on the visual evidence and not on our emotions, we are far more likely to avoid mistakes. A mortally hit deer isn't going anywhere. While I have never heard of a deer spoiling in one night... the ethical dilemma is, again, should you shoot at all, "if you believe the shot may result in leaving the deer overnight?" I say no, hold your shot if that is your concern, it isn't based on reality, but "ethically" you shouldn't shoot unless you have a slam dunk, if that is your concern.

 

I think the point that was trying to be made is that when you are dealing with racks different rules apply. I think most everybody on this site would probably spend a considerable amount of time looking for any deer they shot but throw a nice rack on it's head and things tend to change. I don't see too many threads where someone looked for a doe for 4-5 days with a search party. If you can't find a doe or a small buck are you out a week or more later looking for vultures or out after the season looking for the remains? Not likely, but we see "hero shots" all the time with bucks recovered days, weeks, or even months later. IMO a completely unsuccessful hunt where the entire deer went to waste except for the most important part, antlers.

I guess sometimes I just don't feel like it's about closure or respect, I feel like it's mainly about the rack(though that's never said). Just maybe there are some folks that upon finding their spoiled buck three days later are still pumped because in reality they didn't care about the meat anyway, it just wouldn't be too PC to say that.

I hunt VA/NC, it is always hot September through the beginning of November. That fact definitely impacts shot selection especially in the evening. Opening day here it was 96 degrees, the highs have not dropped below the upper 80's yet. Stuff happens not all shots are perfect but with temps like that if you leave a deer out overnight or for several hours the meat probably isn't too safe. I'm sure many still eat it but to me it's not so much about spoilage as it is about bacteria. Just my .02

 

I know what he meant. Was just giving him crap.

If I shot a buck and lost it... only to find the buck dead a few days later... I wouldn't be bragging or showing off the rack. Sure in hell wouldn't get it mounted. I failed. Closure is nice but I still failed. Same applies for a doe ( the carcass. I would feel just as bad. I don't like failing.

Tim

 

I couldn't agree more ...

 

Agreed and when I quoted you I wasn't trying to imply you felt the way I described, apologies if it came off that way. I only meant that the scenario described unfolds in many threads on many sites year after year and I never recall anyone saying "I sure am glad I got that rack" even though that is probably the truth for many(or at least some).

 

I had the best of both worlds last season with this. All 3 were good shots, the first 2 (does) went 25 and 75yds before dropping, I could see them lay from my stand. After 1/2 I retreived both. The final deer (buck) I shot at 35yds, he crashed and got back up, took off. It was a morning hunt, we decided to let him go till afternoon, (shot him at 6:45am), At 2pm that day, we jumped him, and he made one last run before dropping again, this time for good. I think ethics are different for everyone. Do YOU feel comfortable taking that shot at last light?? Luckily, I have some good friends that will drop everything to come track a deer, regardless of the time or weather. In Ohio, we can use dogs to track a wounded deer, though I have not done this with my English Springer Spaniels yet. May try it this season, but I hope I dont have too! :-)

 

CAn we get a like button? I couldn't agree with you more!

 

As for the Yotes I hunt them more than deer prior to and even after deer season one because I like shooting coyotes two because they kill my calves which cost me money and third because the more I kill the and hunt an area they are in quite often the odd are somewhat slimmer they will get my deer. Now they can and will still get them I'm just saying it can't hurt to hunt them.

 

Ethics are fun.[/QUOTE]

Lmao....

 

Cowboy, most of my winter is spent hunting coyotes. It's like whack a mole though...you kill one and two pop up it seems!

 

I swear for every one you kill five more show up