Okay, I'm in a big debate with my nephew, so I figured I would ask the pros. How long do you all typically wait after the shot. Let's assume you know its a good shot and do not see the deer laying.. how long is a good rule of thumb before you get out of the stand to retrieve the deer? Thanks in advance.
Unless I see/hear a deer go down, I'll wait at least an hour, regardless of how well "I think" I hit it. The worst thing you can do is take up the trail TOO SOON! If I think I made a not so good shot, I'll wait until the next morning to start looking. Hope this helps.
I've lost a total of 2 deer while hunting. Both times I thought I made a good shot and only waited 30 minutes. Both times I bumped the deer and lost it. If I dont see it go down dead I wait a minimum of 1 hour. Gives me time to calm down, think, and get rid of the tunnel vision.
If I am absolutely positive a made a good shot, ill head in after an hour or so. If I question the shot placement, I`ll wait 4-5hours at a minimum. In that time period, the deer will either be laying there dead, will be lamed up bad enough so I can sneak into position for another shot, or likely not fataly wounded and is going about his business. A lot can be learned from the blood trail itself, which can sometimes make or break a successful recover.
^ this. Lost a deer this way earlier this season. I thought I smoked her, but in retrospect All I can figure is I got one lung and the opposite shoulder somehow. Found the back 10" of arrow with evidence of good blood almost to the fletching. Spooked the deer 45 minutes after the shot bedded in a raspberry patch. She ran 60 yds and started walking, so I backed out till 2 hours later, dark, found a sparse blood trail where she had started walking, jumped bedded deer 20-30 yds from where I last saw her. Snowed over night. Searched for 4 hours the next day, with a dog, found blood in a track several hundred yards from the last spot, but no other sign, snow melted during the day, leaving no trail. The two other deer I shot this year I left over night ( shot at dusk) and even though one proved to be a heart shot and the other a solid liver that bled out quick, I'd rather take the extra time every time rather than go through losing a deer. We have no predators here who would tear up a dead deer, and the temperature is usually fine for leaving a deer overnight. So your Milage may vary...
I like to wait 3 or 4 hours if I don't see it go down. Dead is dead, the deer is not going anywhere if you wait too long. If you track too early and it's not dead, you bump it and you may never find it.
if it looked like a good shot i wait about 1 or 2 hrs if i didnt see them go down. if its a bad shot i dont hesitate waiting 6 hrs or even until the next morning. did that this year on my bow buck i shot on october 2. shot him right before dark on a hay field and it looked like a good hit but i watched him run 125 yds. that concerned me so decided to let him lay overnight even though it was warm. ended up finding him 25 yds off the field with a good double lung hit. had to throw some of the meat away due to the heat but was glad i found him. and after my experience last year i wait 30 minutes even after i see the deer go down. shot a buck at 15 yds. seen the fletchings go right threw his lungs. he ran 50 yds and tipped over. he kicked around in the swamp grass for a few seconds then was still. at that point i could only see his right side of his rack. called my dad and then climbed down. starting walking to go get the truck but then decided to go take a look right away. got 20 yds from him and he STOOD UP! looked at me and snorted. i could see the blood coming out behind his shoulders. he then took off another 80 yds then i couldnt see him anymore. backed out to the truck at that point and from where the truck sits i can see a little field down the hill. i couldnt believe it i looked down and on this field my buck layed dead. i will never get down within a half hour again.
Even if I believe it to be a good shot if I don't see the deer to down I wait 3 hours if the shot seemed off I wait 6 hours if there is any evidence of a gut shot I wait at least 12 hours.
I like to wait at least one hour and that's on a good solid 2 lung hit. BTW I've harvested five deer this year and one was a back liver hit, I backed out for 5 hours and found her 150 yards away. WHEN IN DOUBT BACK OUT!
If its a good shot ill wait about 10-15 min then get down. They're usually dead with in a min or two on a good shot.
I would like to add that the first one I lost was my very first deer with a bow. The second one I lost was my second deer with a bow.......BACK TO BACK. You want to talk about a high high followed by a very low low. Dont make the same mistake I did. It took me twice to learn from it.
I'll get out of the tree 30 minutes afterwards to look for the arrow/blood at point of impact, then go back to the car for a beer or whatever, and depending on what I found at point of impact, will go back 30 minutes to 8 hours after that. I'm sure waiting 60 minutes is better.
An hour. He dies just out of sight and within a minute of the shot....he wills till be there 59 minutes later...you get up early and he didn't die and you could push him to the next county. If the deer is dead, she/he ain't going anywhere.
