Deer recovery

Oh geez here we go. Gonna throw this out there:
Shot a buck with my muzzle loader this evening. Waited an hour and went to look for blood. Drop here and there for the part where I saw him running then more as he slowed down. Dark red. (Typical in the photo). It seemed to be increasing, hitting trees etc so I kept going. 80 yards in, I find a bed. (At this point it’s well after dark and I’m using a bright flashlight). While I’m looking I hear a noise and here he is laying down 10 feet away trying unsuccessfully to raise his head. I back out as quietly as I can and I did not hear him get up. That was almost two hours ago.

How much longer would you wait to retrieve this buck?

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Also: I have not seen this buck before and he was younger than I’d like to shoot but he was limping badly, looked like front left leg. That influenced my decision to shoot. And, yeah…we have a major coyote problem.

I would say you could go back now with your gun and should be good to finish him or drag him out if he couldn’t lift his head before.

Coyote problem sucks

Jump on him and slit his throat…
Or put another round in him.
DT

He’s waiting for you right now. Go fetch him

I would go back after him if you can do it safely, I have had to jump on deer before to slit their throat, be dang careful doing that!! those antlers can do a number on a guy with little effort.

Good luck and post a pic!!

Yeah my dad has a great story like that. But being on blood thinners and being alone, I think I’ll take a zero on the Rambo solution. There was a day…

WishIwasWiser wrote:

Yeah my dad has a great story like that. But being on blood thinners and being alone, I think I’ll take a zero on the Rambo solution. There was a day…

I hear that !!! plus I am, ahem, too, er,, uh, not in Rambo shape to perform those kinds of stunts anymore.

deertracker wrote:

Jump on him and slit his throat…
Or put another round in him.
DT

x3. You should have tracked it with a weapon prepared to dispatch it and done so originally. Go back and take care of it before it dies a slow death freezing or being eaten alive by a yote or 3.

Don’t shoot another round in him with a muzzleloader from close up. There’s a humungous muzzle blast and you’ll end up tearing the thing apart. I wouldn’t wait either because of the coyotes. Got a bow? Take that and dispatch it.

Jimmy Jones wrote:

Don’t shoot another round in him with a muzzleloader from close up. There’s a humungous muzzle blast and you’ll end up tearing the thing apart. I wouldn’t wait either because of the coyotes. Got a bow? Take that and dispatch it.

Headshot, problem solved.

“Headshot, problem solved.”

He said” Shot a buck with my muzzle loader this evening.” Maybe he wants the head/rack.

Jimmy Jones wrote:

“Headshot, problem solved.”

He said” Shot a buck with my muzzle loader this evening.” Maybe he wants the head/rack.

He also said, “I’ve seen this buck before, it’s smaller than I’d like to shoot but it was limping bad.”

Head/rack shouldn’t matter. Dispatch an animal as quickly as possible.

Waited two hours and went back. He was right there where I left him. The limp: his left scapula is sideways, pointing out. Car strike?

So since the cork is out of the bottle: pretty sure you can’t shoot a deer, wounded or not, after legal. In case I missed that detail, it was well after dark when I first took up the trail. I tried calling the CO…good luck finding the phone number. (We have a new one. I’ll non-emergency call and get his cell for the future.)

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nice deer!!!!!!!!!!!

I would have throat shot him if you see him laying and suffering. Doesn’t matter dark or not. You don’t make a animal suffer for 2 hours unless you absolutely have to.
But any ways nice buck

WishIwasWiser wrote:

Yeah my dad has a great story like that. But being on blood thinners and being alone, I think I’ll take a zero on the Rambo solution. There was a day…

Good call. I hunted with a guy on blood thinners. Shot a deer that was laying bellering. He got excited. Grabbed it by the neck. Drove his knife thru the neck, into the palm of his hand. We weren’t sure who would bleed out first. It was Sunday in a county population 7,000. Think the Sunday Dr was a Vegetarian the rest of the week.

I sure the person that hit it would thank you. I’m still waiting for a backordered headlight and $7,000 in repairs on my truck. From one I hit first week in October.

Nice deer. Congrats.

WishIwasWiser wrote:

So since the cork is out of the bottle: pretty sure you can’t shoot a deer, wounded or not, after legal. In case I missed that detail, it was well after dark when I first took up the trail.

I would agree with you. Which also applies to those saying “slit his throat”, in Iowa, a knife is NOT a “legal method of take” and I doubt it is in MN.

Sometimes the laws and regulations are contrary to what we as individuals feel is the moral thing to do.

Congratulations on sticking with it and recovering your deer.

That buck is younger/smaller than you would have liked? Geez that’s a dandy in my book.

Younger. I don’t mean to be a snob, but I’m waiting on my target buck who is 6.5. Last photo I got of him was 11/15. He is a tank. Starting to worry.

Gonna do a euro on this one.

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Oops sorry that isn’t him. Here:

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gimruis wrote:

That buck is younger/smaller than you would have liked? Geez that’s a dandy in my book.

I was going to say the same thing! That’s a heck of a nice deer! Congrats!

Congrats, nice deer and glad he expired quickly where you left him.

Guess im naughty. Finished off my girlfriends deer an hour after dark a few weeks ago. Walked up to it bedded told her to hand me the gun, she said she left it by the truck. Got the gun went back and it was gone. Lucky it only went about 20 yards and laid down again. Wasnt taking any chances and I sure as hell wasnt gonna try and get on it.

WishIwasWiser wrote:

Waited two hours and went back. He was right there where I left him. The limp: his left scapula is sideways, pointing out. Car strike?

So since the cork is out of the bottle: pretty sure you can’t shoot a deer, wounded or not, after legal. In case I missed that detail, it was well after dark when I first took up the trail. I tried calling the CO…good luck finding the phone number. (We have a new one. I’ll non-emergency call and get his cell for the future.)

WishIwasWiser wrote:

Waited two hours and went back. He was right there where I left him. The limp: his left scapula is sideways, pointing out. Car strike?

So since the cork is out of the bottle: pretty sure you can’t shoot a deer, wounded or not, after legal. In case I missed that detail, it was well after dark when I first took up the trail. I tried calling the CO…good luck finding the phone number. (We have a new one. I’ll non-emergency call and get his cell for the future.)

Thats a good idea. Most of the time the Warden will let you dispatch a wounded animal after dark.

Thats a good idea. Most of the time the Warden will let you dispatch a wounded animal after dark.
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Correct because you are not actively hunting. I talked to the Chisago county dnr officer this morning and that’s what I was instructed to do.

I guess I would have never given it a thought and just shot it again no questions. After all we are just trying to make it as humane as we can on the animal. If I was to muzzle load, I would be carrying a sidearm so no reason not to shoot.

Guys don’t ever cut throats. Looks terrible and most guys get the windpipe leaving the thing gasping. Pretty rough. You’d need to aim to the jawline to get the artery but this is silly. Take your knife and stick it in the armpit. It’ll hit vitals and it’ll be over quick. Looks cleaner. I’ve even done this on bears but it’s sketchier, it needs to be a bad off beat and you’d have to approach from the back so I’d not advise it on them.