afther you shoot a deer

how long is a deer good for afther you shoot it i see a lot of shows on tv wait till the next day to go get there deer i think in tx the meat would go bad

a lot depends on the weather...cold as heck, you could be good...in this warm tx weather, you would more than likely be just attempting to recover the deer and give yourself the peace of mind that it did die.

in tx it freezes overnight in a lot of places.

I would say, just do it as soon as you can.

In some cases the coyote could come in to the picture too over night.

Myself, I would not eat a deer that was left out overnight with the guts in it even if it was 32 or below. I just would not do it. There may not be anything wrong with it, but it just doesn't seem right to me.

if i know i shot it and can find blood, i will look until i find it. have never had to go back the next day yet... hope not to have to
i like the meat and dont like the idea of it going bad.

if a coyote gets to it, i dont want to touch it....

Those aholes are only interested in the horns.

X2

I question a lot of the "experts" on TV. I was watching one of the shows the other day and the guy shot his deer. It's warm, he is in a short sleeve shirt, trees are green. He said we're gonna wait a bit to go get him. In the next shot he is with the deer and says, "OK, we waited about 7 hours...." WTF? Why 7 hours? To me, 7 hours dead in the heat makes the meat marginal...

I have a hard time with the idea of hunting for antlers only. If I'm taking the life, I am making more use of it than a trophy on the wall.

To each, his own I guess...

I've never really had to track a deer I shot. Generally, I see where it fell and give it a few minutes before climbing down. Since I never want to clean more than 1 at a time and don't have to drive by anyone to get back to the ranch house to clean it, I go ahead and load it up to get started.

Neither would I, also I won't leave a deer overnight anyway. I'll track it until day light if I have to, and I've had some I never found.

first of all, i'll track until i find it. second...if it takes a while....it has to pass the visual and smell test.
just like stuff in the fridge that the ole lady wants to toss.

If it looks good, smells good, it's good.





Until/if I get sick

and.....if you cook it long enuff, it'll be alrite

I had a deer that did a backflip and fell dead in it's tracks that I gutted within 20-30 min. From there went straight to the processor. That was the best tasting deer I have ever killed. Don't know if it was b/c he fell DRT and did not get his blood pumping hard, or if it was b/c I got it right to the processor.... Maybe a little of both.

Preferably, deer drops/dies instantly w/out adrenaline pumping thru it while it runs off. I TRY to keep it under an hour from shot to freezer. But that does not always happen. Where I hunt coyotes would get it before the next morning w/out a doubt in my mind. There must not be coyotes where all the TV shows are filmed up north.

thanks for the info guys

Like mentioned above it depends on the weather. It also depends on your shot placement and how the animal reacts when hit. Deer react certain ways to different types of hits. They will jump or kick when hit in the lungs or heart, hunch up when gut shot, drop when hit in the spine or high shoulder usually. Another good indicator is also the color of the blood and hair you do find. Very dark blood indicates liver, pink blood indicates lungs, white hair indicates a low hit. They dont all act the same but after you kill a few deer you'll generally get a feel for when its time to go in after him.

That's why I shoot them with a 300 win mag....No tracking..yet anyway...

The people on TV hunt for horns and not meat.

idk, i just cut the horns off and go home....

that I wouldn't doubt....would be hard to transport your deer on the dirtbike/scooter.

Has anyone seen a fine steak before it is trimmed, cooked, and served? It has MOLD on it. I've been fortunate enough to recover all of my deer shortly (within an hour) after I took the shot but would have zero problem leaving one overnight if it was below 35 degrees all night. I have been in camp a few different times when deer were recovered the next morning and the meat has been perfectly fine each time. Alot of people don't find deer b/c they push them. If you start to track a deer and find a big pool of blood and that deer is not within 5-10 yards, leave him alone, especially if it's after dark and you have no opportunity for another shot. With a marginal shot, rifle or bow, you can push a deer for miles before he dies but if you leave him alone, the overwhelming majority of the time, he will bed down and expire and you'll have a much easier time. I'm a firm believer in the saying "when in doubt, back out."

Silly...



True words..

Why is that silly Roadkill? Been using the 300 for 14 years now and have never had to track a Deer, Elk or Antelope that I've shot. Is it overkill for Deer, yea I think so. But it's what I like to shoot because it kills quick and they pretty much fall where they are. I use to hunt in Dimmit county with a 270, had a couple of deer go about 100 yards from where they were shot and it took a while to find them. Never had to worry about that with the 300. I've also had them fall in their tracks with the 270 but not like the 300. Don't like being on my hands and knees with a flashlight at night looking for blood. It's just what I like, I'm sure it's not for everybody. Wasn't silly, it was just my opinion..

I've been hunting with a .270 for years, with the right shot its more than enough gun. My first deer was with a Win Mod 70 .225, went 30 yards and fell. 300 win mag will def get the job done, but does seem a little silly for the white tail.

How was the shot placement on those Dimmit county deer? Lots of variables to consider when someone ends up tracking a deer.

The statement is silly because the reason given for not having to track the deer is the gun.

There are a ton of calibers that will drop a deer where it stands, doesn't have to be a 300 win mag. Shot placement and the round used is far more important than the gun you use.

Hunt long enough and you will have to track a deer someday, no matter how good a shot you are or what type of gun you use. It happens.

I'm not going to get into a debate about which caliber is best. There are a lot of good calibers for deer out there. I personally like the 300 win mag. I'm not knocking anyone for their caliber of choice and don't think I should be either. I'm just saying I prefer my 300. Shot placement wasn't an issue. They were both killing shots since they only went 100 yards. All I'm saying is that with my 300, I have never had one leave the sendero or had an Elk or Antelope take a step. I'm sure with correct shot placement that can be done with a lot of other calibers. Again not silly, it's just what I prefer.