You have legally shot a deer 59 minutes after sunset which has according to sod's law duly run off. At the shot all the crows in the wood took to the air so you couldn't hear anything fall over and kick etc. You are fairly confident of your shot but didn't hear any strike (the deer was closish) nor any reaction because of the muzzle flash.

This is not a wilderness setting, your truck is 5 minutes walk away (and home 20 minutes drive)

How/when would you recover the deer? No tricks just plain interest.

[This message has been edited by 1894 (edited 06-11-2001).]

This is an easy one 1894. I just put the tracking collar (the one with the falconry bell attached) around "wonder-hound's" neck, whisper the magic word - "wheresthedeer" and off she goes like a rat up a drainpipe.

I'll gralloch the deer by the light of my new stealthlite and I'll be home sipping a pint of warm British beer within the hour.

DD

If I'm not dead certain of the shot I'll go ahead and wait thirty minutes then begin tracking by flashlight.

It's my experience that it's almost impossible to track at twilight - better to wait for full dark.

I won't leave the woods unless I find no trail at all after an hour and a half.

Of course, unless I'm in Africa the animal will be lying dead within eighty paces.

Don

Now with a bow I would wait the 30 min. But with a fire arm and a good shot> I be on the trail as soon as I found it. If you followed it for 200yds and didn't find it. Your shot didn't hit where you wanted it. Now the waiting comes into play. A couple of hrs at least. or over night. depending on the temp if it going to be above 40 F. all night you well not find any thing good left to eat. If your getting colder then that you might end up with some eating meat. Around here you leave a deer over night the critters well have it gone by morning . To bad we can't use blood trailers like are guy in the UK.

Well, it is too late now, in the scenario given, but if I have a close deer in marginal conditions and or bad cover, that is thick woods, or whatever, I either take a head/neck shot, or I pass and wait for a better chance. Unless you are using a relatively heavy rifle and bullet, and can break both shoulders. Amounts to, if I take the shot, I go pick him up, if I don't, I didn't shoot and there will be another day. Before everyone says how risky head shots are, note we are talking close here, which to me means under 50 yards. A friend, hunting on my ranch, made same decision, and same shot at over 200 yards at dead legal dark with a rifle he was very familiar with. I wouldn't have taken the shot, but you can't argue with the results. Deer was crossing fence into some deep woods. Dead deer, never took another step. I suppose if it was a new world's record, I might rethink my position, but that isn't likely--read possible--where I hunt.

Where legal, labs make great deer finders.

For me if it's small ie Roe or Muntjac I'll let the dog do the work after say 20 minutes. If it's a Fallow and I have real doubts in the shot I'll come back first thing in the morning and let the dog do the work. Fallow never cease to amaze me with their hardiness. I have double lung shot them, waited 10minutes and found them alive so now I wait longer.I can think of a couple of occasions that I would have driven them off a long way if I had followed up after 20minutes.

1894,

If you have a GWP, I believe they retrieve
Fallow don't they???:-)

Pete

PeteE,

He can pick a Roe clear off the ground so I suspect he could drag a fallow doe. I (touch wood) have yet to test his mettle on a genuine runner.

Get the dog. Don't have a dog? Leave the flashlight and get a propane lantern. Blood trails show up vastly better in lantern light than light from even a good flashlight.
-WSJ

fire up the coleman makes the blood stand out good.