How would you handle this deer?

[rickyp]

Last night at last legeal shooting hours. I had a medium doe come in to me at 25 yards. I took the shot. Since close to end of hunting time I did not reload. I looked and found several blood spots. But couldnt fund any more. I searched about 50 circles around where she was. Couldnt find any more, called friend in to help we couldnt find the deer or blood.

Went back hunting this morning didnt see any deer, got down and went to look for the doe I shot last night. I did circumstances check and found her 40 yards from where I shot her at but she backtracked and didnt run in the direction I thought. Last night I was with in a few yards of her when circling but couldnt se her.
Of course it being warm the doe was no longer good for people. I ended up taking her about 1000 yards deeper in the woods so she wouldnt stink up my hunting aera and criters can eat with out being disturbed by my hunting.

I got back to the truck and used the app on my phone to check her In because I did recover her but couldnt use her for food.


The question is how would you handle it? I have never seen a reg stating you have to check in a "lost deer" but for my self if I know I killed it but cant eat it I still check it in but that is mt personal preference.

 

[protegeV]

man, I seen Bear Grylls eat a week old elk. Grill that sucker.

 

[MikeTF]

Log it in. You shot it, you recovered it. It is the right thing to do.

 

[iH8DemLibz]

No way in hell I would check-in a deer that I wasn't going to eat.

The check-in is so it can be remove, tagged, from the woods and the processor or you have a confirmation number.

Doesn't mean much with unlimited does, but using up an antler tag ain't gunna happen.

Feed rotten Bambi to the buzzards and forest critters and forget about it.

 

[dwsjr]

Log it in. You shot it, you recovered it. It is the right thing to do.

this

 

[67temp]

You shot it, you killed it. That counts as harvested and should be checked in and logged on your harvest record.

Even if you can't eat the animal, it was still harvested and though it may not really matter much the state likes to keep track of confirmed kills. It would be nice if the state gave us unlimted does for all weapon seasons.

 

[Alea Jacta Est]

So, you took the shot. You made an effort to track and recover. You felt strongly enough to go back the next day and look some more...

I think you've answered your own question.

 

[rickyp]

This is more to get people talking about how they feel about this. I know I am not the only one that had this happen. Until someone can show legeal requirements there is no wright or wrong just personal preference.
A few weeks ago I shot a doe with Crossbow followed blood for several hundred yards and got to point I couldn't go any further because of the thick patch she went in. I could not confirm the kill so I did not check it in

 

[danb]

The question is how would you handle it? I have never seen a reg stating you have to check in a "lost deer" but for my self if I know I killed it but cant eat it I still check it in but that is mt personal preference.

It kinda sucks to lose a deer to foxes and/or the heat, sorry for your loss (been there).

I think that technically it's illegal to move untagged deer. There are three things you need to do: http://www.eregulations.com/maryland/hunting/tagging-checking/

Then after 24hrs you need a confirm #. I do not see any wiggle room for "lost" deer (the DNR even has a way to give people confirms for road kill people claim, and I have seen the processors ask for it).

So, if you were caught by the DNR moving the deer and had not done those things, you could get fined.

I realize what happens in the woods tends to stay in the woods. I personally check in all deer, its not really a big deal.

 

[Devonian]

I can't imagine all the meat was spoiled. I'm sure most of it was fine.

 

[protegeV]

Delete thread now.

 

[MikeTF]

I can't imagine all the meat was spoiled. I'm sure most of it was fine.

Go by smell and appearance. Cut out the bad parts. Then with all game, cook it properly.

I know some hunters that won't touch a deer if it is more than 24 hours old, but will 'age their meat' in a cooler for more than a week before they butcher it.

How many foodies are out there that are into dry aged beef? Some folks let their meet age for longer than three weeks.

I know a few rednecks that don't have any problem with cutting out the back straps on road kill and eating them if they appear to be ok.

 

[MikeTF]

This is more to get people talking about how they feel about this. I know I am not the only one that had this happen. Until someone can show legeal requirements there is no wright or wrong just personal preference.
A few weeks ago I shot a doe with Crossbow followed blood for several hundred yards and got to point I couldn't go any further because of the thick patch she went in. I could not confirm the kill so I did not check it in

Ethical hunting. A deer is a natural resource. We want to conserve it. If you kill a deer, you report it, so that we all know as hunters how much we're reducing the population.

In some states you're permitted to take only 6 deer a year. In Montgomery County MD, I don't think there is a limit if you're bow hunting. If you're in an area where there is no limit, tag it, so that the DNR knows how much is being harvested. If you're in a state where you have a limit, TOUGH LUCK. It counts as a kill. Don't cheat. If you don't tag it, you're a poacher.

It's time to take the crossbow out and do a lot more practice from the height that you normally hunt from (if you use a tree stand or blind). If you were to join a deer hunting conservation group, you would have to put several shots in a target from an elevated stand while witnessed by others at the beginning of every season, before you would be permitted to hunt that season.

 

[AssMan]

Ethical hunting. A deer is a natural resource. We want to conserve it. If you kill a deer, you report it, so that we all know as hunters how much we're reducing the population.



In some states you're permitted to take only 6 deer a year. In Montgomery County MD, I don't think there is a limit if you're bow hunting. If you're in an area where there is no limit, tag it, so that the DNR knows how much is being harvested. If you're in a state where you have a limit, TOUGH LUCK. It counts as a kill. Don't cheat. If you don't tag it, you're a poacher.



It's time to take the crossbow out and do a lot more practice from the height that you normally hunt from (if you use a tree stand or blind). If you were to join a deer hunting conservation group, you would have to put several shots in a target from an elevated stand while witnessed by others at the beginning of every season, before you would be permitted to hunt that season.

I know sh1t happens (and I'm a newbie hunter) but it would never occur to me to NOT tag it.


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[Sportstud4891]

You did right checking it in.

That being said, I think you should have looked for it this morning first thing, not after the hunt, would've saved a few hours there and possibly not wasted the meat. If it was a gut shot then the deer took anywhere from 4-6 hours to die which means it would have only been laying there for a few hours. If it was a vital shot depending on when you shot it, the deer still could have been good this morning.

It was a chilly night, although not quite refrigeration temps. If it were me, I would have looked first thing and then cut the deer open. You can tell by the way the meat looks and smells whether its still good. If it were 80 degrees then the meat was most likely no good. But at 50 degrees it was probably fine.

 

[BigSteve57]

You did right checking it in.

That being said, I think you should have looked for it this morning first thing, not after the hunt, would've saved a few hours there and possibly not wasted the meat. If it was a gut shot then the deer took anywhere from 4-6 hours to die which means it would have only been laying there for a few hours. If it was a vital shot depending on when you shot it, the deer still could have been good this morning.

It was a chilly night, although not quite refrigeration temps. If it were me, I would have looked first thing and then cut the deer open. You can tell by the way the meat looks and smells whether its still good. If it were 80 degrees then the meat was most likely no good. But at 50 degrees it was probably fine.

This. I would have checked it in regardless because it's the right thing to do IMHO. Plus you never know if you are being watched by DNR.

This only ever happened to me once BTW.

Re the temps. That's a tough call. We're really hard on ourselves when it comes to taking what we hunt. I *might* have taken the deer & butchered it myself to see if the meat had really spoiled. What are we talking here 12 hours? We used to hang the meat in the barn for days & days to cure it before butchering. Temps were in the 30's and 40's inside however, but well above freezing.

It's a judgment call for sure. But I'm gently suggesting in general that the meat might be OK for longer than one might think. See it's not just how long the deer has been dead, it's also the circumstances. Gut shot? Pack of dogs or wolves get to it? You get it.

Some refs:
http://www.deeranddeerhunting.com/articles/how-venison-spoils

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/hunting/2011/01/how-long-do-you-hang-your-deer

 

[rickyp]

The shot was perfect. When I found her she had already bloated. To me it isn't worth taking a chance of getting sick just for a deer. If I was starving that may be different the deer is only to help my food. I know other animals will eat her over next few days.

 

[iH8DemLibz]

Hanging a deer in attempt to age it is completely different than eating a deer that that's been sitting around cooking in its own warm juices for 12 hours.

The meat is in a confined space and is being warmed to 90 degrees or so. Everything in the gut is beginning to ferment. Odoriferous gasses are permeating the meat. The muscle is beginning to break down and deteriorate as the minutes tick by.

There is no sense in trying to recover a deer that's been dead that long. Even in colder temperatures, the meat next to that warm and insulated gut will not cool down quickly.

It's critter food.

Kill and eat a fresh deer.

 

[K31]

Check in is mostly so DNR can track the harvest and adjust the limits.

OP did right.

Advocating anything else is wrong in more ways than one.

 

[jtb81100]

Maybe you'll get lucky and get a shot at a coyote working it.