How would you handle this deer?

[lx1x]

+1 you shot it.. Found it.. Moved it.. Check it in.


As far as the weather.. The deer meat probably was OK.. It wasn't too hot... Like summer weather. It was actually cool last night.

 

[K31]

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

You mean trying to smuggle the deer carcass across the Mexican border?

 

[outrider58]

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.

^^^This^^^ Checking a deer you did not take possession of is the same as wanton waste(S/P). You can't check an animal until it is in your possession.

 

[Sampson]

It was a confirmed kill with the deer was found. It needed to be checked in, like you did.
I shot a buck about 8 years ago and didn't find it for 3 days in November. I still checked it in. The only thing I kept was the rack. We put it out in an open field and the eagles had a feast that following week.

 

[outrider58]

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.

...called ''bone souring" and is no Bueno.

 

[outrider58]

It was a confirmed kill with the deer was found. It needed to be checked in, like you did.
I shot a buck about 8 years ago and didn't find it for 3 days in November. I still checked it in. The only thing I kept was the rack. We put it out in an open field and the eagles had a feast that following week.

That's a different thing. You TOOK possession of parts of that deer. You had to check it.

 

[MikeTF]

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.

You're right about the conditions. If the shot was in a leg and it took a long time before death, the deer could be harvested. I would look at the actual condition of the meat.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[CharlieFoxtrot]

No- you did the right thing. Check it in. They don't keep track to see how many deer are eaten, but how many are killed.

 

[Sportstud4891]

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.

Yeah I think I would pass on a bloated deer also.

Are you ground hunting? The only reason I ask is because with every "perfect" shot that I've done, there is so much blood it is damn near impossible not to follow. Even a double lung pumps out an incredible amount of blood. However I mostly stand hunt which presents an exit wound at a low spot on the deer therefore allowing more blood to flow out. The few times I've taken a shot while ground hunting a lot of the blood pooled into the chest of the animal.

Sucks that you missed out on the meat of that deer. If I can offer a suggestion is next time pay attention to all the daddy long legs in the area. They are very attracted to blood and with a little patience can/will lead you to those very small spatterings that a human almost can't detect.

 

[rickyp]

I was out of a stand but not real high maybe 12 feet up. And only at 25 yards.
On this farm I have shot more deer that didn't bleed for long time or only little bits here and there. For tracking I spend more time following the other signs this includes with my m.l. pistol 20 and 12 ga shot gun and arrows. Two years ago I using my m.l. pistol and made a bad hit. It hit to far back and littlerly gutted the deer I could see all the insides falling out. The deer ran several hundred yards before dieing not a single drop of blood could be found. I was able to recover that deer.

 

[mark71211]

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.

I can't believe that in going to say this but I'm with ih8demliz on this one. If it's not in the freezer then I would not have checked it in. Calling in a doe that is not in your possession is like calling in 2 doe from your office desk so you can get that bonus buck tag.

 

[iH8DemLibz]

I can't believe that in going to say this but I'm with ih8demliz on this one. If it's not in the freezer then I would not have checked it in. Calling in a doe that is not in your possession is like calling in 2 doe from your office desk so you can get that bonus buck tag.

Now that right there is something I would never do.

Betcha some folks do it though.

PS: That's twice you've agreed with me today. Knock it off.

 

[rickyp]

It is big difference between this and saying shot two doe so you can use second buck tag. There is really a dead doe accociated with the check in number.

 

[foxtrapper]

When looking for the deer, did you walk the deer trails or just circle around and around? I have found they will run the trails they are used to. The first muzzleloader one I hit but couldn't find was using the trail systems, the BB last year also ran the trail system and died there. The big doe hit with the .270 went maybe 30 yards but followed the trail there. I also know that gut shots will almost always die by water. I have found many dead deer by streams when trapping. By then they are pretty decayed as this is later water trapping, ie beaver/mink. I always assumed gut shot and the hunter didn't look far enough, or crop damage assholes or poachers who gut shoot and never look for the deer. Another was a road hit small racked buck I had seen a few days before running funny after I spooked him up. Before I spooked him I saw his eyes and he was wincing like in pain. He was part in a stream when I found him, and some his feet were really mangled looking, so I assume he was road hit, and had internal damage as well as the messed up feet. I recognized his rack ( kinda funky on 1 side), so knew it was him.

 

[mark71211]

I was in deep thought about this,
1) ih8demliz Your still a dumb crossbow hunter, it was killing me that we agreed one to many times today.
2) back in the day when you had to check your deer in at a weigh in station and told them the story. I'm 100% sure that they would not have check you in as shooting a deer.

 

[wilcam47]

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.

depends on overnight temps for me...if its in the low 40's or lower I'd say its good but I know some to hang their animal in up to 70 degree temps...yikes... Its best to cool off the animal as soon as possible.

Out west here its legal to take roadkill animals. you have 24hrs to game check them in. If they are fresh they are typically still good. Ive saved 2 full deer and quarters on a baby moose. Ive had to pass on elk road kill because we had to go to the hospital or our truck was full of groceries

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.

Its questionable to me....I do my best effort to find the animal and get it hung, skinned/gutted asap...

 

[henn5849]

You are not suppose to move it unless it is tagged and logged in on your harvest record.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rickyp]

You are not suppose to move it unless it is tagged and logged in on your harvest record.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You are incorrect, you must tag it before moving from place of kill. But you have 24 hours to check it in and put on your big game record.

Now here is the real question, what does place of kill mean? Is it the spot you recover the deer or from the property you are hunting on. To me place of kill is the land I am hunting on. So I do not tag my deer until I get it to my truck. It is whete it is dry and my pens are and it is easier to tag the deer thete and no chance of the tag coming off when dragging it out of the woods.

 

[outrider58]

You are incorrect, you must tag it before moving from place of kill. But you have 24 hours to check it in and put on your big game record.

Now here is the real question, what does place of kill mean? Is it the spot you recover the deer or from the property you are hunting on. To me place of kill is the land I am hunting on. So I do not tag my deer until I get it to my truck. It is whete it is dry and my pens are and it is easier to tag the deer thete and no chance of the tag coming off when dragging it out of the woods.

You are incorrect. The first thing you MUST do upon finding your deer is tag it. You can gut it whenever you wish(no law on that). If you fear losing the tag, you can put it in your pocket til you get the deer to your truck. You do not want to be caught with an un-tagged deer by the DNR Nazis. Before removing it from the woods, you MUST enter the kill in big game harvest record. It is a hefty fine if you fail to do so in Md.

 

[rickyp]

You are not suppose to move it unless it is tagged and logged in on your harvest record.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The regs say place of kill. It doesn't say upon recovery of the deer. This opens it up to inturpatation. To you it is whete the deer is found, to me it is before I leave the property I hunt on. The wording in the regs leaves a lot of argue room but one thing is clear for not be on the road with a deer that isn't taged.
You do not have to immediately check the deer in and put on harvest record. It is clear that you have 24 hours to do that part.