Tracking after hours

[growalot]

If you called what they would tell you is back out and wait until morning...no different than if you thought you had a bad hit and were afraid to bump a wounded deer...Now lets talk...When we do this...we know that what we are waiting for is a deer to bleed out or if gut shot bed down and stiffen up before slowly bleed out. For it to die from shock to the system...That is where we all hear the "when indoubt back out" and the hey you did the right thing waiting....Well what do you see as the difference here?...That fact you actually have to see what is happening as opposed to just knowing? I'm not trying to give anyone one a hard time but think about it....

[Five Seasons]

so, you do what is considered by most to be the right thing, and kill the buck after dark.....which, as we all know is illegal, but we get past that because an animal was put out of its suffering asap, and we all agree that is the Noble thing to do.............really not a tough decision to live with afterwards. Fast forward to the next day and you realize the buck is eligible for Pope & Young, except for that one minor detail of it being killed illegally, what does one do with that decision?????? 

 

It's not the deer wouldn't have expired eventually. It's quickening the process so it doesn't suffer, and so the meat doesn't spoil or coyotes get it. Then his life isn't meaningless.

 

[Chef]

me personally? I could care less about a book..... I was just curious if some would do the right thing and kill the suffering animal and then look past that and keep quiet and enter it into that book, would it "feel right" doing that, after all it does violate the rules, does it not?......I'm saying kill it, and forget about the book.

. It depends on a lot of things if it is close to death and you just put it down, if you track for hours and get a shot off as its bolting from a bed keep it to your self

[turkeyfeathers]

So ethics/morals/laws  of this is ok for a lot of you but me to track a deer onto unposted yet non public land is not ok !? I'm tracking for the same reason. To hopefully put wounded deer down 

[deerpassion]

I have killed (2) with knives, by slitting their throats, after I found them lying on the roadside with their eyes shut. One was a big doe a few years back, that came to and sprung to her feet after I stopped to cut off her tail. I jumped on her back and slit her throat with a tiny, but extremely sharp knife. She landed a hoof against my lower leg, but the swelling soon went down and I recovered fully. My freezer was full already so I gave that one to a buddy who dropped her off at a butcher, after stopping at the police station to get a road-kill tag. The butcher said she was the cleanest deer he cut up that year, without a mark on her body. Apparently she must have just hit her head on a car, knocking herself out.

The second was a button-buck on the last day of ML season last winter. That time I used a much bigger knife but it was very dull, and it took a lot longer to get the jugular. His hoofs were flying as I was jabbing, but he never connected and I got away unharmed. That was due to my earlier experience and improved hoof-dodging ability. That little buck must have been struck by a car broadside, knocking the wind out of him, for there was considerable bruising on front and rear shoulders on his port side. The other side, tenderloins, backstraps, heart and liver were great however.

If and when I ever have to track one after dark, I would not hesitate to go in with just a knife. I will definitely be sure it is extremely sharp. I am looking forward to a nighttime track, mostly because I want to try the CSI type "bloodglow" I bought last fall to see if it lives up the the hype. Not so much that I would intentionally "botch" a shot however. Both bucks I shot since getting it have expired within 40 yards, so I have not got to try it yet. It has added considerable "prime-time" to my afternoon hunts, since I am no longer afraid to stay in the stands until legal sunset. "Bloodglow" supposedly lets you follow the trail by the light of the moon and stars only.

Is there ever a post from you that is less than 100 words while inserting your competency as a deer hunter!?

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[deerpassion]

I'm fortunate that my leashed tracking dog license allows me to carry a firearm at night to finish a deer off if necessary. If anybody local need some help, give a shout.

Where are you located / area covered ?

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