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Post by harmonist34 on Oct 28, 2022 23:04:18 GMT -5
I shot two doe tonight, and I'm not proud of either shot. I think one likely expired quickly, but the other may not have. Have a dog tracker meeting me first thing tomorrow morning and hoping we'll recover both deer fairly quickly.
Temperatures are not ideal, but I think it should be cold enough. So the question is really whether or not the coyotes get there before we do.
For those of you who have had to wait before tracking - how often have you had coyotes ruin some of the meat? Were you able to at least save the front half? Did you just bring it to the processor as is or did you try and remove damaged sections in the field?
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Post by titanium700 on Oct 28, 2022 23:18:30 GMT -5
In most my experience I found coyotes go to the guts first. In this particular case they went for the ham I think it depends on your coyote population. In my area there are tons of coyotes, last year I shot my buck at last light, it was a straight down shot and the arrow hit one lung. After my son and I started tracking him we came upon him bedded down but still alive. We slowly backed out and came back next morning. He only moved about 75 yds and was stone dead. Here’s how we found him.  I lost that rear leg. The other was fine and so was the fronts. I won’t consume meat where coyote saliva touched. That’s just me. |
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Post by deadeer on Oct 29, 2022 0:58:50 GMT -5
Good luck on the recoveries!
My personal preference...
I wouldn't eat any deer that the yotes touched, or full of puss or infection. Some guys do, but not me/us. Puke! To each their own, and I'm not judging, nor eating at their house!
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Post by elmo on Oct 29, 2022 10:55:34 GMT -5
Did you find those deer?
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Post by steiny on Oct 29, 2022 11:05:00 GMT -5
Most places I hunt, if you don't recover a deer shot in the evening that night, you won't have much left in the morning.
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Post by beermaker on Oct 29, 2022 11:23:34 GMT -5
One of my partners dropped two doe a few years ago. By the time he got back with some help to drag, the carcasses were both surrounded by crows. One of them stuck around long enough for me to smack it with a .44hp and another few came back looking for their lost partner. My brother nailed one with his Savage 10ML and I got another with the 44. They had cleaned out the eye cavities of both deer and stared on the ears and "back doors."
This was in no more than two hours.
After all of the gunfire and noise from gutting and dragging, another doe wandered into range on the way back to the truck and my brother ended up taking it home.
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Post by pigeonflier on Oct 29, 2022 14:40:31 GMT -5
I'd sit down right beside the coyotes with my fork and knife. I'm not bashful...
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Post by featherduster on Oct 29, 2022 17:06:40 GMT -5
WHY??
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Post by harmonist34 on Oct 29, 2022 18:10:11 GMT -5
So had a bloodhound arranged for this morning. Hunting is weird. First doe was an awful shot, second was (I thought) a pretty good one. So we started on the “easier” track - the second deer. Hound was amazing and found it in 5 minutes or so, but I never saw any blood. When I field dressed her, was still warm, so she must have expired this morning. So much for my “better” shot. Then the first deer I had shot we found in about a minute, as she’d only made it 75 yards or so from where I shot her. And coyotes had ravaged rear quarter and entrails. Great blood trail the whole way. So the deer I was sure I shouldn’t have tracked, I actually could have found easily, immediately. The deer I thought I probably should have tracked last night I never would have found.
Anyway, I have one at the processor, and quartered the other to save what meat I could. Hate that I didn’t have a quick kill, but feel fortunate that the meat will probably be fine.
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Post by pigeonflier on Oct 29, 2022 19:32:49 GMT -5
Right on... meat in the freezer...
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Post by harmonist34 on Oct 30, 2022 11:52:32 GMT -5
Bad news. Processor thought intact deer had spoiled and shouldn’t be eaten. So I’m now going to work on the quartered deer and hope it tastes ok.
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Post by featherduster on Oct 30, 2022 12:14:51 GMT -5
I going to give you some advise and I am sure that others will agree.
Shoot, recover and process ONE DEER AT A TIME.
Getting greedy and wasting a deer or two is not good.
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Post by harmonist34 on Oct 30, 2022 19:36:30 GMT -5
Thanks - that might have made the difference this time.
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Post by genesis273 on Oct 30, 2022 20:03:19 GMT -5
Thanks - that might have made the difference this time. Chin up. Some lessons learned out of this ordeal I'm sure. Take those to the field with you next time and you'll be better for it. Good luck to you! |
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Post by Ahawkeye on Oct 30, 2022 20:09:46 GMT -5
Yeah I've doubled on archery deer before. I almost lost one but my brother is a heck of a tracker. I've had a few opportunities since to double with a gun. The thought goes through my mind " I've got enough to deal with right now." Even if I have one down within eyesight unless I'm really close to the truck one at a time is the way to go. Good luck for the rest of the season hopefully things go better next time out.
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Post by firstwd on Oct 30, 2022 20:23:31 GMT -5
There is nothing wrong with taking advantage of an opportunity to stack deer, this is the exact approach we use during park hunts. If the shots were perfect and both deer taken home that night nobody would be giving any grief over it.
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Post by pigeonflier on Oct 31, 2022 5:22:57 GMT -5
I would shoot all 10 if the opportunity presented it self. And if I had that many bolts with me....
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Post by harmonist34 on Oct 31, 2022 7:38:36 GMT -5
I would shoot all 10 if the opportunity presented it self. And if I had that many bolts with me.... Bonus antlerless limit in the county is 2, so I wouldn’t advise that approach! |
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Post by deadeer on Oct 31, 2022 8:29:36 GMT -5
I would shoot all 10 if the opportunity presented it self. And if I had that many bolts with me.... Bonus antlerless limit in the county is 2, so I wouldn’t advise that approach! Reduction zone... |
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Post by esshup on Oct 31, 2022 9:40:00 GMT -5
I am reluctant to hunt in the evenings during archery just because of the recovery aspect. I have had 3 deer spoil on me that had to be left overnight, even in below freezing weather. The one in below freezing weather was shot in the beginning of a lake effect snow event and we had 6" fall overnight. That was enough of an insulator that the deer spoiled even though it was found @ 8am the next morning.
As for shooting one at a time, I have shot 3 in one evening and have had no issues (gun season). Field dress and take to processor. Now my neighbor has a walk-in cooler so I have no worries about shooting one in warm weather as long as I can recover it quickly.
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