leaving deer lay overnight

[fair-chase]

Seems alot of the TV hunting shows that happens quite alot. I doubt they are eating much of the meat so they probably don't care. But if its warm out it probably wouldn't be too good.

My dad always has a few choice words every time he watches a show and they do that.

Shootmoore

I used to like watching hunting shows, but they give out sooooo much bad advice its hard to stomach them anymore. I don't think most of them eat what they kill, most are donated to charities or homeless. They don't care if the meat they are giving away tastes gamie, or if half of it gets thrown out. Why would they, their going to shoot 14 more deer this year.

For those of us in the real world. Get it cut and out as soon as possible. Yes there are going to be situations where its just not feesable to get it out that night. Do what you can out of respect for the animal. As long as you are working your butt off nobody is going to be sore at you if it is just not a possibility that night. If you shoot it and walk away as seen on tv with no effort to save the meat or recover the animal, well then your going to take some heat.

OK, I am done now. Not directed at anyone just getting that out there.

[Wea300mag]

I have left several elk and one deer in the woods over night. They were skinned, quartered, hung from a tree or propped up so air could flow around. I take off my T shirt and hang it by the meat. I also urinate about 10 feet away.

Those are my prefered techniques also, especially for elk, they are sometimes hard to get out in one day.

[nontypical176]

My buddy shot a decent 3 point blacktail before dark.  That dang deer busted down the hill, flipped and flopped across the toutle river and fell dead on the opposite shore line.  We could see it but couldn't get around to it until the next morning believe me we tried.  It wasn't freezing that night, but still pretty cold and the meat was fine.  Now another buddy shot a little spike one evenig, near a logging road and we couldn't find him for nothing, looked for hours after dark.  Next morning find out that we had been walking circles around him, he had tucked up under a log in some stickers.  Again fairly cold that evening, but that deer had deffinently spoiled A LITTLE.  Both deer were one shot kills (lung shots), so I think you are taking a chance leaving them, but it doesn't necesarily mean it will be spoiled.  Just might not be as tasty as you hoped.

It happens sometimes that you've got to leave them lay, especially if theres a chance it might get up and run....I mean things don't always work out like we plan.  Thumping around in the brush at night with lights trying to find a downed animal is easier than it sounds(been there).  Especially in this brushy, foggy, rainy, reprod, devils clubbed, slash piled, stream covered, up and down, blackberry heaven in Western Washington.  In 20 years of hunting and around some real idiots, never has there been a deer or elk that anybody I know has shot that hasn't been edible.

[buckhorn2]

I had a chance to shoot a big buck right at dark tonight only 100 yards away but down a steep brushey hill. Did;nt have a flashlight so decided better not to shoot just hoping he will be there in the morning. Where we live even a spot that looks easy to get to is usually not there are blackberry bushes and limbs and trash from early logging and it would be easy to get hurt trying to get down a hill in the dark. I am like most if you can;t get it leave it you know where it lives.

[charlesbearden1]

if you cannot find it in the dark wait til morning, but the ribs and anything the guts touch are no good so. . . . The deer is not spoiled if you get it at first light, they kill cows and leave the guts in them overnight and gut it the next day and ship it all over america so do what you think is right, but all the meat is not spoiled. Probably get some flack from my response but logically, physiological structure of a deer says its ok.