DRT archery deer

[tank21]

My in-laws live on a 10 acre piece of land in Cle Elum and have a ton of deer/elk in their grove of trees.  I want to get one for the meat but just want the hunt to be over as soon as I let the arrow fly.  Dead  right there.  Does anyone have any experiences where the animal will drop right there?  I like to shoot them in the neck with my rifle but with the neighbors that just won't go.  Too loud and obvious.  But if I could sneak one out with my bow and have it drop right there without having to track it that sure would be nice.  And avoid asking the neighbors for permission to retrieve a deer.  My only experience is that they run a bit after you shoot em with the bow.  Does anyone have any input from past experiences?  Really heavy arrow and thump em hard in the neck?  The shot would be close.  Maybe head shot?  That seems pretty precise though. 

[h20hunter]

My thoughts...

Rifle... if legal to use and can be done safely then use it.

I've heart shot deer that flinched, locked up, fell over with archery. I've also made less than ideal shot and followed them for hours.

I do not take neck shots with archery. Imo, you will have a big potential for a nasty wounded deer running around.

Noise...put a can on the gun or shoot with no break.

[h20hunter]

let me smack a meat buck and we can use my 6.5 creed suppressed.  Done and done!

[tank21]

I would say rifle is out.  Too many horses and the such in the area.  They don't like the range..."too dangerous" is what they would say.  I've been working on them for 7 years to hunt with a 20 Ga slug even but they are not into the gun idea for some reason. 

[Buckmark]

Sounds like this place is a no go then 

[h20hunter]

Understood.  That being said.... tried and true...big cutting heads, heart lung shot, make it count and be mindful that it will likely run. We can't make perfect shots and if you can't make the recovery on neighbors property I wouldn't take the shot without assistance in that relationship or something.  Clearly nobody wants to lose an animal to waste because of a neighbors attitude.  I would think you could lut a blind or stand in the furthest possible place from neighbors land that if you get a clean shot its not going more than a hundred yards with a double lung.

[buckfvr]

Why would you drive for hours through deer country to hunt less than 10 acres in Cle Elum ? Not trying to be rude but I dont get it.

[92xj]

Tree stand and spine shot.
You get to decide your ethics with the decision.

[Taco280AI]

I've had a deer walk in a tight circle till it dropped. Also one bull that got clipped in the spine and dropped, due to the angle, but that wasn't planned.

[Karl Blanchard]

Everyone who has done a bit of bow killing has had that real quick kill. I shot a deer a few years ago at close range, quartering away, took out off side shoulder. That deer looked like it got hit with a 338 Lapua! Dropped in its tracks! That's not normal though. Normal is 50-200 yard recovery on a good shot. So I'd plan on that 200 yard buffer zone for a deer. Elk are even worse. Cows and spikes are herd bound animals. When in distress they will seek out other elk and in a hurry. Its nothing for a double lunged cow or spike to run 300+ yards. My last late season cow took off after a double lung hit and went every bit of 500 yards and died in the middle of a Boulder field.

As for head shots or neck shots with an arrow. NO! I'll say it again......NO!!!!! I'm sure someone will chime in with "I did it and it worked great", but the likelihood of doing it deliberately and successfully aren't high. Arrows don't kill like bullets.  You have to slice something that will make them die. I've seen more than a few animals with arrows sticking out of there faces and necks to believe anyone should be going for this shot. I put down a cow years ago in the nile that had an arrow in her eye socket as well as her neck. Guys finally showed up and regailed their story to me.  Low brisket shot at 105 yards, finally caught up to her and shot her in the neck at 25 yards. Face arrow came a few hrs later at 10 yards where they had found her jumbled up in a tree root hole. To this day it makes me sick.

[h20hunter]

My only neck shot with a bow was a coup de gra ( sp? ) on an almost expired deer at 15 yards and was my only shot. I second the opinion...no neck and head shots with a bow unless absolutely required to end it, not start it.

[tank21]

Why would you drive for hours through deer country to hunt less than 10 acres in Cle Elum ? Not trying to be rude but I dont get it.

Because I am there for holidays and misc weekends and it's a perfect excuse to get out of the house for a bit.   Plus, it's August 7th and was just kicking tires to talk hunting I suppose.

[huntingfool7]

I've dropped one deer in it's tracks with a spine shot.  It was not intentional and my shot hit high on the chest from a tree stand.  I don't believe it's possible to intentionally make that shot with a bow.  A little higher and it would have gone over the spine.  A little lower and it would have passed between the spine and the top of the lungs.

If you should have an animal drop at the shot due to a spinal hit, you need to shoot again quickly.  There is a high likelyhood that the animal will shake it off and bolt.   There is no assurances that the spinal column was cut until you have him on the butcher table.

I think you are SOL.  Ten acres is a postage stamp.  If you can't follow up onto the neighbors property, use a shotgun or a rifle. 

[tank21]

Everyone who has done a bit of bow killing has had that real quick kill. I shot a deer a few years ago at close range, quartering away, took out off side shoulder. That deer looked like it got hit with a 338 Lapua! Dropped in its tracks! That's not normal though. Normal is 50-200 yard recovery on a good shot. So I'd plan on that 200 yard buffer zone for a deer. Elk are even worse. Cows and spikes are herd bound animals. When in distress they will seek out other elk and in a hurry. Its nothing for a double lunged cow or spike to run 300+ yards. My last late season cow took off after a double lung hit and went every bit of 500 yards and died in the middle of a Boulder field.

As for head shots or neck shots with an arrow. NO! I'll say it again......NO!!!!! I'm sure someone will chime in with "I did it and it worked great", but the likelihood of doing it deliberately and successfully aren't high. Arrows don't kill like bullets.  You have to slice something that will make them die. I've seen more than a few animals with arrows sticking out of there faces and necks to believe anyone should be going for this shot. I put down a cow years ago in the nile that had an arrow in her eye socket as well as her neck. Guys finally showed up and regailed their story to me.  Low brisket shot at 105 yards, finally caught up to her and shot her in the neck at 25 yards. Face arrow came a few hrs later at 10 yards where they had found her jumbled up in a tree root hole. To this day it makes me sick.

This is good and why I did the post.  I would hate to see "my deer" running around with an arrow sticking out of its face.  That would be terrible.  My god word would travel fast on that one.  I just don't have enough experiences to lean on; hence you folks.  The shot would be close with plenty of opportunities/time to ensure the best shot possible, that said big cutting mechanical through the heart is probably the best shot to take.

[Jpmiller]

I still can't understand how but I had a spike whitetail several years back that I just about center punched his heart. Dumb thing ran about 300 yards. The following year I hit another whitetail through both lungs and it died on the full run in about fifty yards. I don't think there's a drop em on the spot every time archery shot.