Coup de Grace

[724wd]

ok, say you guys stick a deer.  when you walk up on it, it's not dead.  do you stick another arrow in it?  where?  head?  heart?

or do you go for the neck slice with a knife?

I've had bad luck with the neck slice... my dad always said bullets are cheap.  but now i'm shooting arrows, which aren't necessarily cheap and not sure what to do?   

[Bean Counter]

Carry a mismatched flinger arrow on your quiver and just use a field tip. An extra shot at the heart should do it. Pretty hard to miss at 10 yards.

[high country]

I arrowed a mule deer buck about 10 years ago and came up on him as he was almost but not quite gone. I leaned on his chest with a stick to force the last breaths of air from him. I could feel his heart beat slow to a stop......it was almost disturbing. I have since addopted the wait a lil' longer approach.

[Machias]

Carry a mismatched flinger arrow on your quiver and just use a field tip. An extra shot at the heart should do it. Pretty hard to miss at 10 yards.

Wouldn't be legal to use a field point.

[Bob33]

The only truly legal method would be using another broadhead or waiting for it to die.

[DOUBLELUNG]

I spined a whitetail about 14 years ago that dropped in his tracks.  As i was climbing down from my stand, he started to buck and get his front feet under him. Long story short, he made it to property I didn't have permission to hunt.  Now, I don't hesitate to put a second arrow into the chest. 

[bobcat]

I don't think the law is meant to prevent you from finishing off an animal as quickly and humanely as possible. I'd use whatever was best for the situation. If that happens to be an arrow with a field point, oh well. I can't see any game warden writing someone up for that.

[BLKBEARKLR]

A lot of things apply to what you are doing.

Going to mount it then don't cut the neck.

You can wait a little longer, but it truly sucks to see it suffer. Best thing is another arrow into. Yes use a broadhead. A field tip like said is not legal. And I would expect any Game Warden seeing you or I do something like that to write a ticket out. It is breaking the law no matter how many times you think it is ok.

Or you can also do like I did this year with Ranger in Wyoming on an antelope hunt. Walk up step on back legs, kneel on the front ones, grab the head tuck it into the chest grab the wind pipe and choke it out. Yes I wanted to mount that one and not ruin the cape.

Joe

[Bob33]

I don't think the law is meant to prevent you from finishing off an animal as quickly and humanely as possible. I'd use whatever was best for the situation. If that happens to be an arrow with a field point, oh well. I can't see any game warden writing someone up for that.

That sounds logical but we know for sure it would not be legal with a handgun, which would be quick and humane.  I do think most officers would not cite for using a field tip, since it does not provide any hunting advantage like a handgun could.  The interesting one to me is using a knife to cut the throat: that's not legal either but again I doubt any officer would cite someone.

[high country]

if the critter is incapacitated you can push a broadhead into it and wiggle it around.....btdt on a porky......twas also butal.

[rasbo]

I put him down with another broadhead,I would'nt even think about the cost..Its whats right..No brainer for me...

[Hunterman]

Cut its throat..All it takes is just a poke, you don't have to go ear to ear,,just a nice little poke to cut the carotid artery...Or put another arrow into where the head and heck sre joined. Point blank. Diconnect the central nervis system = dead animal quick..

Hunterman(Tony)

[h20hunter]

How about slipping a knife between the ribs and poking the heart? I also agree with second broadhead to the heart. Choking him out......thats tough. I'd rather put another arrow into it.

[halflife65]

I put him down with another broadhead,I would'nt even think about the cost..Its whats right..No brainer for me...

 

[Annette]

Carry a mismatched flinger arrow on your quiver and just use a field tip. An extra shot at the heart should do it. Pretty hard to miss at 10 yards.

  Bean you know that's not legal....no field tips    
If you hunt with your bow and need to do a follow up shot use another arrow or  don't be hunting with a bow, Follow up arrow to the lungs for quick end.
For answers to your questions 724 you might attend a bowhunter education class next year before the season.

[Thenewguy]

If the arrow didn;t go though, wiggle it around a bit? This is actually a good topic. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot it again, but 20 bucks isn't as important to me as a clean a kill as possible

[ribka]

I have spined 3 wt  deer from a treestand in my years of bowhunting. Not a very good experience. I always put a follow-up broadhead in their heart and they expired quickly. Read an article once comparing cutting the windpipe vs a broadhead, knife in the heart of  wounded deer, elk. Physiologically speaking the author, a Vet,  suggested a knife or broadhead was a quicker, safer  and more humane way to dispatch wounded game.  

Worried about cost of a broadhead use your knife

[npaull]

Total no-brainer. Any deer I shoot with my bow gets as many broadheads as I can put into it as long as it's still moving, unless it's obviously instants away from expiring (ie clearly shot in the heart). Blows my mind that anyone would think to do any different...

[addicted]

German's got some things right.

If an animal is Sick, injured, or suffering in any way you as a hunter are to put it down reguardless of season, caliber, or any other prohibiting laws.

[h20hunter]

I would completely disagree with the above statement when it comes to hunting specific seasons and specific equipement. It is legal for me to carry my .38 for protection but completely not legal to use it to dispatch a wounded game animal if I'm hunting archery. That is a ticket waiting to happen.

[724wd]

here's the scenario...

small WT doe, stood up when the landowner started the plow truck.  She didnt know i was there.  i shot and though i missed.  first shot a hit but i didn't know it at the time. she ran off and i circled the thicket to head her off and hopefully get another shot.  i saw her bed down 80 yards away and though she just didn't want to wander in the blizzard.  so i snuck up to 20 yards and shot her in her bed.  hit hard.  incapacitated, but still breathing.  want to end the suffering as quickly as possible.  not really concerned with cost of arrows, but with the quickest way to dispatch the animal.  i did stick her again from point blank, through the lungs (twice  ), but she wasn't dying fast enough, so i knifed her throat.  just seemed a bit much,  you know   ?  had i waited a couple of minutes, she'd have expired, but i wanted to end it as quick as possible.  got some bloodshot meat from the coup de grace.  saw she was leaving a blood trail and saw my first shot was a hit, but i'm still not sure where.  there were too many holes in her to tell.     i though i missed high, but when i back tracked to find my arrow, it had good blood.

SOOOO.... if i'd have let her lay after the second shot, she would have died, but who knows how long?     i didn't want to make her suffer any longer than necessary, but the first finishing shot didn't get it done, and neither did the second one, leading to the knife.  that's why i was wondering if you guy go for a head shot like a rifle?

[Bean Counter]

  Bean you know that's not legal....no field tips    

My bad guys--follow the law. I haven't had this problem yet bc I have yet to kill any deer/elk with my bow yet 

[h20hunter]

Been there this year in fact. First archery hunt hit back behind liver but not in the gut. She bedded nearby. We waited and waited, eventually got up on her and bumped her. Got back on her about 5 min later and got to 17 yards. Put a Muzzy in her neck, then cut her throat to speed things up. Sucks to end it that way but that was the fastest combo of things I could do. Sorry you had to do the same but don't think I would have done it differently. Bottom line you finished the job in the most timely manner available while ensuring you didn't lose the animal.

[tlbradford]

I would never shove another arrow in with my hand.  What if your grip slips down the shaft?  I wouldn't try knifing it by hand either, even with a hilt, these are strong animals.  If they are hit hard enough for you to do anything by hand, then cut the throat.  Otherwise, shoot another arrow into the heart, if you want to save the cape.  This is bowhunting it may take another minute or two for the animal to die.  That is the nature of a blade wound.  Cutting an artery deprives vitals of blood, it takes time to bleed out or have organ failure.  Cutting the windpipe asphyxiates an animal, this also takes a little time.  Without being able to but a bullet in the brain, there is nothing else you can do to kill it faster.

I think it is the movie "Diehard" where he drops a unit heater on a guy and his legs are twitching.  Someone says, "can you make it stop?"  and the guy says, "What do you want me to do, kill him again?"  To me that applies to this situation.

You don't have to like it, but that is the way it works when killing an animal while bowhunting.

[carpsniperg2]

"I think it is the movie "Diehard" where he drops a unit heater on a guy and his legs are twitching.  Someone says, "can you make it stop?"  and the guy says, "What do you want me to do, kill him again?"  To me that applies to this situation."

The movie was: the rock a great movie, i am also a big fan of the diehard movies

now back the the topic: I myself would shoot another arrow into the animal myself. I agree that most wardens, probably would not write a ticket for cutting the throat. They would have no way of knowing, that the animal was still alive when you did it. You could shoot a animal in the base of the skull with a arrow. for the coup de grace. that way the arrow is in a place you would not notice, if mounted. Or just shoot them in the vitals and let them bleed out.

[Bob33]

You could always put a picture of one of our Senators in front of the deer's face.  That ought to put an end to it..

[carpsniperg2]

 

[Bob33]

The only problem with the photos might be PETA - they would probably consider it cruel and inhumane treatment of animals.

[sakoshooter]

Another broadhead tipped arrow to the heart/lung area. I really hate to see a magnificent animal suffer even though we're talking only minutes sometimes.

[addicted]

I would completely disagree with the above statement when it comes to hunting specific seasons and specific equipement. It is legal for me to carry my .38 for protection but completely not legal to use it to dispatch a wounded game animal if I'm hunting archery. That is a ticket waiting to happen.

talking about german law, as much as i would like somethinglikethis to be adopted in the states, it is not my take along rule book.

[high country]

 if you cut your hand on a broadhead from sliding your hand down 30" of arrow shaft, you deserve to be eliminated from the gene pool.

[Mangy]

Easy decision for me, finish it...stick em again, of course with a legal broadhead.  However, I have been lucky and have only had to do this once. 

You would have to check the regs but you could carry one of those Cold Steel Samburu spears and practice your spear chucking on your wounded game....just an idea.  I think that's the spear they use on that Relentless Pursuit hunting show for pig hunting.

[Annette]

One of the things that comes to mind is you don't know how death works.....When you interupt the circulation or air the lack of that to the brain causes the animal to faint with in secconds.. The other movement is involentary muscle jerking as death takes place, no pain at that point, so walk away and give it a few minunets  to "EXPIRE"

[hillbilli]

I have used the knife on a deer crippled by a car. I have seen someone hesitate to shoot a second arrow at a clearly fatally hit deer only to have the deer get to his feet and dissapear into a swamp- we were not able to track him in there and lost the deer. remember that you cant always tell how good your hit is.. and even when you can- I've seen deer hit correctly run as much as 150 yds.  I highly recommend shooting another arrow (broadhead of course) into the deer. when you hit a deer you will almost always recover and be able to reuse the arrow, and good broadheads can almost always be reused(I use muzzy)-even if it cant the damage to the broadhead is well worth the peace of mind.

[wayner]

I wouldnt recomend cutting its throat. My neighbor and I tried that a couple of years ago with a buck Dont want to thread jack so I wont get into details, but we still get a good laugh over that one. Next time I will just put another arrow in it

[lokidog]

Got the crap kicked out of me trying to finish a doe off with my knife.  Shot her square in the eye with the ML, don't ask....  She had no control but man those legs could kick!   

If it is still alive, my motto is stick another hole in it.  This year's buck (MF) went down with a high, above the spine shot.  Since I was next to the garage, I quick grabbed my bow and heart/lunged him to  bleed him out, nice pink meat.

Many years ago, I shot a bull five times with four arrows...  first one was a lung hit but he just did not want to go down.  Darn tough critters.

[724wd]

I wouldnt recomend cutting its throat. My neighbor and I tried that a couple of years ago with a buck D

that's been my experience, just checking what you all do.