How long after the shot do you go get your animal?

Discuss all your Bow Hunting here!

Moderators: GoodOyster, Cr0ck1

Post Reply
User avatar
Deadeye
scout
Posts: 64
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2012 4:24 am
Hunt or Fish: Equally Both
Location: Deltona Florida

How long after the shot do you go get your animal?

Post by Deadeye » Tue Oct 02, 2012 7:45 am

After thinking about the dicussion in another thread on losing a deer, it got me to wondering how long does the average hunter wait before going to retrieve their game.

I know that there can be many variables and therefore no one answer will be correct, So for this dicussion lets set these situations.

1: Perfect Broadside Double-Lung Shot. Deer falls within your sight.

2: Perfect Broadside Double-Lung Shot. Deer runs out of your sight, but you hear it fall.

3: Good Looking Broadside Shot. Deer runs out of your sight and you do not hear it fall.

4: Angled shot (either forward or rearward) and you hit what seems to be to far back. Deer runs out of sight and you do not hear it fall.

5: Questionable Shot. Not Sure of Exact Location of Hit. Deer runs out of sight and you do not hear it fall.


In the old days and archery was still fairly new sport (Jennings had just came out with this new-fangled thing called a "compound bow"), most generally the rule was wait 30 minutes and then follow the trail. Bows did not have the energy that they do now. Broadheads were not as large on the cutting surface, nor out-of-package as sharp as now. Has this changed the way you aproach your follow-up?

Anyway. lets see what you all think. Should be interesting to see the replies.

User avatar
Glowworm
Tenderfoot
Posts: 396
Joined: Tue Oct 13, 2009 12:25 pm
Location: Tampa

Re: How long after the shot do you go get your animal?

Post by Glowworm » Tue Oct 02, 2012 7:51 am

IM still a 30 min guy, even if the deer falls within my sight. Down does not mean dead, and YOU do not want to catch an antler in the face( or any other body part) ever!.
New season coming up!

User avatar
doghunter
Star Scout
Posts: 1081
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 9:51 pm
Location: The sticks

Re: How long after the shot do you go get your animal?

Post by doghunter » Tue Oct 02, 2012 8:38 am

If he falls within sight, I take my time and pack up my stuff and leave in a few mins. A good shot with me hearing him fall, 10 mins. Questionable- 30+ mins. This all is dependent on whether it looks like it will rain and morning/evening also. If it's early in the hunt I'll continue to sit and try to make it a double.
Team 'Tree Top Assassins'

User avatar
Iluv2hunt
Third Beader
Posts: 12508
Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2008 6:12 am
Hunt or Fish: Equally Both
Location: Lutz

Re: How long after the shot do you go get your animal?

Post by Iluv2hunt » Tue Oct 02, 2012 9:32 am

All depends on weather, time of day, and season for me.
A good cool morning, I will let animal lay and keep hunting. Bow season I get going on them pretty soon. The hog I killed opening morning...I shot it at 7:15. I waited till 8 to get down to see if anything else came in. That was almost too long to let it sit as it was covered in green blow flies

Afternoon hunts, I like to get on them quick to use all available daylight. If I think I am bumping an animal, then I will back out and get help

Generally a morning hunt, I will not move for 30 minutes after a shot
I don't hunt turkeys because I want to, I hunt them because I have to. ~Colonel Tom Kelly

User avatar
Cr0ck1
ADMIN HOG STALKER
Posts: 14886
Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2008 1:49 pm
Hunt or Fish: Equally Both
Location: Mossy Oak Swamp Bottom..
Contact:

How long after the shot do you go get your animal?

Post by Cr0ck1 » Tue Oct 02, 2012 10:20 am

If i shoot a hog and it drops right there ( i only neck shot) ill get down asap.

If the pig runs and i hear a crash i wait 20 mins. (Only had one run ever during bow season)

Deer neck shot im down asap.

Deer runs and crashes 20 mins.

Allways look at the eyes as you walk to your animal. A dead animal has eyes wide open, closed eyes either back away or hand gun shot it to finish it.

9dawgs

Re: How long after the shot do you go get your animal?

Post by 9dawgs » Wed Oct 03, 2012 8:51 am

I've only shot one doe that ran off. I shot her through the heart and she ran for about 50yrds into a thicket. I waited for about 10 minutes and started trailing the blood. It was very heavy at first and started to taper off to droplets by the time I got to her. She was still alive so I shot her through the neck and finished her off. When I started gutting her I was amazing that she could live that long with a .223 right through the heart. She was a big doe though. Must have been all adrenaline.

User avatar
Bossman
Senior Patrol Leader
Posts: 1507
Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:46 am
Hunt or Fish: Equally Both
Location: Fl.

Re: How long after the shot do you go get your animal?

Post by Bossman » Thu Oct 04, 2012 6:33 am

[quote="Deadeye"]After thinking about the dicussion in another thread on losing a deer, it got me to wondering how long does the average hunter wait before going to retrieve their game.

I know that there can be many variables and therefore no one answer will be correct, So for this dicussion lets set these situations.

1: Perfect Broadside Double-Lung Shot. Deer falls within your sight.

2: Perfect Broadside Double-Lung Shot. Deer runs out of your sight, but you hear it fall.

3: Good Looking Broadside Shot. Deer runs out of your sight and you do not hear it fall.

4: Angled shot (either forward or rearward) and you hit what seems to be to far back. Deer runs out of sight and you do not hear it fall.

5: Questionable Shot. Not Sure of Exact Location of Hit. Deer runs out of sight and you do not hear it fall.

1: If you see the animal fall watch for movement a few minutes then go retrieve.
2: It runs out of sight? You hear it fall? Really or was it just hitting a cabbage fan, I always give it 30 minutes if I don’t see it.
3: Give it 30 minutes and start the trail.
4: If it runs out of sight I’ll give it 10 minutes and get down and retrieve my arrow and look for the start of the blood trail this will tell me how well of a shot it might have been and if it look good give it 30 minutes.
5: The same as 4
:saluting
Bossman

TerribleTed
Senior Patrol Leader
Posts: 1512
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 8:29 am
Hunt or Fish: Equally Both
Location: Orlando

Re: How long after the shot do you go get your animal?

Post by TerribleTed » Thu Oct 04, 2012 6:45 am

when the fall in sight its great for me that generally within 20 yards(thick). I wait 30 minutes because there may be another. I watched deer just pay no attention to the dead one lying there????????????

hog i wait longer 1 -2 hours.

9dawgs

Re: How long after the shot do you go get your animal?

Post by 9dawgs » Thu Oct 04, 2012 10:21 am

Hmmm, I just realized this was in the Bow Hunting Forum... :eek

User avatar
Skunk Ape
Vigil
Posts: 4619
Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2009 6:57 am
Location: Brooksville

Re: How long after the shot do you go get your animal?

Post by Skunk Ape » Thu Oct 04, 2012 11:03 am

I usually wait ten minutes or so before I climb down to inspect my arrow. If its early I just keep on hunting. When I shot that big 8 last yr I came down quick,found massive blood right where he stood. Gave him 30 mins and tracked slow. A bad hit you need to wait but everything depends on situations.

User avatar
Bossman
Senior Patrol Leader
Posts: 1507
Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:46 am
Hunt or Fish: Equally Both
Location: Fl.

Re: How long after the shot do you go get your animal?

Post by Bossman » Thu Oct 04, 2012 2:21 pm

9dawgs wrote:Hmmm, I just realized this was in the Bow Hunting Forum... :eek
Them Anchors is slowing you down Jim.

:army
Bossman

9dawgs

Re: How long after the shot do you go get your animal?

Post by 9dawgs » Thu Oct 04, 2012 2:32 pm

Bossman wrote:Them Anchors is slowing you down Jim. :army
Ha!! yeah that and probably OLD AGE! :crip But I don't think anyone comes from a life in the military without some kinda g-g-g-gglitches!

User avatar
Deadeye
scout
Posts: 64
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2012 4:24 am
Hunt or Fish: Equally Both
Location: Deltona Florida

Re: How long after the shot do you go get your animal?

Post by Deadeye » Fri Oct 05, 2012 4:44 am

My last two bow kills were a doe and a buck. Doe fell within sight and I left her lay about 20 mins and then climbed down and found her dead. On the Buck he was slightly quartering to me and I hit what I thought was a good shot. I listened to him run expecting him to fall and when he didn't I waited about 20 mins to retrieve the arrow before it got dark. Arrow was drenched in blood. Started on the trail with good blood. Found where he stood with lots of blood, then nothing. Backed out and waited until daylight. Found the next day that the shot had angled out through the guts, which clogged and plugged the exit hole causing the blood flow to stop. Found him by trailing his tracks in the leaves about another 100 yrds away.

So I guess on a good shot I usually wait about 20 mins. Questional shot it all depends.

And since it was mentioned, Rifle Shot just go get 'em.

User avatar
nachogrande
Wood Badger
Posts: 5197
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 2:13 pm
Location: Spring Hill, Fl
Contact:

Re: How long after the shot do you go get your animal?

Post by nachogrande » Fri Oct 05, 2012 8:15 am

give it as much time as reasonable for time and temp and how well you think it was hit.every deer down and not moving is not dead. I shot a doe at less than 10 feet with a 12 ga slug, it fell right at my feet and didn't twitch. touched the eye with the bbl of my gun- nothing, put my foot on it's chest and rocked it- nothing, I took my foot off it and tried for another of the does (I had 2 doe tags), missed that 1 and when I turned back the dead deer was gone. it ran into a shallow pond and it was raining, never found it.
Anything worth doing is worth overdoing

Post Reply

Return to “BOW HUNTING FORUM”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests