Walking Up On Your Downed Deer

jrbsr · 11-11-2004, 07:14 PM

After you have shot your deer and waited the right amount of time and

You go to get your deer,

How do you walk up on your deer ?

I walk up on the deer from the tail end just in case it is still alive.

If it is still alive and you walk up to the head it can and will jump up and attack you.

But if you walk up to it from the tail it will just jump up and run a way from you.

Ok what do you think and how do you do it?

jrbsr

JimboHunter1 · 11-11-2004, 08:50 PM

As long as you kill it before you walk up on it, you don't have to worry about it jumping up and hurting you. No heartbeat= no problems.

annieoakley · 11-11-2004, 09:27 PM

One sign the deer is alive is if it has its eyes closed. Never walk up on one with its eyes closed. I walk up on them from the butt end not the head. And I always have my gun ready just in case.

cardeer · 11-12-2004, 01:49 AM

I take the shortest route.You worry to much.

UncleNorby · 11-12-2004, 06:18 AM

Approach it from whatever angle that allows you to see its eyes, and shoot it again if needed. For me, I usually approach so I can see their belly rather than their back.

A buddy was dumped by a deer he had knocked down. He wasn't hurt, but he could have been.

mauser06 · 11-12-2004, 06:29 AM

i approach from the rear.....tap its rear...then if nothing happens i go up and poke its eye with the tip of my barrel....if it blinks you got some more work to do.......never had it happen.....and dont want to......but if it gets up while your walking from the rear you have a really good chance to put it down....i keep my rifle ready and loaded and am always thinking of where it may take off to and plan shooting lanes almost.....i rather be safe and take my time then have a deer run off that i should have put down......

uncle matt · 11-12-2004, 07:47 AM

I was watching a hunting show on the outdoor channel this last weekend. It really made me think about this too-and convinced me to approach differently!

The two fellas were approaching the downed deer (buck of course cause they don't hunt does on those TV shows). They were approaching it from a parallel line of travel, not directly to it. Because it was laying lengthwise and facing away from them you couldn't see the eyes.

They weren't 10-15 feet away when...................BAM! This thing was up and bolted right past them at light speed.

If that deer had hit one of them.........well it wouldn't have been pretty.

Uncle Matt (in IL)

fisherfromwisc · 11-12-2004, 07:52 AM

if you walk up on the deer and it's eyes are not glazed over then you should be very cautious. i personaly usually don't approach a deer on my own. I usually have someone with me and one of us has the bow or gun ready while the other pokes the eye with a stick. if it blinks the guy with the gun or bow should take a shot whether it jumps or not cause it would be suffering other wise

rybohunter · 11-12-2004, 09:16 AM

I just walk up to it from whatever direction it happens to be laying. Now if I am on a bloodtrail of a marginally hit bow deer, I'll approach very slowly in case it may need another shot, but for 99% of the time, I am just walking up to the deer not worrying about it still being alive.

minnesotahunter · 11-12-2004, 09:24 AM

Yeah, I'd agree with that. I just wait about half an hour before I go up. Some of the pointers do make sense though.