RE: HOW TO: FINISH A DEER?
Getting near an animal that isn't dead - with a sharp instrument [knife/machete/whatever] in your hand - is not a very intelligent thing to do......unless you would also like to be injured. I shot my first deer, an 8pt buck with a 20 gauge single shot. I had shot at 5 deer that day, missed 4 and then, with my last slug tagged the buck. He wasn't expired when I came up on him. Boy was I excited. But he wasn't dead. Heck I was like 10 or 11 and thought, "Hey, cutting the throat seems to work on TV........" So I took the knife my Dad gave me and pulled it across it's throat. I don't think the knife was dull - but it wasn't exactly a surgeon's scapel either. It didn't do anything. So I thought to stab behind the throat and cut "from the inside out" - right? Well he didn't like that and really started thrashing. When he settled down a bit I made the wise decision that I uldn't let him have a say in the matter. I will simply put my foot on his antler and pin it to the ground as I had my way with his throat. So I stood on his rack, stabbed at the throat and found myself on my butt with my knife/hand under my leg. Could have stabbed myself.
So I sit there looking at this deer [and he's looking at me]. Later my Dad came and saez something like "Hey great deer." "Whoa he's not dead - stay away from him" [Really?] I told him what I tried to do and he laughed. Said, "This is how ya do it." POW - right at he neck/back of skull like Cardeer said.
Dead deer. "That's all ya gotta do," he said. I remember telling him, "But Dad, I ain't got no shells left, I missed 4 other deer."
Never forget his words............."We gotta work on your shot."
If there's one thing I really miss it's my Father and hunting with him - I miss ya Pop.