Jeff,

All the deer we have had to dispatch with a knife were gun kills,

I, like most hunters i believe, usually dont approach an animal for at least 30 minutes after i shoot it with an arrow.

The throat cutting method works ok, and i have also seen people do close range heart shots on wounded deer before. I have also heard that the best way to spead up the death process is to heart stab it with a big knife. Not sure if i woulde every try it though (especially on a buck).