Leaving a deer in the woods to retrieve later...
Okay, I'll be the first one to say this isn't the best idea. But I'm going to try to go hunting every chance I get for the last two weeks of the season. There will probably be a time where I'll have to cut hunting short to make an engagement or keep an appt, etc. I've wondered what would happen if, on my way out of the woods, I see a deer I want to shoot but I won't have time to field dress it or drag it back to the vehicle (I usually hike two miles into the woods). If I shoot it and field dress it (given it is cold during the day and will be so overnight), how risky is it to burry it under some leaves, etc and come back to retrieve it the next day? Obviously I don't want to retrieve a carcass that's been half-eaten by coyotes overnight, etc. But of course, I've heard story after story of people who have shot a deer at last light and have had to track/recover in the morning.