Originally Posted by
Wingbone
Welcome to the forum.
3. I get down immediately. If I made a good shot, that deer will be dead before I get out of the tree. If I determine that it's a possible gut shot, I'll back out quietly and come back 6 hours later or overnight, whichever comes first.
In my experience, as a young hunter, I find that it helps to stay in the stand for five to ten minutes. I think that climbing out of a treestand while all pumped up after the shot can lead to injury, and I've also unfortunately made the mistake of leaving the stand directly after the shot and spooking the deer before it had died, pushing it beyond a big creek and up a hill where I couldn't find it by the end of the day. I think that it's a good rule of thumb for new hunters (like myself) to sit still and take a few deep breaths after the shot before climbing down.