What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

I have a few questions about what I should do after I kill a deer.

1. I hunt by myself. When I shoot a deer, I would like to take a picture of me with my deer. During the day, it is very hot down here. The temperatures are anywhere from 90 degrees to 20 degrees during the season. If I would double lung a deer how long can I wait before I field dress it? I am planning on waiting half an hour before starting to look for it. Once I find it I will drive back into town to pick up my brother to come take a picture of me. I can get to town and back in forty minutes. Is this a bad plan?

2. I would like to get a mount of the deer I shoot. I found a taxidermist, but he is only open on the weekdays. I don't know if I can bring the whole deer to the taxidermist, or if I have to cut the head off and bring it in. If I have to cut the head off, who do I bring it to?

3. What would I do if I shoot a deer on the weekend? How should I preserve it until I can bring it to the taxidermist?

RE: What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

If the temp is hot the sooner you get the deer field dressed the better. I would gut it as soon as I find it. Dont think I would let it lay and go to town.Yotes might get it .Takes only minutes for a pack of yotes to rip it in pieces. You can take a pic after you gut it and get it back to town. Warm weather will get to it fast.
Normally you dont take the whole deer to the taxi,Just the skun out hide and head. Make sure you get someone to show you how to skin it without messing up the neck. After you skin it take hide and head attached and pack it in ice till you can get it to the taxi on Monday

RE: What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

1st I would field dress the deer as soon as you recover it....You want to get the heat out of the deer and cooling down as soon as possible...You are probably going to go and get your brother to help you get it out so waiting until you can get him to take pics I wouldn't think would be to big of a deal...Afterward just get it cleaned up and cooled down as soon as possible..

If you are not familiar with caping out a deer find someone who is or I know that alot of lockers will do it for you...As far as keeping it over the weekend I would also contact a locker that will let you store the head...Most will do this for little to nothing...I keep mine in my deep freeze in the garage most of the time if I have room....

When skinning out I take all of the hide and some prefer just to take what they need... Remember also when field dressing not to split it all the way up to the neck...I stop at the ribcage when it is one I mightwant to mount...Then just skin it down from the hind end and once you get to the front legs follow down the backside of the leg and then skin around and down them....Continue skinning down to the neck and as far down the neck as you can get then cutting the head from the body...I know its not very detailed but I hope it gets ya started :D

RE: What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

When it's hot like it is, speed is of the essence. Your talking 1 hour and 20 minutes that a dead deer could be laying in 90 degree weather. Forget going to get your brother and get a small portable tripod to take your picture with a digital camera. Most have timer features that give you 10 seconds to get in the picture. Take about 10 pictures to make sure you get a good one.

RE: What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

I would agree with the others. Gut it after you find it. Don't wait around. In that type of heat the meat could spoil very easily.

I would also agree with that. Find some way to take the picture without others' help. Time is of the essence in this case.

As for taking it to the taxidermist....after you skin the entire deer, leave enough of the skin attached to the head so that it basically covers all the way down the neck and to the legs. This should provide enough of a hide for the shoulder mount.

RE: What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

How long would it take you to get your brother? or do you have a cell you could just call him on?

If it's a short trip you could call him or go get him after you shoot the deer. Then look for it when you get back. This is very hard to do if it's your first deer. You will want to see it! That would give the deer plenty of time to bed down and die, even if it was not such a good shot. I'm talking half an hour to 45 minutes.

Or you could find the deer and field dress it, then drag it into the shade and go get your brother. I have to have help since I am small any way, So I would try either of those.

If you really don't need anyones help, I would find the deer, field dress it, drag it out and load it up. Then take the pic when you get it home or to the processors. I am sure they would take some pics for you, or at a check station. If you want to mount it I would highly suggest finding a good processor to take the deer to and pay them to cape it out for you. They will butcher the deer and cape it out and put it on ice for you. Maybe you could arrange for them to show you how to cape it out if you wanted to do it next time.

If you are on public land I would not leave the deer alone at all. Best thing to do is make arrangements a head of time and try to use a cell phone or something after you kill the deer. Most of my pics end up getting taken on the back of a truck or at the processing stating.

Good luck,
Paul

RE: What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

I'm glad zak123 asked this question. I'll be hunting Sept. 1 in south central New Mexico....coolmost nights but can be very warm during the day. I've been gathering advice from all directions on how long to wait to go after the deer. Some have said that if you get off a questionable shot off and think you might have gutshot the deer or hit it somewhere besides the vitals, to wait overnight and go look for it in the morning. I figure that is good advice for colder conditions, but I'm going to play it by ear out where I'm hunting. I'm going to do everything I can to prevent spoilage.....and I know I wouldn't sleep a bit anyway thinking about all them coyotes down there ripping it to shreds. I'll just have to try to make good decisions as I go and mainly keep that danged bow steady so that I'll have this dilemma in the first place.....

RE: What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

With the temperature being as hot as it is in the early season, a quick recovery is crucial. If you feel that you have made a good shot, get on a blood trail as soon as possible. After you find the deer, filed dress it immediately. The guts of a deer will only add to the already hot conditions. You will be able to position the deer for pictures so that noone will be able to tell the the deer has been touched. Just be clean and try not to smear blood all over the cape. If you do, take your pictures form the opposite side. Keep the time of death to freezer to a minimum. If you have to, you can put bags of ice in the deer's cavity to by you some time.

RE: What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

If this is your first deer, it will be a trophy no matter what. However, You might only consider mounting one that you consider a true trophy based on horns, etc. I am not trying to discourage you. I am just saying that there are other ways to immortalize your first or one of your first kills w/o going to the taxidermist. You could put the horns on a board with a nice framed picture below or do one of those european mounts (bare skull and horns on a board) on an engraved piece of wood giving all the stats of that hunt.

You might also plan in advance by asking an experienced hunter to help you skin and cut up your deer once you get it back to the house instead of taking it to the processor. A processor is good, but learning how to take care of your own deer from start to finish has its own value and reward ( "we can skin a buck and run a trot line, 'cause a country boy can survive---bocephus). you may have to bribe them w/a little deer meat but that would be ok. Although it would probably be best to skin it as soon as you get it home, it would probably be ok for up to 24 hrs or more (depending on the temp), especially if you could hang it in a cool garage or in a nice shade tree and put a bag of ice or two in the chest cavity.

no matter what you should always gut your deer as soon as you find it.

I hope you kill a monster so that most of what I've written here is moot, but , if not, there are other ways to keep cherished memories, plus
10 years from now, when you have some true brutes for the wall , you might need the extra space:)

just something to consider
hb

RE: What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

1. you should gut the deer right away if its in 90 degree weather if you know you had a good shot it shouldnt take long to die. 5minutes and it would be dead. I would say weight 10 minutes the most in 90 degress. Also have someone else hunt with you like a son or nephew try to get them in the sport.

2.- 3. Most processing centers will offer a cape which gets the head and all that ready for the taxidermist. It the process center is closed on the weekends which is retarded if they are. Gut the deer buy alot of ice bags keep the ice in the bag and put it in the chest cavity or throw it in a freezer.

RE: What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

If I kill it, it is a trophy. I am going to get all of my deer mounted, buck or doe.

I'll try to get a tripod for my camera.

RE: What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

Gut it when you find it. Prop your camera on a log, or your pack or a rock. I've taken tons of pics by myself and people ask me who was out in the woods taking my picture.

RE: What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

Wow! You must have more money than...;)

RE: What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

Well, I am very lucky to have my own buisness. Plus I am a kid, which meansI do not have to buy very much. It also helps when the price of a mount it $240 and you dad is the boss of the guy who does the mount! :D

RE: What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

Here's a mini-tripod for $4.95
http://www.clamperpod.com/PocketPod.html

RE: What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

I do not have a camera with a delay. I have no idea what to do. I want to take the picture before it is field dressed in the spot it died. Hmm, time for me to think.

I am trying to think of something that would fall down and hit the button on the camera. I wish there was some kind of cheap machine that would slowly move down to trigger the camera.

I've got it!

http://www.americanreporters.com/Timer/timer_disposablecameratimer.htm

RE: What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

Very ingenious :DIs that something you found or your invention???? Either way very neat :D:D

RE: What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

Just found it on the net.

RE: What do I do when I shoot a deer?
 

If it is hot field dress it fast so the meat does not get spoiled. If you want pictures just drag the deer and put it in your truck then goto your brothers and get pictures. If it is a buck go to a meat processing plant and tell them you want the head and they will cut it off for you. To keep the head good put in a big trash bag and put others over the bag the head is in and store it in a cold place like a deep frezzer or alot of ice in and around it.