Are you freakin kiding me. OMG that is messed up, that is unheard of where i hunt. Some guys actually saw my 152" 8 pointer fall over dead, and started yelling hey is there a hunter up there, your deer is down here. geeze what is this world coming too. I bet they go home and tell there family that they shot the deer, to make them look like the bigbad hunter that they are not[:'(]

That sucks. How could you take pride in that. You could argue some people take no pride in hunting, they're just after the meat. But I'm talking about the pride of of not stealing from someone.

In any case, took my first deer ever yesterday. I thought I had a pretty good shot on a doe in the vital area but couldn't see exactly where she landed after she ran off. I knew it was close but thanks to this board I waitied an hour before heading over. As I got near, she struggled to get up and fell down so I hit the ground and waitied another hour. That did it.

Usually 30min to an hour for me. It really depends on shot placement. If i feel I made a good shot I will take up the trail in that time frame. If the shot is questionable, I will wait till I feel I wont be pushing the deer.

You definately don't want to jump your deer right after shooting it ,if you do ,you have a greater chance of not ever finding it,or making the job of getting it out alot tougher on yourself when you do find it.These animal's can really travel if it's jumped and wounded,I've seen it happen too often.
A buddy of mine made this same mistake 3 year's ago on a bull moose,it would of dropped close to the road if he hadn't started yelling ,when he yelled about his hit the bull got up and traveled500yrds through some of thethickest bush and across a 40ft wide river ,luckily it got stuck in the mud and finally dies of asingle lung shot ,but if it had not been stuck in the mud who know's just how far this brute could have gone ,I'm guessing wemight not have ever found him.The bull was beside a road after the initial shot laying down ,but after my bud started screaming that he hit him he ran like hell ,believe me when I say this became an all day job of getting him out apposed to an 1hr or 2 ,if he had just kept quiet and let him die .The first thing an animal will do is look for a place to lay down after being shot .
I agree if your sure it's a good shot 30 minute's should be enough ,butI'd sooner give the animal an1hr if I haven't heard or seen him go down.

nubo