To leave or not leave a deer overnight?
 

This weekend my father shot a doe, not the greatest shot selection, but he got one lung the liver,and the arrow exited directly between the back legs. After an hour wait,we jumped the deer from its bed, backed out (lows around 40) to come back the next morning. Found the doe dead right away. We decided to take this one to a processor, and it did have a pungent smell but only because the exit was through the gut. The processor (who is retired Wisconsin State meat inspector ) wouldnt take it after he found out we had backed out and come back the next morning. I asked because it was gut shot? Nope. Because it was too warm? Nope.

His reasoning is that any deer left to die overnight should not be eaten because if guts arent removed soon after death, gases and toxins, and certain chemicals build in the gut and then transfer to the meat, no matter where it was shot or what the temperature was overnight. I was very suprised as I always leave any deer that I make a bad hit on on or am unsure of the hit overnight assuming good weather and temps and have never had an issue. This deer we took home and processed all parts that we didnt think the gut seeped into or smelt bad,and I think it was fine. Has anyone ever had issues with leaving deer overnight (besides coyotes) and having poor meat or unusable meat?? Do soem avoid this at all costs even if the temps are good?

RE: To leave or not leave a deer overnight?
 

Maybe he wouldnt take it for fearof contaminating his shop. I've left deer plenty of times and as long as its not warm out never had a prob.

RE: To leave or not leave a deer overnight?
 

If I left one overnight here, I might as well not even look for it the next day. The coyotes would have it. I can't think of any circumstance where I would leave a deer out overnight. If I couldn't find one I would look again the next day, but that has happened only once and the coyotes had already found it.

RE: To leave or not leave a deer overnight?
 

In other words find it or loose it. This backing out business is way over blown IMO If ya leave it it's no good If ya push it you might not find it and it's no good. I'd rather push it. Better just to mke good shot. One lung and liver no reason not to go get it. It's done in a short time. How it wasn't dead before an hour surprises me.

RE: To leave or not leave a deer overnight?
 

He's somewhat right and the more I've researched this I need to tweak the Recovery thread.

The deer isn't inedible, but it's not the most favorable when left that long depending on the temps. I've recently received information that the processor you speaking of makes sense.

A deer left too long after death with the organs inside, more specifically the blood can be contaminated with a taste. It's not inedible but is not favorable. I've also read of Bill Winkes article stating the same thing. His recommendation and mine is to recover a deer as quickly as possible however the shot placement MUST be accomadate.

Liver shots should be waited on in 4 hours, recovered immediately and processed getting the blood out, meat cooled.

Gut shot deer should be waited on in 8 hours, recovered immediately and processed etc....

This tends to leave a very early morning tracking job. If you shoot a deer just before dark, that puts you back out in the woods around around 2 am depending.....deer left overnight again are edible but could be tainted.

RE: To leave or not leave a deer overnight?
 

Sorry nodog, not quite agreeing with that one. Too many researches and experiences say otherwise. Liver hits are not necessarily dead after an hour or even two with archery gear, they can and do go longer. One lung hits are not necessarily a death sentence at all. It's still better to back out and recover the deer within an adequate amount of time. The meat will still be good if the alotted times are followed.

RE: To leave or not leave a deer overnight?
 

I haven't left a deer overnight, but the deer I shot this year was shot at daylight, I thought I had missed, came back right before dark to give finding my arrow one more shot and found it with blood. Found my deer 50 yards from the arrow. Meat eats good after quite awhile being down during a cold day.

RE: To leave or not leave a deer overnight?
 

I don't disagree with what's already been said, but my personal experiences with deer left overnight have been positive except those that foxes found before me.:eek: My strangest experience of that type involved me shooting a nice buck still in full velvet on Sept 21st some years ago. For a number of reasons - including recovering a friend's deer that was shot 1 minute before mine, I wasn't able to get out until the next afternoon - had to work and couldn't get off. I found the deer at 4pm the next day, gutted it and took it to a butcher who originally figured that it wouldn't be any good (overnight temps were about 55 and it was about 75 at recovery). After thoroughly checking the deer out, she said the meat seemed perfectly fine. I immediately butchered it and it remains possibly the best we've ever eaten and we suffered no ill effects whatsoever.

RE: To leave or not leave a deer overnight?
 

Youve been hogwashed. theres nothing wrong with leaving a deer go over nite especially as cool as it has been the last few nites. Sure theres going to be a pungent smell if you leave it over nit, usually this is caused by blood, in your case it may have been gut rot. Sounds to me this guy was just plain out lazy. As a former profesionalbutcher, I have seen many many deer in m,y life and many had been left over nite. In my years of butchering deer I think out of thousands of deer i have butchered, ive only tossed 2 out out, thats because some idiots, left the damned things hang in a tree with hide on, out in the sun in 70deg temps for 3 days. The smell was enough to make even the stongest of stomachs toss their lunch not to mention the pretty bright green color of the meat.

RE: To leave or not leave a deer overnight?
 

Personally, I'd rather recover the deer then not. I will wait up to 20 hours on an intestine hit (that would be about the longest wait). I think that a lot of the taste issue also has a lot to do with when the deer dies. Take the intestine hit, the deer will taste different if the deer dies 1/2 hour after the hit and you wait20 hours to recover it then if the deer lives 19 1/2 hours and you recover it 20 hours after the hit.

In any case, if you feel that the deer will not taste very good, there is always the hotdog/sausage route, or it could be donated.

RE: To leave or not leave a deer overnight?
 

I hate leaving a deer overnight.I have done it twice, and both times I recovered the animal. But one of them the meat spoiled. I'll leave them out there if I absolutely have to, but I really hate doing it. I just want the guts out as soon as possible and the meat cooling. I always gut them where they fall too.

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RE: To leave or not leave a deer overnight?
 

I've left Deer over night no problem.Did have one,that the Arrow came out the Back leg,it laid on that Leg and blood settled there.I didn't trust it and just throwed the Ham away.

Was Elk hunting with a Guy.He killed one late,and decided to get it out the next morning.I don't know why the Guy did it but he packed it full of snow.Because it couldn't get air the meat soured.He would have been better off to just prop it open.

big rockpile

RE: To leave or not leave a deer overnight?
 

I was skeptical of this but did that very thing this weekend on 2 deer. The deer were shot on Thur evening and we recovered mid morning Fri. Although foxes (most likely) got to the ass end upon gutting we found the meat to be fine. Made me somewhat a beleiver that it can be done but I was on the other side of the fence till then.Now I'm on top of the fence but still not ready to jump all the way over;).The temps were in the low 40's and maybe even in the high30's overnight.

RE: To leave or not leave a deer overnight?
 

I had one this year with temps in the 50's. She was fine. I woudn't have believed it.....but I found no ill effects when I butchered her the next morning.

"Something" had gotten to her a "little", too....but not even enough to get TO her entrails.

RE: To leave or not leave a deer overnight?
 

I have never had to do this and I hope I never will either. I just don't know if I could leave one out there all night. I am sure the Coyotes would get to it very fast around here. I might hesitate to eat the deer as well just because of the thought of it. I know I am a wuss, go ahead!

RE: To leave or not leave a deer overnight?
 

I hate leaving a deer overnight also,but I don't think the meat would be bad if the temps where in the mid-low 40's.,but around here the yotes would be the culprit.I have passed on several deer over the years,because it was too hot to leave the deer overnight if I wasn't able to make a speedy recovery.I would rather not take a shot at a deer than risk an unrecovered deer and have to wait until morning,we all know it is much harder to track a deer at night anyway.This happens way too many times people shoot a deer and can't find it then say I better back out then in the morning either the meat is bad or the yotes have gotton it ,either way it was a waste and in this instance then I agree with gmmat"I can't beleive I said that" that you should tag that deer because you did pull the trigger knowing light was fading and that it was possible you would not make a speedy recovery.

RE: To leave or not leave a deer overnight?
 

This tastes gamey...

Why do you think people say that? This is one of the reasons. Probably not unsafe, but nasty...

Jerky anyone?

RE: To leave or not leave a deer overnight?
 

Your probably right. Thanks for the info.