How long does a deer need to lay?
12-08-2007, 02:01 PM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 277
How long does a deer need to lay?
I shot a good one this morning at about 8:00 and I hit him pretty far back. I've got blood & intestine on the arrow. He jumped back a couple of steps when I hit him and then he walked off real slow. I grunted and he stopped and looked and then walked off slow again. I eased out of there about 45 min later. We're gonna go look for him at about 6 o'clock after everybody is out of the woods. Anyway....do you think that he's been layed up long enough?
12-08-2007, 02:09 PM
#2
Spike
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: PA
Posts: 85
RE: How long does a deer need to lay?
i hit one a few years ago and let him lay for about 3 hours and then push him because there were alot of guys in there turkey hunting i tracked him about 1mile just find little drops of blood...36 hr later i found him... i might let him lay for a while longer if the weather is fine ...coyotes might have found him to and got him up.... good luck hope you find him
12-08-2007, 02:15 PM
#5
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Oct 1998
Location: Hughesville, PA USA
Posts: 18,322
12-08-2007, 02:38 PM
#7
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Central Minnesota
Posts: 9,445
RE: How long does a deer need to lay?
You should be ok although i've seen them alive yet the next morning 12 hrs later when we began to track again. If the weather permits it i'd hold off until tomorro morning the more I think about it. I've never lost a gut shot animal yet that i've tracked of my own or for someone else. If you treat it right you will recover it as long as no coyotes, dogs, or anything doesn't push it. Good luck!!
12-08-2007, 02:52 PM
#9
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 277
RE: How long does a deer need to lay?
Our land is covered in coyotes. That's another reason that I would like to try and recover him before tomorrow. I'll be lucky if they haven't found him yet. The one thing I have going for me is that it's daylight and there are hunters in and out of the woods, so hopefully this will ward off the coyotes today.