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RE: do deer really go to water when they are wounded?
A few bear that I've gut shot have always picked out low wet area's to lay down in. I think the reason was to cool down, I really believe that. |
RE: do deer really go to water when they are wounded?
ORIGINAL: davidmil A few bear that I've gut shot have always picked out low wet area's to lay down in. I think the reason was to cool down, I really believe that. |
RE: do deer really go to water when they are wounded?
I think as a human we often times are held captive by our powers of reason (if that makes any sense). We create a paradigm that keeps us from accepting an idea that is unreasonable to our way of thinking. Kudos, AE. |
RE: do deer really go to water when they are wounded?
ORIGINAL: GMMAT I think as a human we often times are held captive by our powers of reason (if that makes any sense). We create a paradigm that keeps us from accepting an idea that is unreasonable to our way of thinking. Kudos, AE. |
RE: do deer really go to water when they are wounded?
I don't disagree with the notion that if you loose a blood trail you'd be wise to go to such places, but back to my original statement. DOn't take it as an absolute and cast your stones all in that direction or you may be wasting some valuable daylight. Many seem to want to say, "if you loose him look for the water". That's not always true. My tracking skills are just fine.[8D] Although I'll admit, the old eyes are not as quick to pick up those tiny spots sometimes. Seems like I have to move slower every year.
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RE: do deer really go to water when they are wounded?
ORIGINAL: davidmil I don't disagree with the notion that if you loose a blood trail you'd be wise to go to such places, but back to my original statement. DOn't take it as an absolute and cast your stones all in that direction or you may be wasting some valuable daylight. Many seem to want to say, "if you loose him look for the water". That's not always true. |
RE: do deer really go to water when they are wounded?
I believe that water (creeks, rivers, ponds, or lakes) will come into play if its a significant part of the habitat or environment. I say this because on one piece of land that we hunt as a club, running dogs, everyone will be begging for a stand near the creek. It never fails, once the dogs are on the trail of a deer, the deer head straight for the creek to either cross it or hide.
I have witnessed up close and personal deer making a beeline to the creek, and walking upstream and lay down under a log jam. I was on the bank of a fairly deep creek and watched as a doe swam 50 ft upstream and laid under a huge log jam less than 10 yrds away from where i sat. If I am hunting another piece of land where there is only a small creek that runs through it, the deer will run to the thickest briar patches to hide. I believe the same goes when wounded. The closest, natural, obstacle will be the route taken if wounded. I do believe that if a deer is not mortally wounded, and has time to escape the immediate danger, the deer will find it soothing to go to water. I think its rediculous to try and say this to be true in all situations, especially for those that hunt in mountainous terrain or fields where a creek is some distance away. I can only speak of my experiences on the terrain that I have enough data to fall back on. It is way out of bounds for me to disagree or agree with others who do not hunt where I do. |
RE: do deer really go to water when they are wounded?
I don't disagree with the notion that if you loose a blood trail you'd be wise to go to such places, but back to my original statement. DOn't take it as an absolute and cast your stones all in that direction or you may be wasting some valuable daylight. Many seem to want to say, "if you loose him look for the water". That's not always true. My tracking skills are just fine.[8D] Although I'll admit, the old eyes are not as quick to pick up those tiny spots sometimes. Seems like I have to move slower every year. I dont' know how many times I hear people say (or see them print in this case) "If you lose the blood trail you can count on that wounded deer going to water!" Seems like some will even want to"guarantee" that if you find water you will find your animal....My opinion is there aren't any absolutes, period. More often than not, the deer I have made iffy hits on and those that I have tracked for others, water was a non-factor in the recoveryeven when it was available to the animal hours after impact. |
RE: do deer really go to water when they are wounded?
My opinion is there aren't any absolutes, period. |
RE: do deer really go to water when they are wounded?
ORIGINAL: Antler Eater I don't disagree with the notion that if you loose a blood trail you'd be wise to go to such places, but back to my original statement. DOn't take it as an absolute and cast your stones all in that direction or you may be wasting some valuable daylight. Many seem to want to say, "if you loose him look for the water". That's not always true. My tracking skills are just fine.[8D] Although I'll admit, the old eyes are not as quick to pick up those tiny spots sometimes. Seems like I have to move slower every year. I dont' know how many times I hear people say (or see them print in this case) "If you lose the blood trail you can count on that wounded deer going to water!" Seems like some will even want to"guarantee" that if you find water you will find your animal....My opinion is there aren't any absolutes, period. More often than not, the deer I have made iffy hits on and those that I have tracked for others, water was a non-factor in the recoveryeven when it was available to the animal hours after impact. |
RE: do deer really go to water when they are wounded?
I don't think it's water so much as it is gravity.
Simply put: You have a wild animal with a grievous wound, maybe his intestines turned inside out,and a laundry list of toxins coursing through his veins- so it stands to reason that, when in hilly country, that animal will use the available energy to escape the danger and lie down. If he's hurt - and he knows he's hurt - What he doesn't want to do is uselessly expend copious amounts of energy fighting his way upsome gigantichillside. So, from my experience - the more time he has to deliberate about where he's going, the more likely it will be that he's thinking about changes in elevation and self-preservation. If he's hurt bad, he'll just scramble to the nearest cover. If he's sick, he might start sidehilling it with a destination in mind. To say "he's looking for water" is a misnomer. The fact is, usually when you recover a deer near a watersource - he wasn't "looking" for water - he just lost the war against the force of gravity and angled down into the creek bottom - with nothing left in the tank. Although, I have read that certain types of wounds do cause an animal to experience a sensation of dehydration and voracious thirst. But let's be real here.Fifteen seconds after the shot - as he's slinking through the woods with his guts hanging out and blood pouring out of both sides- he's probably not thinking "Golly gee - I sure am thirsty." |
RE: do deer really go to water when they are wounded?
When I shoot a Deer they head to my Freezer pretty quick.
Anybody wanna argue with that?;) Dan |
RE: do deer really go to water when they are wounded?
ORIGINAL: MeanV2 When I shoot a Deer they head to my Freezer pretty quick. Anybody wanna argue with that?;) Dan |
RE: do deer really go to water when they are wounded?
ORIGINAL: davidmil What???? You don't give any to Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry?[8D] Dan |
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