A frind of mine shot a real nice buck with a ML. He rattled and grunted it in, and this buck was looking for a fight. He didn't hit it very well on the first shot, knocked it down but it was getting up while he reloaded. Shot it again as it was moving away. The deer bolted at the shot and made a wide arc, back towards him while he reloaded again. The deer dropped within sight. He walked up to it, approaching the head and antlers. He thought it had to be dead, and got too close. The deer hooked its antler on the his ankle and dumped him as it got up again. Shot #3 put him down for good. That deer went 218 field dressed.

I've always approached the downed deer carefully--even when I'm sure it's dead. I've also ALWAYS touched the eye to make sure.

I would NEVER have a dead deer loaded in my vehicle get up and raise havoc though--they have all been field dressed and their heart is with the rest or their organs in the gut pile.

30 years of hunting, and you find out there is so much to learn. Jeez, it never locked into my brain about the eyes closed, always right in front of me (2+2=4, stupid)

thanks for the tip
The Trashcanman

a couple of my childhood friends, to protect the guilty we'll call them billy and bobby, caught a buck swimming a creek, you've got to remember this was late 60's early 70's, well they took one of those old aluminum boat paddles and whacked the deer between the ears, the thing went stiff-legged like a fainting goat, they drug the buck into the flat-bottom and are paddling down this creek thinking there dad is going to be so proud. do you know what a deers hooves sound like on the bottom of a flat-bottom, i don't either but both brothers assured me its not a sound you'll want to hear or that you'll soon forget[:-]. well billy dove out the back, bobby went out the front , the flat-bottom continued down the creek, in bobby's words with the buck standing there looking out, the boat runs up against the bank and the buck walks onto the bank like nothing ever happened. i don't know how much of this story is true but both brothers tell it the same, but i cannot imagine a deer standing up in that boat, funny story anyway...

by the way this deer was squinting(sp) so always check the eyes, like someone else said, i don't know what good checking a hind quarter would do, if the deer comes back to life i'd say it would for sure mean a change of undergarments, and maybe a tenderized hind quarter

Check the eyes! Dead deer do not have their eyes closed. Approach it from its back and touch the eyeball. They will flinch and you will know!