badshotbob

This happened to me this season: A friend of mine came from out of state for a week of bowhunting and shot at a small 4pt. After the hunt, we met and talked and I looked at his arrow. By the signs on the arrow and everything he told me, I knew the deer was going to live and only had a minor injury that would heal quickly. We did look the next morning and found no blood trail. He described the deer as a fairly small 4pt. with a limp on the right front leg. A week after he left, this deer came in to my stand. I knew it was the same deer because he had the same limp, and I could see where the arrow had hit him - it hit him high behind the shoulder and only managed to go through the skin and tallow on the top of his back. The spot was dark, and a little swollen. The little buck seemed to be in great health. I watched him at 20 yards for about 10 minutes and couldn't take him. I told my friend that if I saw him, I would finish him off, but just couldn't do it. He seemed to be in fine health with exception to his limp. He could put some weight on the leg, so it wasn't like he had no use of it. I want to let the little guys grow, but should I have put him down?

bwhunter501

hmmm... well i would have shot him because one i dont like to see injured deer. and two im not a rack hunter so really anything that isnt a yearling ill shoot.

BOWFANATIC

If you want him , shoot him , if you dont , let him walk. Who is anyone here to decide that a wounded deer would be better off dead?

Ken/WV

I have done both...durning gun season a year ago, I was hunting in a county where it was illegal to kill a doe...but as I sat on stand a large doe came by with her right rear leg shot or broke almost completely off. The only thing holding it on was the skin. The deer could not walk up hill, only around the flat. With the blood she was loosing, and the fact that 1/2 her back leg was about to come off, I took her down. Being in the county I was in, I had to leave the deer there for the coyotes and buzzards.

It was a tough situation to be in, and I didn't know of any other option. I hated to see her suffering, and letting her walk to be attacked by coyotes, or to get gang-green and die would have haunted me all season. I had to do it in my mind, and I don't regret it. It just p*ss's me off that someone would have shot at her in a buck only county and crippled her like they did. I really found myself between a rock and a hard place, but I did what I thought was right.


But earlier this year, I was on stand when a doe cam by with her front leg broke. Looked like it had been broke a few years ago, and just healed funny. The leg was twisted in too differnt ways, and the doe sorta walked on it. But didn't put much weight on it. The leg was just broke on the bottom, and the deer seemed to pay no attention to it. It was interesting to see how well the deer had healed. I let her walk...

paulywog

I think the decision to shoot or not is up to the hunter and has to take in consideration of the type of injury. If you're letting a young buck that's wounded go so it can grow, usually when a buck has an injury it's rack is affected, at least until it's completely healed and back to full health. A few years back I hit a deer with my car, over a year later during season I saw what I thought was a crippled doe, I shot it and found it was a buck with antlers that developed to be around 2-3 inches. I believe it was the same deer as the one I hit, if it was it was at least 2 1/2 and had nothing to speek of for antlers. It wasn't a real bad injury, the leg was broken at the elbow but it was unusable. On the other hand shooting a wounded deer for the meet, they may not be the greatest idea since you may find the deer isn't healthy enough to eat. I guess it's a decision that you have to make, we have a doe running around our property for the past 4 years without a front let, it's become a pet somewhat since we alway can identify it. We won't shoot it anymore, and look forward to seeing it and it's in very good health as from what we can see. I guess it's up to the hunter!

cardeer

I could not shoot it ,thats a illegal buck in Pa.,but if it was in a next to death state and suffering ,It needs to be put out of its misery.But what you explained ,that deer will be OKAY

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ParsonsOutdoors

Wounded and going to live...let him walk. Wounded and going to suffer needlessly...put him down.

JP

RTA47

DITTO!

avid_bowhunter2005

Let nature take its own course, if you want to shoot him and not another good health deer, that's your choice, but if you don't, I'm sure he'll be on the food chain near the top of the dinner list and you won't see him around next year.

But, then again I had a friend last year who shot a 8 pt. who had been shot with a slug, arrowed before, hit by a car (broke his back leg) and he was still around! We aged the buck around 6 1/2 to 7 years! So just make the choice and get on with it, don't feel bad if you don't take a wounded one.