Best way to finish off a deer w/knife??
07-20-2005, 10:47 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Kewaskum, WI
Posts: 201
Best way to finish off a deer w/knife??
Ok, The reason I am asking this is because I am getting a Wirehaired Dachshund from John and Jolanta Jeannenue (Teckel Time) from New York that I am going to be training and working with for tracking wounded deer. Here in Wisconsin you cannot use a Bow or Firearm to finish off a deer in the dark, you can only use the weapon that is in season, and during legal hunting hours. I plan on getting into this tracking thing pretty deep, and doing alot of calls. The experieced trackers say about 25-30% of there deer-calls require the deer to be "finished off", so Im sure I will be running into this situation more often then I would like to.
I am just curious what you guys feel is the best way to dispatch a deer that is not dead, with a knife. I have read of guys jumping on them and either slitting there neck, or stabbing the knife into the chest, neither methods provide the quick death as we would like, but what do you think is the more ethical and quicker way to do it? Where in the neck is the best place to cut?
This is probobly something that we should all know, because most bowhunters will run into this situation now and then.
Thanks,
Steve
I am just curious what you guys feel is the best way to dispatch a deer that is not dead, with a knife. I have read of guys jumping on them and either slitting there neck, or stabbing the knife into the chest, neither methods provide the quick death as we would like, but what do you think is the more ethical and quicker way to do it? Where in the neck is the best place to cut?
This is probobly something that we should all know, because most bowhunters will run into this situation now and then.
Thanks,
Steve
07-20-2005, 11:26 AM
#2
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Illinois
Posts: 235
RE: Best way to finish off a deer w/knife??
i'd say the neck. you have a better chance of getting the cut the first time rather han sticking it in the chest and missing the main parts. i guess the chest could work, but how big of a knife are we talking about? if you have a big knife then the chest would be a good spot hit the heart rigt on the first time.
07-20-2005, 11:34 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location:
Posts: 1,832
RE: Best way to finish off a deer w/knife??
WTF??????????
No firearm or bow to finish off a kill after light???????
Glad I don't live there.......I'd fight that one in Leg pretty hard..
I'm sure we have that law hear in B.C. No shooting after dusk and before dawn....But under the circumstances charges probably would not be laid...Because it is the hunters responsibility that every possible effort to retrieve a wounded animal must be attempted and performed...It isn't that hard to prove to an officer or the courts that you tracked and finished off an animal in the dark you wounded earlier that day...
Blood trails and bullet entry and exit wounds and shot placement
are all pretty obvious...They may take the animal away and make it state property but I can't see anybody getting into a heap load of trouble......
Best advise I can give is be sure of your shot..If ya happen to wound an animal camp out.... wait till morning and use your tracking skills along with your dog to find it.....Hopefully the animal will have expired over the course of the night....
If ya happen to jump it alive at least you have another chance to finish it off quickly...Without further suffering to the game and possible injury to yourself......
No firearm or bow to finish off a kill after light???????
Glad I don't live there.......I'd fight that one in Leg pretty hard..
I'm sure we have that law hear in B.C. No shooting after dusk and before dawn....But under the circumstances charges probably would not be laid...Because it is the hunters responsibility that every possible effort to retrieve a wounded animal must be attempted and performed...It isn't that hard to prove to an officer or the courts that you tracked and finished off an animal in the dark you wounded earlier that day...
Blood trails and bullet entry and exit wounds and shot placement
are all pretty obvious...They may take the animal away and make it state property but I can't see anybody getting into a heap load of trouble......
Best advise I can give is be sure of your shot..If ya happen to wound an animal camp out.... wait till morning and use your tracking skills along with your dog to find it.....Hopefully the animal will have expired over the course of the night....
If ya happen to jump it alive at least you have another chance to finish it off quickly...Without further suffering to the game and possible injury to yourself......
07-20-2005, 12:13 PM
#5
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location:
Posts: 2,052
RE: Best way to finish off a deer w/knife??
And those damned yankess call us stupid!!! 
Not allowing a hunter to finish of an animal with a weapon is more a response to game wardens complaints than it is from a responsible legislation point of view. That being, in todays CRAZY litigious society, if there is a way for a scumbag to get off you can bet they will use it. Imagine a redneck caught hunting at night, all he has to do is say, "I was tracking down a wounded deer I shot at dark, that is why I have this rifle". So to prevent such excuses from being used in court an OBVIOUSLY rediculous law like you speak of is used to prevent that excuse in a court of law. BUT what is the ethical thing to do? Jump down and slit the animals throat? HELL NO and it is supremely DANGEROUS too yourself to attempt to do so. A wounded deer is NOT something to try and take "hand too hand" (or would that be hand too hoof?). Screw the law and finish the animal. I carry a handgun while hunting anyway and have used it a time or two to finish animals off. One simple shot (and no more, you don't want a nearby landowner calling the game warden about poachers) and the problem is solved. If it's bowseason then problem solved, finish the animal off humanely and quickly.
Do NOT try and grab the animal. Grabbing a wounded buck is asking for trouble. The strength of a bucks neck and body is amazing and you might as well try grabbing a running chainsaw and stopping it. A wounded doe can cut you equally as bad, deer hooves are DEADLY and are one of their best defense mechanisms.
Sometime you can't rely on the rulebooks for EVERYTHING,
RA
Not allowing a hunter to finish of an animal with a weapon is more a response to game wardens complaints than it is from a responsible legislation point of view. That being, in todays CRAZY litigious society, if there is a way for a scumbag to get off you can bet they will use it. Imagine a redneck caught hunting at night, all he has to do is say, "I was tracking down a wounded deer I shot at dark, that is why I have this rifle". So to prevent such excuses from being used in court an OBVIOUSLY rediculous law like you speak of is used to prevent that excuse in a court of law. BUT what is the ethical thing to do? Jump down and slit the animals throat? HELL NO and it is supremely DANGEROUS too yourself to attempt to do so. A wounded deer is NOT something to try and take "hand too hand" (or would that be hand too hoof?). Screw the law and finish the animal. I carry a handgun while hunting anyway and have used it a time or two to finish animals off. One simple shot (and no more, you don't want a nearby landowner calling the game warden about poachers) and the problem is solved. If it's bowseason then problem solved, finish the animal off humanely and quickly.
Do NOT try and grab the animal. Grabbing a wounded buck is asking for trouble. The strength of a bucks neck and body is amazing and you might as well try grabbing a running chainsaw and stopping it. A wounded doe can cut you equally as bad, deer hooves are DEADLY and are one of their best defense mechanisms.
Sometime you can't rely on the rulebooks for EVERYTHING,
RA
07-20-2005, 12:39 PM
#6
Typical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Rockaway,NJ.
Posts: 621
RE: Best way to finish off a deer w/knife??
I can tell you this much... 2 years ago I shot a small 4 point buck. (3 on one side and a twisted mess spike on the other) The kind of buck you want removed from the herd. Anyway, After the shot he dropped in his tracks but wasn't dead. I walked up to him and he was gargling pretty bad on his blood but still alive. I took off my jacket, layed down my gun and got ready to gut the deer hoping he would die in the mean time. He didn't. No moving just breathing and choking on his blood so I decided to slit his throat. I have done this before on doe but never on a buck. They usually bleed out in a matter of seconds. Looking to end this with as little suffering as possible I stood over the buck and Stuck the knife into his neck. With the blade facing out I like to stick it in about 1/3 of the way across the neck and press the blade in then down to make sure I hit the vitals.... When I stuck the knife in his neckthe buck woke up and stood straight up which almost made me stab myself with the knife. The buck rammed me in the stomach but I got my hand on his one good antler and stopped it from piercing my stomach! It did cut the palm of my hand though. The buck then did a bunny hop to the side then again the other way then stopped about 4 feet from me staring at me snorting and stomping it's one foot to the ground. Here I am standing 5 feet from my gun, holding my knife by the blade with the wind knocked out of meface to face with a pissed off buck!!! Lucky for me he decided to make a run for it and I was able to gather my thoughts long enough to get to my gun and drop him crossing the field!!! I stood there in shock of what had just happened for about 20 minutes....
If I were you I would buy a nice sharp long handled hatchet and give the neck a chop from a safer distance or take a chance and shoot it again!Never again will I stick a deer with a knife before it is dead!! If that had been an older buck with more body and antler size I might have been in real trouble! Respect that animals power until it is dead or you might end up one very sorry hunter!!!! Good luck!!
If I were you I would buy a nice sharp long handled hatchet and give the neck a chop from a safer distance or take a chance and shoot it again!Never again will I stick a deer with a knife before it is dead!! If that had been an older buck with more body and antler size I might have been in real trouble! Respect that animals power until it is dead or you might end up one very sorry hunter!!!! Good luck!!
LOL.
07-20-2005, 01:16 PM
#8
Typical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 866
RE: Best way to finish off a deer w/knife??
I'd probably shoot the thing any way.
If you get close enough to wounded deer often enough with a knife you are going to get seriously hurt sooner or later. Probably sooner. Those hooves will eat you up and more than a couple people have been killed getting gored with antlers.
Cutting the neck on a trophy just ruins the mount and screams amature. You might get away with a small head mount but I look at my first one every day and am reminnded of the stupidity of "cut his throat". Just darn lucky the thing didn't kill ME.
I'd use the knife to make a spear before I'd ever jump on the back or front of a live animal again. I'd think a sledge hammer to the spine at the base of the head would be safest and least damaging to the mount of a trophy animal.
My first choice would be a good shot to start with.
2nd, a good shot to finnish with.
any thing else a distant third at the least.
If you get close enough to wounded deer often enough with a knife you are going to get seriously hurt sooner or later. Probably sooner. Those hooves will eat you up and more than a couple people have been killed getting gored with antlers.
Cutting the neck on a trophy just ruins the mount and screams amature. You might get away with a small head mount but I look at my first one every day and am reminnded of the stupidity of "cut his throat". Just darn lucky the thing didn't kill ME.
I'd use the knife to make a spear before I'd ever jump on the back or front of a live animal again. I'd think a sledge hammer to the spine at the base of the head would be safest and least damaging to the mount of a trophy animal.
My first choice would be a good shot to start with.
2nd, a good shot to finnish with.
any thing else a distant third at the least.
07-20-2005, 02:05 PM
#10
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: SE Pennsylvania
Posts: 539
RE: Best way to finish off a deer w/knife??
I'd say wait until the next morning and take your dogs out to track it. Don't try "finishing it off" with a knife. I know in the state of PA you are not supposed to shoot after dusk and before dawn. But I'm sure they wouldn't fault you for the "ending shot" after dusk if you tracked it and found it laying there still alive. After all it's a law (atleast in PA) that you must make an effort to recover your game. Can't recover it if it's still alive and wounded.
I'd have to see if the taxidermist would make up a special mount and intergrate the knife into the throat of the mount. That would make quite the conversation piece.
Cutting the neck on a trophy just ruins the mount and screams amature. You might get away with a small head mount but I look at my first one every day and am reminnded of the stupidity of "cut his throat".