NEW61375

I usually double lung them with my Buck knife, depending on the animals size and how it is reacting to me. Sometimes I will shoot them again if the deer starts flailing whenI get close or is too big to hold down with my boot on its throat. ButI might not recommend holding one down to a smaller/young hunter (I'm 6'2", 260 lbs). I definitely remember that feeling being stronger the first couple of times, but the more I have done it the more I just want to end it quickly. But I wouldn't say the feeling is gone altogether. I have a lot of respect for my game and hate to see them suffer so maybe it's a little bit of sympathy/empathy for the animal. Thanks for the responsesI was thinking I might be a wuss. J/J !!

HuntinGUS

I've had to finish off a wounded deer several times. I don't have a set particular way or plan to do it, I just take care of it the best way possible depending on the situation. I have cut throats, shot in the head, shot in the lungs, shot in the neck................

The "feeling" is not a good one and I dread when I have to do it again, but I know I will..............it's the nature of what we do.

ilovehunting

I had to do that on my first deer. I wound up spining it and then me all pumped with adrenaline would up shooting it in the heart at like 30 yards. Note: I could have done it better but hey I was 14 and I hope I would do it diferently if it ever happens again.

James B

I am a meat hunter so for me, its a shot to the head. Use a 270 and you won't have to finish them.

deerslayer270

never missed wiht my 270...i have a single shot NEF with a bushnell 3x9 on it and ive taken 6 deer already with it and i have never missed....

Western MA Hunter

It is a terrible feeling... no matter how many kills you have. I have had to finish a couple of mine that wasn't very pleasant. I have finished one w/ another shot, but I have had to cut a couple throats due to legal shooting light. Stills gives me the chills.

Kathwacckkk

I am glad this discussion was brought up. I have been hunting for 18 years now and last gun season was the first time I had to finish a deer. I tracked the deer into a high swamp and it tried to get up less then two feet away. It was after legal shooting light, so even though I had a pistol (CCW in Michigan) I did not fire. I had heard of people cutting the throat, so I grabbed my knife and jumped on the deer. I have always thought of myself as a man's man, but never again. Struggling with that animal and the noises it made... to say it bugged (and is still bugging me) is an understatement. I did end up with 6 stitches across my left hand during the battle. For now on, I do not care if it is legal shooting light or not. If I find a mortally wounded animal, I will shoot it in the base of the skull.

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NEW61375

Ouch,the "mans man" quote is great. A wounded deer bleating/grunting and struggling will strike a nerve with anyone. Foot on the throat, double lung knife jab, walk away for a minute. That's my method, good or bad, it's what works for me. Big, flailing deer will get another shot. If you have to handle this situation with a new hunter, handle it quicklyand cleanly. Most of the time if my youngest son is with meI will ask him to wait at our stand for a second andI will take care if thesituation as discreetly as possible. There willbe plenty of time for him to become a killer when he gets a little older and I choose to not make him deal with it just yet.

geterdun

as many have said so far, i have done it once, and it was my first deer killed. my freind and i walked up to this powerline where he knew deer were all the time. we walked up, and he said "if theres a deer down there, ill give you a look, you take aim and calmy take the shot". im like "alright" so we get to the top and look down, sure enough here is a doe (or we thought it was a doe), so he looked at me, i looked at him and he nodded lol, so i aimed and fired. well the deer went down and we walked down there to the deer and we realized it hadnt expired. so im thinking, as i have never killed or hunted anything b4 this, "what now?" lol. he says "cut his throat" and i just look at him and laughed, until i saw he wasnt kidding. i tried, but it wassnt like i thought it would have been. it was like hard to apply pressure to it -and i saw that i was maiming the deer more than killing it lol. so my friend took the knife and showed me how to do it quickly. but if it eve happens again, i think ill just put another slug into him. lol. that was defintely a crazy experience.