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Finishing off a deer
Well, I had a first on Saturday: I had to finish off a deer I had shot that had sought shelter in some tall grass/brush about 50 yards or so from where I shot it. I was tracking it (read: walking in the direction in which I 'guessed' it had gone :D) and found it about 10 yards in front of me in the brush. It was lying down and just looked at me and made to attempt to get away. I used my rifle to finish it off, but hated to have to use a .30-06 at close range. I've read that one should shoot it in the head behind the ear, but I thought that was going to be awfully messy, so I just went for a heart/lung shot.
I've got a Walther P22 I could bring along for such occasions, but might have to research whether or not it's OK to possess such a weapon while hunting. |
RE: Finishing off a deer
I know the feeling. That was me my first year hunting. It makes you feel really bad. At least for me it did.
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RE: Finishing off a deer
I believe you can buy subcaliber sabots for 30-06 which are normally used for varmint hunting. Now that you brought it up I think I will start carrying something like that just in case. Easier than carrying a pistol.
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RE: Finishing off a deer
I had to use a knife once due to a rifle jam...trust me, I would much rather have shot it in the head.
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RE: Finishing off a deer
If you feel bad about it , mabe you did it wrong. I dont mind a lung shot, it kills them and not much damage. I use my knife a few times a year too.Be carefull so you dont get kicked or horned. Cut on the left side of the neck, DO NOT CUT THE WIND PIPE.
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RE: Finishing off a deer
ORIGINAL: furgitter Cut on the left side of the neck, DO NOT CUT THE WIND PIPE. |
RE: Finishing off a deer
dont want to hear a deer gargling as he dies :(
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RE: Finishing off a deer
lucky me ive never had to do that, i hope i never have to...
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RE: Finishing off a deer
I had to finish one off up close and personal. It was a moving experience for me as it was the culmination of a 4 hour track through some of the worst stuff I've ever dragged my hide. I had made a poor shot and crippled it's front left leg. When I came upon it there was no more running.... it had laid down and waited.
I was a little overcome with the finality of it and being almost on top of it for the coup de grace was a new experience for me. I'd do it again if I had to, but would rather not have to. |
RE: Finishing off a deer
I haven't been deer hunting in almost 9 years now due to an experience I had on a hunting trip where I had to put down a deer that had been shot by my uncle's now ex-buddy. Until that day I had never seen a deer shot more than once. When I, or anyone I knew, would hunt we would give the deer plenty of time to run off and expire peacefully. This guy literally chased after this doe repeatedly immediately after shooting her. As soon as a shot rang off he was up running after her - literally.I finally got to the guy after the 6th shot, and told him he needed to stop. We waited 30 minutes before I approached her, and he had chased her so damn much she was pumped with adrenaline apparently as she was still alive much to my amazement. I took care of her as quickly as possible with a .25 pistol I had with me.
I was 14 at the time. What I saw when I walked up to her was enough to make me not want to hunt until the past few weeks when I've started getting theurge again. Sorry you had to experience that, but it easily could've been a lot worse as my story shows. I hope never to have to experience a second shot again in my lifetime. |
RE: Finishing off a deer
I have sat down and watched them die, tried cutting the throat, shot them in the heart. Which do I prefer?
None! But the least amount of pain is the objective. I always now go heart at point blank on a broad lay down shot. Only seconds verse minutes and will save any meat for processing. Head to messy! |
RE: Finishing off a deer
I've had to use a knife one time and that was the last time. I now carry a handgun to finish off a deer if need be. But I haven't had to use it yet. Knock on wood. I make sure that my shot is going to do its job in one shot.
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RE: Finishing off a deer
Last year I took two bucks, had to finish both off. I'm not going to go into details, but I'm glad it was over quick for both.
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RE: Finishing off a deer
I had to do this once this year for the first time and it was a fawn no less (this is in the CWD area of WI where you have to shoot an antlerless deer inorder to qualify for a buck permit, the objective is to thin the herd dramatically to contain the spread of CWD). I felt bad that I hadn't made as clean a shot so that the thing had to suffer, but once I found it, I thought best to do a heart/lung shot to get it over with. But a 30-06 is sort of overdoing it.
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RE: Finishing off a deer
If finishing the job bothers you, don't start it. Simple.
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RE: Finishing off a deer
sure beats getting up close and personal, and trying to shoot hem in the head with a 12 guage from point blank! my grandpa shot a doe, hit her right in the kill zone dropped her on the spot, but just wouldnt die, kept kicking and lifting her head! finnaly my grandpa raised his gun to shoot her in the head! that is why i always keep a .357 in the truck!
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RE: Finishing off a deer
ORIGINAL: 1shotkill1993 lucky me ive never had to do that, i hope i never have to... |
RE: Finishing off a deer
I've had to finish off a buck I killed last year. I shot him in the heart. Makes ya feel bad but I aim where he'll die the quickest and easiest.
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RE: Finishing off a deer
Funny this came up, I had to use a kill shot on Sat. I shot a doe and she rolled up and did not move in a field. The dogs came out in the field and I hunted them back into the woods. I walked up to her and put my gun barrel in the eye and she did not move. I walked backover to my chair and about 10 to 15 minutes had gone by. I look up and she has her head up, I guess one of the pellets hit her in the head and knocked her out. I walked up to her and shot her in the lungs. Quick and no more suffering.
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RE: Finishing off a deer
ORIGINAL: SteveBNy If finishing the job bothers you, don't start it. Simple. |
RE: Finishing off a deer
Point blank in the neck finishes them off instantly...Your severing the spinal column ending all pain and suffering...I will notwatch an animal suffer...Even with a well placed lung shot I've seen them lay there gasping for air...one quick shot to the neck and it's all over.
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RE: Finishing off a deer
I carry a 9mm with me for just such an occasion.
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RE: Finishing off a deer
It is part of hunting and no one likes to do it. I have seen people die that I had far less sympathy for than these fine creatures.
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RE: Finishing off a deer
I carry my .44 with 44 special loads. 180 gr hollow points behind the ear. It's not really too messy. A decent buck, i would aim at the base of the head.
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RE: Finishing off a deer
ORIGINAL: Roadkillwarrior ORIGINAL: SteveBNy If finishing the job bothers you, don't start it. Simple. |
RE: Finishing off a deer
The finish shot is no fun, but humaine and it should be as quick and as painless as possible.
Side note: On our last hunting trip, my buddy, who is new to deer hunting, happened to be the first one to the deer that had been shot in the vitals, but not expird yet. He went to finish it off, but didn't really think about what he was doing. He shot it in the neck as the thing was facing him! The bullet went in the neck, down the spine (between the spine and the strip loin, believe it or not), never touched any of the guts! Hit the pelvic bone, shattering it of course and bounced between the two hind quarters several time(making quite the mess I might add)! I found the bullet between the muscles and the skin on the hind leg. It was a messy situation to field dress. I had no idea what I should be cutting! And it ruined quite a bit of meat on those quarters! I definetly learned a lesson from it! Never shoot when they are facing you, even for the finish shot! I just hope he learned a lesson, probably not seeing, I was the one cleaning up the mess! |
RE: Finishing off a deer
man that sucks i know the feeling
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RE: Finishing off a deer
I've had to finish more deer thanI would have liked, but you just get it done as quickly as possible.
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RE: Finishing off a deer
There will probably come a point and time when some hunters will have to finish one off. I've had to and it sounds like a few others have commented they had to do the same. These are two of the dumbest comments I ever heard out of two "hunters". If it bothered me the way it seems to some, I would simply not hunt. I see no reason to seek out actions that are unpleasant to me - that sisfire would seem to me to be incredibly stupid. Steve |
RE: Finishing off a deer
I use my knife a few times a year too.Be carefull so you dont get kicked or horned.  You need to learn how to quickly and effectively take a deer if you’re doing this on a regular basis. |
RE: Finishing off a deer
why in the world would you cut a deer's throat to finish it off??? That has always puzzled me. Just walk up to it and shoot it in the lungs/heart. The ONLY reason i can see to cut the throat is if you have no more ammo or arrows.
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RE: Finishing off a deer
ORIGINAL: SteveBNy If finishing the job bothers you, don't start it. Simple. |
RE: Finishing off a deer
I think that some posters are confusing a concern for the animal with regret or remorse. I don't think that any of those that had to put down a deer with a finishing shot are sorry they did it. They're sorry it happened. Big difference.
I've put down 2 and was pretty relieved both times. I nonetheless wished for better circumstances. Once the animal was mortally wounded the quickest avenue out is best. And when it is performed it is good for all. We can quibble about bad shots but if you are blessed to have never had one it's possible that others have done more hunting than you. The natural traits and abilities of empathy, sensitivity andrespect are not to be confused with weakness erupting from cold feet upon the act of killing. That happens too, and when it does sometimes the hunter with that emotion DOESN'T ever hunt again. It happens. The ability to let oneself feel or imagine the pain and misery of other creatures is one of the things that, perhaps theoretically, separates us from the other creatures of the earth. The respect and valuing of all life is not a deal breaker in becoming a hunter. Far from it. In fact, the less respect you pay your quarry the more you are announcing it's lack of value. Still, it can be a messy business to take an animals life, and we all have to decide how and when we do it, and how we choose to view it and experience it. The one who takes a life has at least that right. |
RE: Finishing off a deer
ORIGINAL: milesrhit10 ORIGINAL: SteveBNy If finishing the job bothers you, don't start it. Simple. I stand by my statement - if you feel bad having to finishthe job, maybe you need to not start it. When I need to do it, I do feel bad that I did not do a better job with the 1st shot. I then seek to finish the kill as quickly and humanly as possible. I just don't understand how you can feel sorrow on a second finishing shot and not on the 1st. How is it any harder on the 2nd shot? It is simply part of the process sometimes.If killing an animal brings you such sorrow and you continue to do it, then I feel sorry for you. Perhaps you need to find another hobby? I refuse to participate in optional activities that would bring me sorrow. Hunting is not one of those activities - and killing is part of hunting. Steve |
RE: Finishing off a deer
Great post! And what I was trying to convey.
My respect for the animal does make me sorry I did not do the job to start. Steve ORIGINAL: 8mm/06 I think that some posters are confusing a concern for the animal with regret or remorse. I don't think that any of those that had to put down a deer with a finishing shot are sorry they did it. They're sorry it happened. Big difference. I've put down 2 and was pretty relieved both times. I nonetheless wished for better circumstances. Once the animal was mortally wounded the quickest avenue out is best. And when it is performed it is good for all. We can quibble about bad shots but if you are blessed to have never had one it's possible that others have done more hunting than you. The natural traits and abilities of empathy, sensitivity andrespect are not to be confused with weakness erupting from cold feet upon the act of killing. That happens too, and when it does sometimes the hunter with that emotion DOESN'T ever hunt again. It happens. The ability to let oneself feel or imagine the pain and misery of other creatures is one of the things that, perhaps theoretically, separates us from the other creatures of the earth. The respect and valuing of all life is not a deal breaker in becoming a hunter. Far from it. In fact, the less respect you pay your quarry the more you are announcing it's lack of value. Still, it can be a messy business to take an animals life, and we all have to decide how and when we do it, and how we choose to view it and experience it. The one who takes a life has at least that right. |
RE: Finishing off a deer
If I can find it I'll re-post something I posted in 2000, (before several big crashes wiped out the history on this site). It relates the deer coup de grace I made with my 17 yr old son in tow. I found myself emotional... and I was a little confused at the time by my reaction, but I had a veteran (don't know which war(s) contact me about the post and if I can find that part I'll post that too.
I think you all might find it worthy of reading and reacting to it.... regardless of how you view it it will be thought provoking. |
RE: Finishing off a deer
Yes, a few times a year.Im the guy in the public land who helps strangers find all there gut shot deer, I show them how to gut them, and Ill help drag them too. As long as the hunter isnt a doorknob Ill do all I can to help them. Talking to a wounded animal sometimes calms it down enough to carefully get a sharp knife into the corroted artery. The animal is out of it in seconds. Thats the way I prefer to do it.
ORIGINAL: farmcntry I use my knife a few times a year too.Be carefull so you dont get kicked or horned. You need to learn how to quickly and effectively take a deer if you’re doing this on a regular basis. |
RE: Finishing off a deer
Im sure some people will say it was the wrong way to show me this but whatever- it worked--- When I first started deer hunting I was with my uncle, dad, and my aunt. My aunt shot a small buck and it would NOT die.
My uncle who is a Vietnam vet and a kinda gruff guy, looked at me and said: "Here's why you need to know gun safety", then he turned and shot the buck right square between the eyes with his 12 ga. Needless to say it was pretty messy, but I tell ya what, everytime I have my gun, I think of what that deer looked like and it makes me be careful and I never imagined what kinda of damage it would do when I was taking my hunters safety course. Like I said thats been 8 years ago and I still think about- he got his point across. |
RE: Finishing off a deer
must of been a spine shot?
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RE: Finishing off a deer
Actually no. Her scope was off and she hit it in the leg, then my uncle popped it in the chest and it still flopped. So then he popped it in the head.
We called it the retard though because all summer/fall it was weird. You could be squirrel hunting and turn around and it would follow you!!!!!!! He would mow and it would follow his mower!!!!! It jumped around like a freaking mule deer!!! He wasn't gonna shoot it but my aunt didnt know it was that deer and she shot it. |
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