loghead

Well I' m almost 49 years old and I use to hunt a lot. I have not hunted in years. I have hunting all of the small game. I use to bow hunt for deer a lot and it' s sad to say that I have never killed a deer. This will be my first year deer hunting during gun season. It' s been so long that I haven' t a clue what to do after I kill my deer. Any help would be great. I hope to be able to make my first kill. The reason that I have not hunted in so long is a long story...I can tell you in one word...MY EX...wells that two words!

JeramyK

I can relate. I took 8 years off all hunting when I met my wife. I' m just now getting back into it like I used to be. She' s a city girl and doesn' t understand the hunting/fishing/outdoor addiction.

The first thing you might have to do is track the deer. Be prepared in case the shot doesn' t drop the deer in it' s tracks. Once you' ve recovered your deer you' ll want to tag it. Here in PA we' re not allowed to move the animal until it' s been properly tagged. Next decide where you plan to gut the deer. Gutting the deer in the field will save some weight when dragging. At that point I drag mine back to camp and hang it to cool down. If I' m hunting close to home I' ll just take it right to the butcher.

Tomster

What to do after you kill a deer, that' s a good question. First let' s start with see one, than shooting it. If it get' s up shoot it again. If not give it time to die and trail. Trailing can be fun in the fall, since all the leaves had red in them. Finding the blood trail and tracking your deer. Always try to see which direction they went after the shot was made. It makes it easier to find. Some people wait 1/2 hour to track some other time, I use my judegement. Than when you find it dead, it' s not miller time yet. You have to gut it. Make sure you have a good knife and don' t hit the gut sack. This is the fun part and it needs to be done. Keep the heart and liver, I put in a ziplock bag. The heart can be pickled and the liver fried in butter and onions. You will need to tag the deer. I usually cut a hole in the ear, place the facts on the tag, and stuff into ear. Next you have to get the deer out of woods and into a truck. In the winter I use a sled in the fall, it' s drag with a rope than lift it in bed of pickup truck. Drive home and take pictures if desired. Hang in shed or place on ice in gut cavity. Remove tenderloins and backstraps. Commence skinning and quartering, than cut up quarters, legs front and hind. Than cut them into steaks and roasts, place in bag in freezer. Grind cubes into chuck add pork chuck and freeze. Eat and eat some more. Ummmmmmm good....

This is the abreviated version, happy trails....

Tom

jerseyhunter

Where are you hunting maybe someone from the board hunts there also. You never know.

loghead

Tomster...can I just bring my deer to you after I kill it???!!! JeramyK...my ex was a city girl also. My girlfriend is from eastern ky and loves deer meat and squirrel!! I' m going to go squirrel hunting this weekend. She says she can cook it real nice!! Jerseyhunter...I will be hunting in Ky. I' m going to try to go with my fishing buddy. We fish every year but have never hunted together. He hunts evey year. We will be going aroung the Williamsburg area. I' m not sure where he goes. I know they use four wheelers to get into where they set up camp. He is very good and is a one shot kill!!

Tomster

Loghead,

I have been very lucky that the guy next door to me has been hunting for many years and can butcher deer for me. He has been teaching me some of he finer arts. I now can gut the deer as well but had a hard time at first. I also use the food saver to store my deer meat in.

PA is a long way off from KY. Good luck hunting....


Tomster

txbowjunkie

you should go to the local book store and pick up a couple of books on deer hunting. Almost all of them have some tips on scouting, set up, shooting, tracking, cleaning, etc.

Additionally, you might try the North American series. They have a web site and you can order their books there. Great stuff for beginners.

Good luck and welcome back to the hunting club!