dhasemann

I was told your supposed to touch their eye with the barrel of the gun to see if their dead. I guess if their alive the eye will blink or something.

Daveboone

Woodsman603:
Best thing with boots is to just try a number on. For me, the warmest are the Lacrosse rubber insulated type....waterproof and warm. For walking, goretex lace ups...tough to find a good compromise. Just a thought to put ahead of ya, for when you need to gut that deer...
It is super easy (expected for me) to nick myself. ok, usually more of a slice or two gutting / field dressing the critter, either on your knife or a piece of bone. No need for a bowie knife for the job...my preferred knife is only a 3" fixed blade. watch those fingers, I would be a hurting unit if I had a bleeding disorder! (just a thought....I am pretty sure you can get anticoagulant powder at drug stores....might be a good idea to keep in your hunting parka/ pack. But then again, you probably have more experience with that than me!

Daveboone

The idea is that the deer will flinch. Or more to the point, wont if still alive. IF that's the case though, you don't want to be that close! A lot can happen in a hurry, and it can end up with severe hunter injury!
You want to try to walk up to them from behind, so as not to spook em if still alive. Don't be in a rush...watch for breathing...nose steam, twitches, chest expansion, etc. for a minute or two....keep the animal covered with your gun. if obviously chest shot but still alive, I will back off a bit and let them die in piece without the further trauma of a terrorizing human approaching them. if it appears they are still breathing deeply, panting, trying to get up, I prefer to give them a round to the base of the skull/ neck if possible. no wasted meat, aim the bbl to go out the underside of the neck. DO NOT get close enough for a hoof hit! But if a deer is able to start getting up on its legs...if you have it covered, don't mess around. give it another one in the boiler maker.

Father Forkhorn

That's a normal feeling and lot of us have experienced it, me included, on what would have been my first deer.

The thing to do is learn from it. As miserable as you are feeling now, it will be the absolute opposite when you get your first deer.

montystackhouse

Did you ever end up getting one? I am in a similar boat. This is my first year hunting and I have spent about 37 hours looking out in the woods and over fields. I am not fortunate enough to own my own property so I am using Outdoor Access to find local properties. I have seen 3 individual deer (all at the same property, which is no longer available to me): one young buck that I got a shot at but missed (I thought I hit him but wasn't entirely sure, gave him 30 minutes then tried to track him for 30 minutes, got back in the stand to give him more time and he ran out from behind me 5 minutes after that. Humbling to say the least.), a doe that blew me, and a really really nice older buck that snuck up on me in a blind spot and I never had a chance. I have 2 more hunting trips planned before the NC season ends but I am beginning to think I may not be able to get anything this year.