I have just finished a week of good deer hunting with shotguns. Usually we wait about 1/2 hour after shooting a deer before tracking it. This was the norm. After this week I have changed my policy. A deer was knocked down and laying on the trail, maybe not totally dead but down and no movement. The drive nearly finished and more deer on the move it was left for about 15 minutes, another hunter in the group knowing the deer was down went up to it and re shot it and very proudly put his tag on it. This makes you wonder in your fellow man. I think the policy now for this hunter is run as fast or faster than the bullet and place a 20 foot flag on the deer. Did make a sore spot for this hunter. Just one point of view. Hope every one else had a good hunt.
Excalibur Exomax and Arctic Cat 400 auto. Life don't get much better than that.
Especially, if the guy was part of the same group. Does the group not share the meat across the group to avoid that sort of thing? Maybe its time to reconsider this guy in the group.
DanO.
If you're not part of the solution, you might be part of the problem.
I always figured the timeline by the shot. If I knew it was gut shot, then I wait at least two hours. I have tracked and after 5 hours find it still alive(barely) with a gut shot. However, if I shot and broke it's leg, then I immediately go after it before it learns how to run good on the remaining three. It just depends on the hit.
If this guy needs the meat that bad, then let him have it. That is simply WRONG. I too have tracked my deer after waiting and just find the gut pile . . .not sure if the hunter shot it while it was still running or if it was down and he took it(I didn't hear a shot in that direction). I just know my blood trail ended at the gut pile.
I'd rather wear out than rust out.
Perception trumps intention.
That guy isn't a hunter...he's a GATHERER, and should be told to join a group of same. Some folks have too much of their identity wrapped up in coming home with a deer. My BIL had one taken off his car while they were in a restaurant.
I let the deer tell me how long to wait after the shot. The deer I've taken with rifle were dead before they hit the ground. Three of my four crossbow deer I watched go down, and could tell they were not getting up. Time waited averaged 5 minutes. Bleeding to death from a well placed arrow doesn't take very long. My first crossbow deer I heard go down but actually waited 20 minutes to go get her.
You can take the man out of the woods but you can't take the woods out of the man.
"Celebrate your harvest with a Bloodtrail Ale(tm)!!"
"It CAN Be Done!"
wow! Sorry i missed this one I was still hunting since we are allowed to Sunday hunt as well. Years ago we put a deer out of one bush and a friend of mine using one of the first rifled slug guns which he had imported to Canada shot it at 4 ft from the hip since his scope was useless. Another small group hunting the bush it went to shot once and claimed it. there was a sidewalk of blood leading to the deers location from my friends shot and only one hole in the deer. They insisted that it was their deer so we let them have it. i later on found out that the only way that those guys would ever get a deer would be that way or a road kill.
Last year my cousin shot a deer at the end of a block and it made it back to the bush, another guy that was hunting beside me finished it off at the end of the block 25 yrds in. He claimed that it was getting up and since it was of course a buck said the antlers are his. He hunts on his own now!. He does have a nice set of small 8 antlers though.
Sorry for your misfortune!
Better hunting companions are always available to fill in such gaps
rutman
paradox
graphite goldtip laser II's
wasp 100gr. jakhammer sst expandibles
Love it all!!!!!!!!!
That's why I'm VERY particular about who I hunt with....
On one gunhunt I had a buck that my brother shot come up toward my stand and I put it down for him with a neck shot....I killed it but it was his deer... My brother made the 1st vital shot through the lungs.... It just needed time to fall over and I didn't want it to go down in the swamp.....
Another time I made a solid lung shot with a ML and watched the buck standing there 75 yds away, head down and ready to drop as I reloaded... The buck was mortally hit but not down... It was startled by a car going up a road nearby and trotted back toward me...At about 25 yds it stopped in an opening and I shot it again and it fell over dead.... What I didn't know was a friend of mine heard me shoot and headed over to help me when he saw the buck and shot it litterally at the same time I took my second shot.. There were three holes, one on top of the other in that buck.... I claimed the deer and my friend agreed....
That's why it's very important to know who you're hunting with....
I've never had to track any deer I've shot with a gun. I've always dropped them in their tracks.
I've had to track 2 deer though that other guys only wounded. Pissed me right off. They're too old and out of shape to track the thing down themselves so I had to come to the rescue.
Remember Tye, 1st Respect your elders
You may be lucky enogh to get old and find out how it is.
2nd Never say never on the wounded deer, shoot at enough and it's gonna happen.
rutman
paradox
graphite goldtip laser II's
wasp 100gr. jakhammer sst expandibles
Love it all!!!!!!!!!
maybe not totally dead but down and no movement. The drive nearly finished and more deer on the move it was left for about 15 minutes, another hunter in the group knowing the deer was down went up to it and re shot it and very proudly put his tag on it. 
This makes you wonder in your fellow man. I think the policy now for this hunter is run as fast or faster than the bullet and place a 20 foot flag on the deer. 
Did make a sore spot for this hunter. Just one point of view. Hope every one else had a good hunt.
