What do you do in this situation?

FrontSight · October 23, 2006, 02:07 PM

You're bow hunting alone, and shoot a deer in the spine. You get to it and see that it's still very much alive, but paralyzed, and shows no signs that it will die soon, except from predators or maybe even starvation.

The first arrow is stuck in the spine, broken off, so you can't pull it out to reuse it. And for whatever reason you have no arrows left. The state law forbids you from carrying a firearm while bowhunting big game, so you can't shoot it.

What do you do? Do you hit it over the head with a rock? Do you choke it with a rope or your bare hands? Do you slit its throat with your knife? Do you beat it to death with a stick? Do you call a conservation officer and have them dispatch it? What if you're in a remote area with no cell phone reception and can't call a warden? Do you drag it back, still alive, to call someone or to a firearm, or leave it and come back with a warden, knowing coyotes might get to it first and eat it alive?

Just wondering what most people would do in this situation? What's the most humane thing to do?

castnblast · October 23, 2006, 02:29 PM

Slit the throat. I always cary a large survival knife for that reason. I had to do this a couple years ago. I hate seeing an animal suffer:barf: . But unfortuntately, mistakes happen. In my case, I "thought" I made a good hit. shot felt good, but the deer jumped the string, and was hit in the spine. The deer crawled off, so I in my haste I went after it, leaving my quiver in the stand. When I caught up to the deer, it was getting close to our fenceline. Having no arrow w/ me, I grabbed it by the antlers, and slit it's throat.

I'm not proud of this moment. It makes me sick thinking about it. But had I not had that knife, it would have crawled under the fence, got on the neighbors pasture, and been coyote bait.

Lessons learned: carry a full quiver, collect yourself, and get your head on before you get out of your stand...always.

The only plus to this sickening situation is that I had the knife, and before each hunt, I sharpen them till they shave w/ a lansky sharpener. (If you don't have one of these gadgets, it is a great little investment.) The deer bled out quickly.

I hope that answers your question. If it were legal, I'd carry a sidearm, but since it's not, my only choice was the knife. During general season (rifle) when I used to still bowhunt, I carried a .357 mag, which is legal to do during the rifle season.

Twycross · October 23, 2006, 03:28 PM

+1 for slicing the throat. Every hunter should have a knife available and up to the task.

FirstFreedom · October 23, 2006, 04:06 PM

First, don't get in that situation; have at least 3 or 4 broadheaded arrows on you.

Second, yep, slit the throat all the way across with a good sharp knife.

Third, while doing #2, take great precautions not to get thrashed by the horns if it's a buck - stay well clear of antlers and hooves on a dying deer - they can hurt ya good.

castnblast · October 23, 2006, 04:09 PM

1+ on all. Get the rack under control. I approached from behind and hold on tight.

whiskey · October 23, 2006, 07:47 PM

Well I didn't run out of arrows I just left them and the bow in the truck becasue of the thought of dragging a deer out was on my mind.

I get to the doe and she is still able to run on her front legs. I was a kid and scared as hell. She started bleating very loudly and that scared me more. There was no way in hell she was letting me get close enough to jump on her back and cut her throat. She was pawing at me and biting at me. I grabbed a huge rock and chunked her in the head as hard as I could. It stunned her long enough for me stab her in the throat before she started kicking at me again.

Not the best way, but it worked for me. You all can learn from our mistakes. Don't be the dumba$$ that leaves your bow or arrows behind to save effort. The deer deserves better of you as a hunter. I learned my lesson.

Webleymkv · October 23, 2006, 08:01 PM

Wouldn't it be more humane to break the deer's neck? I've heard that with the right knowledge of anatomy this isn't particularly hard to do.

Venison_Jerkey32 · October 23, 2006, 09:42 PM

In Texas you can carry a gun if you have a chl. Also, if there is an arrow sticking out of the spine and you do shoot it to end the misery, I doubt the game warden would give you trouble. (unless he thought you shot the arrow afterwards.) But I hunt on private land, so what do I know? Around here the game warden would only come if the neigherbors called him, so if I had to shoot, I would take another 20 or so shots so the nieghbors would think it was only shootin practice.

Sorry if this is OT, but we had an instance where we scared a doe on our property and it got caught in a fence and broke its leg, and was obviously going to die. What are the legal ways to deal with it. Can you shoot it or slit its throat if it's out of season. If this is OT don't respond and sorry for the hijack.

I do not advocate braking any game laws, but I do believe that although in black and white, shooting a wounded deer during bow season might be against the regulations, it still follows the "intent" of the law and if it is your only option is the ethical thing to do. However, slit the throat or get some arrows first if you can.

springmom · October 23, 2006, 10:40 PM

+1 on slitting the throat.

Re: on your property, call your state's version of Parks and Wildlife, or the sheriff's office if P&W is closed. Common sense, of course, would say "put it out of its misery quickly" and the sheriff or P&W may indeed tell you to do just that. But they may not too.

Springmom

Art Eatman · October 24, 2006, 09:33 AM

WebleyMkV, your idea might work if you're quite strong and are experienced in dealing with livestock. You'd be amazed at how violent a deer can be, even a small one.

Vignette: A buddy of mine and I found a small buck caught in a coyote snare where he'd tried to crawl under a fence. We didn't want to hurt the deer, of course. But it took both of us a fair amount of effort to tie the feet all together before loosening the snare--and that was with the little bucks head pretty well immobilized.

Then our warped senses of humor took over. We put the deer in the pickup and went back to camp, me riding in back sorta sitting on the deer. We got to camp and somebody said, "Where's the deer?" I undid the ropes and said, "Right here!" and sorta goosed the little buck toward the group of folks standing around the campfire.

Sort of a covey explosion of the biggest quail I ever did see!

In Texas during gun season, you can carry a pistol as well as a rifle, CHL or no. Anytime of year, if I ever saw a deer caught in a fence and it was still alive, I'd shoot it, get it free from the fence, and leave it for the coyotes and buzzards. It never has occurred to me to waste some number of hours waiting on some Official Person. That's cruel for the deer.

Art

PS: Real time, now: Quail attack! Blues on the porch! Mama, poppa, and a half-dozen half-growns.

Socrates · October 24, 2006, 07:37 PM

Carry a gun, and shoot it.

Animals deserve a quick, effective, painless death.

S

22-rimfire · October 24, 2006, 10:15 PM

I'd walk back and get a couple arrows.

huntatnight · October 26, 2006, 03:41 PM

Slit the throat, but be careful, if it starts getting rammy and has enough life in it, those hooves will cut you real good if you're not careful. I spined a doe with my muzzleloader 2 years ago and only the front legs were working, but I stayed clear and finally took care of it.

John

castnblast · October 26, 2006, 04:23 PM

Art, you gonna skillet shot any of them thar quail on Saturday? Those blues are mighty tasty!

FrontSight · October 26, 2006, 06:11 PM

Twist:

What if it's an AWESOME trophy, and you really don't want to slit the throat & ruin the mount by slitting the throat...what then? Or can a good taxidermist take care of that?

Maybe I'm just taking this too far now...

October 23, 2006, 02:07 PM	#1
FrontSight Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2005 Posts: 1,712	What do you do in this situation? You're bow hunting alone, and shoot a deer in the spine. You get to it and see that it's still very much alive, but paralyzed, and shows no signs that it will die soon, except from predators or maybe even starvation. The first arrow is stuck in the spine, broken off, so you can't pull it out to reuse it. And for whatever reason you have no arrows left. The state law forbids you from carrying a firearm while bowhunting big game, so you can't shoot it. What do you do? Do you hit it over the head with a rock? Do you choke it with a rope or your bare hands? Do you slit its throat with your knife? Do you beat it to death with a stick? Do you call a conservation officer and have them dispatch it? What if you're in a remote area with no cell phone reception and can't call a warden? Do you drag it back, still alive, to call someone or to a firearm, or leave it and come back with a warden, knowing coyotes might get to it first and eat it alive? Just wondering what most people would do in this situation? What's the most humane thing to do?

October 23, 2006, 03:28 PM	#3
Twycross Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2005 Location: Montana Posts: 1,187	+1 for slicing the throat. Every hunter should have a knife available and up to the task. __________________ The test of character is not 'hanging in' when you expect light at the end of the tunnel, but performance of duty, and persistence of example when you know no light is coming. - Vice Admiral James Stockdale, USN (ret.)

October 23, 2006, 04:09 PM	#5
castnblast Senior Member Join Date: July 2, 2006 Location: Corpus Christi TX Posts: 1,148	1+ on all. Get the rack under control. I approached from behind and hold on tight. __________________ VEGETARIAN...old indian word for bad hunter

October 23, 2006, 07:47 PM	#6
whiskey Senior Member Join Date: January 19, 2000 Location: Clarksville, TN Posts: 431	Well I didn't run out of arrows I just left them and the bow in the truck becasue of the thought of dragging a deer out was on my mind. I get to the doe and she is still able to run on her front legs. I was a kid and scared as hell. She started bleating very loudly and that scared me more. There was no way in hell she was letting me get close enough to jump on her back and cut her throat. She was pawing at me and biting at me. I grabbed a huge rock and chunked her in the head as hard as I could. It stunned her long enough for me stab her in the throat before she started kicking at me again. Not the best way, but it worked for me. You all can learn from our mistakes. Don't be the dumba$$ that leaves your bow or arrows behind to save effort. The deer deserves better of you as a hunter. I learned my lesson. __________________ "So he cocked both his pistols, spit in the dirt and walked out in to the street."

October 23, 2006, 10:40 PM	#9
springmom Senior Member Join Date: October 26, 2005 Location: Houston area Posts: 1,823	+1 on slitting the throat. Re: on your property, call your state's version of Parks and Wildlife, or the sheriff's office if P&W is closed. Common sense, of course, would say "put it out of its misery quickly" and the sheriff or P&W may indeed tell you to do just that. But they may not too. Springmom __________________ I will not be a victim home on the web: www.panagia-icons.net (my webpage) www.nousfromspring.blogspot.com (Orthodoxy) "I couldn't hear you. Stop firing the gun while you're talking!" Frank Drebin, The Naked Gun

October 23, 2006, 02:29 PM	#2
castnblast Senior Member Join Date: July 2, 2006 Location: Corpus Christi TX Posts: 1,148	Slit the throat. I always cary a large survival knife for that reason. I had to do this a couple years ago. I hate seeing an animal suffer:barf: . But unfortuntately, mistakes happen. In my case, I "thought" I made a good hit. shot felt good, but the deer jumped the string, and was hit in the spine. The deer crawled off, so I in my haste I went after it, leaving my quiver in the stand. When I caught up to the deer, it was getting close to our fenceline. Having no arrow w/ me, I grabbed it by the antlers, and slit it's throat. I'm not proud of this moment. It makes me sick thinking about it. But had I not had that knife, it would have crawled under the fence, got on the neighbors pasture, and been coyote bait. Lessons learned: carry a full quiver, collect yourself, and get your head on before you get out of your stand...always. The only plus to this sickening situation is that I had the knife, and before each hunt, I sharpen them till they shave w/ a lansky sharpener. (If you don't have one of these gadgets, it is a great little investment.) The deer bled out quickly. I hope that answers your question. If it were legal, I'd carry a sidearm, but since it's not, my only choice was the knife. During general season (rifle) when I used to still bowhunt, I carried a .357 mag, which is legal to do during the rifle season. __________________ VEGETARIAN...old indian word for bad hunter

October 23, 2006, 04:06 PM	#4
FirstFreedom Junior member Join Date: May 31, 2004 Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A. Posts: 12,451	First, don't get in that situation; have at least 3 or 4 broadheaded arrows on you. Second, yep, slit the throat all the way across with a good sharp knife. Third, while doing #2, take great precautions not to get thrashed by the horns if it's a buck - stay well clear of antlers and hooves on a dying deer - they can hurt ya good.

October 23, 2006, 08:01 PM	#7
Webleymkv Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 10,446	Wouldn't it be more humane to break the deer's neck? I've heard that with the right knowledge of anatomy this isn't particularly hard to do.

October 23, 2006, 09:42 PM	#8
Venison_Jerkey32 Senior Member Join Date: March 19, 2006 Location: Country of Origin: Texas Posts: 192	In Texas you can carry a gun if you have a chl. Also, if there is an arrow sticking out of the spine and you do shoot it to end the misery, I doubt the game warden would give you trouble. (unless he thought you shot the arrow afterwards.) But I hunt on private land, so what do I know? Around here the game warden would only come if the neigherbors called him, so if I had to shoot, I would take another 20 or so shots so the nieghbors would think it was only shootin practice. Sorry if this is OT, but we had an instance where we scared a doe on our property and it got caught in a fence and broke its leg, and was obviously going to die. What are the legal ways to deal with it. Can you shoot it or slit its throat if it's out of season. If this is OT don't respond and sorry for the hijack. I do not advocate braking any game laws, but I do believe that although in black and white, shooting a wounded deer during bow season might be against the regulations, it still follows the "intent" of the law and if it is your only option is the ethical thing to do. However, slit the throat or get some arrows first if you can.

October 24, 2006, 09:33 AM	#10
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	WebleyMkV, your idea might work if you're quite strong and are experienced in dealing with livestock. You'd be amazed at how violent a deer can be, even a small one. Vignette: A buddy of mine and I found a small buck caught in a coyote snare where he'd tried to crawl under a fence. We didn't want to hurt the deer, of course. But it took both of us a fair amount of effort to tie the feet all together before loosening the snare--and that was with the little bucks head pretty well immobilized. Then our warped senses of humor took over. We put the deer in the pickup and went back to camp, me riding in back sorta sitting on the deer. We got to camp and somebody said, "Where's the deer?" I undid the ropes and said, "Right here!" and sorta goosed the little buck toward the group of folks standing around the campfire. Sort of a covey explosion of the biggest quail I ever did see! In Texas during gun season, you can carry a pistol as well as a rifle, CHL or no. Anytime of year, if I ever saw a deer caught in a fence and it was still alive, I'd shoot it, get it free from the fence, and leave it for the coyotes and buzzards. It never has occurred to me to waste some number of hours waiting on some Official Person. That's cruel for the deer. Art PS: Real time, now: Quail attack! Blues on the porch! Mama, poppa, and a half-dozen half-growns.

October 24, 2006, 07:37 PM	#11
Socrates Junior member Join Date: January 5, 2005 Location: East Bay NorCal, People's Republik of Kalifornia Posts: 5,866	Carry a gun, and shoot it. Animals deserve a quick, effective, painless death. S

October 24, 2006, 10:15 PM	#12
22-rimfire Senior Member Join Date: February 19, 2005 Location: Tennessee Posts: 5,323	I'd walk back and get a couple arrows.

October 26, 2006, 03:41 PM	#13
huntatnight Member Join Date: August 25, 2005 Location: Pa. Posts: 49	Slit the throat, but be careful, if it starts getting rammy and has enough life in it, those hooves will cut you real good if you're not careful. I spined a doe with my muzzleloader 2 years ago and only the front legs were working, but I stayed clear and finally took care of it. John __________________ I took anger management classes, now I can only wax people from 9 to 5!!

October 26, 2006, 04:23 PM	#14
castnblast Senior Member Join Date: July 2, 2006 Location: Corpus Christi TX Posts: 1,148	Art, you gonna skillet shot any of them thar quail on Saturday? Those blues are mighty tasty! __________________ VEGETARIAN...old indian word for bad hunter

October 26, 2006, 06:11 PM	#15
FrontSight Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2005 Posts: 1,712	Twist: What if it's an AWESOME trophy, and you really don't want to slit the throat & ruin the mount by slitting the throat...what then? Or can a good taxidermist take care of that? Maybe I'm just taking this too far now...