First Deer hunt...

[Tomekeuro85]

I am planning to do some Whiltetail hunting next season. I've never done this before, and I have no idea how it works, so I have a few questions. I'll be hunting in Wisconsin on my friend's private land. First, what are the chances that a deer will keep running after you hit it in the vital zone. I was thinking to just shoot it in the head with my .308. Is that illegal or a bad idea? Also, how many lbs of meat could one expect from an average size deer? Finally, where would I go to get the deer cut up so I could take it back to Illinois with me? I have no idea how to cut it myself so I would probably need someone else to do it. thanks guys.

 

[newfalguy101]

Wow lots of questions

I will try to answer them all

1) in my 12 years of experience, ALL except ONE deer have run AFTER being hit through the vitals, all good hits, all lethal hits. A deer running after getting hit is NOT a big deal, just watch where it goes, wait till it goes down, and follow the blood trail.

2) In my opinion, headshots are not a good idea. I have seen video of a deer with the lower jaw shot off. lethal??? sure, but the deer lived long enough to starve to death, NOT a fitting end for a magnificent critter, in my humble opinion.

3) just a SWAG, figure probably about 40% of live weight for "meat in the freezer" assuming its all boned out, closer to 50% if the bones are still in the meat.

4) Your freindly neighborhood butcher shop will be more-n-happy to skin,cut, wrap for a fee. In my part of the world, last I knew a basic skin, cut, and wrap cost about $50. Your freind shold be able to point you in the right direction on which shop to use.

I think that bout covers it, cept to say good luck.

HTH

 

[mete]

You will need to take a hunter safety course. I try for lung shots since less meat is lost . The average distance they run with a lung shot has been 50 yds..You could learn to butcher the deer yourself then you know what you have. In any case it is very important to immediately dress out the deer when it is dead !!With a 119 lb live weight deer the edible lean meat will be 53 lbs. Head shots are not good as it is a small target , I saw once a deer with it's lower jaw smashed by a bullet - a long painful death.Learn the anatomy so you can hit the vitals from any direction.Carefully scout the land so you know where the deer bed, eat and move.

 

[JustsayMo]

Another reason I like the Heart/Lung shot, is that the animal tends to be less messy to field dress as he's bled out.

Even with a good hit he's likely to run a ways, but usually not far, especially with two big holes in him.

Hunted with a guy (never again) that only took headshots. This year he fired 7 times before he connected. He was the last guy in camp to take a deer and it was one hell of a mess. Too much gun, not enough skill.

I'd recommend doing your own processing if at all possible. To me it's just part of the experience. It's educational. It takes a while to get it to look as pretty as a butcher can do but it usually tastes just as good. Key word is CLEAN. Dirt, fur, body fluids = bad.

 

[Lupinus]

Don't go for a head shot. It is easy to miss and take out a part that wont kill it but will maim it for a slow death. Also the standard heart and lung shot will help to bleed it. All in all a much bigger kill zone and a much better kill.

 

[Matt G]

Lupinus puts it well.

The head is constantly moving, and when it's still, it's about to be moving quickly. A mistake of 5 inches can be the difference between a dead deer and a deer that runs off without a lower jaw.

The heart/lung/spine/shoulder area is huge in comparison, and generally only moves in one direction (forward) on one plane. Shoot for a shoulder, and if it steps forward, you're still in the lungs. A shot further back than the lungs will still likely hit the liver, which will kill it if you wait after the shot.

 

[Lupinus]

Also heart/lungs will causei nternal bleeding, good bleeding makes for better meat.

 

[Skoghund]

Heart /lungshot is the best. Never take a head shot unless you already have a runner and you nead to put the animal down. Shoot the jaw off and you will never find the animal and it will die a slow painfull death. Neck shots are good at closer range but only from the front or back of neck. A side shot through the wind pipe also causes a lost deer.For over 20 years i used to cull deer in a deer park neck shot them all, no meat damage. But culling in a park is not the same as hunting in the field.