After you track the Deer what do you do 1st?

[Gatekeeper]

#1 Bask in the glory! It is a wonderful thing to bring meat home. Then pictures, pictures, pictures!

Get a book titled Finding Wounded Deer by John Trout JR. This is a handing book to have. It goes over the signs to look for when tracking a shot deer. Hopefully the deer will drop in sight, but if not knowing the signs to look for will make tracking a lot easier.

Good luck! I'll be watching for your hero picture.

[JParanee]

First thing you should do IMHO is notice how your deer reacted to the shot did you hit him well did he run away with the arrow sticking out of him if so how deep was it

Keep your eye on him mentaly mark where he was when you shot him and the last place you saw him

Play it over in your head that will tell you how long to wait so you do not push the deer  

Better yet sit for an hour climb out stay away from trail call someone with expierence tracking and get some help the first time.

To loos e adeer is a very hard thing your first can be very frustateing ..  But be prepared everyone looses deer it is the nature of the game do your best and learn

[Arwin]

Originally posted by see:
What Manitoba Stickfinger said.I always kneel down and give thanks to God.I know it's His gift to me.

 

 Every deer, I say thanks for. I thank God for giving me a full freezer and thank the deer for giving his life to feed us.

 Next, scream your fool head off!!  Yes you can both respect the animals and let emotions fly at the same time.      I think it would be an injustice to bottle up the mixture of emotions.

 Tag that sucker!!  It's good for karma and keeps the game warden happy.

 Drag it far away as you can from your hunting area to gut it. I'm superstitious about gut piles, mostly cause it attracts coyotes.

 Feel the bottom of your sternum in the middle of your ribcage. Nice and soft there huh? Same on a deer. I suggest newbies start here cause most I know are too squeamish to start in the genitle area.

 Lay the deer on it's back. Step on each back leg of the deer spreading them out. I can break the pelvic bone if I'm lucky, makes it easier to deal with.
 
 Poke under the skin at the base of the sternum with your knife and keep the edge of your blade facing up. Try not to puncture the stomach or any guts. Slide the blade towards the butt in a "zipping" fashion.  
 Remove genitles and cut right up to the butt.

 Now stick you hand into the chest cavity. MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO BROADHEADS IN IT FIRST!!!!! Grap the windpipe and esophagus with one hand and sever them with the knife.  
 Pull the guts towards the butt. On older animals there is a membrane attached to the guts, like a gut sack. Cut it as you go and pull everything to one side. Roll the animal over and let everything drain.

 Trust me your first couple animals will be tough, don't worry.    

[nschlag]

i NEVER field dress. i am fortunate to hunt where i can get a fourwheeler/gator or pickup to the harvest with minimal dragging. i then hang the animal by back legs, skin and gut it allowing all the mess to fall in a large plastic bucket.

this is usually very clean and i can then strategically place gut piles with in range of my 22 250:)

[SCATTERSHOT]

Make sure it's dead. Then field dress.

[GO Rogers]

Find a deer processor and ask him if he needs some free labor. If he allows you to do it let him train you on the art of butchering a deer.

[Darren]

Well, if he runs and dies on the neighbors property, I drag him as fast as I can back on to mine !

[Converml]

As Darren mentioned
"Well, if he runs and dies on the neighbors property, I drag him as fast as I can back on to mine ! "

So it's good to be familiar with your game laws. Most people would let you track onto their land no problem (after you ask) but if you're in an area where boundaries are tight know the laws. In NY for example if you shot a buck and it crossed onto an angry stubborn or anti hunter land owner you just call the game warrden (because all wildlife belongs to the state) and they can go with you on the land to retrieve your trophy. So be familiar with the law and your rights before you go out. Happy hunting

[bear track]

I usually kneel down beside the deer and stroke it's fur and clean it up nice. Then pray, thanking for the opportunity to share this moment with all.
Field dress it and remove it form the forest.

Moose on the other hand get special treatment. I'll admire and talk to it softly then begin the dressing process. Only I can carry the antlers out of the forest and anywhere between the kill site and camp. Once there, I'll pray to the moose god and rub every inch of antler while doing that. Once that's over, then my partners can handle the antlers. They understand and don't ask.

[Darren]

Oh Boy.....Bear track, that last moose you killed when we hunted moose together...... I forgot to thank you for letting me pack out that whole moose, less the antlers. Your such a pal. I prayed to, But Jesus never showed up with his pack frame !!!! Man That was a big bodied moose. I would do it again in a heart beat for ya buddy    This is going to be a good year !! As for my last comment, the land owner next to me is NOT a nice guy. He thinks all the deer and land are his. As for our local game wardens. GOOD LUCK finding one. Far and few in this Province.

[wildwood]

rluttrell, What part of CA. you at ??

[Bill Turner]

Tagging sounds like such a simple process. Make sure you read your state game book, before you head out to hunt, and understand the requirements. Read it every year because the rules do change on occasion. Next,make sure you can attach the completed tag in a way that it will not be lost when your transporting your critter. I now carry a few longer, plastic ties and a pen in a zip lock bag in my pack every time I go out. Unfortunately, I had the experience of dragging a TX buck out to my truck and in the process I lost my completed tag. I backtracked and was fortunate to locate it in a cactus/mesquite thicket. Didn't get a ticket but could have. The rest of the process has been very well covered above.Good luck and enjoy the experience.