You did the right thing. You could have pushed that deer further and lost him. It's very possible the yotes finished him off. The reason they made such short work of it is they were hungry, being so cold out.
My 2012 (rifle) buck saw a similar situation, but with a luckier result for me. After the hit he moved off parallel across the mountainside at dusk. I waited the usual wait then quietly followed up then decided not to push him and waited until morning.
The following morning I was back and able to follow. He turned abruptly downhill which was going to lead him to private land I did not nor expected to get permission to enter. My heart sunk; I didn't want to lose the deer, and I didn't want it dying in the neighbors yard.
Halfway down the mountain the deer abruptly turned and headed back up. "Why did he do that?" I wondered. I found where a bobcat had met him halfway up, hid, crouched, and pounced! There was evidence of a good scrap then the deer continued on up and then back across. Eventually I walked up on the cat -a beautiful big tom I believe.
He didn't want to give up his deer so he did what a bobcat would do to a fox or single yote -he stood his ground. He did not offer any threats, in fact he'd not make eye contact with me, looking away when I looked or closing his eyes, even though he was only about 20feet away. The deer was dead another 50ft up the mountainside.
I told the cat it was my deer and I was going to take it, but that I'd leave him some. I clapped and pressed the issue and he sauntered off like a big fuzzy house cat.
Thought that was pretty cool.
Topic: I Shot a Deer, Mother Nature Took it Back (Read 776 times)
