OK, I shot one, now what do I do ?

[reddogge]

RIng,
Wear hip boots so you can get into the deeper stuff even though you may be on dry ground. The deer will head for the nastiest stuff around, usually in water.

We gut and drag out. The muddy water will wash out with a hose and won't affect the meat.

In warm weather I wouldn't want to leave overnight.

Tracking in the marsh can be very disorienting so either use a GPS/compass or have a friend or two standing where they can find you and guide you to familiar territory. It can be especially disorienting at night where you can go 50 yards and become totally turned around and it all looks alike. Three of us tracked one at night last rifle season and we almost got lost and didn't go more that 30-40 yards. The deer was going in a circle. I was totally disoriented, we all three disagreed as to what direction the stand was but one guy was correct and we followed him.

[ChuckC]

Ring, as above there is really no meat affected that can't be washed if you gut the deer, except maybe the tenderloins. .  so remove them as you gut.  But. .  if you are crossing deeper pools, a deer will float if left intact, at least enough to make it easier to drag thru the water.

Don't split the pelvis or the rib cage, just do a quick and dirty gut job, trying not to get the gut contents on the deer.  Do a good job of hosing it off when you get home.  This also allows the meat to cool a bit with all that cold water (hose).

Think about all of this ahead of time so you bring the needed tools, bags etc to take care of the deer in the field.
ChuckC

[DaveT1963]

I sit down and calm myself and give the arrow time to do its work.  Then I read the sign at the hit site (blood, hair, arrow) to determine my next move.

[4dogs]

Soon as you hit an elk best use your cow call a bit. It can keep them close for another arrow if needed and or save you a bunch of tracking. I hear alot of guys leave an animal over night. I really hate doing that on elk so do absolutly everything you can to get a good shot and then get to that animal as soon as you can without kicking it out of its death bed and at least get it taken apart and hung. Then you can come get it the next morning if its still there. Piss around it, leave your dirty underware, hang some of those break and shake lights. I have never seen an elk left overnight in one piece not have significant meat loss.  I know sometimes it cant be avoided....but think hard on it.

[Legolas]

I mark the place the deer was hit with some toilet paper and then every blood sign do the same. If the blood trail ends it saves time and wonderment to see the path of the deer. Toilet paper is biodigradable so no worries about leaving it.
I am always amazed when I shoot a deer and watch it run away like a bat out of ... and see the last point before it gets out of site. Later I walk to that last site and the deer is dead 10 yds from where I saw it running. Weird

[rod251]

Previous posts have pretty much covered my tracking methods, but I'll add how I handle the meat in our hot southern climate. It's generally not cold enough here to leave meat hanging for more than a few hours, and a walk-in cooler isn't in my budget, so I have an old cast iron tub beside my skinning rack. Once quartered,  the meat goes in the tub with water, a little vinegar, and 2 bags of ice.  I keep a sheet of 3/4 inch treated plywood on top to keep varmints out.(I thought about attaching it with hinges and a latch,  but so far that hasn't been necessary.) The next day I drain the water and refill, adding a bag of ice. On day three I butcher and package for the freezer.  This method takes out all the undesirable flavor.

[RAGHORN 3]

I give thanks to all mighty God he granted me the opportunity to take one of his animals.    

[Rob W.]

I think everybody has about covered it. There are only a couple things I do different. First off all my arrows have at least a small band of reflective tape on them and my squirrel arrow has a large band. If I decide to back out(especially in the evening) I mark last blood with that arrow. When I return that arrow is visible from a looong way.

Also, I like to cook about as much as I like to hunt and if there is any way possible I don't let any of the meat touch water. I remove backstraps and sometimes loins immediately. If the weather is right I hang hide off in a bag to dry age. If it is warm out I dry age in the fridge. Aging individual quarters is probably best so there is no muscle contraction during the process. 24-48 hrs. is usually sufficient and yields more tender, flavorful meat that is less likely to freezer burn.

[Roadkill]

Keep a spray bottle with peroxide in your car.  Get it and squirt , blood bubbles.  Use a tracking stick.  Take a straight stick find a good set of tracks from your deer.  When yo run out of sign, go back and measure with the stick to help locate where the next track might be.

Also trail off to the side so you do not mess up an important spoor that might be needed later.

Daddy long legs are attracted to blood some say.  Just a tip I cannot confirm.
Remember, this deer may be lying down, watching your feet come along and the low hanging brush masks him from you.  Kneel down and peer around a bit
You may not see a whole deer, so look for parts- black nose or eye , pink ear white hocks or rump
Your feet go thump thump.  Deer sound like 3 legs or a constant noise.  Drag a stick behind you so you sound like an animal or animals walking
When you spot a downed animal, do not walk directly at it, but rather walk at a 45 degree angle and glance with side vision.  Looking at any game animal gives them the Two eye predator response
I will look into my notes to review as I have not taught a class this year yet.  2more
SLOW DOWN. Speed may not be your friend as you may miss something
 looking is not seeing,  listening is not hearing

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I wait a minimum of 30 minutes before i move at all. With elk i spend that time cow calling.... Then I mark the exact spot the arrow left my bow with surveyors tape. i stick a branch in the ground where i was sanding. Then i go to the spot i hit the animal and look for blood & flag that.... Then i set for another 30 minutes to an hour minimum before slowly taking up the trail. I stalk hunt the blood trail keeping an arrow nocked where it is safe to do so.... I do NOT ever go get help tacking an animal. I've seen more animals lost by getting too many people trashing out the natural landscape.... There is a lot more to tracking than following a blood trail.....

Te only time i'll go for help is after it's got dark, and i've lost the trail completely. If you leave an animal with the guts in it over night in september in Oregon, it's going to get scarfed by bears , coyotes, or mountain lions before the sun comes up. even if you are lucky 7 it doesn't, the bone sour ruins the meat...

In really warm weather the best thing to do is get that meat cooled down as quickly as possible. If i've got a creek near buy, i'll quarter it and drag it into the creek as quickly as possible. If there is no water available, and i can't get it out that night, i'll bone it out and hang the meat in trees & hope the bears don't get it anyway...

I'd rather stay up all night packing meat out than loose it.

[J-dog]

I don't get to do it as much as I want! what I will add though is in my area early season is HOT like 80s hot. I got to get em quick! Really got to see the hit and act accordingly. If you got em throguh the goodies, they are dead in seconds - in my area so thick you hear em fall.

Just really hoping to get a chance to do this soon. -