Buck Magnet

This is NOT pointed at you Jeff, but in general over the entire hunting community.

IMO, too many people will wound a deer and after not recovering they come to the consensus that the deer is not dead. It helps put their mind at ease but it does nothing to correct the problem. These people are simply hindering their learning curve. If they are never going to realize the true effect of their poor shots then they have no real reason to correct them. I know that there are deer shot every year that can't be recovered as the deer never die, but I would be willing to be that MANY more die when the hunter believes that the animal "will be fine". My train of thought on this is.. "if I was shot in the same place, what type of shape would I be in?"

gzg38b

WOW I just read all 7 pages of this thread and my head is spinning.

I personally would NOT use a tag unless I recovered the animal.

drhntr178

If I shoot a P & Y, dont recover it, but tag it,can i enter it in therecord books?

HAZCON7

If you shot a P & Y would you give up looking after 7 hours?

GMMAT

If everyone was telling me the deer was alive......yes.

The first deer I ever shot was hit and left a very similar blood trail to this one. He is the biggest bodied deer in my woods that I've seen. I looked for 5 hours, that night (blood trail petered out at about 200 yds from POI).....and about 3-4 hours the next morning in the rain. Knowing what I know, now.....(and I had good help, that night....including my 2 labs).....I'd have probably done the same thing.....but I would have thought the deer would live. I shot this buck, last year, on 9/12.....and I saw him, again, the day after Thanksgiving. He was just fine.

On 9/12 of last year....I had never killed a deer.

GR8atta2d

Excellentreply Germ. Very well put and even spelled pretty well .

My only other thought to add, is how high are you perched..I know Rob likes to get way up there..are you creating tough angles by going too high and perhaps being too close to the trail.

deerslayer223

If you can't find it you cant tag it. It's all part of the archery hunting game imo. Everyone strives to make the perfect shot but things go wrong and you have to be willing to accept that. I applaud you for you're efforts. I'm sure next time it'll work out great for you. Good Luck.

Talondale

I'm not reading all of these but I'd say NO. As long as you made a reasonable effort to recover the deer. I think my State has that requirement in the law, but follow your State's laws. Each hunter should make a good effort to recover the deer. I don't think they should be required to make a HEROIC effort, though. If you feel compelled to, then do so. Without a recovery there isn't a certainty. I am also assuming you are not just shooting and forgetting in order to have more chances to shoot deer, which is the whole point of the reasonable effort clause. I've seen it go both ways: one deer I shot I saw two weeks later walking around, another one my Dad shot was found dead months later. I've heard stories of people going to incredible lengths to recover a shot animal and though I'm impressed I don't feel compelled to spend multiple days looking for a single deer (though I have done it before). You have unlimited tags so if you feel it's a definite kill and the info will help the DNR have more complete record then what harm is there in checking it in? I'd ask your DNR agent though, you may be breaking the law by "falsifying records". Tricky subject.

BTW, FWIW in Africa, I believe,if you draw blood you pay the trophy fee even if you don't recover the animal. Of course with the number of predators there that policy is understandable.

janesburg

No deer found = no tag used for me. If it makes you feel better by all means register the deer. Ask yourself this though....if you only had one tag all year, (by tagging a deer it ends your season)would youthink twice about tagging a deer you don't know is dead?

Ohiobuck25

Wow! I did not know that, that's veryinteresting.

It sure would give DNR offices more detailed info on their deer herds.
I would like to see that same info be brought to the attention of the DNR's but without huntershaving to pay for it. I think you could inform your DNR officethrough a hunters survey at the end of the season of how many deer you hit and never recovered. Or in some cases deer you hit, never found then managed to harvest later on in the season.That way the samedeer wouldn't be tagged twice. I would imagine for some people in some states it could get quite expensive for them doing it the way MO. does. But I like where their going with it.