Strange morning in the tree

[denvermartinfarms]

I'm here in my tree this morning and shoot at a doe running through the brush, for some reason I missed her, she then turns comes strait to me and lays down, gets up 15 minutes later, walks around then lays down again, doesn't even hear me re load my muzzleloader.This has been going on for an hour and a half now! She is now laying 40 feet from me beside a tree. Still hasn't looked up at me, won't respond to a grunt or bleat. After seeing the size of her I'm kinda glad I did miss, she ain't real big. But if I sit here a few more hours with her at my side I can't say I'm not going to shoot her.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

If you look just to the right of the whiteoak about halfway up you can see her laying there, still there.

 

[Deepsouth]

Are you sure you missed her?

 

[HOSS]

Are you sure you missed her?

My thought exactly. Behavior sounds like a marginal hit. You might want to make sure before you let her walk. She might die of infection later in an agonizing way.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Nope, I missed, she has walked close enough I could tell. I was suprised and thought the same thing. Friday evening I shot a spike at 60 yards at a fast run and dropped him. Guess I couldn't have a better decoy today, huh.

 

[Jogeephus]

I tickled one's spine once and it walked off like nothing had happened with his tail between his legs. I was about 16 and had a lever action. I unloaded on it and it still just walked off. Found it later in some brambles that must have tangled its legs up and made it finally fall. Talk about a weird hunt.

 

[trappersteve]

That reminds me of a button Buck years ago. I saw this knothead many times that year while bowhunting he litterally stayed under me all bow season and I could not run him off. I could walk to my stand and he would be bedded under the apple tree 28 yards away and he would stand up and watch me climb the tree and get settled and hunt a few hours and climb down and he would just watch me never spooked. It was actually funny when he would get downwind, he would just smell me for a few minutes and carry on with what he was doing. I didn't have the heart to kill him because he would always tell me when something was coming.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Well I shot her. I watched her move around all morning and figured out she was limping and not getting around to good. I then got to looking at her front right foot, it was swelled up real big and hot, she also stunk really bad. Something wasn't right so I'm not eating her. I would say it was good to shoot her being in that condition.

 

[Jogeephus]

I agree. Good call. No need in her suffering. Wouldn't eat her either if she had a fever and infection.

 

[artesianspringsfarm]

You made the right call on all counts, even if it costs you a tag, etc. (I'm not sure what MO deer limits are). The coyotes will take care of her for you, just like they would have in the end, but no reason to let her suffer.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I didn't tag her, I thought the same thing about something having a nice dinner. I just didn't think it would be to smart to eat one in that condition, dad shot one in bow season a few years ago that was in the about the same shape.

 

[artesianspringsfarm]

I had a friend who was a huge believer that there was some super high hunter morality that required him to make sure he ate every part of a deer and he got a deer in a similar situation. Once he opened it up and saw what a long-term infection does to meat, I was able to point out to him that nature has a way of taking care of things. It's not wasteful to leave meat that isnt suitable for my family to eat. Either the predators, or bugs, or in the end, the soil itself, will benefit from it, just like it would if that thing had suffered another week.

 

[ousoonerfan22]

I shot a deer with a muzzleloader before that had no reaction to being hit. I even shot him again and he walked off I found him bedded and shot him again when he jumped up and tried to run away. I don't remember what bullets I was using but that buck was a tough son of gun.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I shot a deer with a muzzleloader before that had no reaction to being hit. I even shot him again and he walked off I found him bedded and shot him again when he jumped up and tried to run away. I don't remember what bullets I was using but that buck was a tough son of gun.

Powerbelt bullets work good. I shoot a 245grn bullet with 100 grains of powder. It has dropped every deer I've ever shot with one.