How Long Do You Wait After The Shot

[BrianL]

30 minutes to an hour, and yes on the deer, unless gut shot.

[2B4Him]

I have never waited longer than 15 minutes and (knock wood) I haven't lost a single deer (shot 10-12 with my bow).

[johnpaul]

"Never lost a deer in 35 yrs of hunting" ? Man- I take it you haven't shot many deer with your bow?

^^^

[Cooper]

I never wait long....like someone said earlier, about long enough for me to calm down. I want leave one over night either.

[Hondo427]

I wait 15-20 min. then start tracking. Haven't lost one yet, but i did have a doe get up when I helped a friend track his. we sat down for about 30 min and found her about 150 yards down creek. First year I went hunting I shot a doe and Three pigs, we found then within an hour of the kill. We gut them immediately but let them hang over night to quarter them in the morning. It was 19° that night, meat taste fine to me.

[SwampRabbit]

I guess I have not been hunting long enough to really know. But I have had a deer skinned, quartered and on ice from between 1 hour to 4 hours and I just haven't noticed a difference in the quality of the taste in meat. I like to get it on ice as quickly as I can, but at the same time, I like to take my time and not rush and make a mistake.

In the grand scheme of things, the difference between taking up a track in 30 minutes vs right away doesn't really get it on ice that much quicker. However, 30 minutes is alot of time for increasing the odds of an animal bleeding out on a marginal shot and you not bumping it.

If I don't see it go down, I wait.

[jodyMcCarty1979]

30 min

[R Herline Jr]

if I don't see them die or hear them crash. 20 min

[Ttechhunter]

half an hour

[meathunter]

Long enough to get all my stuff gathered and climb out of the stand.

[DRT]

"Never lost a deer in 35 yrs of hunting" ? Man- I take it you haven't shot many deer with your bow?

^^^

Yeah, me too. 25 years bowhunting. Lost a buck, two doe and a few pigs. Shot around 50 deer with my bow, maybe a few more. Amount of light left, how I feel about the hit and reaction of the deer, the sign on the arrow if at the hit point, how many deer are still around me. Lot's of factors. But never less than 15 minutes unless I saw or heard the deer crash.

[SmTx]

Always time to drink a beer or two then take up the track

[LivinADream]

#1 depends on the shot
#2 not under them circumstances

but 30 mins if i dont see them go down, lost a buck once that i know i made a good shot, bumped him 10 mins later and never found him

[bwool]

I play it by ear!