I guarantee you that if I'd shot a good buck, I'd be out there slippin. The regulations state you must make a reasonable attempt to recover a wounded game animal. I'd be willing to go above and beyond that.

Wait..let me get this straight. You shot a good buck with a 20 gauge SLUG? You saw him mule kick and found a lot of blood....but you arent going to do everything you can to recover this buck???

Id definitely keep looking for that deer. Im sure hes probably close. Leave your rifle if you have to go on your neighbors but look. Or go get permission from the neighbor.

I know you said its just another lesson in your first real hunting season. But the lesson you should really be learning is you OWE it to the animal to try your best to find it.

If you arent going to do that, my lesson to you is dont shoot at any deer if you arent going to actually TRY to recover them!
Chance are there is a "good buck" laying dead out there and going to waste...and thats a shame.

wussies these days don't. Every damn TV show they always "give em till morning" to go look, then find a yote eaten deer 50 yards from where they last saw it. WTH?

For real. I'll watch them drill a buck, perfect shot and they will still wait over night and then when they find it the next morning tore up by coyotes they usually don't seemed bothered. If coyotes would eat the horns too, they'd give that crap up

This story is B.S., only thing OP fired was a warning shot

I'll put it simple. I went out this morning around 6 30 and looked until 9. Letting my gear dry and I'm going out there again. I will until the sun goes down but I will NOT call in a dog to help me illegally search for a deer on another person's property. Regardless of how it sounds to yall everyone isn't your friend and I'm pretty sure most of you all know this

well good luck! Thats what Id do too.

Thanks. I'm going to need it

If there is any water close, a creek etc..look along it. Gut/liver shot deer will go lay in that water usually Ive found. Search the direction he was heading as well. Im hopeful you will recover it. A mule kick usually means a hard hit deer.

By the way, Id PM this guy and have him help. A guy experienced at recovering deer will be a good educational thing for you. He at the worst could teach you something you could use in the future,..at the best help you find your deer.

The more folks you have looking, the more likely you are to find him as well. Good luck again, but these guys on here WILL come help you if you askthem Ive found.

So let me get this straight.......

Rule #1 of aldeer is that trespassers are scum.
Rule #2 is if you have a wounded deer on an evening hunt to wait till morning and give it time.

And yet this guy is getting bashed because he is not willing to trespass and because he waited until this morning. And for everyone who says he needs to get a dog, no one with a dog is going to come search for this deer if it requires trespassing. The guy is just out of luck. These things happen to anyone who deer hunts long enough.

Did you even ask for permission from adjoining land owner?

I'm currently trying to. The owner is really iffy. Sometimes she cares sometimes she doesn't. But she has called police on people for simply walking through the property and other times she is perfectly fine. I know she is out there sometimes so it's not exactly a simple situation.

Tell her if you don't get the deer, it will either rot and smell for weeks, or bring in coyotes that may eat her dogs, cats other animals.

Did you shoot him with the slug or the buckshot?

Shot em with the slug

He did pm me, he's doing the right thing, but the neighbor isn't cooperating. Had the same thing happen to a buddy of mine earlier this week. I learned the GW can't help either

I got 5 for my first year out. I guess I gave her a free deer

Should have followed it up with the buckshot.

I'd definitely try this approach with the landowner.