Recovering a Deer

This is a Surprising Example of Why You Should Hold Off on Recovering a Downed Deer

Fight the urge and reap the rewards.

You just put a good shot on a deer, and now you want to jump out of your stand and run it down. This is never more true than when it falls within eye sight. However, you know it would be foolish, so you hold off until you're sure the animal has expired. Here's why you should continue to wait.

Deer constantly face the threat of death during hunting season. Perhaps for this reason, it seems deer don't perceive death the same way we humans do.

A dead deer is one of the best deer attractants you can have around you. If you don't believe me, just watch the video below.

That mature buck walked right up to that dead doe. And he didn't stop there, as he even pawed and nudged her for several minutes.

If you are fortunate enough to shoot a doe that's in heat, you have yourself an amazing buck attractant. Leave that doe for a while and wait for a buck to come in on her trail. You're definitely going to make more noise attempting to recover the animal than just leaving it.

This tactic is even more lethal when you're bowhunting. The kill is mostly silent, with deer in close proximity not being too sure of what happened. The only noise, other than you celebrating, is the rustle and crashing from the downed deer.

Cover that sound up by using a grunt tube and rattling to imitate two bucks fighting. Then knock a second arrow and keep hunting.

NEXT: 10 WISCONSIN HUNTING LICENSES SOLD TO INFANTS

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