What do you all consider “backing out?”

[bucky]

So you're saying you never had a marginal shot?

[Nomad]

I would say there are at least 3  kinds of backing out.

1)Definite gut shot backing out: sneak out of stand and come back.

2)Good shot backing out: You think you got him, but investigate, and determine the sign indicates a marginal hit.

3)Tracking backing out:  You start to track but jump the deer and decide it is better to wait.

 

Edited September 15, 2018 by Nomad

[Pathman]

Hey great responses all. Nomad’s # 3 is kind of what I’m getting at with this post.  I believe number 3 scenario should be, and can be, avoided at all costs. 

From taking note of the hundreds of posts over many years, it appears to me that too many hunters will “poke around” when they’re “not absolutely  sure” of their POI. I get it, it’s human nature to want to find that deer, but I believe number 3 is what causes the highest level of  “lost deer” incidences possible. 

The saying that many here have mentioned, and that we’ve all heard hundreds of times, which is “when in doubt back out.” Doesn’t mean when in doubt AFTER you’ve poked around for 20-30 minutes looking for sign or attempting to track the deer a little ways with the hopeful expectation that you’d  stumble upon it just around the next bush! I’ve been there, I’m sure most of you have as well, so don’t BS me! LOL

All kidding aside, that phrase means if you have any doubt whatsoever that your shot placement wasn’t optimal, and you didn’t see the deer react like you’d expect after a fatal hit, BACK OUT NOW! That’s the true Essence of that statement. 

I know, it’s not easy to do all the time, especially for the less experienced hunters. Experienced hunters have a pretty good idea of their shot placement most of the time, so there’s no excuse for following up too soon other then lack of patience and discipline. 

You see it on the TV hunts all the time, actually more then I even think it necessary at times, but those guys have an extra incentive that makes them more disciplined then the avg hunter, they need that money shot of that buck they killed or else no payday! 

That being said, the principal is still sound, regardless of the reasoning. 

I’m trying to encourage myself with this post to be more disciplined in these circumstances, as much as I’m trying to pass the reinforecement along to you all. 

Keep the responses coming, the more the better. If this helps one hunter recover their deer by thinking about this post, then it will all be worth the effort.

Good luck out there guys!

 

[Nomad]

I called my friend to ask his opinion on backing out and he said, "no, track, kill!!".

Edited September 15, 2018 by Nomad

[Bowhunter444]

Happened to me tonight. Had 2 nice bucks come in had one turn broadside at 15yrds. Didn't see a dead twig and the bolt deflected hitting the buck in the guts. Watched where the buck went waited a half hour to let woods settle back down as there were 15 deer in my spot at the time. Got down found bolt saw green slime on bolt. Immediately walked back to truck, called tracking dog he is gonna meet me in the morning , hopefully he didn't go far and bedded up.

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[Pathman]

Good luck in the morning, it sucks but at least you’ll have no regrets that you didn’t back out and give yourself the best chance to recover it. 

[Shootemandmountem]

Backing out for me is on a bad hit.....sit down, wait for darkness, climb down and tip toe out. Return first light.

[Greybeard]

I call it backing out at any point in which I decide to wait until morning, or until a later time to come back to pursue it any farther.  That can  mean sneaking out of the tree when I see it lay down and it's still alive an hour later, or giving a gut shot deer 6 hours, to following blood until I can no longer follow it in the dark, then backing out until daylight.  I'll  check the blood sign at the spot where the hit was on a deer that ran out of sight, and another 50yds beyond before making any decision. 

I've backed out without any approach at all on what was a certain gut shot, and tracked the deer 1.5 miles the next morning in the snow.  It never laid down until the end where there were 6 beds 10yds apart.  Would have been lost if not for the snow. 

I've bumped deer a lot of times while tracking, 2, 3 or more times each one.  I've either gotten a second shot into them, or had to back out before pushing them again onto private property.   Next morning I would find them within another 50-100yds from where I last saw them.  Seems like if they lay down after 80yds, they are hurt enough to only go another 80 before laying down again.   If the blood trail isn't good enough to keep following and pushing, I'll back out for a couple hours.   Had deer I would have lost if not for pushing them, keeping them bleeding, or hearing them/seeing the brush move before they died in stuff so thick they never would have been found without a dog.

Lost a buck once because I backed out after losing the blood at night.  It backtracked to where I shot it while I was gone.  Picked the blood trail up in the morning, just a drop every 10yds, then couldn't pick up anything at an intersection with other trails.   Found him by my tree when I went back to hunt it again 5 days later.

I'd rather not back out until I've exhausted all other options.  Losing meat to spoilage, or to coyotes and bears, is as good as a lost deer to me.  I'm picky with meat.  Sooner the recovery is, the better.

It's always a tough decision, but if the deer was still running when it was last seen, it's worth looking at the arrow and first blood 20 minutes later to get a better idea what to do before backing out.   Either the deer is dead, or is far enough away where you won't spook it if you're quiet.

 

[Black Bear Bowhunter]

17 minutes ago, Greybeard said:

I call it backing out at any point in which I decide to wait until morning, or until a later time to come back to pursue it any farther.  That can  mean sneaking out of the tree when I see it lay down and it's still alive an hour later, or giving a gut shot deer 6 hours, to following blood until I can no longer follow it in the dark, then backing out until daylight.  I'll  check the blood sign at the spot where the hit was on a deer that ran out of sight, and another 50yds beyond before making any decision. 

I've backed out without any approach at all on what was a certain gut shot, and tracked the deer 1.5 miles the next morning in the snow.  It never laid down until the end where there were 6 beds 10yds apart.  Would have been lost if not for the snow. 

I've bumped deer a lot of times while tracking, 2, 3 or more times each one.  I've either gotten a second shot into them, or had to back out before pushing them again onto private property.   Next morning I would find them within another 50-100yds from where I last saw them.  Seems like if they lay down after 80yds, they are hurt enough to only go another 80 before laying down again.   If the blood trail isn't good enough to keep following and pushing, I'll back out for a couple hours.   Had deer I would have lost if not for pushing them, keeping them bleeding, or hearing them/seeing the brush move before they died in stuff so thick they never would have been found without a dog.

Lost a buck once because I backed out after losing the blood at night.  It backtracked to where I shot it while I was gone.  Picked the blood trail up in the morning, just a drop every 10yds, then couldn't pick up anything at an intersection with other trails.   Found him by my tree when I went back to hunt it again 5 days later.

I'd rather not back out until I've exhausted all other options.  Losing meat to spoilage, or to coyotes and bears, is as good as a lost deer to me.  I'm picky with meat.  Sooner the recovery is, the better.

It's always a tough decision, but if the deer was still running when it was last seen, it's worth looking at the arrow and first blood 20 minutes later to get a better idea what to do before backing out.   Either the deer is dead, or is far enough away where you won't spook it if you're quiet.

 

So I got a question. You're saying rather bump the deer and recover early as long as you got the space for it?

 

Makes sense to me since the only deer I lost so far bedded and left that bed without any bloodtrail and that's where I lost the track. According to your advice I'm sure that deer wouldn't have been lost! My problem was that the deer went through 3 private properties where I had to ask for permission to track.

[Greybeard]

7 hours ago, Black Bear Bowhunter said:

So I got a question. You're saying rather bump the deer and recover early as long as you got the space for it?

 

Makes sense to me since the only deer I lost so far bedded and left that bed without any bloodtrail and that's where I lost the track. According to your advice I'm sure that deer wouldn't have been lost! My problem was that the deer went through 3 private properties where I had to ask for permission to track.

If I can, I track it.  I don't want to chance losing the meat just to recover the rack the next day.  I'm as quiet as I can be when tracking.  I've watched deer bed down, then get up and walk off with no blood.  Have to stay with that deer, even get it to run to open it back up. 

Each time it's a new situation, another guess, and all the possibilities of what could happen have to be weighed before a decision is made.   Last thing on my mind is to back out and not at least check for the arrow, although there were a couple situations that I couldn't, when I saw the deer lay down and had to give it time on a marginal shot, or not want to push it in the area it was in.  It's always a tough call, but if more information can be gathered at the spot where it was hit, then do so.  Sometimes, what was thought to have been a bad hit, could be a dead deer laying just 50yds away.  The amount of first blood makes a difference as to how long I wait.  I'll stay on a good blood trail into the night.

Finding a puddle where a deer laid down, with no blood to point the direction it went afterwards, but having heard the deer get up and the direction it went, has often led to finding blood again, and the deer.  Yes the deer could still be in that bed and dead in the morning, but it's doubtful I will eat it if the coyotes left me any.

Edited September 16, 2018 by Greybeard

[Pathman]

That’s great insight Greybeard, and your obviously very experienced, so what I’m gathering from your approach to an uncertain hit is that you’d rather take a chance on losing the deer (leaving property etc.) in certain circumstances, as opposed to  waiting or “backing out” because of your aversion to potentially bad meat or coyotes getting the deer. 

Yes, those are very tough calls to make, and experience helps immensely, but part of the need for this post In the first place is, this is NJ afterall, and the likelihood of a gut shot Deer getting bumped off your property to a place you don’t/can’t have acces to, is very high. 

So, as you say, one’s ability to read the sign and circumstances plays a big role in your descision making going forward after an uncertain shot. 

For the less experienced, or those hunting fairly small parcels, you’d have to evaluate based on those factors, and you may find that backing out immediately if you’re uncertain of your POI, or you are certain that it’s a bad hit, saves you from losing the deer totally. Only after a few of these situations (hopefully you’ve practiced your shooting more after the first incident!😁) will your discipline really start to kick in, you will not want to continue losing Deer because you pushed them off your property or to the point you lost the trail. 

 

[bucky]

Quote

My rule of thumb is ,when in doubt back out ,morning hunt wait at least 6 hours,if its an afternoon hunt wait until morning

Let me break that down since it was kind of a broad statement. If you think you made a marginal shot finding  your arrow at the point of impact  which is minimal intrusion and most times  will clarify what type of shot you made AND IF YOU HAVE DOUBT BACK OUT.  If you know you made a bad shot from the stand BACK OUT without looking!!! Maybe this rule of them thumb is more fitting."If your arrow smells like shit let the deer sit" 

Edited September 16, 2018 by bucky

[Greybeard]

2 hours ago, Pathman said:

That’s great insight Greybeard, and your obviously very experienced, so what I’m gathering from your approach to an uncertain hit is that you’d rather take a chance on losing the deer (leaving property etc.) in certain circumstances, as opposed to  waiting or “backing out” because of your aversion to potentially bad meat or coyotes getting the deer. 

 

 

You made good points.  I do back out before pushing the deer onto private property I can't access, and I've resumed tracking at 2 am before.  When coming back, I'll approach where I last saw the deer by walking in along the border to try to push the deer the other way if it's still alive.  I've found a deer still alive the next morning from a liver shot.  Pushed it until it was hurting bad enough to lay back down, and with the help of 2 others surrounding it, got another shot into it.  Sometimes they are nowhere to be found, maybe still alive, or dead a long ways off.  Never know.  Once I only found one drop of blood on the shoulder where it crossed rt 23.   Either they are healing, or running out of blood.  I'd still rather track, and keep after it until that option is exhausted .  Quick kill, quick recover, good meat.

I completely understand where others don't have the room to do anything but hope the deer lays down right away, and the need to let it die in its first bed before pursuing. 

Edited September 16, 2018 by Greybeard

[bucky]

https://www.realtree.com/deer-hunting/shot-placement-on-deer

[bucky]

On 9/15/2018 at 7:38 AM, Pathman said:

if we could get some accurate data points, it may help hunters in the future to make the best decision on how to proceed after a marginal hit.