What to do after shooting a deer
Hunting deer is a skill that comes with responsibilities for which you need to come prepared. After you take the shot, there are a few important steps you do not want to skip including, tracking and locating the deer, field dressing it, tagging, and then transporting it to be aged and butchered. If followed, these steps will guarantee a relatively smooth process and tender meat.
Before Shooting The Deer
Before you pull the trigger, observe your surroundings and note landmarks or identifying features near the deer. This helps you return to the spot where you shot the deer and follow the blood trail if the deer runs away.
1. Immediate Steps
After shooting the deer, the first thing you should do is assess the shot by watching the deer's reaction and behavior. This helps you determine where the deer was hit and how long to wait before tracking. For example, a deer hit in the lung will probably do a mule kick. Following too soon might frighten the deer, making it harder to find. The recommended wait times based on the shot placement are as follows: for a heart or lung shot, wait 30 minutes to 1 hour; for a liver shot, wait 2 to 4 hours; and for a gut shot, wait 6 to 8 hours or overnight. The reason for waiting is that deer can continue to run after being shot, and following them right away will keep them scared and running. Giving them time to lie down and die before tracking cuts down on search time because the deer won’t have traveled as far.
2. Tracking and Locating the Deer
To track and locate the deer, start at the point of impact. Follow the blood trail, looking for signs of bright red, frothy blood, which indicates a lung shot, or dark red blood, which suggests a liver or muscle hit. This will help confirm the type of wound, helping you determine if you need to wait longer before continuing your search. Use marking tape, GPS, or biodegradable markers to keep track of the trail and your location. This prevents you from getting lost, helps you backtrack if needed, and keeps track of already explored areas for those in search parties. Move slowly and quietly to avoid spooking the deer if it is still alive, as it may try to run or use its hooves or antlers against you.
3. Tag and Celebrate
Once you find the deer, the first step is to tag it according to local regulations. After tagging, take a moment to document the successful hunt with a respectful photo of yourself and the deer. If you plan to save the deer as a trophy, cape or skin it immediately. This requires skill and extra research.
4. Field Dressing
Field dressing is the process of removing the internal organs to cool the meat and keep it from spoiling. It also makes the deer easier to transport by reducing its weight. Bacteria grow exponentially after death, and hot temperatures only accelerate this, so it is really important to cool the deer down. Even if you are not saving the skin for taxidermy, skinning the deer can help cool the meat faster, provided you are in a suitable location to avoid contaminating the meat.
5. Transporting the Deer
If you are far from your vehicle or in a canyon too steep to climb with a deer, quartering it can make the trip back easier. This method involves splitting the animal into four sections and removing organs, making it lighter and easier to transport. The cooling process also advances more efficiently this way. Be careful to keep the meat clean during the transport out of the wild and back home. You can do this by storing it in game bags that you carry in your backpack. If you don’t want to, or can’t quarter the deer you can alway drag it back whole. After field dressing, use a tarp or sled to keep the meat clean and drag it with a rope or by the antlers. Then simply load it into your truck or side-by-side and go.
6. Aging and Cooling the Meat
As the rigor mortis sets in, the meat tightens and shortens; if you butcher it at this time, the meat will remain tough. Waiting allows the natural enzymes in the meat to break it down, which reduces the gamey taste and tenderizes it. So if possible, hang the deer in a location where the temperature is between 32 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit to age and keep the meat cool. If hanging is not an option, lay out the meat in a refrigerator and open the fridge a few times a day to allow for air circulation.
7. Butchering the Deer
Decide whether to butcher the deer yourself or send it to a professional butcher. If you choose to do it yourself, make sure you know the proper techniques to achieve quality meat cuts; otherwise, you’re better off sending it to a butcher.
8. Cooking and Preservation
Whatever meats you’re not throwing on the griddle or hanging in the smokehouse, you’ll need to preserve. Cure it, freeze it, dry it, but don’t throw it out. Make use of every bit of the meat to ensure the animal's life is not wasted. You could make jerky out of it, or even can it.
Hunting is a great way to put food on the table and spend time with your hunting buddies. It’s important to follow laws and regulations set in place to ensure the safety of hunters and to maintain a sustainable deer population. So only hunt deer during the designated season, and respect the life of the animal by minimizing waste when harvesting the meat. After field dressing, transporting, aging, and butchering the meat, you can savor it, prepared in your favorite way.
