Got my First Buck!

[discdrag]

He was a 3 pointer. Unfortunately I found him dead about 75 yds from my bow stand :( . dunno if he was shot by anouther hunter or died of disease or ????, i figure by spring i should have an interesting conversation piece once all the hair and meat is gone.

[Chuck]

How long has it been dead? If it dosent look like to long try cutting some meat off and see if its alright to eat. If its good tag it and drag it.

[stevebrandle]

I'm not sure if I'd try eating a deer I found dead in the woods. It may be frozen now, but how long did it lay with the inards in it when the temps were warmer the past week or so. As tempting as it might be, I think I'd leave it.

[discdrag]

Chuck, he was pretty much a skeleton, no meat to be found that anyone would think about eating, mostly little scraps on the bones-just enough to make it smell. hes been dead a while, but it had to be after Oct. 31 because i bowhunted that night and 2 does walked within 10 yds of where i found the body, and i walked right by there also and never smelled anything.

[Chuck]

sounds like fresh jerky to me!! ;)

Dead deer and gut piles seem to have little effect on deer. I found a dead button buck this year and I alwasy make a point of walking by it to see how the decay is going. I always see alot of deer tracks right by it as it died right in the middle of a deer run innersection. I have also found gut piles right on deer runs and see fresh deer tracks, some going right threw the gut pile.

Weather or a not a big buck buck would walk by it or not I dont know but as far as seeing fresh sign its there.

If your deer carcass is mostly decomposed I would cut the head off and take it home before another animal takes it home.