Protecting the kill?

[25PRC]

As was said above. Move the deer away from the gut pile as far as you can. Then put a couple articles of clothing over it that has your sent on it.

If you smoke along with a piece of clothing leave a butt or two. We always left just fired empty brass on the animal when rifle hunting.

 

[Widude]

I wouldn’t worry about 1 hour, in the daylight. I’ve left a shirt on a gutted elk overnight, no issues, plenty of predators around. Say you wound a deer, it runs 1/2 mile then dies, coyotes will be one it in no time.

When you gut an animal, you leave scent around, coyotes can hardly stand that.

 

[illinoishunter]

It's funny how different areas are from each other. Last years gut piles made it two nights before they feed. See yotes ever year during the hunt, most make it to see another day but have plenty of them around. Leave the deer hanging in an open corn crib till it's time to go and never had a problem. Last year their were 4 hanging at once. Guess rural illinois coyotes have manners. I'd figure the city yotes would loot the farm.

 

[Garbler]

I’ve left gutted and left elk and moose overnight. My late Brother was a guide and wrangler for fourteen years in Idaho and Wyoming. He alway pissed around the kill even in bad bear country and other than magpies never has a problem. I do the same withe same results. BTW coyotes are generally pretty cautious around humans and from my experience always go for the tongue first.

Rick

 

[bronko220002]

I read this post and threads with interest. I had 2 incidents with bear and 1 with yotes after shooting my deer.
All this with archery gear and all in the evening. First with coyotes. I shot a buck and waited about 20 mins to start tracking it. After about 70 yards I jumped him so I backed out until the next morning. I found him after another 100 yards or so but his hind quarters were gone, eaten?
Next one. I shot a doe at last light. I went to the truck and phoned my friend while I put uo mt bow and grabbed my big led flashlight. We tracked her for maybe 100 yards and found her but a bear had grabbed it by the hindquarter and drug it about 20 ft from where she expired. As I dressed her out we could hear the bear circiling us. I tied her up and started dragging while my buddy cleared a path.
This one. I shot a nice buck and watched it drop within sight of my stand. I got down and dressed him out then walked to the truck to get my cart. Once back at my truck I realized I lost an arrow. Carbon arrow with Rage broadhead and Nockturnal lighted nock - not cheap.
So I retraced my steps all the way to the gut pile and that's where I dropped it. But the git pile was almost completely gone except for the stomach and some intestines!

 

[Hanshi]

I've killed 4 or 5 deer that evaded my search for them after the shot. Normally this was when I shot one just before dusk that ran. Wasn't a looong run just the normal 15 or 20 yards. With one I hit in really tall grass that fell DRT but never found him before dark. The next morning I went searching and realized I almost stepped on it the evening before. It was easy to find because coyotes got to it after I left, dragged some of it off and left a big clearing where they fed and dragged. That happened to the very few I couldn't find with one interesting exception. I shot the deer, again in very tall grass, and it ran downhill. I started following the blood trail but it was getting dark fast and I lost the trail after just a few yards. I marked the spot and came back the next morning to continue the search and found him just 20 yds farther on. It had not been found by coyotes but it was a mess. It was in the 80s the day I shot it and still hot the day after. I just removed the antlers and left the rest to the coyotes. Hot days in November are par for the course down in Georgia.

 

[user 23626]

ALL of the above plus a morning after Pronghorn recovery completely eaten by coyotes is why I now only hunt in the morning. Just sayin'

 

[Tracker12]

A tip from an old hunter I know. He always said to leave an article of clothing on the deer while you're gone.
The coyotes will pick up the human scent on the carcass and leave it alone.
Can't say if it actually works but I've been doing this for years and haven't had my deer bothered by any critters.

This!

 

[michiganmuzzy]

I lost one doe to a farmer once. Shot her a little high thru the lungs, late in bow season, she ran down a corn row and i didn't find her that evening. Came back the next morning to find the farmer cutting the corn. What i found the next day wouldn't have made a bowl of chili.

 

[Muley Hunter]

I get all the skinning and butchering done before leaving. It's in game bags and I find a tree 75yds away and hang up the bags. Than pee all over the tree. If there's a creek nearby and there usually is. I put the game bags in plastic bags and put them in the creek. That works pretty good. A running cold mountain creek cools off the meat fast and holds it there. Never had an animal get into the bags.

 

[user 23626]

Done much the same with a pronghorn buck. 4 qtrs and backstrap skinned and put into the creek while we ate lunch and scouted for my wife's buck. Came back about an hour later THEN put the clean, cool meat in cheesecloth for the trip home. PS the cold Wyoming creek had a rocky bottom so no dirt or sand.

 

[Muley Hunter]

We think alike.

 

[loaded444bear]

In NJ, bears used to be a problem if you didn't recover your deer almost immediately.

Last week I saw THIS one from LA... Hungry alligators beat hunter to trophy Black Bayou Refuge buck - Louisiana Sportsman