You’re out in the woods. It’s a cool, crisp Fall day. Leaves are all around you. There’s a slight breeze. You look in the distance and see a deer. You take your rifle and aim… you shoot, and you hit your target. The deer looks like it fell down. You’re pretty sure you “got ‘em.” Now it’s time to make the approach. Be careful when doing so, because that deer might not be all the way dead, and if that’s the case, you better watch out!
Wild Animals Can Be Unpredictable
Hunting is a relatively safe activity but you have to remember you’re dealing with wild animals. They don’t speak English and they don’t always do as they’re told. And even if you use “the right kind of gun and the right kind of ammo,” you might not fully kill the beast you shot from afar.
So you approach a shot deer but it’s not dead. Do you take a knife out and use that to finish him off? Nope! Not a good idea. If you’re smart, you’ll shoot the animal one more time to truly kill him, rather than risking an approach with a sharp-but-little knife. What if the deer springs up and you end up stabbing yourself? Yikes!
Deer can lunge at people and ram their antlers into a person’s chest. When that happens, the person ends up in the hospital and worst-case scenario? Dead.
Remember that animals are unpredictable so you have to be careful when approaching a wounded or “apparently” dead animal.
It’s a good idea to hunt with a guide. At Tioga Boar Hunting Ranch in rural PA, you can go on a guided hunt so you’re not out in the woods all alone. It’s good to have a buddy or two to help you figure out what to do and what not to do in a number of situations that could arise out there on the land.
Thinking about doing some deer hunting soon? Call Tioga Ranch at 570-835-5341 to ask about guided deer hunts and more.