Archery Talk Forum banner

Why slit a deer's throat?

32K views 34 replies 33 participants last post by  BLan 
#1 ·
Luckily I've never had to finish off a wounded deer but I was just wondering why this is the preferred method of some people. Stabbing a deer would be much quicker and just as effective. Seems unnecessarily brutal to me...
 
#3 ·
Stabbing a deer is not quicker or as effective.

Sharp knife, quick slit and in a minute it's finished.
 
#5 ·
The whole idea of "slitting" the throat is to do it while the heart is still beating to speed the process of draining blood from the animal. With bowhunting, by the time you get to the animal ,the arrow has pretty much done that job already.
 
#7 ·
You slit it because within seconds of deprevation of blood to the brain and the animal is dead. Lack of oxygen (via blood) to the CNS is what kills the animal. Stab or arrow them in the heart and if some of it is still able to pump (even if only at a fraction of its capacity) then the animal persists till it loses enough blood that it can't support the neurological functions necessary for life. Just so happens that there are so many major blood vessels in the chest cavity of a deer that if you arrow one there then there is a high probability that something will get punctured. Also to arrow a deer in the head is a low probability shot under normal conditions.
 
#8 ·
I have done it as a measure of last resort. Are there more effective or quicker ways to do it, sure. It does guarantee death in short order. If the deer is not dead you need to get control of the animal. Getting control of the head is a must if their are antlers involved. I would not attempt to stab one in the heart with a pocket knife for sure. I would always prefer to put a 9mm to the back of the head but that may not be an option. Whether an arrow or a knife they are bleeding to death. A knife through the neck is very effective if you can stand to put the lights out on a deer while holding it in your hands. Not everyone can.
 
#11 ·
It would be a cold day in H-E-double hockey sticks before I would grab a buck or doe for that matter that was still able to move around. Thankfully I've never had to deal with it. In all honesty I'd probably walk back and wait for it to pass if I was sure it was going to die rather than slice it's throat. I do now guys who would do it in a second though but it's just not something I would do.
 
#12 ·
I've had to put down plenty of deer, but only a few that were bow shot. One was spine shot, the other I had to trail for about a half mile before I found it with a broken pelvis/femur. Slitting a throat works fine if you cut to the bone and get both arteries or jugulars. However, you better have a sharp knife as these vessels are tough and will collapse before severing if the knife is not razor sharp. It does seem to be a much more violent death for the animal and I have never seen it work faster than an arrow through the lungs. It seems that by the time you make it through the muscle, the deer fights on due to the adrenaline.

A solid punch behind the elbow with a sharp knife kills them faster than any other method I've seen. You have to watch out for the hooves, but if you can stab in and forward, you will get your arm drenched in blood and the deer will be laying its head down before you straighten up. I like to keep a Steel Force premium in my quiver for this unpleasant task. I usually just launch one from the stand, but that's not always an option.

I've killed wild hogs with a quick stab to the ribs from my Buck Odessey. They usually go 20 or 30 yards at most. You don't want to miss the vitals though. I've slaughtered hogs with a knife and it seems that they live till every drop of blood drains and then they kick forever. But if you poke them in the ribs, they fall over in 30 seconds or so and are still in 60. Really seems to be quicker and less violent than a bullet.

Watching a living animal fight to survive when you are face to face with it is something else. We hunters justify our killing by claiming that we are taking the animal before it dies a cruel or brutal natural death. We should make sure that our killing is swift and peaceful as possible, as weird as that sounds. An arrow through the ribs is a quick way to go...

Dan
 
#13 ·
I was in SD on a turkey hunt and we had stopped in a parking lot near sheridan lake in the black hills where there were a couple ewes and one half curl ram feeding and standing on the cliffs. Then a diesel truck drove by and startled 2 of the ewes so the jumped accross the road and as the ram started to cross a buick came by and hit the ram. It must have flown 20ft up in the air. The ram had a broken leg and probably a broken back. I grabbed my knife and slit its throat only took about a minute to do the job and it put the ram out of it's misery. I would upload the pics but i cant figure out how lol. I just think its the most humane way to put the animal down for good...
 
#14 ·
I do it because it makes it easier to gut the animal. They bleed out fast and then when you open them up, you do a little trimming around the Ahole, make sure the pelvis is split, reach up in there as high as you can and grab that windpipe, and with a good hard pull, everything comes out in one pile.
 
#19 ·
If I'm gun hunting, I put one in the neck just below the head. Never had to finish one off bow hunting... I'm not gonna walk away and hide because I don't want to SEE it die... You have a responsibility as a hunter to finish off game as quickly as possible. If I have to, I'm cutting the throat. I've seen it done plenty of times. Just make sure you have an "exit" route planned for when they try to get up!
 
#20 ·
I was taught to slit the throat when I was a young riffle hunter. The reason was that an animal can be rendered unconscious from the shock power of a high powered round giving it the appearance of being dead. It doesn't pay to attempt dressing a live animal.
I've never felt the need to do so with bow kills. By the time you get your hands on them they have bled out and and died. The illusion of death would be a very rare occurrence with a bow.
 
#24 ·
Blood trailed one 1/2 mile, he was still alive, all I had was a Judge with Winchester PDX. Did what I had to do, learned a valuable lesson about being properly prepared to deal with these situations. So I went out and bought a box of Cor-bon 45lc for the judge. . .
 
#26 ·
Why do dogs go for the juggler vein? Because it kills fast. Just make sure you go in deep enough, slitting just the windpipe on a live deer is no good ... :zip:

I've only had to finish off one deer with a knife and I hope I don't have to again.
 
#27 ·
Luckily I've never had to finish off a wounded deer but I was just wondering why this is the preferred method of some people. Stabbing a deer would be much quicker and just as effective. Seems unnecessarily brutal to me...
I think its a reaction to the situation, oh cra* what do I do know?

Assuming a follow-up shot isn't an option the only weapon at hand is a knife. Usually people don't carry a 6 inch fixed knife on their person while bow hunting. It's usually a pocket knife of folding 4 incher at best and usually the deer has control of its front two legs and not the rear. So, there is a lot of movement in the front half of the deer.

Securing the deer is the biggest risk. Usually, they will exhaust themselves after 10 minutes. So, if you rush in quickly be careful. Take a minute to calmly think about the resources you have to secure the animal. The rope you use to pull your weapon up into your treestand could be looped around the animal's head, secure it to a tree, if possible. Use the tree as a barrier of protection, reach around and cut, stab whatever you can do to end it as quickly as possible.

The most difficult situation I've found myself in was back in 1996 muzzelload hunting. Broke his back right a dark with one of the old kit flintlock Hawkens. I Used my back-up load as he was dragging himself off, quickly, and missed. It was dark by the time I got down and I could not get closer than about 8-10 feet of him before he would take off again. Three things went through my mind as I chased him through that swamp (1) I don't want him to get away (2) I don't want to get hurt and (3) I don't want him to suffer any more than he has to.

There was no way I was going to secure this animal by myself and my gut said if I left he's going to get away and really suffer. So, I got a running start, ran up behind him as fast as I could and swung my muzzleloader by the barrel and hit him over and over again until he was knocked out, then I cut his throat.

Now that was brutal and my stock broke but, I got my deer and didn't get hurt.

Use the resources you have to accomplish your objective and be prepared.
 
#28 ·
First i will say if you are not willing to get blood on your hands by slitting a throat, please stick to shooting foam. It is your duty to the animal to ensure a quick clean death. If you make a shot that does not kill the deer within a quick amount of time, then yes cutting the throat is the best easiest and fastest way to finish the job. No blood in the brain they basicall black out and feel no more pain while the body finishes dying. A common misconception about cutting throats is the long slice you see on tv. That is NOT the proper way to cut a throat, you push in form the side in front of the spine and you push forward taking one side of the jugular and as much windpipe as possible. The slicing action usually with a sharp knife will open a big gash but it is very easy to not cut all the way down to the blood arteries and severe the windpipe completely. You will end up making many cuts and slice to do the job right. If you come upon a deer still in its last throes of life, take your knee or foot and securely hold its head to the ground so it cannot get up then insert and push, continueing to hold the animal down. Be aware of the legs mainly the rear ones cause the tend to kick like hell. I suppose you can shoot them again but it is a waste of meat and could take a while to do its job. If you arent willing to cut a throat then you honestly need to just stay at home.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top