Heard a story about a bow hunt this week that a guy shot a buck that headed towards water, followed great blood trail right to a lake and thinks the deer swam out and sank, to never find it. He also said that at the same time he was looking for the deer a doe with an arrow in her swam into the lake and sank right in front of him. Sounds funny, would like to call his bluff. From the shows I've seen they usually find the dead deer floating in the lake, yes or no.
Deer, float or sink?
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Dinkshooter
Well-known member
I've seen a pic here from an AK person where the moose was floating barely below the surface.
A while ago when I live in Iowa, I drug a dead buck to the shore after breaking thin ice in a pond and hooking a rope on its antlers. It looked to have fallen though the ice in the winter then the ice melted and then came back thin and see-through. But it was definitely floating just under the ice.
I have the rack somewhere, it was a nasty mess to cut out.
A while ago when I live in Iowa, I drug a dead buck to the shore after breaking thin ice in a pond and hooking a rope on its antlers. It looked to have fallen though the ice in the winter then the ice melted and then came back thin and see-through. But it was definitely floating just under the ice.
I have the rack somewhere, it was a nasty mess to cut out.
AZ402
Well-known member
Schmalts would never sink if that's the case.
belly-deep
Active member
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I think a deer would float regardless. Their hair is VERY buoyant (that's why it is used in fly tying). Combine it with the amount of fat they usually have in the fall and the fact that the rest of their body is mostly water, and you come up with a mass that has a net floating effect, IMO.
Summitthunting
Well-known member
Watch Dances with Wolves, they sink.
Bwana
Well-known member
In my limited experience they float.
Wife wounded a buck last year that made it into a lake where she was then able to finish it off. That bugger floated for over 2 hours before we could track down the gear we needed to retrieve the buck.
Wife wounded a buck last year that made it into a lake where she was then able to finish it off. That bugger floated for over 2 hours before we could track down the gear we needed to retrieve the buck.
rhomas
Banned
Every one I've ever shot in the swamp, floated. The one I killed a few weeks ago in the beaver pond, floated. I've lost one or two that got into water, but believe it was a situation where I just couldn't pick up a blood trail on the opposite side where they came out.
Big Sky
Well-known member
I've seen a couple deer sink and know of one bull elk that sank shortly after being shot. None of them were ever recovered. The bull was a nice one btw and a real heart breaker for the hunter.
CabinFever
Member
There was an area I used to hunt in Iowa where the easiest way to get a deer back to the truck (I never knew of such a thing as quartering or boning out in the field) was to tie a rope to it, throw it in the river, and walk it a couple miles downstream. They always stayed afloat.
Elkmagnet
Well-known member
I don't know and hope to never find out.
Ok, I am gonna go all CSI on your asses!
So if you shoot a deer, lets say it was a lung shot, then all of the air that was in the lungs would escape, thus causing a loss of buoyancy. Also, due to the hole in the chest cavity, I am going to assume that some water would also flood the chest cavity again causing a loss of buoyancy. Now, I can tell you that myself having plenty of "life-preserving" fat. that I don't float and sink unless I take a big deep breath. I think he would float back up in a couple to three days as suggested above.
I would suggest a buoy on a string attached to your arrow the next time you go deer hunting if this problem persists! haha
So if you shoot a deer, lets say it was a lung shot, then all of the air that was in the lungs would escape, thus causing a loss of buoyancy. Also, due to the hole in the chest cavity, I am going to assume that some water would also flood the chest cavity again causing a loss of buoyancy. Now, I can tell you that myself having plenty of "life-preserving" fat. that I don't float and sink unless I take a big deep breath. I think he would float back up in a couple to three days as suggested above.
I would suggest a buoy on a string attached to your arrow the next time you go deer hunting if this problem persists! haha
ihuntelk
Member
I can't remember which book it was but Teddy Roosevelt told a story about chasing deer into a lake and shooting them out of a canoe. If they were 'grey' they'd float. If they were 'red' they'd sink. Grey meaning fall coat and red meaning summer coat. 
To alleviate them sinking, he'd paddle out to them and grab their tail before shooting them.
I need to go find that book and re-read some of his stories!
-Cade
www.HuntForeverWest.com
To alleviate them sinking, he'd paddle out to them and grab their tail before shooting them.
I need to go find that book and re-read some of his stories!
-Cade
www.HuntForeverWest.com
BirdDogWebb
Member
tarheel
Well-known member
Over the years have seen two whitetails sink like a rock. Both were shot in the head/upper neck with #1 buckshot.
Hem
Well-known member
Years ago i was fishing a lake in Yellowstone from my float tube.Something caught my eye about 10 ft. down beneath me,turned out it was a large 6 pt. bull laying on the bottom.Must have fallen through thin ice.Not an answer to the topic question but still a pretty cool moment.
