How Long to Wait After Shooting a Deer
You’ve spent countless hours on the range, scouting, and practicing your fieldcraft to get to this moment: Taking that perfect broadside shot on a deer.
Once you’ve seen the impact and if the deer runs off, knowing how long to wait after shooting a deer before following it is the next critical part of the hunt. Although this stage of hunting can be agonizing, having patience is key and often the difference between successfully recovering your deer and putting meat in the freezer or losing the animal altogether.
How long should you wait? How can you know when it's time to track that prize buck after the shot? Keep reading to learn why you should wait, how long, and how to track your wounded game.
Why Waiting After the Shot Matters
Arrows and bullets create wound channels that cause an animal to expire due to blood loss. That process can take several seconds to several minutes, which is why patience is the name of the game after you take the shot.
If you rush in too soon after the shot, you can pressure a wounded deer into running farther than it usually would. Pushing a deer turns a relatively easy recovery into a longer tracking job with a greater chance of losing the trail and the animal.
However, waiting gives the animal time to bed down and bleed out. Taking your time and letting the deer walk at a normal pace can also improve the quality of the blood trail with closer-spaced drops.
Allowing the deer to expire peacefully instead of running in panic increases your chances of a successful recovery and your ability to field dress the deer for transport.
Deer Reaction to Shot Placement: What to Look For When Tracking
The deer reaction to shot placement can provide a lot of critical information about your point of impact on the deer's vital areas. In turn, an identifiable point of impact will give you a better idea of how long you need to wait before moving in and tracking the animal.
Depending on where you hit the deer with your shot, here's what to look for and how long to wait before pursuing the animal.
Heart/Lung Shot
Deer shot in the heart or lungs will typically perform a mule kick, jump, and sprint away. The animal will often expire in seconds, but can still travel up to 150 yards.
Wait a minimum of 30 minutes before tracking and look for a heavy blood trail with bright red blood for a heart shot. A lung shot will produce frothy blood, so look for air bubbles in the blood on the ground or your arrow shaft and fletching.
Liver Shot
A liver-shot deer will usually run a few paces and then walk in a hunched posture with its tail tucked between its legs. Although lethal, liver shots take time for the animal to bleed out.
Wait 4-6 hours before starting your track. Dark red blood with less frequent drops is an indicator of a liver shot.
Gut Shot (Stomach/Intestines)
A gut-shot deer is the worst-case scenario for a hunter. The deer’s initial reaction will be to walk or trot a few paces after being shot, hunch up, then walk slowly. If you’re lucky, the deer will bed down within sight.
You’ll need to wait 8-12 hours, and often overnight, to allow the deer to find a place to bed down and expire. Look for a sparse, watery blood trail that may contain green bile or stomach contents.
Spine/Neck Shot
Deer shot in the spine or high in the neck will often instantly drop where they’re standing. While usually fatal, these spots are small targets, and a grazing impact could merely stun the animal instead of killing it.
Approach the deer carefully and be prepared for a finishing shot.
How Long to Wait After Shooting a Deer
Although terrain, weather, distance, and confidence in the point of impact will alter your wait time, the times below are minimum guidelines for determining how long you should wait before moving in on your deer.
| Shot Type | Wait Time |
| Heart/Lung | 30-60 minutes |
| Liver | 4-6 hours |
| Gut/Stomach | 8-12 hours (possibly overnight) |
| Spine/Neck | Check immediately (with caution) |
When in doubt, err on the side of waiting longer to avoid pushing a wounded deer.
How Far Can a Deer Run After Being Shot?
A common question for hunters is, "How far can a deer run after being shot?"
The short answer is "pretty far." Deer are surprisingly tough animals and can cover a lot of ground quickly. If the deer feels pressured, it will continue moving until it feels safe.
Well-placed shots in the lungs or heart will often keep the deer from traveling more than 150 yards before expiring. Many will usually stop moving in 30-50 yards.
Deer shot in the liver or abdominal cavity may travel over a mile if they feel they’re still being pursued.
Poor shot placement combined with pressure will push a deer to cover extraordinary distances. Remember, patience after the shot is the key to a successful recovery of your animal.
Tracking Tips After the Wait
Tracking a deer you shot is an integral part of your fieldcraft as a hunter.
Here is a systematic process to start tracking when hunting deer:
- Once you spot the blood trail, approach it from the side to avoid disturbing the track.
- Mark the first blood location with surveyor's tape, GPS coordinates, or a waypoint on your mobile map or hunting land app (like HuntWise) in case you need to start over.
- If possible, don't leave one blood spot until you see the next one.
- As you follow the track, pay close attention to blood color, consistency, and distance between drops to give you clues about the rate of blood loss and where the animal may have been hit.
- You’re still in hunting mode, so stay quiet and look ahead. The deer could be lying — dead or alive — in the next patch of cover.
If you lose the blood trail (which isn't uncommon, even for seasoned hunters), stop immediately and back out to give the deer more time.
Take it Slow and Be Prepared for a Follow-Up Shot
Knowing how long to wait after shooting a deer is just one of many skills you need to have in your toolbox as an ethical hunter. If you don’t remember the recommended times, remember this rule of thumb: When in doubt, back out.
Also, remember that follow-up shots are often required. Animals can move at the last second, and winds can suddenly shift, causing your bullet or arrow to miss its mark. Even if your first shot is ultimately lethal, many hunters may need to take a second or third shot if the opportunity presents itself.
Many experienced hunters immediately load another round or nock another arrow after the first shot. They are ready to rapidly take that follow-up shot and keep shooting until the animal is down.
Be Patient and Know How to Stay Safe When Hunting and Tracking
Maintaining the patience to wait in these moments of excitement is what often separates a successful recovery from a failed one. It takes practice and experience to know how long to wait after shooting a deer, so give yourself grace and talk with more experienced hunters to learn as you go.
Remember: Being a responsible and ethical hunter requires not only the ability to make accurate shots but also the patience and tracking skills to recover the animal successfully.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
We have answers to the most common questions about how long to wait after shooting a deer!
Q: Are you supposed to wait after shooting a deer?
A: Yes. Waiting gives the deer time to expire without feeling pressured to run farther.
Q: How long should you wait after hitting a deer?
A: It depends on the shot placement. For example, hunters should typically wait 30-60 minutes for heart/lung shots, while gut or liver shots often require 6-8 hours.
Q: What to do immediately after shooting a deer?
A: Be patient! Stay quiet and take note of where you hit the animal. Watch where it runs, and mark landmarks for tracking.
Q: How far will a wounded deer run?
A: Heart/lung-shot deer may run 50–150 yards, while gut- or liver-shot deer can travel much farther if pursued and pressured too soon.
Q: How will a liver-hit deer react?
A: They often hunch up, walk slowly, and bed down. However, they can travel a long distance before stopping if pressured too soon.
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