Persistance Running a Deer

Quenton Cassideer wrote:

many parts of the bay area have very tame deer.

won't take much running to kill one.

In fact.... none. You could just walk up and kill one.

Park rangers might have something to say about it though.

True in a lot of cities. I physically bumped a deer while running once. She was partly on the trail and partly off of it, eating some leaves. She jumped a little ways away, not even all that scared, and turned around at me as though she wanted to say, "what the heck, dude!"

800 dude wrote:

True in a lot of cities. I physically bumped a deer while running once. She was partly on the trail and partly off of it, eating some leaves. She jumped a little ways away, not even all that scared, and turned around at me as though she wanted to say, "what the heck, dude!"

You 'bumped' a deer once? I dunno dawg ... I wouldn't mention that anymore.

Wish I could remember the year, but there was a great Sports Illustrated article I read on the subject once. It was a long time ago, like 20 years.

Not that difficult. Can be done with one person. Two or three make it a whole lot easier but one is enough.

Humans have run down cheetahs... It's not absolute speed, it is heat shedding ability and endurance.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-24953910

You're not going to catch any mobile wild animal within only a few hours of pursuit unless the weather is very hot or the snow is very deep and you have snowshoes or skis.

You've gotta go all day, and maybe all the next day, keeping up the relentless pressure to keep it nervous and hopefully not eating or drinking much. You yourself must bring food with you (which the animal can't do) and of course that will slow you down. But in the end, even if it takes a week, it will hit the "wall" just like a marathoner. You don't want to catch up to it, just eliminate its glycogen reserves.

That greek guy who ran 1000 miles in 10 days could do this easily, probably run down just about any horse even. For others, yes, it's easier to take turns. One hunter pursues it for a while, then another takes over, get it eventually.

XC Running Champ wrote:

I have really been considering a persistence hunt lately. A persistence hunt is where you track an animal and run after it until it become to exhausted to go any further. However, I would like to know if this would even be possible . . . .

It's possible, and it's a pretty sick way to entertain oneself.

hunting logistics wrote:

Once the kill is completed, how did they bring a 120+ lb animal back to the tribe to feed the women and children? Especially if they've tracked it down 30 some miles. Let's say it went in circles and it's only 10 miles away. Still a long way to carry a large dead animal and a huge caloric expenditure.

This is why humans evolved into agriculture ...

No one who replied to you has actually run down a deer, or any other animal for that matter. In fact, it's obvious that not one person that replied to you has actually ever been hunting. Therefore, not one of them is qualified to answer you.

I have run deer down and killed them.

Yes, you can run a deer down and kill it with a blade, be it spear or knife. I prefer the knife. It puts me in direct contact of holding the animal down. I position myself behind the neck of the animal, rest one knee on its shoulder, one hand on its head. With my other hand I take out my knife and lay it on the ground in front of the deer, and then gently stroke it under the chin until it starts to relax. When I feel the moment is right, I pick up the knife, line the blade parallel with the spinal column just ventral (towards the front part of the body) of the spinal column. In one quick motion I slide the knife in all the way through the neck, twist it so that the blade then faces ventral, the pull it forward (away from me) through the trachea and esophagus, opening up the whole neck. When done correctly, the animal dies instantly and you will not get any blood on you.

You want to know about the run. Yes, you can do it through the woods, through fields, up hills, down hills, across creeks. It only becomes too difficult through dense brush. Deer can move through that where we as humans have trouble. How long? Well that depends on many things. Just over an hour was the shortest I have done, but the deer slid on some mud and I caught up to him. They usually overheat in 4 to 5 hours max. You don't need food or water, just focus on your breath.

If you're serious about it, it can be done, and it's the most rewarding way of hunting, and it's worth it. For the record, a 120lb deer will give you about 35 to 40 lbs of meat, not 55. Nor do you need people and radios and all this other crap. You need focus. You need determination.

Take some tracking classes. Take some hunting classes. Learn to butcher. Learn to brain tan a hide. Learn to make sinew. Learn to make hoof glue. Listen to birds and learn how they warn animals of humans and other predators. Learn how to broil deer ribs to perfection, make the perfect backstrap, braise the shank in garlic. Go and scout the area out. Choose a deer and get to know everything about him or her. If you really want to do it like the ancients, you can learn envisioning and meet the deer you will run down. The Bushmen are not the only persistence hunters. There is a long tradition in American Indian culture, and many anthropological studies have been done. You can even look up a course called "Guardian Intensive" at Teaching Drum in Wisconsin. Control your mind. Go have fun!

This guy caught a deer without any effort, just using CP and a bit of anaerobic energy for a short sprint:

https://youtu.be/rUiPmHA7Xqg?t=235

Key is to surprise him. Lions hunt exactly the same way. Chasing down a deer for 10 hours and expanding a lot of energy doesn't seem to be like a great strategy when you can just camp somewhere, wait for the opportunity and use CP and explosiveness to capture it.

Here is what I have heard about running down deer: It can be done.

Method one: Deep snow with XC skis or snow shoes. This is when and how the wolves get fat.

Method two: Deer (and jackrabbits ) bed down near the middle of feeding areas scented with their scat. This provides them with camouflage against scent hunters. When disturbed from their bedding spot they circle around in an attempt to return to their scented area where they will hide among their scat scent and be less locatable. Simply run in a smaller circle around their bedding area. This forces them to keep moving until they are winded and lactic acid builds up in their muscles and they cramp up and stop to catch breath. Most animals breathe once for each bound they take. (For birds one breath per wing stroke.) Man can breathe independent of stride rate.

Sources: Herters' Guides Manual, and an article in "Sports Illustrated" in the 1980's by a runner who chased down a deer.

It's very difficult. First of all, for such a hunt, you will need a lot of people who can replace each other during this deer chase. Secondly, you will definitely have to buy a walkie-talkie for each person. This will help you stay up to date and not get lost. Before you use the walkie talkies I advise you to learn the codes for walkie talkies https://www.walkie-talkie-guide.com/codes-for-walkie-talkies/ . This has helped me and my friends more than once during the hunt. In addition, do not forget that every hunter must be physically prepared. You will not be able to catch up with the deer if you are not physically strong.

Next to impossible solo unless you tag the deer. You’d end up chasing multiple deer as they tend to roam in herds. Good luck though.