Im new to bow hunting and have a question...

Assuming you make contact with a deer on an evening hunt and can't find it, for whatever reason, that night so you back out and come back in the am (approx 12-14 hours) to look for the deer and find it.

1) What do you do with him? Leave him lay? I'm assuming with the warmer temps in early season the meat is most likely not harvestable.

2) What do you do with your tag? Technically you harvested the animal but it's not editable. Do you tag it in the field and just leave the animal?

That long at anything higher than mid thirties temps is gonna just lie. If it has bone I'm tagging it and keeping the head. If not I'm going to kick myself in the azz for not making a good enough shot to have found it the night before.

There won't be much leftover at my ranch if left overnight. The hogs will completely destroy it. That's one of the factors of bow hunting, happens with guns too however.

this... if it is as cold as my refrigerator outside then i'll clean it

If you shoot an animal and are able to find it, you should tag it.

You are absolutely right however; I bet there are a lot that don't.

While I agree, I am bored...so for discussion purposes, is there a time limit? What if you find it a week later, a month later, or like one of our hunters, two months later by the quail hunters?

yep

Always wait a while before pursuing a downed animal. If you push them before they are really down your chances get less and less to find him in a timely manner that night. In my opinion if you do this with good shot placement with today's flash lights and a buddy or dog there is no excuse to not harvest a downed animal. Like others said kick yourself because this should be a last resort.

Not eating one after it sat all night with chances are a less than desirable shot rupturing internal goodies.

If you find it burn a tag.

Ill be eating that deer... if it was only 12 hours... if it was cold id be skinning it in two days even... but one things for sure I will burn a tag even a week later...