I always get a kick out of those genius's that have to poke everything in the butt with a rifle barrel. My boys always howl with laughter when they do it. Just once, I would like to see a deer jump up when they do it. That would be a hoot! If you can't tell if something is dead,maybe you should go fishing instead.
I've always made it a point to approach a downed animal at the opposite end from the teeth and horns. When I approached a mountain goat that I had shot, he slowly started to raise his head. There was instantly a powder burn on his chest.
Oh, and I didn't go fishing that day because at -15* F that morning I thought it was too cold to fish, so I climbed 2,000 feet up a mountain in crotch deep snow, by myself, and shot a goat.
