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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/hunt-dead-animal-eyes-open

According to hunter education, are a dead big game animal's eyes normally open or closed?

Normally open.

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  1. Normally open ✔
  2. Normally closed
  3. Too variable to check

Why: Approach carefully from above and behind the head, then check the eyes. The eyes of a dead animal are normally open.

Huh, didn't know that: Then follow your state's tagging or reporting rules before field dressing.

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What do you call a deer with a cold? A sneezy buck.
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References

Answer: Normally open. Approach carefully from above and behind the head, then check the eyes. The eyes of a dead animal are normally open.

  1. IHEA-WORLD 2026 Education Standards: The Complete Guide, Hunter Education, p. 2.33 ihea-world.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/IHEA_Hunter_Edu_Std_Comp_Digital_053026-1-1.pdf
    The eyes of a dead animal are normally open
    Checked 2026-10-09.

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