Question for the muzzy hunters

[Torrent50]

I've never really done any muzzy hunting.  I have been going out with a friend to try to get her a bull.  She had a shot at one today and unfortunately due to several circumstances I was right next to her at the shot so the smoke obscured the bull and I couldn't see if she hit or not.  When the smoke cleared, he was gone.  We searched that hillside for 9 hours looking for any blood, without finding anything.

My question is, what type of blood trail can you expect with a muzzy?  I know there are a multitude of variables like with archery or modern, but in general, do they behave like the others or differently?

Thanks for any input and sorry if it's a goofy question?

[Farmer72]

Like most things it is going to depend heavily on bullet and shot placement. I shot a deer with my muzzy a week ago broadside shot a little farther forward than I would have liked. Broke both front shoulders caught a piece of the heart and the lungs it went maybe 30 yds and was dead when I got up to it but was no blood anywhere on it or the ground. I have shot others with the same bullet a little farther back and there was blood everywhere.

[Rutnbuxnbulls]

I’ve never hunted muzzy, mainly an archery guy so blood trails are usually very good.

My buddy called last night and said he shot a cow elk at 60 yards quartering to and then the cow stood there, turned so he re loaded and shot her again. Pretty close range so we think both shots hit the mark. No blood. The cow kinda stumbled off and headed out. He and my bro had trouble tracking her so they’re bringing bros dog this morning(new state rule)

Anyway, my thought is that the muzzy projectiles don’t leave the body so there’s less holes to leak out. She’s probably dead somewhere. Is this correct?

Is the optimal shot going to be a high shoulder to immobilize the animal? Thanks for any advice.

[muleyslayer]

I’ve killed multiple deer and one elk with a muzzy. Blood trails are never great in my experience, I’m not sure if it’s been shot placement. The deer I’ve tracked from rifle and bow kills leave A lot more blood!

[HntnFsh]

It all depends on the bullet and shot placement. Ive seen anything from no blood to a drop here and there to a spray trail a foot and a half wide that Stevie Wonder could follow.

[Torrent50]

I’ve never hunted muzzy, mainly an archery guy so blood trails are usually very good.

My buddy called last night and said he shot a cow elk at 60 yards quartering to and then the cow stood there, turned so he re loaded and shot her again. Pretty close range so we think both shots hit the mark. No blood. The cow kinda stumbled off and headed out. He and my bro had trouble tracking her so they’re bringing bros dog this morning(new state rule)

Anyway, my thought is that the muzzy projectiles don’t leave the body so there’s less holes to leak out. She’s probably dead somewhere. Is this correct?

Is the optimal shot going to be a high shoulder to immobilize the animal? Thanks for any advice.

Man that is so similar.  Her bull was at between 75 and 80 downhill (angle corrected range).  First shot, no reaction but took a couple steps forward and then stood there looking up in our direction.  Reloaded and fired the second and he took off.  We could hear the herd taking off to our left and found where they tore down the hillside into the timber.  No blood along that trail.  Circles on hands and knees around where the shot was found nothing.  Gridding out in both directions also nothing.  I went down to a spur road in the direction the herd went and found where some came out onto and across the road.  Later my buddy found where they grouped up and trotted down the spur road, across the mainline and into the thick stuff there.  There were bull tracks in the group.  Still not a speck of blood. 

Ironically, I have a German Shorthair that is gun-shy and won't be a bird dog that I toyed with the idea of training to track last winter, but as with many things, I never got around to it.  Damnit.

[LDennis24]

Find out where exactly she aimed the gun for the shot. Alot of folks think you need to aim high with a muzzleloader when they misjudge the distance and the guns capabilities and shoot over the animal. Especially on a downhill shot. 

[Torrent50]

Find out where exactly she aimed the gun for the shot. Alot of folks think you need to aim high with a muzzleloader when they misjudge the distance and the guns capabilities and shoot over the animal. Especially on a downhill shot. 

Mid body behind the crease.  She is a really good shot too.  I've seen her under pressure in different situations and she doesn't get rattled.  But most open sight experience has been with a handgun or at shorter ranges so I suppose anything is possible.

[Rutnbuxnbulls]

I’ve never hunted muzzy, mainly an archery guy so blood trails are usually very good.

My buddy called last night and said he shot a cow elk at 60 yards quartering to and then the cow stood there, turned so he re loaded and shot her again. Pretty close range so we think both shots hit the mark. No blood. The cow kinda stumbled off and headed out. He and my bro had trouble tracking her so they’re bringing bros dog this morning(new state rule)

Anyway, my thought is that the muzzy projectiles don’t leave the body so there’s less holes to leak out. She’s probably dead somewhere. Is this correct?

Is the optimal shot going to be a high shoulder to immobilize the animal? Thanks for any advice.

Man that is so similar.  Her bull was at between 75 and 80 downhill (angle corrected range).  First shot, no reaction but took a couple steps forward and then stood there looking up in our direction.  Reloaded and fired the second and he took off.  We could hear the herd taking off to our left and found where they tore down the hillside into the timber.  No blood along that trail.  Circles on hands and knees around where the shot was found nothing.  Gridding out in both directions also nothing.  I went down to a spur road in the direction the herd went and found where some came out onto and across the road.  Later my buddy found where they grouped up and trotted down the spur road, across the mainline and into the thick stuff there.  There were bull tracks in the group.  Still not a speck of blood. 

Ironically, I have a German Shorthair that is gun-shy and won't be a bird dog that I toyed with the idea of training to track last winter, but as with many things, I never got around to it.  Damnit.

If it’s still been 72 hours or less I’d bring the GSP. Dogs can track regardless of any training. They have amazing noses. On a leash is the new rule. Good luck.

[baldopepper]

Seems to me it depends on where they're hit. Young friend hit a buck last week but back and low (gut shot really).  Left enough blood he was able to follow for nearly a mile before he could finish it.  Nephew hit his more up front, went thirty feet and dropped. No blood for the first 10-15 feet then a fair amount.

[davew]

I've killed about 10 whitetails with a flintlock and round ball back in my home state of Pennsylvania.  Deer hit in the lungs with that combination are a lot like archery deer.  You might find a little hair where the deer was shot, but often the blood trail won't really start for 30-50 yards.  The deer is almost always dead within a hundred yards. 

[duckmen1]

Hope you guys are able to find the herd again and see the bull still in it for another shot. Some animals leave a heck of a blood trail with a muzzy. Some decent. And others hardly any. This pic was a bull shot last year with the 330s hardcast lead. Crazy good blood trail for 25 yards straight to elk on a double lung shot  A doe shot this year had a decent trail for about 25 yards but then dried up leaving last 15 yards a grid search. That was a double lung shot. Both same load. Both straight pass throughs. In fact I think the pass through on the deer was a bit to easy for the load but worked well on trauma still. I have seem good luck on pass throughs on elk with muzzys

[LDennis24]

My cousin found this spike on Sunday afternoon. Not sure how long it was there but nobody else was around and the spike was stiff. He said it didn't have any obvious holes or anything. But I'll bet someone shot it Saturday sometime.and couldn't find it. Sucks when that happens.

[northwesthunter84]

Could have hit the shoulder.  My experience is high lung shots take a bit to get going.  I've shot animals with rifles and shotguns.  Shotguns run the same or similar projectiles to muzzies at the same or slower velocities.  98% of the animals that I have shot or helped recover bled within the first 5 yards, that includes muzzy harvests.  That 2% that took 20+yards were all high lungs or in one case a buck took a round right under the spine, dropped and got back up, and was shot later that evening heading to feed.  Usually any lung shot will cause some blowout on the off side.  I guess if you hit rib both times you might stop a round under the hide.  If that is the case I might work on a different load/bullet combo.

[Torrent50]

Thank everyone for the info.  I appreciate it.  I feel more confident it was a clean miss and he's out there doing elk stuff at this very moment.