Lost a whitetail East of Hunters, Washington

[Kvw4x4]

Good Morning,

Yesterday morning i took a 300 yard shot at a whitetail, i found traces of blood
(just pure red droplets, not a huge amount) right where i shot him at, he ran directly downhill into thicker brush.
We spent 4 hours gridding the area and came up with nothing, any advice? anybody good at tracking around that area?


I had to be back home last night which is 6 hours away.



Thanks, Kevin

[Hairhunter]

Try and find a tracking dog,its legal now.

[boneaddict]

Watch and listen for the birds.   Magpies or Jays or ravens.  Sounds like you are not in the area anymore though.   

What kind of shot(running, position of deer), deers reaction besides running downhill when hit?

[baldopepper]

Did the deer show any signs of being hit at the shot (humped a bit, kicked his his hind legs or any sign that he'd been hit)? Usually a solid hit will show a pretty good amount of blood at the spot he was hit (not always) but finding only a few drops after a shot and the deer showing no other signs of being hit is a indicator of a non fatal shot. Good to follow up the blood trail as long as you can find blood, but sounds like a non fatal hit to me.

[buckfvr]

Check your zero before you take another shot at an animal.

[jrebel]

It’s been raining all morning ….. any blood is long gone.  Magpies and ravens is your only hope.  If you’re in Blaine , what was your thought about someone helping….I’m north of hunters now and could help, though. Longshot….. but have no idea how this would work?

[Bone collector 13]

When will you be back? What’s the point of the post I guess? Are you done for the season? You said you went home immediately after. Are you plans to return? By now he’s probably spoiled. In the future if you’re on a time crunch you probably shouldn’t shoot a risky shot at the buzzer.

[high_hunter]

Next time reach out to locals sooner and if you can't get ahold of anyone try the TRAKR app.  You can legally track for 72 hours after so sounds like there are 2 days left.  Would be happy to help if it was on the Westside.

If heading back over let me know and maybe we can work something out.  I turkey hunt over there and know a few locals.  If you wanna PM me some more details I can check with them or at least look for bones in the spring.

Without you around and if rains have hit this is likely a lost cause IMO.  Hopefully nonfatal or someone else gets a chance at him.

[Kvw4x4]

Watch and listen for the birds.   Magpies or Jays or ravens.  Sounds like you are not in the area anymore though.   

What kind of shot(running, position of deer), deers reaction besides running downhill when hit?

The buck was facing slightly uphill, perfect broad side shot,  watching through the scope from what I could see. He spun 180 very quickly and raced down hill. 

The property is private and borders state land. The owner and a couple of his guys were gonna go look and keep an eye out for birds. 

[Kvw4x4]

Check your zero before you take another shot at an animal.

I will be shooting a very similar shot tomorrow to see how it places on a target. 

My gun is zeroed at 200

[Kvw4x4]

When will you be back? What’s the point of the post I guess? Are you done for the season? You said you went home immediately after. Are you plans to return? By now he’s probably spoiled. In the future if you’re on a time crunch you probably shouldn’t shoot a risky shot at the buzzer.

There is a lot of decisions I regret,
The point was really to see if anyone had advice on a whitetails reaction to being hit. Minimal blood,  will they get in the brush and stay there?

If the buck would have tipped over and died nobody would have question the decision to take a shot on my last morning, 

I have to be home for work for a week but by then it’s to late.

[jason stevens]

These things happen to all of us. Maybe you just grazed him who knows. Don't beat yourself up to bad. You still got til the 31st on the Westside. Get back after it.

[hunter399]

These things happen to all of us. Maybe you just grazed him who knows. Don't beat yourself up to bad. You still got til the 31st on the Westside. Get back after it.

Thinking the same.
Don't beat yourself up.
All part of hunting.

[huntnfmly]

If you hunt enough it’s going to happen don’t be to tough on yourself
My daughter couldn’t find her biggest buck after the shot on a guided hunt hrs and hrs and many miles went into finding it was a kick in the gut for sure and still hurts

[fishngamereaper]

Blood doesn't equal dead.

I smashed my finger couple weeks ago with a hammer bled like a stuck pig. If you where tracking me you'd swore I was holed up somewhere dead..

I've tracked bleeding animals for miles before that don't show any signs of being injured...they are tough suckers.

[hunter399]

It wasn't a Cartwright buck size was it.
Cause ya something like that might be life changer.

[Romulus1297]

Aim for the neck whitetail love to run after their heart explodes

[Rugsnfeathers]

Aim for the neck whitetail love to run after their heart explodes

Exactly what happened to mine Monday last week.  I shot that old 6 x 5 whitetail broadside at 35 yds and the tough mudder still ran downhill about 100 yards and without a drop of blood.   It took a while for me and my buddy to find him.  The only thing that allowed us to stay on track was his kick-ups, then it disappeared, and we knew we were not far from his resting place.  When I opened him up, my 300 WM Nosler punched a 3" hole in the entry and roto-rootered just about everything inside with no exit hole.  It was a bloody mess upon opening.  The heart was buzsawed. 

[Kvw4x4]

So I was able to take some shots, I held my cross hairs on the Red Cross in pictures at the 315 yard mark,  You can see my 3 shot placements,  consistent but very low on body assuming the body width is good.  I was dealing with a little left to right wind too..

[Ridgeratt]

Is your rendition of the deer to scale?

[Kvw4x4]

Is your rendition of the deer to scale?

It was pretty close,  I think I gave it a 19” body height,

[buckfvr]

What caliber/load, and rangefinder ?

[jrebel]

What caliber and ammo / bullet weight?  Reloads or Factory? 

[Kvw4x4]

Hornady 143 eld-x factory loads, 6.5 creedmoor, vortex 1800 rangefinder,  on another  note,  I only ever shot 1 buck with this gun. Maybe 3 years ago. 100 yard shot. He went about 50 yards and died.  But there was no exit wound.  Just a small entrance wound.  It was a heart shot once we starting gutting it.

Makes me question the Power a bit.

[jrebel]

Hornady 143 eld-x factory loads, 6.5 creedmoor, vortex 1800 rangefinder,  on another  note,  I only ever shot 1 buck with this gun. Maybe 3 years ago. 100 yard shot. He went about 50 yards and died.  But there was no exit wound.  Just a small entrance wound.  It was a heart shot once we starting gutting it.

Makes me question the Power a bit.

1.  I've seen those ELD-X blow up on bone.  300 WM 212 grain ELD-X to a bears shoulder.....bear lived and bullet never penetrated past the shoulder.  I've got pics of the bear the next spring with hair patch missing and still very healthy.  I won't shoot ELD-X bullets for that reason....a lot of guys love them, but a lot of guys also lover bergers...LOL   

2.  If you have 18-19" of drop at 300 yards, you are not sighted in at 200.  You shouldn't have more than about 9" of drop if that's the case.  If you were sighted in at 100 yards I would expect you to have less than 12-13 inches of drop at 300.  This is of course all dependent on your setup / barrel length, ect......though one thing is for sure....18 to 19" of drop would at 300 with a zero of 200 is way to much.   I would recheck your zero. 

[HooknoseHunter]

Hornady 143 eld-x factory loads, 6.5 creedmoor, vortex 1800 rangefinder,  on another  note,  I only ever shot 1 buck with this gun. Maybe 3 years ago. 100 yard shot. He went about 50 yards and died.  But there was no exit wound.  Just a small entrance wound.  It was a heart shot once we starting gutting it.

Makes me question the Power a bit.

1.  I've seen those ELD-X blow up on bone.  300 WM 212 grain ELD-X to a bears shoulder.....bear lived and bullet never penetrated past the shoulder.  I've got pics of the bear the next spring with hair patch missing and still very healthy.  I won't shoot ELD-X bullets for that reason....a lot of guys love them, but a lot of guys also lover bergers...LOL   

2.  If you have 18-19" of drop at 300 yards, you are not sighted in at 200.  You shouldn't have more than about 9" of drop if that's the case.  If you were sighted in at 100 yards I would expect you to have less than 12-13 inches of drop at 300.  This is of course all dependent on your setup / barrel length, ect......though one thing is for sure....18 to 19" of drop would at 300 with a zero of 200 is way to much.   I would recheck your zero.

+1 on this, I had a 178gr ELDX out of a .300 win Mag blow up on a mule deer shoulder a few years ago. Roughly 300-350 yard shot.  I was able to get him with a few more shots but it made me change my thinking on the ELDX. Went back to Speer Grand Slams and haven’t had an issue.

[buckfvr]

Power isnt the problem, questionable zero and not being completely aware of other details like actual velocity and bullet drop are.  I have 2 6.5 CMs and am very certain of their specifics. 

My thought is you shot low to the point your shot did not penetrate the body cavity and was not a mortal wound.     

[Sakko300wsm]

Hornady 143 eld-x factory loads, 6.5 creedmoor, vortex 1800 rangefinder,  on another  note,  I only ever shot 1 buck with this gun. Maybe 3 years ago. 100 yard shot. He went about 50 yards and died.  But there was no exit wound.  Just a small entrance wound.  It was a heart shot once we starting gutting it.

Makes me question the Power a bit.

1.  I've seen those ELD-X blow up on bone.  300 WM 212 grain ELD-X to a bears shoulder.....bear lived and bullet never penetrated past the shoulder.  I've got pics of the bear the next spring with hair patch missing and still very healthy.  I won't shoot ELD-X bullets for that reason....a lot of guys love them, but a lot of guys also lover bergers...LOL   

2.  If you have 18-19" of drop at 300 yards, you are not sighted in at 200.  You shouldn't have more than about 9" of drop if that's the case.  If you were sighted in at 100 yards I would expect you to have less than 12-13 inches of drop at 300.  This is of course all dependent on your setup / barrel length, ect......though one thing is for sure....18 to 19" of drop would at 300 with a zero of 200 is way to much.   I would recheck your zero.

This!

[tgomez]

So I was able to take some shots, I held my cross hairs on the Red Cross in pictures at the 315 yard mark,  You can see my 3 shot placements,  consistent but very low on body assuming the body width is good.  I was dealing with a little left to right wind too..

Looks like you hit the deer extremely low if this was the case. Need to check your zero again. You might even be low at 100 yards. I don't know the terrain which you hunt in, but I like a 200 yard zero.

[Kvw4x4]

I had my gun zeroed at 200 before I left hunting, 

I checked my zero later today.  About 6-7” low and 2-3” to the right. So somewhere somehow something happened to my scope, bummer

[Romulus1297]

Loose scope mount?

[duckmen1]

We have shot like 6 deer and 4 bears using 143gr eldx and 6.5 creedmoore combo. And all have been quick kills, quick recovery or seeing animals drop. Including pass through shots breaking both shoulders on some. But even if not a pass through no problem. Plenty of penetration. Point is its not the rifle bullet combo. Also used eldx bullets out of other calibers and have had great success on deer, bears, and even elk.
To those pushing an eldx at extreme velocities that may not be the best for the bullet construction. Same as sierra gameking bullets. Some say they suck and try to push those bullets like 3400fps. I push mine at 2800 fps with a 165. Last 2 shots at bull elk was 2 complete pass throughs. Breaking both shoulders. Both shots. Learn what the bullet constructions are made to do within their design and no issues will be had. Oh and on the berger study. Well ours is 100% on quick recoveries on deer and bears again. In fact even elk have dropped fast. I don't know. I guess I have seen animals run way further with these deep penetrating bullets. But still very effective. As pointed out in this original posts deer sounds like a sight issue.

[300rum]

Personally, I always have my scopes mounted by someone who knows what they are doing.  Can I do it? yes, but I have had good luck with using the experts.  With what you described and the blood, you probably just grazed his brisket.  He will probably lean to the side when he lays down for awhile.  Next year someone will take him and wonder what happened.    

I had my gun zeroed at 200 before I left hunting, 

I checked my zero later today.  About 6-7” low and 2-3” to the right. So somewhere somehow something happened to my scope, bummer

[Karl Blanchard]

Vortex or leupold scope I presume?

[callturner]

Vortex or leupold scope I presume?

Just curious why you would say that?

[blackpowderhunter]

Vortex or leupold scope I presume?

Just curious why you would say that?

because they're known to not hold zero/track well after repeated dialing up and down.

[jrebel]

If he was using hold over, sounds like he isn't dialing turrets.  I have never had a Leupold fail to hold zero...but I have also never had a leupold with turrets that I dial.  My Leupolds are set and forget with hold over only......usually for my rifles that don't shoot much past 300 yards.  I also understand ballistics very well so 300 yard holdovers are very doable.  I will also say, most of my leupolds are older models, if that matters.

Vortex....well, don't get me started....Garbage IMO. 

[Karl Blanchard]

Vortex or leupold scope I presume?

Just curious why you would say that?

because they're known to not hold zero/track well after repeated dialing up and down.

Not even just dialing. Just lousy zero retention period.

[Kvw4x4]

It’s a vortex viper hst,
I do have turret adjust but didn’t use it.

[Stein]

Send it back to Vortex, they'll glue the guts back together and send it back in a week or two.  From my experience, after they fix it once it seems to be much more durable than how it came from the factory.

[huntandjeep]

Vortex or leupold scope I presume?