Feel sick

[demontang]

So today was the last day I had to hunt deer this year. Well I went in to a spot I had seen lots  of deer. I spent most of the day glassing and had spoted about 80 doe's and this years fawns by 1. I was walking back to my truck when a buck skylines him self. I got the spotting scope and saw he was a 2x3. Being that it was my last day I decided to stalk him and triple check that he was legal. I got with in a 100yds of him and was measuring his third point with my mill dots when be busted me. But not before I saw all his points where well over an inch. He run over the hill toward my truck and I followed him. I crested the hill to see him at 150yds broad side. I got my 243 on him checked his points again, chambered a round and put it on his vitals. As I started to sqeeze he turns away giving me a quartering away shot. I sqeeze more and BOOM he doe's a back flip and doesn't twitch just rolls out of sight. So I waited 5-10min and walked down to him, as I get to about 20yds of him he jumps up and tries to run but is pushing his front legs. I swing my rifle off and get on him only to see him disappear into the brush. So I run down the trail after him and up the opposite side of the draw and see nothing!! I cut back to where I think he went through and see blood leading down so I run up the side and down to the point and watch for him nothing!! I call up help and waited 1hr and we start tracking. Well pink foamy blood where I hit him and the blood on both sides of the trail for 300yds then it turned in to drips and blood wiped here and there for 150yds then just a little drip here and another every 10-15yds up the side of the draw and then it stopped and it was 4:30 then. So I run to the other side of the draw and glass up it and down as my help searches for sign and nothing:(. I spent the last remaning light looking in a circle around the last blood and nothing!! I'm so sick to know I wounded a deer and can't find it. I'm taking another day off tomorrow to go look for him. I don't know what happened I've shot two other deer that same angle but with a 338win and they never moved. I don't know if the gmx copper bullet failed to open or what. 

[shredneck666]

We all know how you feel .  good luck tomoro he will be out there somewhere just keep on it! you'll find him

[deerdog]

Keep after it from the sounds of it he can't have gone far and taking tomorromow off to look for it is the right thing to do! Keep your chin up you will find him tomorrow. I wish you the best of luck,and know how that feels it SUCKS BIG TIME!! 

[Fletch]

you will find him...does not sound like he could have gotten far.  Best of luck

[demontang]

It just makes me feel sick. I don't know what went wrong I had shooting sticks and felt really good about the shot seen how he just went over backwards and didn't really do anything but roll. I can tell you that the 243 is staying in the safe tommrow and that the 338 is going with me.

[Arteman]

That's unfortunate, sorry about your luck bud, been there before.  Good luck tomorrow, glad your not giving up.  Just try to think like a wounded deer, especially one that is having a hard time using its front legs, he can't be to far, sounds like you got some lung too.  Good luck, and hope you you find that guy, repost on here if you do, would like to hear so.

[demontang]

I won't stop looking tell I find him I can tell you that. I haven't lost anything but a few coyotes and I thought that was bad.

[wastickslinger]

good luck to you tomorrow. Glad to hear your going back. Its cool enough he will be fine when you find him.

[Kola16]

You will find him 

[bobcat]

I'd be looking for a dead deer. From the sounds of it, he won't make it through the night. If you got one lung, he's got to be dead already. Hopefully you'll find him quicly so the meat is still good. Good luck.

[demontang]

I suspect he might be alive still by the what he was moving up hill at the end of the blood trail. I sure hope I find him quick in the am. My tag is notched even if I don't but I'm going to spend all the time I can to find him.

[demontang]

Still looking picked up the trail where we lost it last night and went about a mile on it. He never stopped to lay down. I lost the trail again in a opening with no real grass or bushes. No tracks no blood and not defined trails he would go to.

[demontang]

I'm finding what looks to be his tracks with no blood anywhere up the hill. They look like there from today. He walks with one legs toes spread every where up hill, flat ground and down hill.

[coachcw]

sorry to hear that sucks , My motto is you can't have to much gun. no doubt a .243 will kill a deer but that .338 opens a window up. your doing the right thing looking and notching the tag .

[500 long]

A tracking dog would be nice to use.