Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Deer Hunting => Topic started by: PNWheckle on October 26, 2016, 02:32:05 PM

Title: Losing a deer
Post by: PNWheckle on October 26, 2016, 02:32:05 PM: How many of you have been unable to locate a deer after the shot? Just experienced it for the first time last night. Walking down a horse trail and see some ears above the grass up the hill. Turns out to be the same three point, maybe four depending on eye guard height, that I saw a few days earlier. Was able to get a shot off as he just stood there and watched me, knew I hit him in an organ with the way he jumped then dropped, got up and stared at me again, at this point knowing what I know now I would have probably shot him a 2nd time. He takes off up the hill so I let him go for about 20 minutes. Then start tracking, with no luck after about 2 hours. Went home and got my brother and a couple more flashlights. Tracked it uphill about 1/2 mile to where I saw him crossing a road a few days before, then he went across that road and started booking down it. By this time the blood trail would go many feet before another drop, then sometimes there would be multiple. Even found chunks of organs that he had been coughing up. We ended up calling it shortly after midnight.

Next morning, feeling more determined, even though the meat was probably bad by this time I still couldn't not try to find it again. Thankfully I marked the trail the night prior so I was able to pick up where I left off, but then there was rain. I spent another 4 hours walking up and down deer trails, into swamps, crawling through deer tunnels in the brush. Still nothing.

Such a weird feeling knowing its dead but unable to find it. I probably should've waited longer to start tracking him but by the size of the blood puddle where he stood after I shot I figured he couldn't have gone far.
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: AKBowman on October 26, 2016, 02:54:27 PM: That sucks man. Sorry to hear that. For sure a gut shot there. Normally thy will bump up and hunch their backs if you gut shoot them. I've hit them BAD and had them go almost nowhere and this year I thought I hit one good and he went forever. Their blood does coagulate unbelievably fast but a gut shot or lung shot deer is mortally wounded. I took out one lung high and I understand your predicament. The rain is the X factor in tracking game.

A few years ago I made a good shot that ended up bad and went through the guts. I was able to keep an eye on the buck from my stand and watched him as he just stood there bunched up for 40 minutes in the exact same spot (no shot). When I got too cold I couldn't stand it I climbed out of the stand and he went to take a step and fell over dead. I hit one in the femoral artery and it went 40 yds and died in 5 seconds. You just never really know for sure.

If you're not 100% certain I really do think you have to give them a few hours (weather permitting). If they stop or lay down they won't get up if not pushed. If it is raining or going to rain then you gotta make a judgment call.

Not a subject I like discussing, it is an ugly part of hunting.
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: TikkaT3-270Shortmag on October 26, 2016, 02:56:57 PM: Damn u hit him good.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: Gringo31 on October 26, 2016, 04:02:43 PM: He didn't go as far as you think.....find the birds and see what you can salvage.
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: JDHasty on October 26, 2016, 04:03:07 PM: Looks like hit way back behind the stomach in the intestines. Have blood trailed a coyote on snow that was so hit with a 22-250 and he lost six inch pieces of intestine along the way. Tracked him out two miles before he tipped over. Shot in the intestines does only leave drops of blood from a moving animal.

The coyote was shot on a dead run, not intentionally shot that far back.
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: JDHasty on October 26, 2016, 04:05:38 PM: Quote from: Gringo31 on October 26, 2016, 04:02:43 PM
He didn't go as far as you think.....find the birds and see what you can salvage.

Odds are you are correct, unless hit way back through small intestines then they can go quite a ways.
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: TikkaT3-270Shortmag on October 26, 2016, 04:27:14 PM: By that pool of blood looks like he is hit good

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: tgomez on October 26, 2016, 04:32:18 PM: Sorry to hear about that, it does happen eventually. All of us will lose an animal eventually. It sucks, but nature waste nothing.
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: coachcw on October 26, 2016, 08:52:23 PM: Everything dies ......part of the circle . being a hunter can be brutal , learn and move on. :twocents:
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: DIYARCHERYJUNKIE on October 27, 2016, 05:46:09 PM: Killing things is a nasty job. Taste great though. I've lost a few we all do.
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: Jpmiller on October 27, 2016, 07:42:56 PM: I've never had a worse feeling than when I started worrying I wasn't going to find my deer... I didn't, but I would agree with already posted I believe had I waited longer before trailing him things may have been different. He jumped out of his bed between me and a hunting partner, no shot and then he booked it out of there.
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: Big6bull on October 27, 2016, 08:50:53 PM: They are tough lessons on shot placement. I've been there. Makes you better hunter in long run but it sucks to happen
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: 270Shooter on October 27, 2016, 09:01:44 PM: Tough lesson to learn but I think almost all hunters will run into this eventually. This is also why if I feel like they still have some life in them it's better to shoot again. Keep shooting until they are on the ground.
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: scoutdog346 on October 27, 2016, 09:36:47 PM: The intestines...that sucks. Hr could last a week b4 he dies...sorry man
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: DIYARCHERYJUNKIE on October 27, 2016, 09:38:35 PM: Till they quit moving. I've learned my most valuable lessons tracking animals. It's basically the entire pout of hunting at all right. To get on the blood trail and find the critter. But that sinking gut feeling when you think the worst. That needs to be controlled. It can cost you an easy find if you can't calm down and go back to last blood or the shot. Getting God at Tracking is the most valuable tool you could have hunting .
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: JDHasty on October 27, 2016, 09:40:14 PM: Go out there and see if the birds don't lead you to it. Actually seeing where it ended up will be worth the effort. I am betting it is "right there" close.
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: JDHasty on October 27, 2016, 09:42:10 PM: Quote from: scoutdog346 on October 27, 2016, 09:36:47 PM
The intestines...that sucks. Hr could last a week b4 he dies...sorry man

True story.
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: Duckslayer89 on October 27, 2016, 09:56:31 PM: I keep shooting until they are down. Losing deer taught me this. My dad always says no no he's going down don't shoot again. WRONG. He's learning. If he's not down keep shooting. Shot a spike today at 50 yards broadside and knew he was down but he didn't drop and I sent another one through the lungs.
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: kirkthoma on October 27, 2016, 10:59:38 PM: I just found last year's buck while out hunting opening day this year. I must have walked by it 15 times, I looked for 3 days. It was partially under some vegetation, 50 yds from where I shot him. Closure at last.
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: Skyvalhunter on October 28, 2016, 05:28:13 AM: Well the main thing is you made the 3 day effort to find the animal. There seems to be a fair amount of guys out there that won't even put in an hour. Very disrespectful
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: brew on October 28, 2016, 08:31:05 PM: saw a dead deer in a clear cut up in vail last evening...aboout 225 yards straight away on the opposite hillside...big hole in its lower right shoulder..no way it went far after it was shot...wasn't bloated and the ravens weren't on it yet..couldn't see the head so no idea if was a buck or doe (was able to make out the right ear but didn''t see antlers)...weird thing was about 50 yards above it on the treeline someone had put a big white jug in the bushes and on the road opposite where it was shot (on the pulloff where i saw it in the binos) someone had put about a 3 foot piece of dead wood on the side of the road. in order to get to the deer/place that white jug someone would have had to bushwack some pretty thick/nasty stuff for a couple 3 hundred yards to get to it...why would they leave it ? just don't understand people
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: lokidog on October 28, 2016, 09:15:25 PM: Quote from: Duckslayer89 on October 27, 2016, 09:56:31 PM
I keep shooting until they are down. Losing deer taught me this. My dad always says no no he's going down don't shoot again. WRONG. He's learning. If he's not down keep shooting. Shot a spike today at 50 yards broadside and knew he was down but he didn't drop and I sent another one through the lungs.

My thoughts as well, if it is still standing, shoot it again! A bit of wasted meat is not as bad as a lost animal.

This morning, I had a kid with me, I rattled in a buck, he shot, buck dropped, then got up, seemed to be teetering, paused for a minute then I told him to shoot it again, he missed, buck turned and started wobbling away, told him to shoot again, deer drops, gets up again, is teetering, we move a bit closer to get a better angle, shoot again, deer drops for good.

It turns out the first shot spined him but in the grass we could not tell that his hind end was dragging. we could easily have walked up to him, but given the same situation, I would have him shoot again and again.
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: DaveMonti on October 28, 2016, 09:18:24 PM: Quote from: scoutdog346 on October 27, 2016, 09:36:47 PM
The intestines...that sucks. Hr could last a week b4 he dies...sorry man

Nice. The OP clearly feels bad enough and you tell him the deer may still be alive? Sorry, not a necessary observation, and HIGHLY unlikely with the sign that the OP posted.

It sounds to me like you're trying to discourage new hunters from headed back into the woods instead of being encouraging. Personally, I think we could do with a lot less of your type on this forum.
Title: Re: Losing a deer
Post by: EmeraldBullet on October 28, 2016, 09:25:40 PM: Thank you for sharing this. I know it is a tough thing to experience. I still have yet to shoot my first deer, but when it happens I will know to shoot again if I am in a similar situation (and if I can think and react fast enough). Thanks again for sharing, sorry you had to experience that.