Strange happening deer hunting a few weeks ago

[Sniper338]

If you didnt notice a broken leg, you hit her too high. Deer wont leave much of a blood trail like that. It will be small drops, sometimes so small they are hard or impossible to find without being on your hands and knees looking... if it was a graze the wouldnt kick and jump up, they would run. Your blood would have been darker red and not bright red as well.

I went through this twice this year with my fiance... two different deer.. too high... never found em...

 

[FatBoy]

. Guide probably didn't want to push a known area for a doe..


Ray

That was my thoughts. Deer is probably dead within 100 yards of the shot but if they are managing the heard they probably don't care much about her and may not want to push a shooter off the property.

Any chance you caught a stick on the way to the deer?

If it is getting to you and you have the ability to go back out and track I would try tracking tomorrow. If she lays overnight there is a good chance all you will find is a head and ribcage but at least you will know.

If not, chalk it up to learning but I would damn sure go verify the zero as soon as you have a chance.

 

[Acme7]

Biggest So Cal deer I had Shot. Solid Hit both lungs exit broke the shoulder Leg was swinging. It got up after a moment and started chaseing the does up a hill that ended in a cliff. I hit it again with a 300WSM broke the neck and dropped it. How or why it got up I have no idea but it was a textbook shot with excellent post mortem results. Sometimes it happens? No rational explanation why.Dont beat yourself up to much. Jeff

 

[2506]

Nothing wrong with the Accudond bullets. In my opinion it is the best of both worlds. Flies like the BT and starts to open up like the BT but keeps on trucking through things like the partition. I have been shoot the 130 AB in my 264 Win mag at 3350 fps for a few years and killed 20+, lost count, deer from 30 to right at 500 yards and all have been DRT and all but one exited with a quarter size hole. That one recovered was from a buck shot at 111 yards almost facing me. Bullet entered front edge of left scapula made soup out of vitals messed up the liver and guts and was found in the smashed right ball socket of the right ham. Recovered bullet was 87 grs and a text book mushroom. Bullet had to still be going over 3100 fps on impact. Yep good bullet in my book.
I quit using a 7mm Rem mag because deer ran off so far after taking perfect hits. I tried all sorts of bullets. I was doing crop damage control on a big farm at the time, did it for 15 years. My buddy and I had to take 100 deer each year off this farm and we did.

Yep your guide probably did not want to sent up the area and push other deer out. Personally I think a shot animal deserves every effort to be recovered but some people are just interested in making money.

Yep dead deer can run a mile. A few years ago I shot my first and only deer with a Berger VLD bullet. It was a doe just a little over 100 yards broad side. Shot was from a 30x47 cal rifle. 300 Savage case with the shoulder pushed back 10 thousands inch designed for hunter class bench rest target work. Bullet was the 155 VLD pushed by 42 grs IMR4895 to 2650 fps. Shot was placed in the center of the front shoulder as the deer slightly angled shoulder toward me. At the shot the deer just squatted slightly and took off like a flash into a VERY THICK NC 10 year old cut over. At the spot of the shot I could see on what was the off side a 2 foot wide 5 yard long spray of blood and lung tissue. It looked like you had taken a half gallon of blood and the lungs and put them in a blender and then slung it down that logging road. There was a deer trail going into the cut over. I had to get down on my hands and knees and crawl down that trail it was so thick. From where that deer was shot until I found that deer laying dead I found not one drop of blood. I found the deer a little over 50 yards away. It had an exit hole catching the very back edge of the offside shoulder that you could drop a baseball into and it would not touch the hide going in. This deer sloshed on the inside. How it ever took a step is beyond reason.

 

[jim_k]

Your shot was probably fine, and your deer was probably dead, just farther into the woods than you went. One: Hit bone when you can, and as one friend says, "Take out their running gear." Like Raythemanroe, I would aim at the off shoulder. Two: If you can put two bullets in the deer, do it. Three: Track the deer until you're too tired to track any more. Follow blood or hoof trail, walk zigzags in the woods, call a deer tracker. If you've got blood, you've bought a deer. You deserve to have a chance to find it before the coyotes do. You have a right to insist, and just don't stop tracking until you are convinced it's over. What would you do if you were a hungry Indian? Do that.

 

[WindSurgeon]

You hit her high and back. A gut shot deer will raise up its back legs like that and go a long way and live for hours without a significant blood trail. She's probably dead and coyote toast. Best rule of thumb is always to back out and come back in the afternoon or next morning if little to no blood is found.

 

[Dr.Lee]

If you didnt notice a broken leg, you hit her too high. Deer wont leave much of a blood trail like that. It will be small drops, sometimes so small they are hard or impossible to find without being on your hands and knees looking... if it was a graze the wouldnt kick and jump up, they would run. Your blood would have been darker red and not bright red as well.

I went through this twice this year with my fiance... two different deer.. too high... never found em...

So if it was a grazing shot, she would not kick up ? What would make her kick the front legs up, hitting them high ?

 

[Dr.Lee]

Your shot was probably fine, and your deer was probably dead, just farther into the woods than you went. One: Hit bone when you can, and as one friend says, "Take out their running gear." Like Raythemanroe, I would aim at the off shoulder. Two: If you can put two bullets in the deer, do it. Three: Track the deer until you're too tired to track any more. Follow blood or hoof trail, walk zigzags in the woods, call a deer tracker. If you've got blood, you've bought a deer. You deserve to have a chance to find it before the coyotes do. You have a right to insist, and just don't stop tracking until you are convinced it's over. What would you do if you were a hungry Indian? Do that.

Well put. I didn't insist. I guess he knew his job and I was excited in the moment. I didn't mention before but this took place at about 45 minutes to sundown. Enough light see, identify her as a doe and see my crosshairs. I think that influenced the guides decision. There were 2 other hunters in stands we had to pick up. It was dark by the time the guide came back and we started looking.

Dr.

 

[Raythemanroe]

I always carry a light




Ray

 

[Dr.Lee]

We all had hi powered lights. I was surprised they didn't have one of those blood lights. Not to expensive.

Dr.

 

[Raythemanroe]

I got to get one those blood lights




Ray

 

[Changeling]

Hello Dr. Lee. If every thing went as you say, my best guess would be that your shot grazed the doe slightly in the front chest or nose that made her jump backwards and then leave town without leaving a blood trail.
If there was a good hit in the chest area, I would think an Accubond in that caliber would have driven straight through leaving a nice blood trail, NOT a drop.

 

[CaptainMal]

This is a respnse to some responses.

One of the deer I killed this year was shot through the soulders. It went literally stright up into the air on it's back legs and took off for about 30 yards.

Day or so later I shot another in almot the identical place in the shoulders. That deer went down in the front and went about 20 yards in a lowered, hunched position until it ran into a pine tree and flipped over backwards.

Point is, a "book" may tell you what the animal will do if hit in certain areas. Only problem is the animals don't read the book.

 

[Dr.Lee]

Change, I feel that I probably did graze the chest. I could have placed the bullet too close to the shoulder joint under the armpit, so to speak, and gone in front of the heart, through the brisket.

Dr.

 

[Dr.Lee]

This is a respnse to some responses.

One of the deer I killed this year was shot through the soulders. It went literally stright up into the air on it's back legs and took off for about 30 yards.

Day or so later I shot another in almot the identical place in the shoulders. That deer went down in the front and went about 20 yards in a lowered, hunched position until it ran into a pine tree and flipped over backwards.

Point is, a "book" may tell you what the animal will do if hit in certain areas. Only problem is the animals don't read the book.

That's why they call them no-eye deer !

 

[dan06]

Some times they just don't know that they are dead....... If you call your shot good and if it is an easy shot for you to make.......take the time to look. I have shot a lot of deer that take off just like they were not hit even when they are hurt pretty bad. 4-5 years ago I shot a 7pt 195lb buck that was in the river eating acorns that were on the shore. I shot that deer with my new wiz bang .308 norma mag with a stiff load and hornaday 150 gr sp bullets at about 50 yards. the deer went down instantly then got back up like he wasn't hurt....... jumped the 4' sheer river bank and ran about 90 yards along the river. When I got across to where he was I found that the bullet entered at the back of the rib cage on the right side and broke the deer's front shoulder on the left side and lodged under the hide. I poured out his lungs and his shoulder was a complete loss. He still went 90 yards plus and almost no blood.

 

[varmintshooter]

I feel for you, as you stated not much hunting exp. but a good shooter. As said by others no way we can know for sure but it sounds to me like your guide dropped the ball. As stated by many others things happen, sometimes good sometimes bad. Don't beat yourself up over it but learn from it. If you found blood you hit it and will only know where you hit it when you find it. Buck or doe it doesn't matter. Not much that you can do now but have a better 2015, Happy new year. Don't quit.

 

[nfhjr62]

Had a similar experience several years ago was shooting down hill at about 75 yrds aimed a the area behind the front leg too hit the heart and lungs BUT hit right on his spine at least 12 inches from were i had aimed went down right in his tracks.

 

[Dr.Lee]

I feel for you, as you stated not much hunting exp. but a good shooter. As said by others no way we can know for sure but it sounds to me like your guide dropped the ball. As stated by many others things happen, sometimes good sometimes bad. Don't beat yourself up over it but learn from it. If you found blood you hit it and will only know where you hit it when you find it. Buck or doe it doesn't matter. Not much that you can do now but have a better 2015, Happy new year. Don't quit.

Thanks for the encouragement. It's been 4 weeks since, and I have rolled this around my head everyday. No video tape replay, so I only have my memory to serve me. I remember my crosshair was right behind the shoulder, squeeze was good, but.....
I can't shake the feeling that the guide did in fact "drop the ball". As much as I give him the benefit of the doubt, I still would have liked to walk another 100 yards and see ! Everything came together on this trip, my gear, my state of mind and decisions were on the money except the most important thing... making the shot !
I can admit mistakes and learn from them if I knew what truly happened. But I have to accept that there will be no knowing in this case.
Happy New Year,

Lee

 

[Raythemanroe]

May want to slip over to Kentucky for your next hunt, I heard they are getting some quality deer..



Ray