Flat out lost a good buck

[tek4260]

Been a few weeks since it happened. I was sitting in a new stand opening morning. It is one that I put up last year for handgun only hunting since the longest shot from it would be about 30 yards and the deer would walk directly under it. Well it worked out that way. I had intended to shoot a doe and usually let bucks walk since what I shoot a deer with means more to me than how big it is.

Of course I had my ragged OM Super loaded with some of the Mihec 300 GCHP's over H110. I had a nice 10pt come out about 30 minutes after sunrise and decided to go ahead and take him. He was walking directly to me at about 15 yards and I started to shoot down between his horns and break his neck. I should have. He stopped at about 10 yards and turned to look behind him and I took the center chest shot. At the shot, he jumped what looked like 10 ft straight up kicking his hind legs. When he came down, he trotted within about 6 ft of the stand and turned and looked behind him again. Now I am sitting there all smiles and for some dumb reason(I guess) I decide to shoot him again. He is just far enough out to make a spine or heart shot not look as tempting as the 45 degree and break the offside shoulder shot. Again he jumps eye level to me sitting in the stand. Close enough that I swear I could have leaned forward and touched him. And on the second step after he hit the ground, I sent one more thru at about the back rib and should have come out near the offside shoulder. I waited about 20 minutes which seemed like 2 hours, and climbed down. I found blood within about 10ft of the 2nd and 3rd shot. It turned into good blood after 30 yards. I had a center blood trail on the ground and 2 lines of blood on the grass on either side about knee level. And of course it slowly played out to a drop here and there every 10 feet 5 hours and 1100 yards later. Crossed 3 fences and 2 creeks. The last creek was 10ft deep with steep sides. My BIL and I found blood at the bottom and top of the bank where he crossed. I had hopes of finding him until then, but after 1100 yards and still able to climb a nearly vertical bank, I knew he was gone. I made several large circles through the woods ahead of that bank and looked next to every log I could find and in every little nook and cranny. I even went back the next day and looked and watched for buzzards in the area.

I still don't know what went wrong. The only thing that I keep coming back to is the fact that I shot 3 times, or even twice for that matter. Every other deer has been 1 shot(except 1st handgun deer). Even though they ran out of sight, I never shot more than once. I think that if I had let him be after that 1st shot he would have eased off somewhere and died close. Maybe even right in front of the stand. Those other shots got his adrenaline up and gave him whatever it took to make it that far away. Still sick about losing one, especially a good one. Of course I had to check the sights. Dead on. Maybe I should leave the 44 at home and take something a bit bigger, and only shoot once when I know the first shot was good.

[Piedmont]

I don't think extra shots helped him get away. Taking those shots was smart. He probably wasn't hit very well or he wouldn't have made it over 1100 yards.

Isn't it funny that we all know you used enough gun so there is no point going to something like a .475, but had you used a .357 many would be blaming that pipsqueak round. Stuff happens and since we don't have the carcass it will remain a mystery.

[subsonic]

Sorry to hear it went down like that. You would think that if any of those shots landed well, he'd have died within minutes. I think you did the right thing shooting again, but without a deer to examine, we'll never know for sure.

Strange. After my adventure with the .475, I don't think "bigger" would have been a lot of help.

[subsonic]

Odd that I hadn't read the previous reply, but we both said the same stuff!

[tek4260]

Well, I know I didn't break a major bone with any shots other than maybe the offside shoulder so I didn't get the "shock". Just funny that on the first and second shot he jumped high and was kicking like a heart shot deer should. I just knew I had him.

I guess I need to realize that I have to be surgical. My "right behind the shoulder, mid way up and down the body" won't work with a handgun. No matter how fast I push whatever weight, including weather or not it is a HP(I really thought that would help).

Just funny how everyone else seems to report the "bang flop" with something like a 250 cast at 850. I don't seem to be so lucky.

[waksupi]

The deer was laying dead in a fifty yard circle of the last blood you found.

You had plenty gun.

[Matthew 25]

That's a crapper and I know your heart aches a little. I think you did right all the way around. Taking the extra shots is only a good idea. I know you'd feel bad if you only took one shot, passed up a couple more, then lost him...you'd kick yourself. Taking all legitimate shots and tracking as well as you can, even returning the next day...this is all you can do. I wouldn't accept any criticism on your actions, sometimes the chips don't fall in your favor.

[Lloyd Smale]

my thoughts exactly. Im sure the rest of the blood he was carrying is inside the body cavity. Bleading stopped when the heart was slowing down to stop.
The deer was laying dead in a fifty yard circle of the last blood you found.

You had plenty gun.

[44man]

I giggle a lot every time someone says deer are easy to kill!
They are even harder to find and is why I always want two holes in them.
I feel the pain, been there done that many times and there is just nothing you can do. I have wanted a tracking dog a few times.

[Chief RID]

Tough deal. hang in there. It happens to all of us sooner or later if we hunt hard enough. Especially those of us who take up the challenge of limiting our success by using handgun or bow.

[BD]

I'm with Ric on this one. 1100 yards and bleeding out all the way, the end of that blood trail was the end of that bucks blood pressure. He should of been down very close to that spot.
It's always hard to loose an animal that you're sure was well hit.
BD

[waksupi]

It is amazing how hard it can be to spot a downed deer. They blend in so well with the ground cover in the fall, that I have walked by them less than five yards away several times before finally spotting them.

[Lloyd Smale]

what amazes me is when we do crop damage shooting in potatoe fields. The mounds are about a foot tall and the plants are about another foot. You can shoot a deer in the potatoes and know right about where it fell and spend hours finding it. They just flat disapear in there. We allways try to shoot them before then get into the plants but it allways doesnt work that way. I even was dumb enough to buy one of those heat seaking game finders. It was at a close out at gander mountian for 150 bucks and was regularly 350. I thought that if it retailed for 350 bucks it ought to do something. Well what i found out was why it was on the clearance table. Only time ive got it to register is after ive tripped over the deer and pointed it right at it laying on the ground.

[44man]

Yeah, I have one and was painting some brush. I got a heat reading and did not see anything. Soon a doe walked out so it did show her.
But I have not found a dead deer with it. Trees and stuff hold heat from the sun. If you look at every heat source, you will be walking a hundred miles!

[btroj]

I have only lost one deer. It irritated me to no end.
Sometimes things just happen.

I had wondered aout the "IR game finder" devices. My bet is that a truly workable and usable one would be in the multiple thousand dollar range. Maybe we need to have a police helicopter help us?

[kbstenberg]

After a smiler incident, I decided not to stop shooting till the animal is not kicking.

[Larry Gibson]

tek4260

I feel for you as I lost a deer once also......not a good feeling at all. Analyzing the shots from your description the 1st shot was to far back and probably was a gut shot. The point of aim and the angle of the shot plus the kicking of the legs all are good indications. The 2nd shot, ( 45 degree and break the offside shoulder shot) from the elevated stand probably just cut meat and did not enter the chest cavity. The 3rd shot was also too far back and probably barely cut one lobe of the lung and obviously missed the offside shoulder.

With angled shots (up down or raking) shooting at the off side shoulder many times results in missing the vital area. Also down shots are also deceptive. Years ago, after losing that deer, I switched to envisioning the heart as it lies low in the chest between the legs as a large cantelope or a soccor ball. Put the bullet through the cantelope/soccor ball regardless of the angle and you won't lose a deer. Your 3 shots went all around the cantelope/soccor ball without hitting anything imediately vital. As mentioned that deer may very well be within 50 yards of the last blood sign. The gut shot will be fatal if it was gut shot. the other two wounds could be survivable if the deer is in good condition, the winter not too hard and coyotees don't get him.

Again, I feel for you becuase I've been there. Just rethink your bullet placement for future hunts.

Larry Gibson

[jh45gun]

Next time take a dog if you do not own one get a friend to help you that does. A dog will find it when you cannot.

[Ernest]

You must not beat ;yourself up. If you hunt enough you will have an animal get away from you. I've been there done that and got the t- shirt. Personally I am convinced that Murphy was a great optimist. You did every thing you could do.

It is simply amazing how far a deer can go with one lung destroyed by a bullet that goes through; and through high to low. As long as they have one functioning lung and the heart or great vessels are not rupture they can travel great distances.

[jh45gun]

I giggle a lot every time someone says deer are easy to kill!
They are even harder to find and is why I always want two holes in them.
I feel the pain, been there done that many times and there is just nothing you can do. I have wanted a tracking dog a few times.

Deer are easy to kill a well placed 22 LR will do it just fine but like any thing its all bullet placement and not every deer is the same some with a heart shot will run over a 100 yards others drop right there. Finding them is an other story some are easy to find with good blood trails others are not so great. I do not hunt from trees I do not like the angles I prefer shooting from the ground. If you got to look for a deer at night forget the flashlights use a coleman lantern it shows a lot more ground and gives out a lot more light. Cannot find a deer you know you hit then do as I suggested get a dog on the trail.

[tek4260]

tek4260

Analyzing the shots from your description the 1st shot was to far back and probably was a gut shot. The point of aim and the angle of the shot plus the kicking of the legs all are good indications. The 2nd shot, ( 45 degree and break the offside shoulder shot) from the elevated stand probably just cut meat and did not enter the chest cavity. The 3rd shot was also too far back and probably barely cut one lobe of the lung and obviously missed the offside shoulder.


Larry Gibson

The first shot was a center chest shot. He was heading directly to me. None of the shots were gut shots, though I am sure the first shot got into the guts after passing through, between, or magically around the lungs :)

The final few hours looking was making circles around the last blood and slowly working out, so I doubt he fell within 50 yards of the last blood.

One of the guys at the camp was hunting this afternoon in the area and said he jumped a monster 10 pt. Wishful thinking to believe it is him......... Regardless I hunted the area hoping he would come out. I've shot a few deer over the years that were pretty poor from being shot earlier in the season, but still making it.