Tuesday deer, bad hit.

[44man]

Bad spot and very thick with cedar trees. I had a doe come in behind me in a short step to thick. I had the red dot on and hammer back but had to make a slow turn to get on her. I thought I was in the center of her chest as she seen my movements and looked up. Now or never, I let the .500 JRH go. She reversed and bolted, I heard brush breaking and seen a deer run left, just a glimpse. I walked every trail with no blood at all. Of course I was looking left. My neighbor came and we were talking, I looked down and was standing on leaves with blood. We tracked her and she went to the right, the deer I seen was a different deer. We got to fallen logs and knew she would lay up at one. We seen her at the side of one but she got up, went over the log and was falling as she ran, I could not get the revolver on her before she went into a gully. I found only one spot of blood and my neighbor had to leave for a funeral.
I followed scuffed up leaves and found her. But my knife and drag was at the stand in my pack. I walked the gully out, across a flat and came out at my other stand. I got the pack and Polaris to that stand.
I went back and gutted. I had hit left of her shoulder, through the guts and back out and into the knee at the rear leg, destroyed it. There was a huge pile of guts blocking both holes. Long drag with the sun blinding me and I got off course, could not find the trail or Polaris. I left the deer to find it and got turned around. I knew where I was then and went back.
Now I could not find the deer again. I went to where I came out of the gully to follow my drag but it petered out too.
Then I tripped and banged my heel on a rock so I was limping. Finally I went more right and walked up on my deer. I took her to the trail and wound up at the stand I shot from. Now to hobble back to my Polaris. She was larger then I thought and I busted a gut to load her, figure at least 175#. I figure I dragged her 300 yards.
I stopped at the house where I hunt and the lady came Wed morning to cut and wrap. I gave her the deer. I skinned and cut so she could bone it out. It took her 4 hours.
A friend came to shoot some and I checked mine, hit the bullseye so it was me that shot bad.
Crazy day, lose a deer, find it and lose it again.
She was full of corn and when I was skinning chunks of bone fell out of the leg so I just cut it off. Ham was still OK. Just lost some stew meat.
I did not take pictures. Ashamed at a bad hit. Yet hard work recovered the meat.

[badge176]

I applaud your honesty and determination

[taco650]

Don't beat yourself up too much. Every deer hunter, including me, makes mistakes that end up causing more work for ourselves. Glad you got the deer out and made the best of it. Also sounds like the JHR did its job pretty well.

[Blammer]

Makes for the adventure for sure!

Some times it's good to get out of routine. :)

[clintsfolly]

Been there do it too!

[gunauthor]

Now you've got a good story to tell

[Jpholla]

To tattle on myself a little, I missed a deer for the first time this year due to hitting a sapling which was about 17 yards away from me. At least it completely missed the deer...

[thegatman]

I wish I could see a deer.

[44man]

Thanks fellas, I feel bad about a bad hit but i never give up when the trigger is pulled. We can fail so don't feel bad as long as you did your best.

[petroid]

Everyone screws up a shot at some point, I know I have. It is a true sportsman and ethical hunter that follows up a wounded animal and makes every attempt to recover it. Don't beat yourself up about the shot. Hold your head high that you put in the hard work to make up for it.

[MBTcustom]

Thatsort of thing NEVER happens to me. [smilie=1:
Good on you for getting it done.

[jmort]

"...I never give up when the trigger is pulled."

The right way

[Duster340]

A less ethical hunter would have given up. You did good.

[44man]

More thanks to all. I would hunt with any of you.

[Indiana shooter]

Great job for following through. As sportsman we all strive for an ethical kill but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way.

I have hunted for 23 years, killed at least a hundred deer, and failed to recover less than 5. During this years archery season I failed to make a good shot on a doe at 50 yards(I practice at much longer ranges but 55 yards is my self imposed limit) The doe was quartering away I settled the pin and let 'er fly. The arrow struck the deer right where I wanted.

Long story short, I misjudged the angle and gut shot the deer. I tracked the deer for several hours before finding her.

We can't always make clean shots but our actions after the realization that we made a bad shot (knowing the difficulty of recovering a poorly shot deer) is what makes us sportsman.

[Ramjet-SS]

Great to share the harvest.

Even the best shots can have issues like fat or guts plugging the holes but you did exactly what teach my son to do; follow,the tracks the best you can look ahead and do not forget thier trails they do not and I stinctevly follow them even when wounded.

[UBER7MM]

You did the right thing. Bravo!

[Thumbcocker]

You did what you had to do to recover a lot of meat for someone who will appreciate it. You are welcome at my fire or in my woods any time.

[monge]

Always amazes me how a twig could deflect a shot.had it happen to me this year clean miss at 50yards ,no blood found were the shot cut a sapling and hit the ground.you are not alone bad feeling thank god it ended well!

[gtgeorge]

It happens to us all. I didn't think it would to me but once it did it happened several times before I got back on track. Seeing a second deer run the opposite way got me good for one I zeroed on with the .223 between the eyes and squeezed the trigger. It was thick but I could see the head clearly as she turned her head at 60 yards to nibble an itch on the hind quarters. When I squeezed the trigger I was in shock when I seen her run and break right. Ended up putting her down with a shot behind the shoulders at 80-85 yards and while texting my wife I broke the AR curse but missed the first shot I saw another at 100 yards and dropped her with a 10 yard dash only. When I got down I had 3 deer lined up at 60 85 and 100 yards. Reviewing the camera I had on the rifle showed the head shot was perfect and dropped like a rock but there was another deer hidden by the large pine right beside that. It looked like the same deer running off as the shot broke. Only reason I saw the first one was I smelled the poo when it left it's droppings out in front of me :(. Anyhow it is easy to mistake the deer shot with another if you don't see the other first when hunting the thick stuff.

[Ernest]

Been there done that and got the sore back from dragging a deer a looong way . If you hunt enough you will have bloopers and out takes. Don't beat yourself up. You did everything the way it should be done.

Last season I shot a doe that only ran about 35 yrds and I had to get a friend to help me find her. She was just quite a bit further away than I thought when I shot her and I just didn't range out far enough looking for her.

[sixshot]

No body was born doing what we do, there's always a chance something can go wrong when hunting any game animal. I don't see where you made a bad shot, it just wasn't a perfect shot, whats perfect in the hunting world? You nailed it with that baby rocket launcher of yours & recovered it, I'd say you did just fine, even if you did bang your head on a rock. Good of you to give the deer to the lady!

Dick

[Hickok]

44man, from one ol' WV hunter to another, "been there and done that!" Glad you found her. I have crawled on hands and knees slowly turning over leaves and twigs at times looking for blood. Like you, I keep after 'em!

[44man]

You are proven friends. A secret for all is a Coleman fishing lantern. It is HOT when on your knees but will show blood best of all. I always get one or have one and crawling until 1 in the morning for a deer has been done.
If you think you hit, never give up. I have been lost in the forest after finding my deer and the compass saved me.
I can get lost where I hunt because it grows more each year so shining a light is silly. You see a wall of brush. Even though I know every inch, I get turned but soon I am in a place I know. Keep your head because tracking can get you lost.

[Hickok]

You are proven friends. A secret for all is a Coleman fishing lantern. It is HOT when on your knees but will show blood best of all. I always get one or have one and crawling until 1 in the morning for a deer has been done.
If you think you hit, never give up. I have been lost in the forest after finding my deer and the compass saved me.
I can get lost where I hunt because it grows more each year so shining a light is silly. You see a wall of brush. Even though I know every inch, I get turned but soon I am in a place I know. Keep your head because tracking can get you lost.Sage advice!

And don't take anyone with you that will walk directly on the blood trail, or where you think the deer has walked, because they kick up the leaves and disturb the trail.

I also have taken tissue paper with me and marked every little speck of blood as I crawl along on my knees. I can then look back and sometimes predict which way the deer may be heading by the "paper trail" I have laid down. It has helped me more than once when the trail went cold.

Sometimes when the deer is "bleed out" the trail ends, and they are about 20 or 30 yards ahead lying dead.

[ZippyHillbilly]

44man, from one ol' WV hunter to another, "been there and done that!" Glad you found her. I have crawled on hands and knees slowly turning over leaves and twigs at times looking for blood. Like you, I keep after 'em! Got that right! One hillbilly to another

[missionary5155]

Good morning 44
Fine story and well done. This is sure one case where enough gun was certainly a help.
It sure do go crazy sometimes. Happily your's ended well.
Mike in Peru

[missionary5155]

Sage advice!

And don't take anyone with you that will walk directly on the blood trail, or where you think the deer has walked, because they kick up the leaves and disturb the trail.

I also have taken tissue paper with me and marked every little speck of blood as I crawl along on my knees. I can then look back and sometimes predict which way the deer may be heading by the "paper trail" I have laid down. It has helped me more than once when the trail went cold.

Sometimes when the deer is "bleed out" the trail ends, and they are about 20 or 30 yards ahead lying dead.

Used to use tissue.. Now use that bright orange plastic "ribbon". Will not get lost in snow and rain does not "melt" it. Can be seen a long ways back trailing and deciffering the "path".
Mike in Peru

[Smoke4320]

Used to use tissue.. Now use that bright orange plastic "ribbon". Will not get lost in snow and rain does not "melt" it. Can be seen a long ways back trailing and deciffering the "path".
Mike in Peru

Orange landscaping tape.. Just like electrical tape rolls just not sticky.. easy to carry in a pack..
Your right great help and super easy to find and follow

[44man]

Sage advice!

And don't take anyone with you that will walk directly on the blood trail, or where you think the deer has walked, because they kick up the leaves and disturb the trail.

I also have taken tissue paper with me and marked every little speck of blood as I crawl along on my knees. I can then look back and sometimes predict which way the deer may be heading by the "paper trail" I have laid down. It has helped me more than once when the trail went cold.

Sometimes when the deer is "bleed out" the trail ends, and they are about 20 or 30 yards ahead lying dead.
Exactly, never walk on the trail. Sometimes a deer will give a jump at the last and be off the trail to the side. Last blood, look around.
Tissue is a great thing and it goes away fast. Ribbons of plastic should not be used unless you remove them or it will screw you up next time. I don't want to see them all through the woods when a deer went the other way. I hate to track a hit because most deer fall at the shot but stuff happens. I stop and look as hard as I can once the trigger is pulled. I love a clean miss over a cripple any day. If you think you hit, never give up.
Once I made a bad bow hit on a deer at last light. I could not find blood but it was cold out. I went home and went back in first light. I found the trail and heard crows so I went there to find my deer. Still good and not bloated. If it is warm, you must find the deer as fast as you can.

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

There are two kinds of hunters, those who've made bad shots and those who will. I've made some really good shots and I've made some that would make an honest man blush with shame.:oops:

You know it's funny how sometimes the perfect shot will result in no blood trail and a difficult time with recovery. And sometimes a bad shot just hits the right spot and ends in great success. I remember one of the worst shots I ever made with a bow. I hit the deer high and way too far back. I thought, I am never going to see that deer again. He went 60 yards and piled up in sight. Yesterday my son shot a buck and made a perfect broadside shot. The deer only ran about 50 yards and the bullet worked flawlessly. Double lunged with a nice sized exit hole, but almost no blood trail. In the cover we were in, we were lucky to find him. You just never know.

[waksupi]

Exactly, never walk on the trail. Sometimes a deer will give a jump at the last and be off the trail to the side. Last blood, look around.


Most don't know this. Usually when you find the last spot of blood, the deer will start to make a circle, and will be laying within 50 yards of the last sign. It is surprising how hard they are to see at times. I had one that I walked around for nearly a half hour before I spotted it, and it was pretty much in plain view, laying in a small depression.

[44man]

Most don't know this. Usually when you find the last spot of blood, the deer will start to make a circle, and will be laying within 50 yards of the last sign. It is surprising how hard they are to see at times. I had one that I walked around for nearly a half hour before I spotted it, and it was pretty much in plain view, laying in a small depression.
Yes and a deer can make a last leap to be 10 yards off the trail and you don't see it. It is very hard at night. I have a blood hunter light but can't say it is better then a lantern.

[cherokeetracker]

I admire the perseverance. This can be a hard lesson, Tracking under adverse conditions. But it sounds like an experienced "Hunter" was on the trail. Excellent work.

[44man]

I have had bad experiences. Both in the PA forest. A friend hit a deer with his bow. We tracked but it was warm so we took off extra clothing and our compasses were there. We went through swamps for a long way to lose blood. We were lost but I seen water running, knew where it came from. I followed it up to the road. But the others wanted to back track, not going to happen. Black as it could get but I sat at the road for a long time until they got to me. Then to find our clothes and bows. Worked out in the end.
The next is when I shot a deer and had to track. Carol was with me when I found it. I started to drag and said, "doesn't look right." I had the compass and was only 30 yards off the road.
Getting lost tracking will happen.
I shot a deer in ML season in PA and drug the deer up steep hills to find a food plot, left her. I followed the wrong creek branch. I found a cabin with hunters, asked if they knew where my truck was. They helped get the deer out and drove me to my truck. Real sportsmen that I will never forget.
It has been an adventure for sure but I have met wonderful people.