Wound locations and blood trails

[cayugad]

I often read a lot of posts where people claim there is no blood trail or a very poor one at best. Since we have hundreds of confirmed kills on this board among our members, there is good information to be obtained.

What part of the body do you try to punch a hole through? Do you try and break the animal down? Do you always worry about complete pass through? Have you shot an animal in one part of the body that should have given a blood trail and did not? What was the most puzzling shot you ever made reference a wound channel?

I personally like a broadside or slight quartering away shot. I like to shoot and try and blow off the top of the heart while still hitting lungs. If I can break them down I still like to shoot through the vitals but hit the off side shoulder.

One deer I remember plain. Broadside shot, easy actually. .54 caliber roundball, 40 yards away. I took a good bead from the tree stand I was in and fired. The deer acted like it was not even hit other then leaving fast. After the smoke cleared, I climbed down to check the shot. I found two small spots of blood on the side of a tree and the marks in the soft mud where the deer turned and accelerated to make its escape.

I followed tracks for about 20 yards and finally found some blood on the bushes by the track. Another 10 yards, and a pretty good accumulation of blood was found but nothing of what I call tracking blood. Looking up I could see the white belly of the deer where it was under a downed balsam tree 10 yards further. It had been shot through both lungs... This one really had me going.

What about you.. hunting time coming, and the stories should be fresh in our minds again..

[nysbowhunter]

I used to try to put the bullet or arrow right behind the shoulder and not quite halfway up the body but I have killed enough to know that the higher up in the vitals the poorer the blood trailmight be. What I mean is the same shot a little lower seems to leak more blood. My firstbow kill was a perfect double lung shot and I saw her fall and its a good thing because after I recovered the deer I went to follow the trail and therewas no, I mean not a drop of blood on the ground from the arrow for 50 yards where she piled up. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said hit the opposite shoulder on a quartering away shot. In fact I aim for the opposite side of every deer I shoot, it forces me to pick a spot. But please too anyone who reads this I have have found deer for myself and other hunters that "missed". Half a day on your hands and knees is no fun but it beats the long walk back to the truck with that horrible feeling in your gut. D.

[lemoyne]

I always try to hit the arteries over the top of the heart;so far I have taken 4 deer this year all with a bow and hit that spot every time so far and got a good blood trail but none of them went over 40yds any way.That makes 106 with a bow and 29 with a gun and I do aim for the same spot with a gun and have had really good results;hiting them in the right spot makes all the differance. Lee

[nchawkeye]

Where our farms are in NC...If its not a crop field its usually swamp land or a cutover...With a firearm I usually put the bullet through the shoulder blade so they drop right there....I have had some long tracking jobs with lung shot deer with muzzleloaders. Guess I'm getting lazy in my old age...

[kkeiser]

My first deer, 4 years ago I took a shoulder shot, knew I hit him hard right were I wanted. 12 guage w/ slug here in Ohio ,before I had by smoke pole.

You would be amazed at how fast a dear can move with one leg completely detached. Pushed him out of some water 2 hrs after the shot and lost him not to find him until 3 days later after the coyotes got to him. That's the type of day that makes you mad and alittle sad....

I now go for heart / lung shot with both my bow and guns.

[Rebel Hog]

ORIGINAL: cayugad

I personally like a broadside or slight quartering away shot. I like to shoot and try and blow off the top of the heart while still hitting lungs. If I can break them down I still like to shoot through the vitals but hit the off side shoulder.

Same here!

[Triple Se7en]

Click on the deer that's in thislink below to reveal what's inside & where.

This may help those who wonder why they failconstantly at pass-thrus with 120-150 grains. May help others understand why it's better to aim below the half-way point versus higher for blood trails. Click on the Shooter Forum/Messageboard for access to 10-15 free target design-downloads.

http://www.tnoutdoorsmen.com/killzone.htm


Thompson Center Arms -- Triple Se7en Powder -- Buffalo Bullet Co.

[cayugad]

That is an interesting site.. thanks for the link. Some rather funny things that deer can do!

[BOWHUNTER818]

Me personaly i like the shoulder. Knock them out you have a dead deer

[skeeter 7MM]

I like the lower 3rd where the heart and lungs sit on a broadside, as well as the 1/4 away through the upper lungs and scapula on the opposite side. Though as mentioned the higher vitals leaves less blood on the ground but I haven't ever had a real long track job when the scapula and both lungs are hit. When hunting with the smokepole and getting a hit, I don't sit and reload instead I keep my eye on where I saw the animal last and walk to that point immediately, once there I reload and listen. Ihavenever lost an animal with a ML, knock on wood!

Weakest one was a mule deer buck at 50 yards or so, past 1/4 away by the time I got the bead on him, shot felt good and heard the whap of a hit. However never found a spec of blood at the hit area but did find clumps of hair, little further found some pin sized blood on some branches and then nothing so I just picked where I thought he might go but nothing. I stopped to re-evaluate and spun where I saw him piled up only 20 yards from where I was, he maybe went 75 yards total. The bullet entered in at the diaphram took out the liver, lung and scapula but didn't exit. Entrance hole was completely plugged, cavity filled with blood, the only blood being dropped was from his nose and/or mouth. As I walked backout I noticed blood up high on the branches of the path he took, still spotty but had I been looking more up then straight down I may have seen it??