Since you always get to hear about the one that was shot I thought I would start this thread. Although I have never actually seen it practiced it's always been my understanding that when a hunter returns to camp with a story of how he missed his deer that the company in camp would cut off his shirt tail. Hence the title of this thread. Well, I'm down one shirt tail myself this morning. I had what I believe to be a doe come in front of me but the light was not enough to locate the deer in my scope. I had to let her pass. Right after, what I believe to be another doe came in front of me. Same situation. I couldn't find her in my scope. Again, shortly after that another deer is coming. This time I hear the faint sound of grunting. Here he comes right in front of me. Just as he passes and at about 20 yards I center him in my scope. Yep, I could see this one. And as I placed him in the center of the scope I saw a nice rack also. I believe it was one of the 8 points I had been filming this year. I was having a hard time seeing the cross hairs so with him centered in the scope at 20 yards I fired. I sat in the stand for 50 minutes wondering if the 245 grain Powerbelts reviews were going to pan out for me or if I would have a deer down not far away. I wasn't sure if I had connected because the smoke cloud had obscured my view, But I couldn't see how I could have missed. I wanted to wait an hour but after 50 minutes I couldn't stand it anymore. Twenty yards away all I could find was hair. Not a drop of blood to be seen anywhere. In with the hair was a strip of hair with skin attatched about 2 inches long and 1/8" wide. I spent the next 2 hours combing an area about 100 yards by 5o yards in search of the deer in case the Powerbelt had failed to pass through. I am as confident as I can be that deer has nothing more than a future scar to blame on me.
I agree that a little extra looking would be in order, but from the description of the "strip of skin", it sounds like you just gave him a surface scar.
I thought maybe you had done what I did 2 years ago - followed the deer walking past in my scope and didn't see the tree trunk coming.
Fortunately, my buddies had mercy on me and didn't cut the tail off my brand-new microfiber shirt.
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Thanks, Dad, for taking time with me.
I was raised to give all effort toward retrieving game at all times. I believe I have given 100 percent towards the retrieval of this particular animal and I am certain he still lives. Also, I have never knowingly, or unknowingly for that matter, shot at or harvested a deer outside the boundries of the law.
If you are satisfied that you did all you could in your attempt to recover that deer, then I guess you are sure of what happened and nothing need more be done.
What color hair was it. If it was the brown outer hair, you must have hit solid. If it was the white under belly, then you might have just shot under it. These deer can go a long way before dropping blood. Especially if due to the close range that powerbelt entered, expanded, and then did not pass through. One hole just don't bleed as well as two holes.
All I will say is... I hunted with a friend that had the same thing basically happen to him. He shot, and looked most of the morning. Then he called me over. We found brown outer hair and no blood. He decided, he tracked it best he could. While upset with "missing" he finally decided to go home for the day as he worked later that early evening. I worked his stand for over four hours and found his deer later that afternoon almost three hundred yards from the stand. He had shot further back then he should. A liver shot I would have called it.
Perhaps you will have better luck in the next one you shoot at.
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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, a total wreck, screaming Yahoo, with a big smile on your face."
Pluckit, I am not meaning to imply that you did not give it all you had. It's just that the one deer I shot with a powerbelt I had a hard time finding. There was no blood at all and I did not even find the hair. I went to where the deer was when I shot and I noticed that it was dragging some leaves with one of its front legs. I followed the trail of the pattern of dragged leaves. After I got close to the river, ( about 150 yards) I finally saw blood. Then about 20 yards further there she was deader than a doornail. All I am saying is that you don't always have a blood trail to follow.
Art
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"Just because you're paranoid it doesn't mean everyone is not out to get you"
OK. I went 100 yards in the direction the deer went. That took me to the site of my old stand. I shouldn't have even been there as per the owner, any farther and I would have been on the neighbors property. Jeez, you guys act like I don't know what I'm doing. This thread wasn't started for you to harras, ridicule or critisize the effort I put forth in trying to find a deer I was certain had only been grazed. I put a lot of effort into trying to find a deer I was sure had run to the next county by the time I had gotten out of my stand. This thread was started for people to tell their story of the one that got away. My mistake I guess.
For shirt tails only.
