Big Ohio Buck During Rut
11-26-2015, 03:36 PM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 52
Big Ohio Buck During Rut
During our annual rut vacation my buddy was able to get his personal best on the ground! The rut activity this year was pretty sporadic, but we had a couple good encounters. The warm weather has been killing us! Thankfully there were some cold(ish) mornings! This buck field dressed at 210, we figure he was a 4.5 year old. Now I just hope I can get one!
Hope you enjoy the video!
Hope you enjoy the video!
11-27-2015, 03:32 AM
#2
Super Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Trumbull County, Ohio
Posts: 9,520
Good lesson here folks, if you think you made a good shot, but don't have blood/lose blood, keep on the trail. I double lunged a doe 2 years ago that I just knew was a perfect shot, but no blood. My arrow was covered in good lung blood, but nothing on her trail. She went about 65 yards through some thick stuff and I found her by making a grid search. Even where she was laying there was about a 2" spot of blood under her and that's all. Her chest cavity was full but for some reason no blood on the trail. Good video, thanks for sharing!
-Jake
-Jake
11-27-2015, 06:40 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location:
Posts: 2,186
Ditto Bocajnala. What I have seen in most cases have been guys not knowing what to look for or guys thinking that the deer should have dropped on the spot and when it did not figure that they missed or guys giving up too soon. Reaction to a shot can often (but not always) give a good idea of where the deer is hit.
One that humps up and walks out , tail down, is very likely a gut or liver hit. One that kicks its hind legs high in the air and then hauls tail is usually an indication of a good placement. One that runs out with a front end limp usually indicates a shoulder shot and if high enough the deer will be done in very short order. One that drops like hit in the head with a hammer ..... you better rack in another round a stay on it. I have had deer do exactly this when hit above the spine and once the initial "shock" subsided, stood up. If it can gather its senses, it is probably a bye-bye deer !
There are some tricks I have learned in looking for blood. Down my way, it does not take long for what I call "ground" spiders and Granddaddy Long Legs to find the blood. They will get on even the smallest amounts. Clear, bloody fluid almost always is a gut shot. This fluid will usally have an acrid scent. So is a lot of white hair. If you have these, mark it and back off and come back much later. Dark, dark blood (almost purple) is usually a liver hit. I'll back out for a couple hours if I see this. Bright red (almost red/orange) blood is usually a good sign that the deer has been punched though the engine room. Foamy blood .... clearly a lung hit. What you do not want to see is dark drops of blood immediately and after 75 yardsm or so, almost nothing followed by 100's of yards of a drop here and a drop there. In my experience that tells me that my shot probaly grazed a leg or birsket and tere is not going to be a recovery.
I have found that hit deer will very often head back to where they came from. And many times I have seen them make a near 90 deg. turn as the it seccumbs to blood or oxygen loss. As mentioned in the youtube, it is often the case that the chest cavity will fill up with blood before much blood leaks out. So watch the deer for as long as you can. When you track, stay calm. I do a heck of a lot better tracking others' deer than I do my own because I am always so anxious about finding the one I shot !!
Use a compass to make note of the direction the deer was headed the last time you saw it and try to recall any land marks at the spot it dissapeared. And if you have found blood then later lost the trail, mark the last spot and start an organized grid search. This has been made a whole lot easier to accomplish using a GPS unit or phone app that can show you the "track" that you have covered.
And (I cannot help myself) if your state allows it, get your hands on a blood trailing dog. I cannot stress enough how much help a good blood trailer is in the efforts to recover a downed deer.
One that humps up and walks out , tail down, is very likely a gut or liver hit. One that kicks its hind legs high in the air and then hauls tail is usually an indication of a good placement. One that runs out with a front end limp usually indicates a shoulder shot and if high enough the deer will be done in very short order. One that drops like hit in the head with a hammer ..... you better rack in another round a stay on it. I have had deer do exactly this when hit above the spine and once the initial "shock" subsided, stood up. If it can gather its senses, it is probably a bye-bye deer !
There are some tricks I have learned in looking for blood. Down my way, it does not take long for what I call "ground" spiders and Granddaddy Long Legs to find the blood. They will get on even the smallest amounts. Clear, bloody fluid almost always is a gut shot. This fluid will usally have an acrid scent. So is a lot of white hair. If you have these, mark it and back off and come back much later. Dark, dark blood (almost purple) is usually a liver hit. I'll back out for a couple hours if I see this. Bright red (almost red/orange) blood is usually a good sign that the deer has been punched though the engine room. Foamy blood .... clearly a lung hit. What you do not want to see is dark drops of blood immediately and after 75 yardsm or so, almost nothing followed by 100's of yards of a drop here and a drop there. In my experience that tells me that my shot probaly grazed a leg or birsket and tere is not going to be a recovery.
I have found that hit deer will very often head back to where they came from. And many times I have seen them make a near 90 deg. turn as the it seccumbs to blood or oxygen loss. As mentioned in the youtube, it is often the case that the chest cavity will fill up with blood before much blood leaks out. So watch the deer for as long as you can. When you track, stay calm. I do a heck of a lot better tracking others' deer than I do my own because I am always so anxious about finding the one I shot !!
Use a compass to make note of the direction the deer was headed the last time you saw it and try to recall any land marks at the spot it dissapeared. And if you have found blood then later lost the trail, mark the last spot and start an organized grid search. This has been made a whole lot easier to accomplish using a GPS unit or phone app that can show you the "track" that you have covered.
And (I cannot help myself) if your state allows it, get your hands on a blood trailing dog. I cannot stress enough how much help a good blood trailer is in the efforts to recover a downed deer.
12-01-2015, 06:00 PM
#4
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 52
Ditto Bocajnala. What I have seen in most cases have been guys not knowing what to look for or guys thinking that the deer should have dropped on the spot and when it did not figure that they missed or guys giving up too soon. Reaction to a shot can often (but not always) give a good idea of where the deer is hit.
One that humps up and walks out , tail down, is very likely a gut or liver hit. One that kicks its hind legs high in the air and then hauls tail is usually an indication of a good placement. One that runs out with a front end limp usually indicates a shoulder shot and if high enough the deer will be done in very short order. One that drops like hit in the head with a hammer ..... you better rack in another round a stay on it. I have had deer do exactly this when hit above the spine and once the initial "shock" subsided, stood up. If it can gather its senses, it is probably a bye-bye deer !
There are some tricks I have learned in looking for blood. Down my way, it does not take long for what I call "ground" spiders and Granddaddy Long Legs to find the blood. They will get on even the smallest amounts. Clear, bloody fluid almost always is a gut shot. This fluid will usally have an acrid scent. So is a lot of white hair. If you have these, mark it and back off and come back much later. Dark, dark blood (almost purple) is usually a liver hit. I'll back out for a couple hours if I see this. Bright red (almost red/orange) blood is usually a good sign that the deer has been punched though the engine room. Foamy blood .... clearly a lung hit. What you do not want to see is dark drops of blood immediately and after 75 yardsm or so, almost nothing followed by 100's of yards of a drop here and a drop there. In my experience that tells me that my shot probaly grazed a leg or birsket and tere is not going to be a recovery.
I have found that hit deer will very often head back to where they came from. And many times I have seen them make a near 90 deg. turn as the it seccumbs to blood or oxygen loss. As mentioned in the youtube, it is often the case that the chest cavity will fill up with blood before much blood leaks out. So watch the deer for as long as you can. When you track, stay calm. I do a heck of a lot better tracking others' deer than I do my own because I am always so anxious about finding the one I shot !!
Use a compass to make note of the direction the deer was headed the last time you saw it and try to recall any land marks at the spot it disappeared. And if you have found blood then later lost the trail, mark the last spot and start an organized grid search. This has been made a whole lot easier to accomplish using a GPS unit or phone app that can show you the "track" that you have covered.
And (I cannot help myself) if your state allows it, get your hands on a blood trailing dog. I cannot stress enough how much help a good blood trailer is in the efforts to recover a downed deer.
One that humps up and walks out , tail down, is very likely a gut or liver hit. One that kicks its hind legs high in the air and then hauls tail is usually an indication of a good placement. One that runs out with a front end limp usually indicates a shoulder shot and if high enough the deer will be done in very short order. One that drops like hit in the head with a hammer ..... you better rack in another round a stay on it. I have had deer do exactly this when hit above the spine and once the initial "shock" subsided, stood up. If it can gather its senses, it is probably a bye-bye deer !
There are some tricks I have learned in looking for blood. Down my way, it does not take long for what I call "ground" spiders and Granddaddy Long Legs to find the blood. They will get on even the smallest amounts. Clear, bloody fluid almost always is a gut shot. This fluid will usally have an acrid scent. So is a lot of white hair. If you have these, mark it and back off and come back much later. Dark, dark blood (almost purple) is usually a liver hit. I'll back out for a couple hours if I see this. Bright red (almost red/orange) blood is usually a good sign that the deer has been punched though the engine room. Foamy blood .... clearly a lung hit. What you do not want to see is dark drops of blood immediately and after 75 yardsm or so, almost nothing followed by 100's of yards of a drop here and a drop there. In my experience that tells me that my shot probaly grazed a leg or birsket and tere is not going to be a recovery.
I have found that hit deer will very often head back to where they came from. And many times I have seen them make a near 90 deg. turn as the it seccumbs to blood or oxygen loss. As mentioned in the youtube, it is often the case that the chest cavity will fill up with blood before much blood leaks out. So watch the deer for as long as you can. When you track, stay calm. I do a heck of a lot better tracking others' deer than I do my own because I am always so anxious about finding the one I shot !!
Use a compass to make note of the direction the deer was headed the last time you saw it and try to recall any land marks at the spot it disappeared. And if you have found blood then later lost the trail, mark the last spot and start an organized grid search. This has been made a whole lot easier to accomplish using a GPS unit or phone app that can show you the "track" that you have covered.
And (I cannot help myself) if your state allows it, get your hands on a blood trailing dog. I cannot stress enough how much help a good blood trailer is in the efforts to recover a downed deer.
12-01-2015, 06:03 PM
#5
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 52
Good lesson here folks, if you think you made a good shot, but don't have blood/lose blood, keep on the trail. I double lunged a doe 2 years ago that I just knew was a perfect shot, but no blood. My arrow was covered in good lung blood, but nothing on her trail. She went about 65 yards through some thick stuff and I found her by making a grid search. Even where she was laying there was about a 2" spot of blood under her and that's all. Her chest cavity was full but for some reason no blood on the trail. Good video, thanks for sharing!
-Jake
-Jake
12-01-2015, 07:46 PM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,359
Thank you! When the got the deer back from the butcher he said that in addition to lung we also clipped the main artery that runs along the base of the spine, and his whole front shoulder was full of blood. So even if you don't have great penetration (we only have 5 inches of penetration on this shot) keep after that deer! It is crazy how tough and how fast deer can clot up, so never underestimate them!
12-10-2015, 03:05 PM
#8
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 52
