I was out hunting Michigans opening day. I had a 4 point in my sights 5 minutes after the official time to start hunting. I took my shot & thought I had a good hit at 40 yds away. (lower MI shotgun only). The buck ducked into the brush. I waited an hour & the sky looked like rain was going to push in so I went to the area where I took the shot & found blood spray. I decided then that the rain hadnt started yet & waited another hour. I then started to track the blood trail. I found a spot in the underbrush that looked like splatter instead of drip. That made me think it was a lung shot. Well after an hour of tracking accross two property lines (that I had permission to go across). I still had not even found a spot where the deer had laid down. Just a steady stream of blood. Realizing that my shot must not have been a great placement I decided I would track this deer till the blood ran out or I found the deer ( the forcast had said rain by noon & I didnt want to lose my trail. The amount of blood was overwhelming but still not a single spot where the deer had laid down. My neighbor saw me tracking & came out to help. When I came to a creek to cross he let me go on my way. With my head to the ground & thick underbrush to go through it wasnt long before I wasnt sure exactly which direction was which. The wind had died down in the thick brush so I had no clue. I just kept tracking & finally found a spot where the deer had laid down but then I lost all blood traces. While doing a sweep in the direction I thought the deer was going someone started yelling at me from over a 100 yds away. The guy screamed get out of here. (I thought I was still on my neighbors land) obiously not. I appologized & asked whos land I was on. He said it was none of my business get the he!! out of here. I tried explaining the situation to him but He said he didnt care get out of here. (all at a scream because we were more than a hundred yards apart). I left abandoning my blood trail & headed away from the guy in the direction I thought the creek was.
I stopped at my neighbors house & explained to him & he told me who he thought I ran into. I then went to that guys house & left a card in his door asking him to call me. Later that day he called. I appologized for trespassing & explained to him my head was down & I didnt realize that I got off track. He said he didnt care what I was doing just stay off his land. I told him who I was & that his family including him have been hunting coon accross the back of my familys farm for 40 years & I didnt mean to cross him. He didnt care & he proceded to tell me if I was at his house right now he would kick my butt. So now I have no Deer I feel horrible for upsetting a neighbor & fellow hunter. I feel even worse that a good deer is now probably rotting out in the woods going to waste.
Any comments. Is this a normal way to act. What would you do in my situation & what would you do in his situation.
Thanks