RockinChair

Hello everyone. I've got story to share and am looking for a little help, information or advice. This was a muzzleloading hunt but I know I'd get the best informationand feedback from this forum. So Mods, please don't move! I posted a pic. of a buck we nicknamed the Hulk just a few days ago (I cannot post a pic here on this dial up computer), just search my recent posts and look at the thread "A Bull of a Buck!" to see his pic.

Well i was hunting a stand just 60 yards from where the pics was taken and figured I'd have a good shot of seeing him yesterday afternoon. Well about 5 he comes tearin out of his bedroom chasin a doe into a food plot. I had just told my brother on the phone that I was planning on passing on the 2 130" bucks we have and another 115" that we'd seen cause I wanted to hold on Hulk. He was my 'dream buck.' Just a massive body and neck with a heavy set of antlers.

Anyway, I immediately identify the buck as Hulk and shoulder my muzzleloader and prepare to shoot. He was 105 yards away presenting a perfect quartering away shot. With a steady rest (although with cold fingers and a case of buck fever) I squeeze of the shot feeling great about it. Wrong! I see him take off with his tail up heading towards a creek bottom. He then makes a hard left into the timber and I'm sure I've missed. While trying to reload I see him on top of a basin with his head down to the ground just standing there (no ethical shot presented itself). I then just barely see him drop on the backside of the basin and he was either picked up the trail of the doe or I figured he was hit badly after seeing him with his head down do long and he was bobbing his head up and down as he ran.

Well I round my bro and we go check for blood. Nothing for the first 50 yards then we pick up good, bright red blood for about a 50-60 yards. It was where we found this blood that he was walking and standing with his head down as I had mentioned before. Then around the spot he took off again the blood abruplty ended. My brother and I looked for 3 hours last night (after backing out for 4 hours after finding the intial blood) to no avail. My dad joined us this morning and we picked up drops for about 15 from the spot we had last marked the night before and that was it. We looked for 5 hours this morning but to no avail.

When we had the decent blood for the short period of time I was optimistic as I thought I only got one lung. However, if I had only gotten one lung I do believe he would have eventually bedded down and expired. Again, the overall blood trail was poor at best. It was solid for about 50 yards and then completely stops.

So my questions are: What did I hit? Did this deer die, if so how long did it take him? Did he survive? (I'm hoping yes). I honestly think he may have survived judging his reaction after the shot, the lack of blood and the fact that his trail was heading straight up hill.

It's just sickening to get a bead on a buck of a lifetime, one you have patterned and hung the perfect stand for and blow the opportunity[:'(]. But, that's part of the game and that's why we hunt.

Thanks for your time and reading this and I appreciate your thoughts and info.