Originally Posted by
Thom55
shot a buck with a 50 cal muzzle loader about 50 yards Knocked him down after about 5 min tried to get up laid back down for about 5 min then got up and walked off. There was hair and blood where it was laying and found another spot of blood and that was it
Did the deer's blood have any oxygen bubbles in it? If it did...you might have clipped only one of his lungs. If that was the case, you might want to have waited for him to bed down, stiffen-up an die; by not following his blood trail for at least 1 or maybe even two hours. You might be able to find him shortly after the kill...by looking for buzzards (black vultures) or turkey vultures flying around over a wounded or dead deer; including listening for a loud chortle call from a buzzard, that is flying over a deer's deathbed that he has just discovered.
How did the deer appear when it was knocked down by the bullet?
Did it jump straight up then fall down, just knocked straight down to his buckling knees? Or did it look like he was hit by a battering ram near his spine, with him falling down sideways --- away from you --- like a rock?