good yet not so good experience
 

This is my third year bowhunting. Last year I took my first shot at a whitetail deer, and I missed him. A couple weekends ago I was out hunting. I was in my stand all day. I saw two does first. Then at about 6:00 pm i saw a little 3x2 buck, he hung around the stand for awhile he checked a scrape and was just dinking around, then a small 4x4 came in. Meantime I am thrilled,the two bucks start a light session of sparring, the 3x2 backs down and the little 4x4 shows his dominance of the little buck. They start feeding in a stubble field, and i am watching and grunting a little just to see how they will react. By now I am just thrilled, i am having the time of my life watching these bucks, its about 730 now and I turn around in my stand because the bucks have gotten out of view and i see a really nice deer, long tines and wide as his ears, coming my way right to the scrape only 13 yards in front of me. He stops broadside I draw my bow and take the shot. He takes off running straight out of the trees. I get down a little bit later to check my arrow, it was a complete pass through and good blood on the deer, i assume its a good hit. I go get my ride and he comes to hlep me track the deer, unfortunately it was getting really dark and we were haveing a hard time so we decided to wait until morning and try again. this would also give him time to expire. The next morning we go out again. He asks me if i remember where he ran to, but i got too excited and xidnt see, plus it was pretty thick in there, another learning experience for me, watch where the deer runs then celebrate later. Adn the blood trail was no where to be found, it must have rained or somethinng that night. So we walked every trail looked at every possible sign and we spent hours and hours and hours out there looking for the buck almost all day. And never found it, i dont know if i didnt make a good hit and he lived(hopefully) or we just didnt find it, we walked every coulee, draw, field everything and nothing, I did kick up one really nice buck that it couldhave been, i hope so anyway.

what can i do better for next time?
am i a bad hunter cause i didnt find it?
can anyone help me, give me a few hints or tips on tracking deer after the shot, night or day?
Please help me.


I just updated my website. Go check it out. I have big bucks, paintings, my drawings and more. Sign the guestbook while there.

www.geocities.com/mvp_bballer/

JC

RE: good yet not so good experience
 

You aren't a bad hunter if you are concerned about the fact you didn't find the deer. So many "hunters" just give up on the trail of a poorly hit animal and leave it to for the coyotes, or other predators. So, the simple fact that you are concerned and wanting to improve your tracking skills is a really good thing.

You learned the most important lesson. Always watch where the deer goes and mark well in your mind where the last place you saw the deer. If you have a compass, it will help you get an exact direction for a landmark that you can use to mark the last spot you saw the deer. Because, when you get out of your tree stand the surroundings will look totally different.

Next, I recommend waiting at least 30 minutes before even moving after you place a shot. Typically a well hit deer, and even some that have less minor but fatal injuries well run 75 to 200 yards then lie down. The path they take is generally straight for 75% of the run in to the wind, then they will circle around downwind and turn back toward the wind and lie down. Basically making the shape of a G. They lie down where they can smell their trail, so they will know if the predator that wounded them pursues their trail. If it was a fatal shot, the deer will eventually pass away at this initial position where they lie down. Now this is obviously not always true, but I would say probably 80% of the time, unless the shot is so fatal the deer collapses while fleeing.

Next, once you have waited for a while, (I recommend 30 minutes), walk to the last location you saw the deer and look for blood. Do not look for blood where you placed your first shot, because you may lose your focus on the last place you saw the deer. This will save you time in the tracking process. If you can not find blood return to the initial shot location and begin your trail from their. If you do find blood mark the spot. I usually tie up a piece of orange surveyors tape in a nearby tree to mark the blood. Next move out 5 to 10 yards from the blood you find, make a complete circle at this radius around the last blood spot. If you find more blood mark it and circle it. Of course if you can see blood farther along keep moving along the blood trail till you don't see anymore, then perform the circle maneuves again. If ever you don't find blood in a circle, move out 5 to 10 yards more and make another circle. If you have a buddy you can both circle the marked location and decrease the search time. When you are done following the trail and find the deer take note of your orange tape markers. Do they look like a G? I would bet that they do.

Ok, now this is a time consuming process, especially if done alone. So what to do if it is late. Mark the last blood spot, and leave for the evening. Don't get in a hurry trying to beat dark, because it is very hard to see blood with a flashlight. However, they do sell flourescent bulbs, like you see on CSI that you can use to illuminate the ground. If it is dark out you would be shocked at how bright blood will light up in a purple flourescent light. It glows like neon, very easy to trail. If you ever lose the trail, start the circles again.

This method has always worked successfully for myself and it was taught to me by my father. In 20 years of hunting, and using this system, I have never lost a deer. That is the honest truth, I have never lost a deer that I have wounded. And I have even used this method in the Everglades were it is tough to trail blood through the mud and water. But if you are patient, and make the circles deliberately and carefully, you will find your deer. Unless it was a non-lethal hit.

Happy Hunting!

KSUIE

RE: good yet not so good experience
 

Good advice Ksuie.

One other thing you could have tried is make large circles around your stand or the last place to recall seeing the deer. Keep expanding these circles. With your buddy there, this process wouldn't take too long. By doing this, you can assure that you've covered just about every possible inch the deer could have gone. From your description of the arrow, I think the deer expired but you never know.

Not recovering a deer does NOT make you a bad hunter. What makes you a bad hunter is not learning from such an experience, repeating these mistakes over and over, being unethical, etc.

I hit a deer the openning day of shotgun a few years ago and never found it. I thought the hit was good as there was some blood at the point of impact. I found a light blood trail and followed it for nearly half a mile when it petered out. Searched and searched for more sign and did find one more spot. While continuing along the most likely path, I came across a valley and saw several other hunters on the hillside watching me. None of them were in hunter orange (not required but 99.9% of us wear it) and they were right on the edge of where our land ends along the road. They looked like mercenaries! I got a real bad feeling about them and decided that my life was worth a little more than a deers at that point. :) I went back and checked out where I shot the deer again. After carefully looking at the point of impact and my shot angle, I felt that the hit might have been low on the chest and not in a fatal area. The blood did not seem to indicate that any vitals were hit.

It happens to all of us sooner or later.

-Mike

RE: good yet not so good experience
 

All good comments and stategies. One final thing I would mention if all else fails. Walk the bottom of nearby raveens, creeks, or bodies of water. You would be surprised on how wounded deer will move to water. I have found more then one doing this.

RE: good yet not so good experience
 

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I really appreciate it. One more question for you guys. What will the blood look like with different hits. Example, what will it appear like with a lung shot or a kidney or liver or heart or something like this. Does it appear different in diffenent areas of contact?


I just updated my website. Go check it out. I have big bucks, paintings, my drawings and more. Sign the guestbook while there.

www.geocities.com/mvp_bballer/

JC

RE: good yet not so good experience
 

30 minutes isn't necessarily a good rule of thumb. The hit should dictate the wait, it's so important to know where you hit an animal.

Here is some excellent reading from everyone.

http://forum.hunting.net/bbs/topic.a...00&FORUM_ID=19

<font color=blue>Good Luck and Good Shooting</font id=blue>

<font color=red>Rob</font id=red>

RE: good yet not so good experience
 

Tough situation - I've been there.

You'll feel better if you go back and look again. Don't look for blood sign, look for a dead deer. Think &quot;if I were a wounded deer, where would I hide?&quot; Keep your eye out for crows, or other birds that might feed on a dead animal. Look in the thick areas near water if you have any.

Finally, learn from the experience like others have said. Deer are amazing animals in their will to survive. A deer even with one lung hit can live, if not discovered by predators. A non lethal pass through, (especially brisket area) is hardly a problem for a deer to survive.

As far as what type of blood from the hit - Dark blood is rarely a good sign - it comes from veins, from blood vessels leading too the heart - sometimes the liver. Sure some veins are deadly when hit - but most have little pressure, and will clot quickly. Bright red blood is from an artery, or the lungs. Just clipping a main artery like the femoral, aorta, or coratid, will cause a deer to expire quicker than a lung shot. This is because its freshly oxygenated blood under massive pressure, that is required for systemic function. Sprays of bright red blood indicate a lung hit, as the lung function forces blood out an exit, or even an entrance hole. A deer spraying blood to one or both sides of his trail will not go very far.

Still its tough, and can even make one want to not hunt for a while, afterall, we strive to take the animal cleanly. Get back up on the horse, and truly understand what went wrong (too far, bad angle, followed too soon, dull broadhead, etc.)

Good luck the rest of your season.



Edited by - farm hunter on 10/01/2002 23:02:08

RE: good yet not so good experience
 

ksuie and others gave good advice but also listen to hear the direction of where the deer goes after the deer is hit and try to see where the arrow hits also. I know its hard but it can help on your next one.

brian

RE: good yet not so good experience
 

bump to top since I've suggest that these responses be read by others.

-Mike

RE: good yet not so good experience
 

thanks for all the help guys!! i really appreciate it all.


I just updated my website. Go check it out. I have big bucks, paintings, my drawings and more. Sign the guestbook while there.

www.geocities.com/mvp_bballer/

JC