chasebull

my son shot a deer this evening and we searched for it for about 4 hours tonight with lights and are going back out in the morning but have some questions you guys/gals might be able to help with.
he was pretty sure the shot was good but is second guessing himself now. it was a complete pass through and there was blood on both sides of the deer for about 4 ft wide total, about 2 on each side of the deer. there was heavy blood splatter for about 30 or so yards with blood very wide on both sides, then the trail began to taper off and we still found blood on both sides of the deer as it rubbed against the brush, then it became more sparse and we then only found it as a piece of brush went under the deer. it then went under a fence and there was heavy splatter there but nothing like earlier on, the fence was about 60 yards or so from the shot. from there it was about 15 feet before we found a drop of blood, then another 15 or so and we just found a drop, then nothing... the deer was heading up a draw into the open, the last blood we found was in the open and there is lots of prarie grass around for 200 yards or so with a couple thickets before the terrain offers another draw, we checked the thickets after loosing the trail and could find nothing. here is what has us puzzled, we are thinking that it was lung shot because the blood was sprayed so wide for the first 30 yards or so, but are confused at how the trail then went so cold, is it possible that it was not a good shot? could there be another explaination for the splatter to be 2 feet or so on each side of the deer without it being a lung shot?
thanks in advance,

Bocajnala

Well. A buddy of mine shot a nice nine point four years ago. ended up dressing out at 195#. He shot and was very confident on his shot, complete pass through tons of initial blood. We left the woods got some dinner and came back an hour later to look. We started tracking and, as you said. the trail got slower and slower almost down to nothing. Crawling around looking for blood we crawled within about five yards of this buck and didn't see him till we heard labored breathing, so Rex put a second arrow, we saw this one go straight through the chest. Pulled out and waited till morning. Went in and searched in the morning and could hardly find a trail. Ended up doing a grid search and found his buck. Two arrows, both lungs demolished. buck went a little over six hundred yards and was still very loose in the morning so had survived a good portion of the night. I have NEVER seen anything like it before or since. But some deer can really take a beating and not leave much of a blood trail. Whatever you do DON'T GIVE UP. Search in a grid, take it slow and find the deer.....and please post some pics once you do.
-Jake

live2Draw

How long did you wait before you started tracking, more importanatly, before you got there how long did he stay in his stand? i would say go back to last blood and start making 30 yard circles from the spot to pick up his track. get down on all fours if you have to. it sounds like you should if tht doesnt work, check the nearest heavy bedding area. you'll find it eventually, and be ready to shoot it again.

chasebull

he was on the ground, level shot and waited 30 min before moving to retrieve the arrow about 30 yards out and then waited another 30 or so before following the trail, there was so much blood splattered so far out at the shot site and along it that he thought it would be down before long. waiting longer maybe should have happened, that he understands but we still have no explaination other than lungs for blood to be splattered out so far... ideas?

Austin/WI

Sounds like a dead deer. I will guess that he took up the trail too soon the blood trail you decribed makes it sound as if you have bumped him a time or two. Go back to the point of last blood and circle out from there like live2draw said or start searching in a grid fashion. Hopefully he isn't far from where you guys left off. Good Luck!

twildasin

WOW! all the deer I double lunged only make it like 50 or 60 yards. If you got a hole in both lungs you cant breath! Its the most lethal shot, I.M.O. I cant imagine a deer living longer than a few seconds with this shot!Anyways sounds to me you may have pushed the deer. Do a grid search and find your deer. Good luck!

txjourneyman

He could very well be in the grass. The 1st buck I killed this year only went about 60 yds into a pasture after I shot him. I didn't see him fall and it took me a while to find him in the tall grass. As mentioned earlier, go to last blood and start circling. Chances are good you will find him before you find more blood. My buck was traveling a nice straight line and then turned left all of a sudden. That really threw me off for a bit.

Bocajnala

I know exactely what you mean twildasin. Iv'e never seen anything like it. When we fouind it we assumed somehow the arrows must have missed the lungs, but when we gutted the deer. We looked at the lungs and they were all torn to pieces. The chest cavity was full of blood. That deer just didn't bleed much and somehow managed to stay alive for a long time. Had I not been there to see it, I would never believe it. But i was there.
Any luck finding the deer yet??