NY Bowhunter

Sounds like a fatal hit to me. Where the "P" meets the trail again, I'd be willing to bet he may not want to climb very many more hills after traveling that far and losing that much blood. If you're going to do a grid search, I'd start where you lost last blood and downhill towards water from there. Not saying to rule out looking up over the hill again, but I'd be willing to bet he's traveling his easier path by now.

Aint that the truth!! helped track a buck the other day for my buddy. We looked for about 8 hours the morning after he hit it. We lost good blood after about 80 yards and then did a giant grid search. We must have covered every leaf in the county. We just about called it off and started heading back. We walked about 20 yards in the woods and I said Wait a minute I gotta check something out. We were already a long ways from where we had last blood, but there was a standing corn field about another 500- 600 yards across this big wide open field. We walked down the hill to it and spent another 2 hours walking down each row. The 3rd from the last row laid a dead buck!! He was hit in one lung and that's the farthest I've ever seen a deer go with a lung hit and die.

Good luck keep us posted.

GR8atta2d

That's funny that so many mention a mortally wounded buck going downhill. From my personal expiriences I notice just the opposite. They have always tended to go up hill.
I always thought that, that was odd, since it would take more effort. But for me it's been the overwhelming majority!

Shoulder Shot

How about it Handels did you find your deer. You may be too sick to reply.

Carpmaster

These guys have given some good advice, the most important is dont give up!!!! Keep us posted!

The_Hunter

Sounds like a touchy situation. I agree with everyone else that the buck is definitely down and probably not too far from your stand. I would suggest you trying to get a dog in there if at all possible. A lab with any hunting experience-even a bird dog-might tip you off as to where he went after crossing his own path. I done the same thing you did last year. The only thing different was that it was raining at the time and the blood trail was disappearing quickly. After bumping the deer, I backed out for about 2 hours and then returned with my lab-a bird dog that had never trailed anything on the hoof. I took her to the spot I found the first sign and saw when she picked up the trail-even though the blood was long gone. She took off through the woods and in less than a minute, she was barking. I walked over to find her standing beside the deer barking at it. Wish you the best and be sure to post the pics when you find him!!!

mjqood0

I agree with the dog thing...

Just a note -- use a hunting dog like a lab or such. Siberian Huskies won't trail worth a darn [:@] And if they find a dead deer, their first thought is Mmmm... Dinner....

Good luck!

Handles

I took another person with me yesterday afternoon. Went back to the "P" and did as Uncle Norby said, look near a deadfall about 60 yards uphill. Sure enough, found blood. Followed it weaving through thick berry brambles for about another 80 yards UPHILL. He almost made it to the top when he turned and went straight downhill for 40 yards, made a loop about the size of a VW beetle, went back up hill to his original spot (bleeding more now, splashes about the size of a 3x5 card were everywhere, darker blood though will a little bit of lung blood) made another loop to the left of the original trail, came back, made one more loop above his trail, and that is where we ran out of light, plus we were utterly confused with all the looping. I headed back out this a.m. When I got about 10 miles away the roads were soaking wet. All of the blood was gone. I did a grid through the area for about 100X100 yards, checking all of the thick areas. Checked out around the pond and a drainage ditch. Nothing. I don't have a chance to go back until Sunday afternoon. By then I will be looking for a rack and some bones. Any other suggestions? If I don't find him I'm done hunting for the year. I can't shoot and lose a buck each of the past two years, and go back out there to try the same thing on another one.

NorthernMN

At least you are will to say that. Many wouldn't even consider that. Sometimes it doesn't go our way. However, sometime we just need to step back and and take a look at things. The biggest thing at this point is to not give up. That deer should be recovered. You can find him.

badshotbob

Hang in there Handles, don't give up on hunting either. I've lost a couple over the years, so I know how it feels, but it is part of hunting. A lousy part, but a part nonetheless. With the blood trail washed away now, it's going to be tough, but it sounds that he was hit in one lung and the liver. He will be dead by now, I would think anyway. Also, with all that looping, I dont' think he got far from where you are looking. He was probably trying to find thick cover to hide and tend to his wounds without expending too much energy in traveling far. It sounds like you've exhausted the pond, drainage ditch, and thick brushy spots around the P area. Maybe try to pick up a well used deer trail on all sides of the 100x100 area you covered, preferably one that leads to thick stuff. Often deer will travel a well used run they are familiar with when wounded. Maybe he was looking for that. Don't know, but have to hand it to you - you are dedicated.

UncleNorby

You sure are taking this hard. I know how it feels to lose one. The only thing you can do is what you are doing. If you truly exhaust every way you can think of to find that deer, you have lived up to your end of the deal.

I think you were getting close. When that deer was making all those beds, he was not able to get comfortable, so he'd get up and bed again. My guess is he's close by to that location, or he will recover. It would not surprise me to hear that you jump him again, from a thicket near that location the next time you are out there. Seriously wounded deer will hole up and just wait until they feel better, or they die.

It isn't deer killing, it's deer hunting. Things like this happen. It's not unethical to continue hunting. Unethical are the guys that don't spend more than 20 minutes tracking deer they hit.