dkeener

Sorry about your apparent loss. Sounds like a further grid search is your only option. Interestingly, I had a similar experience on a very similiar hit earlier. The only reason we found him was because we read not only the blood trail but the direction of the trail - the way the splattered blood pointed, the side of the limbs and brush that was painted, etc. Turned out the deer had backtracked and this was our only intial clue. We eventually did find some hoof prints "going the wrong way" to help prove direction along the same backtrack and the subsequent new trail. Maybe there will be some prints left with your buck. Good luck.

Handles

Thanks for the input. He was bleeding only out of his right side as I didn't have a pass through. This way we could tell which way he was headed. The amount of blood that he lost amazed me, yet he kept going. I've tracked many deer and never have I seen one bleed so consistantly, yet not go down. In fact we never found a place where he laid down. That part is even more puzzling based on the amount of time he was given and all of the small loops that he made in bedding areas.

micdundee

good luck on finding him. Make sure you keep us posted.

killer243

good luck, my dad shot a deer 2 season's ago, laid down and when we went to track it we found good lung blood and tons of it. jumped the deer gave it 2 hours and went back to look found great blood for close to 400 yards then it just dried up. we searched 2 days for that doe. never could figure what had happened other then maybe 1 lung and somehow she lived.


i would try to get as many buddies together as you can and look.

i would start where you last saw blood and head up hill sence that is the way he seemed to want to go

Bob H in NH

My guess is that some of the looping you mention is really stumbling or at least the deer loosing oxygen to the brain due to lack of blood. I bet he is close by.

Handles

Two more days of searching with help and we have found nothing. I'm sure he was in the 140 class or very close. I just hope he lived and someone else will get a shot at him. I'd really like to find out why my arrow didn't penetrate fully on a 28 yard broadside shot. I'm shooting 265 fps with Carbon Express and Rocky Mountain Snypers which have been awesome on two doe.

Handles

For all of you who offered advise, opinion, and support for my original post about not finding my buck, thanks, but the tough old guy lived through my shot and was harvested last week during gun season on neighboring land.

As it turns out, shooting from a tree, my arrow placement was just above the lung/below the spine on the right side. The arrow entered just about dead center of the left lung and broke a rib but did not penetrate the far side (I think we've all heard about deer living with one lung...He was living proof of that).
Everything was healing up very nicely, and the buck seemed to be in excellent health.
The buck ended up being a 10 pt. mainframe, 19 1/2 inside spread, and a 7 3/4 inch droptine on his right side. I did not know it at the time but he also had a second drop tine, this one on his left side that was broken off just under the main beam. He is green scored at 152 gross. The neighbor is very happy with his trophy and I am very glad to finally have some closure on this.

nubo

Sound's like a good hit for sure ,but yes i agree with a single lung and liver shot .I'm sure he'll like ly head for water if it's near his direction of travel .But the blood trail sound's as though he's not going to be going much further .I'd be taking the day off as well and getting to him before someone else or the coyote's get to him first .And if you have dog's available to you then by all mean's use them. Put them onto the blood and follow very closely .I'm sure your going to find him ,it sound's as though you've hit him pretty good . Be sure to bring a couple of buddies and definetley do a grid search when you get near the last blood ,but hopefully you'll find him by then. Anyway's good luck even though that's not what you want to here LOL
Keep us posted I'll be waiting for your post.

nubo

Handles

Nubo, did you read the last post? The deer is dead. Shot by a neighbor during gun season last week. Therefore I can't track him anymore unless I follow Bob's truck to the butcher shop. Thanks for the input though...I think.

adams

Handles,

I'm glad you've got some closure. I'm sorry it didn't end the way you would have liked it to but at least the final outcome isn't bad. Has the season ended yet? I know you had hung up your bow, what now? If the season is still open will you be hitting the woods for some late season?