Striper Phil

Been gone for a bit but had a bad situation Saturday, First I shoot the double lung shot most of the time which causes the shot to be a bit high on the kill area. Saturday dawn on a crop damage permit I had a propped up broadside at 70 yards open field shot doe standing still, it doesn’t get much better. I fired and the deer dropped in its tracks so I figured I hit high and had that devastating shoulder shot. There were some death thrones going on so I looked away and waited 15 minuets out of respect. When I looked again the deer had come towards me and off to the right towards the wooded area pushing along on its left side with it’s hind legs, the front legs seemed unusable. What a crappy predicament!! She was 40 or so yards and pushing away and to my right. I scoped up for a shot but with the poor angle and movement I held off that few seconds it took for the deer to push into the thick brush of the woods. Made the decision to wait a half hour figuring she would lie down and expire, I didn’t want to push her in the condition she was in and cause any more distress. When my 2 buddies and I a half hour later went to where she went into the woods there was a few scuff marks and then nothing, no blood no scuffmarks other than the few at the immediate entrance to the woods. We looked for signs for hours and did not find any. From this location, which is a valley funnel I figured she would head down hill and not try the steeper sides of the funnel. We tracked for miles without any signs. The next day I tried again crisscrossing a hundred acres or so and never found a sign. Any thoughts?

CAMPFOURCORNERS

any chance you pulled the shot and shot her in the brisket? i shot a doe like that once she dropper to the ground and tried pushing herself with her back legs. i thought she was done so i was just letting her die when after about 10 minutes she hopped up and took off leaving no blood except for a few small pin drops. i looked for her for a couple hours with no avail. just wondering if maybe the same thing happened to you? was there a lot of hair blown out at the point of impact?

Striper Phil

Thats what it sounds like. No blood or hair anywhere. when she was down and pushing she sure seemed to have front upper leg damage but maybe not. I amnot familar with what the deers reaction to a brisket shot is.

PABowhntr

I would tend to agree with the others. You obviously didn't hit a vital area or the deer would have piled up relatively quickly. The fact that you found no sign and no deer for that matter would all point in the direction of a brisket shot.

YooperMike

I did the same thing a few years ago. Drilled a buck, dropped in his tracks, I was gathering up my stuff to leave the blind as it was getting dark, and I looked up to a see him bounding away, seeminly unharmed. There were some hairs and a few smal drops of blood. I tracked him for a mile and half and then I could no longer tell his track from the other ones and he had crossed a river, so I think he was doing pretty good. Touch break though none the less.

bbbagman

StriperPhil-

Just curious but what type of bullet were you using?

heeze gutshot shortee

Sheeze gone......maybe you shouldve hit er agin....but thats all a part of the hunt game.....you put in good effort to recover..right....now go out and kill another..shake it off!