Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

Hey guys need your help, shot at anice buck at about 130yrds to 150yards,wind was blowing steady at 10-15mph, when I shot it s back legs kicked higher than its head then it ran 30-40yrds stopped looked around trying to see whereI was did not see me and went another 50-60yards to the forest. when it ran away his tail was not up he just left in a fast trot.I waited a good 15min and went to check for blood or furwhereI shot him, found nothing no fur no blood,it was in a muddy field. then I went to the forest to check the place he entered and nothing there too. Did I miss him or did i hit him in the gut? How far would he go if he was hit in the gut? I`ll be there tommorrow to check need some advice.Thx Elmer

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

I've seen that a lot of times on hunting videos, ect but I dont think it means a gut shot.

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

You should never say never with deer, but, deer shot with rifles never run 40 yds and stop to look back to see what bothered them.

That said, always take the time to really follow up a shot to determine what happened. I've seen more than a couple deer recovered after a "miss".

My guess is that the bullet hit the ground near the deer and he spooked.

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

:eek:...One that thing that bugs me deep down sometimes is when people come on here and post shot reactions and ask where it's hit, expecting us to know exactly where your bullet hit and wondering where the damn thing is. please, study this stuff before season so you don't lose deer during the season. if i had to say, i'd say it's a miss. if he stopped at 40 yards and looked back before runningn off and you didnt find a single hair or drop of blood, he's probably a-ok. sorry if i came off as a prick, but i've seen too many of these in this forum and in bowhunting expecting everyone to tell you that the deer is laying down in a patch of multi-floral rose 172 yards away dead of a liver shot.

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

Hopeit never hapens to you, mistakes happen to the best of us!

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

like i said, i dont mean to sound like a prick, and im not saying im perfect, but it gets old on here when people look for a few minutes and come back here expecting answers on where the deer is. i apologize if thats how i sounded, i could have worded it differently. im just really annoyed by the hordes of people that come on here wanting to know where their deer was shot.

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

I have shot deer and had them run 20 to 30 yards and stop. hit him again and he did the same thing both shots were right behind the shoulder. As for this deer I would guess miss and not a gut shot they will usually hunch up when gut shot. But again never say never we have recovered a number of deer we thought were misses. Always look again. If going back again look for some crows to be circling in the area that could mean a dead animal. Helped us find one once.

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

It`s ok I understand, but I did not want to push him, so I just looked on the field and very little in the forest because i will be there tommorrow, and I just wanted some other opinions from more experienced hunters, That way we all learn, better for us and for the deer,I would just hate it if I hit it and not looked for it because of what I thoughtand not get opinions from other hunters that could have experienced something like this. Elmer

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

The first buck I ever shot did EXACTLY the same thing. It looks like a mule kicking.
He was hit in both lungs and was dead in 50 yds.
I would say chances are good he is dead or wounded nearby.

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

The mule kicks is either a vital hit (often the heart produces such a reaction but have seen them do this with other vital organs) or a flat out miss. Gut shot don't think so, they usually hunch but if they fail to do this they run with their heads straight out and look....well sick. I also have never seen a gut shot deer stop that didn't lay down or hunch up noticably...they usually run to cover at good clip when get punched in the guts. The fact he stopped means nothing IME, seen it go both ways. Same with tail position, it can go either way.

You did the right thing backing off till daylight. Tramping around in the dark clueless does no good and can taint anysign you might have to go on. Wait till it is good and light start at where you shot, follow that to where you saw him stop and enter the woods. I would walk the edge of the field/woods if your not 100% to the exact location, looking for any sign. Miscalculations happen easily so take your time!

Good Luck

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

The only time I've ever seen the "mule kick" or "heels to the heavens" as I call is because of a heart or hard double lung shot. I've seen with both bow and gun....had them stop after a distance and trot off only to be DEAD not far from where I lost sight of them. I'd say be out there in good daylight....move from point of shot to where he entered cover, and GO SLOW...look for his tracksnot just blood...GOOD LUCK! Keep us posted!

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

It`s ok I understand, but I did not want to push him, so I just looked on the field and very little in the forest because i will be there tommorrow, and I just wanted some other opinions from more experienced hunters, That way we all learn, better for us and for the deer
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First, I have to agree that it was probably NOT a gut shot! Gut shots are almost alwaysthe predicable, hunch-up
My best guess is that it was a miss. However, a good hit is sometimes harder to tell than a miss, especially if no sign was left at the spot.
As for "pushing the deer,"it is BETTER not to push a poorly hit deer, you'll lose the deer 90% of the time!
That said, I notice that your original post was in the early afternoon, so this was not an evening hunt, hindered by darkness I presume?
If it was a morning hunt, you should have looked for him after a couple of hours!
I've found too many "missed" deer, because the hunterwent bythe deers reaction to the shot!They were too eager to get backon the stand, instead of following up on the shot.
I am not saying that this is what you did, but as far as I am concerned, hunting is over after pulling the trigger, until you are 100% certain that the deer has been missed!
I am sure that its probably pretty cool where you are at, so I'd be in the woods at first light! Not hunting, but hunt-ing for this deer! My partner, and I oncehad to call off a search due to losing a blood trail and running out of flash lights. The next morning we found the buck in a shallow creek!
It probably died minutes after being shot, and was still edible!
Again, I'm not trying to be a prick either, but we cannot let a deer's reaction, determin whether or not we search for them!

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

Elmer,
Sorry you lost your deer. If there are no turkey vulchers or black vulchers circling ,you probably missed it. Thanks for posting. I have learned alot from hearing the different replies. I mostly post on the religious part of this forum and miss alot here so I sincerely have learned alot.This information was a first for me and I have over 4000 post.:(
God bless,
Chuck7

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

Hey. I have seen this happen too many times. It seems everytime I kill, they do this. The backs legs kick up higher than the head,I have actually had one do a flip for pete's sake. I have had them run off nad stop as well.

My guess it was a good lung, heart shot. The adreline made the deer do this. He probably stopped to try t catch a breath.

When you go back, go back to where you were. Then go back to where the deer was first standing (try to take something with you to mark the blood tril in case you loose it and have to start over),Start walking in the direction the deer ran, looking for signs, then when you get to where the deer stopped. ook around in circles for any signs. If you know which way the deer ran after that, head in that direction. Remember to look left and right, the blood can sometimes not be on the track due to them running nad it slinging some.

My best guess is that is was a heart.lung shot, sometimes those do not blled alot outside the body, especialy if you did nto hit the artery. They will bleed internally instead. If he ran about 40 yrds then stops. My guess is that he will be 30-50 yrds from where he stoped at.

I have actually had one run 100 yrd before falling out and dyiing. Just be careful not to walk to fast or too muhc to mess with any evidence. But like I said. I am not sure how the other feels, but if this was a heart or lung shot, there may not be much blood if any at all. That is just my experience.

Good Luck
Kim

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

Usually when you shoot a deer in the guts, theyll hunch their back and tuck the tail between the legs. If you hit that deer in any of the vitals, he more than likely will kick like a mule. But if he just ran a few yards and turned around and looked, and trotted off, he may have been liver hit or totally missed. Check a near by water source. He should have produced some amount of blood at the site of the shot or shortly after. No matter where he was shot, he may have headed for a water source. Deer can actually heal pretty damned fast once they hit water. Ive seen deer shot through the liver, not much blood, head right for water and lay down and drink for 5-10 minutes just to get back up and run off as if nothing ever happend only to hen be shot later in the season.

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

Sounds like a hit to me, and not in the guts. Go look for him and let us know what happened. Good luck!

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

heart shot

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

That's a hard hit deer IMO. Good luck finding him.

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

I agree with most of the others. The deer is hit hard and not gut shot. I have never seen a gut shot deer react by doing a mule kick. There is also the possibility that you shot low and nicked his belly, I think that would also result in a mule kick.

Let us know how it turns out. Good luck.

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

Although all are just our opinions we can not tell you because we were not there. You will need to use your own judgement on this. do a little investigating where you shot the deer, where you say it stopped and looked at you and a good 50 - 100 yds in the direction you saw it go. if you still see nothing walk back to where you shot the deer in a zig-zag pattern and if you still see nothing it was most likely a clean miss.

I shot at 1 a few weeks ago with my muzzleloader the deer jumped about 7 feet in the air. when it came down i did not see it run away or anything. But i could not find it.had 2 buddies helping me look also, finally came to the conclusion that i missed.

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

I am far from perfect and I don't know everything so with that being said, Here is my thought, I think that you climbed out of the stand way to soon. 15 minutes is way to short of a time to let a deer die unless you know where you hit him and you seen him go down, I think that I would still wait at least thirty minutes. Given your situation I think you should have at least waited an hour or two. This way you give him a chance to bed down and die. Chances are if you did hit him and it wasn't very well you could have push the deer even farther into the forest I suggest you get some help from friends. Send out a search party. Next time I think that you need to practice a little more patients.

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

Track em - Track em and more Tracking.Get on hands and knees and mark any sign(blood,hair etc.) with something(cloth,hat etc..) you can back track on if you lose sign. Good Luck and don't give up until you recover or convinced you "missed".Thats the ethical thing to do!

BTW - jeg gives some good advice.Waiting after shot is damn hard to do.It can however pay off with recovered deer and save hrs in tracking.Nothing worse than to carry around the thought of wounded or dead deer rotting away.

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

I wish you luck in deciding whether you hit him or not. It can be very difficult.

You probably know this, but it's often very difficult to pinpoint where the deer was standing when you shot at it. You have to really be meticulous about searching in a very organized way for sign. Go to the spot you "think" he was and mark that spot with some flagging (I use bits of toilet paper because it goes away in a few days). From that point do a very *slow and careful* search in a spiral pattern out from that spot - in tight spirals, about three feet wider every time. Do this until you are ABSOLUTELY sure there is no sign. Look for blood and hair of course, but also look for hoof prints, especially deep ones where he lunged or jumped. You can often follow fresh hoof trails through the leaves or mud if you're very careful. I would go out as far as a 25 ydor more circle from the original spot. I've also put little markers when I'm doing my widening circles just to keep track of where I've been so far.

It seems like a lot of busy work, but it really has worked for me as recently as this weekend. The point of impact was 10+ yards from where I thought I'd hit him, and this is in a situation where I did my absolute best to mark the spot I shot at. And this is with much shorter shot than yours. I can imagine quite a potential error in pinpointing a spot from 130-150 yards. It is just plain hard to judge this in the woods or field right after a shot, especially if you take your eyes off that spot to follow a running or trotting deer. It's amazing how similar all the trees look when you get right down to trying to remembera particular one.

Do this in every spot you think the deer was at - in other words, the mark and work out from the spot you think it stopped and the spot where you think it went into the woods, etc. Use all of these spots onlyas astarting pointand spiral carefully out from there.

If you do this and find sign, then you can try to follow it. Every time you loose the trail,do the circling routine again.The key is be organized and meticulous. If you do this and don't find sign you can at least feel a lot more comfortable that (a) you've done your best and (b) the deer was probably not hit.

If you find something to track, be very meticulous about marking the trail as you go along. Sure,once you see a spot of blood on the ground, you think it will be easy to find it again if you have to retrace your trail later. Not so - mark it. Also, deer circle and double back, stagger, weave, etc.and marking the trail can make some of this make sense if you see the markings as a whole.

My best wishes to you as you work on this. Please let us know what you come up with.

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

deerslayer: One that thing that bugs me deep down sometimes is when people come on here and post shot reactions and ask where it's hit, expecting us to know exactly where your bullet hit and wondering where the damn thing is. please, study this stuff before season so you don't lose deer during the season. if i had to say, i'd say it's a miss. if he stopped at 40 yards and looked back before runningn off and you didnt find a single hair or drop of blood, he's probably a-ok. sorry if i came off as a prick, but i've seen too many of these in this forum and in bowhunting expecting everyone to tell you that the deer is laying down in a patch of multi-floral rose 172 yards away dead of a liver shot




What a d1ck! if you hate reading posts like this then why did you open it? it says right in the subject what its about. You said you dontmean to be a prick but it sounds like you already knew you were gonna be.

The only reason i am replyng to this is because i that "type" of person who would come on here and ask a question like that and i wouldnt expect some clown to come on here ragging on me about it. what makes you so high and mighty?

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

I agree Weakie. Deerslayer forgets that each individual who asks the question has never done it before. Just because he's seen it before doesn't mean that you know what to do. Newbies and their questions should always be welcome. If a guy gets tired of reading or answering them he should just ignore them. That's what I do. Hope you've gotten some help here and good luck.

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

Elmer,

I believe i recall you saying it was muddy. THis could prove good as it has a better chance of leaving hoof prints.

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

Well Elmer... It's been 2 days since you posted your message. Don't leave us all hangin' here! Did you find him or not?

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

To me that was definately a good hit, and I doubt he went far at all.
So whats up ? tell us, did you find him?

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

FTIW, I took my buck this morning... a clean double lung and top of the heart, and he kicked his hind legs up like a mule. I knew he was hard hit the second I saw that, but it's the first time I've ever seen one kick like that.
My shot wasn't nearly as long as yours, and he went about 40 yards before piling up. I'm curious as hell Emler... Did you find your buck or not?

RE: Need help!! Shot deer and back legs kicked high?
 

Same here.