trailing deer after they are shot
 

i watch hunting shows a bit and reading the forums here on the hunting shows deer always run and have to be trailed on the some of the forums i have read people are trailing deer for 200 300 yards some have said 1/2 mile to a mile i have been deer hunting for 13 years i have only had to trail 2 deer over 50 yards from were it was hit all but those two only went 5 to 10 yards at the most i dont shoot a huge belted mag or anything i use a ruger 243 alot of them drop right where i hit them im not a expert marksman but im a good shot so i was just woundering if having them run that far is normal and i have been luck or what

RE: trailing deer after they are shot
 

The farthest I have ever had to track a deer was 75 yards, and that was with a shotgun. All my bow kills have either dropped or only gone 20 yards or less. Most deer only go that far because they get pushed, they are not allowed enough time to stop and bed down, and alot of people don't practice "When in doubt, back out."

RE: trailing deer after they are shot
 

Get real I have seen deer with there heart blown apart still run over a hundred yards these deer have not been pushed that is where they finally just fall. It is the adrenelin. I have also seen deer that drop instantly. But every situation is not the same.

RE: trailing deer after they are shot
 

Personally I think they do it for video length. They got to put something on there to make the video worthwhile buying or watching. Got to have the suspense I guess.

RE: trailing deer after they are shot
 

I have shot three deer and had three different experiences. The first deer was an eight point that I shot through the heart at 70 yards with muzzleoader. It dropped where it stood and died in minutes. The second was a doe thatI shot with the bow. I thought I got her through the lungs soI tracked her after 20 minutes. It turns out I got her farther back in the liver or around there. That's supposed to take a while to kill her but she was stone dead when I got there. She went 80 yards and was where I saw her last. The last one was a doe at 50 yards with muzzleloader. I aimed for the heart/lung area and ended up hitting her low in the neck. She dropped immediately at the shot and then got up, went ten yards and fell again. I thought she would be right there. Thinking I hit her in the heart or lungs, I tracked her in 20 minutes. I found her another 40 yards from where I had last seen her. I got lucky becauseI got her windpipe or jugular or both with the shot.She dropped literally gallons of blood.

No two deer react exactly the same. Some have more stamina than others and a better will to survive. I recommend reading the book TRACKING WOUNDED DEER. I got it at Cabela's and it is phenomenal. I hope you get lucky and don't ever have bad experiences with wounded deer. Happy hunting.

RE: trailing deer after they are shot
 

Get real, most people are to excited to stop and wait to start tracking a deer, that is why they run for 200-300 yards or a half mile or more. You know it is true, I did not say all deer will only take five steps and die, I said what the deer I shot have done.

RE: trailing deer after they are shot
 

Back in 96 I shot a small 8 pointer through both lungs with a 30/30. I tried to immediately follow up and had to leave and get lights and come back for a 1/2 mile track. Finally located the deer. It was my first buck ever. Another time hit a nice 8 pt right on the shoulder with an 30/06. knocked it slick off its feet. I did not even reload. I watched in horror as it "came back to life" and ran for over 100 yds. I shot a 7 pointer three times with a .300 win mag. It was still moving.

I have shot a few including a 12 pointer this year that died in its tracks and there was a doe that was directly beneath my stand that I shot through the spine into heart that didn't even flinch after I squeezed the trigger.

RE: trailing deer after they are shot
 

It is all shot placement an ammunition, I been shooting federal premium 30-06 and sometimes .270 ballistic tips , never had to trail a deer more than 20 yards.

My buddies asked me a few weeks ago if I was shooting explosive bullets ,both deers I shothad dissintegrated hearts and lungs,LOL

RE: trailing deer after they are shot
 

That has been my experience and I have learned to wait...

RE: trailing deer after they are shot
 

I am not sure what it is I but, I have seen more then one deer run 200 yards out on a heart shot, and never was it chased. We wait half an hour to one full hour before pursueing a shot deer. I have also had them run as far as 300 yards on a lung shot and fall over a fallen tree. Some deer just run until they fall over. Where they fall is where they fall. Or maybe Maine deer are stronger or something, because most will run themselfs out once hit up here.

RE: trailing deer after they are shot
 

Maybe, it is luck but i have not had to track a deer that i shotmore than 50 yards in 40 years. Pick my shots and most drop where they stood. My doe this year was a neck shot and sheinstantly died. The buck was shot at 160 yards with my .50 M/L through the upper leg/lower shoulder and went 50 yeads befor i could get down and shoot him again.

i have helped other folks track wounded deer. Worst case was a buck in WV that we tracked about 3.5 miles through the snow before getting him.

RE: trailing deer after they are shot
 

Up until this year I have never had to track a deer more than 50 yards. I shot a nice 8 point buck this year with my ML, 100gr 777, 295gr slug and he ran approx 300 yards before piling up in a creekbed. The only reason he ran that far was poor shot placement. I hit him just behind the shoulder just above center, right where I was aiming. Unfortunately I failed to account for how high up I was and the slug ended up stopping between the ribcage and skin almost at the bottom of the chest wall. It was a very sharp downward angle which caused no major organ damage, just a lot of shock damage and profuse bleeding. In other words, he blead to death. Fortunately we found him the next morning and he was in good condition but I will tell you what, I learned a valuable lesson about shot placement and taking into account all of the variables around me before pulling the trigger.

Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep Sat. night![:@]

RE: trailing deer after they are shot
 

Unless a poor shot or pushed deer generally won't make it over 100 yards after being hit in the vitals. Exceptions to the rule as never expect anything when dealing with a wild animal who'swill to survive is paramount to anything else..nature of the hunted I guess.

This year I have harvested 5 deer & 1 bull elk thus far with a firearm, deer- 2 ml and 3 rifle. My 1 Ml deer ran, she made it maybe 20 yards before succumbing to both lungs being hit. The others, 2 bucks were shoulder shot as it is what I had,while theother 2 does where hit where the heart and lungs meet trashing both, all 4 dropped where they stood. My elk was also hit in the same heart/lung meeting placehe made it maybe 50 yards from the hit, though majority of that was on his nose down the edge of the ridgeline;)!

My longest personal track job was several hundred yards after pushing a single lung hit buck to soon. Had I been patient he would have been less than 100 yards from the shot so I learned yet again what not to do.

I have seen poor hit deer go a long ways but again pushing them is the main reason for making it tougher than it had to be. If not sure then stay off them for at least 30 minutes. If they drop make sure to reload and keep focused as I watched my partners elk this year jump up after twitching on theground as his shot touched the spine causing temporary paralysis. Thank god he was ready for such an event and when the bull regained his feet he stuffed the next one in tight and took out both lungs. One leap he was gone but not far as the second shot did its job. Had we been high 5ing I doubt we'd of found him based on the first near miss. Even schooled guys get the shanks and make a poor shot at times, he is very experienced and an excellent marksman(trained sharp shooter),so be dilgent and never say never!

RE: trailing deer after they are shot
 

The weapons matters. I've shot three deer in the last three years with my 30-06 at 100 yds or less. Not one of them got up after the first shot. That weapons nocks them right over, so if you needed a second shot, they aren't going anywhere.

RE: trailing deer after they are shot
 

Shot placement and bullet type are key. I shoot 7mm-08 ballistic tips, never had to track a deer more than 10 yards. I'll never buy another rifle or use anything but ballistic tips. If it works, don't change it. I don't care anything about tracking a deer, I wanna see it take a dirt nap right where I shoot him.

RE: trailing deer after they are shot
 

The first deer I ever took with a bow was a big doe I snuck up on while she was bedded in a cornfield.Shot her from about 10 yrds away, arrow made a complete pass through, and was dead center through her heart.She jumped up and ran over half the length of the cornfield, well over 100 yrds before dying.It was easy to track, it looked like someone took a hose and sprayed blood on the cornstalks.

Shot a different doe two years ago, hit it a little farther back in the liver.She was dead within 50 yrds and I watched her go down from my stand.

First buck I ever shot was a bad experience, my rest came loose on my bow and the broadhead was up against the riser when i shot.Hit him in the hind quarter as a result, he died 12 steps later, cut the artery that runs through back there.Never seen a deer bleed out that fast.

No two deer are ever gonna act the same when hit, if you never had to trail one odds are you will.

RE: trailing deer after they are shot
 

All I can say to anyone who has to track a deer more than 5feet after a double lung shot is ,Make sure you know where and what lungs are on a deer and maybe try a lighter bullet to expand better.I hear people talk about deer running after double lung shots on here.There is no excuse for it if you use the right ammo and know where to aim at.If I shoot a balling ball at you and hit your stomach,I don't care how pumped up you are.Your not running no where.It knocks your breath out of you.I blow up both lungs on a deer.It is dropping in it's tracks,Period. It's all about shot placement and the right ammo to get the job down as quickly as possible.I do question peoples knowledge of the anatomy on deer.Where the vitals are. I all soenjoy people praising their guns only to have to track their deer.