Do you think I missed?
 

I was hunting a powerline this afternoon and saw a doe. She stopped broadside at around 110 yards in tall grass. I put my crosshairs low right behind the shoulder and squeezed the trigger. She jumped straight into the air and kicked her back legs pretty high, when she hit the ground she took off like a lightning bolt. It is important to note that I couldn't see her underside because of the tall grass, I put the crosshairs where I "thought" the heart would be. When I went to the spot Where I shot at her, there was no blood, no hair, nothing. I walked the trail where she ran for about 50 yards with no sign other than a running track or two. I figured it was a clean miss. But when I told my buddy about it he said I probably gut shot her. I would say this is true if she jumped all hunched up in the middle, but she didn't. I also thought she was running pretty fast for a gut shot deer. So what do you all think? did I gut shoot her or was it a miss?
One of my friends shot at a buck last year and it jumped up like that and went back to feeding, he knew it was a clean miss.

"Hey ya'll, watch this"

RE: Do you think I missed?
 

By the way, I was shooting a Win. model 70 30-06 with 180 grain remington core-lokts.

"Hey ya'll, watch this"

RE: Do you think I missed?
 

There is a good chance that you gut shot her. How long and far did you look around? you might go back to where you last saw her and start looking in circles start small than slowly start moving out. Deer are very tuff animals you'ld be surprised how fast and far they can go when they are shot. You might have also just burned her skin taken some hair off. Good luck.

RE: Do you think I missed?
 

my dad shot a 10 point last year didnt find a drop of blood we decided to just walk around and the deer was layin about a hundred yards off didnt even bleed

100%REDNECK

RE: Do you think I missed?
 

I just shot an eight pointer two weeks ago at about 15 yards with a 50 cal muzzleloader. I hit him behind the right shoulder but when the smoke cleared he was nowhere to be found. I heard him run off and knew the general direction he went. When I got down and went to the spot there was zero blood...none. I walked in the direction I thought he went and still did not find blood so I started to look around. I almost stepped on him when I found him and he only went around 30 yards from where he was hit. There was not a drop of blood except where he lay. Moral....never give up, if you think you hit them there is a good chance you did. If that dear kicked her legs back then she was hit in the heart.

SOTHRDNK

Edited by - sothrdnk on 11/21/2002 20:23:09

RE: Do you think I missed?
 

I can't really say, but I strongly believe that if you felt the shot was good enough to take you owe it to the deer to make every effort in your search.
Were you elevated so the tall grass was immediately in front of her, or did you shoot through a great distance of grass?
Keep in mind that if you walked up to the area where she was standing and found a deer trail there is a chance that you found a trail made by a different deer an hour earlier, its possible there was good sign 10yrds further back but you were misled by the 1st sign you came across.
You know the circumstances better then me, but I think I'd get back out there, even if you don't find anything you can gain peace of mind, and what better way to spend a couple of hours than out in the deer woods?

"guns aren't for killing people, guns are for killing dangerous and delicious animals"
- Homer Simpson

RE: Do you think I missed?
 

I did look around for a half an hour before calling it a night. I looked over several trails the deer could have taken. It's very thick where it ran so I'll have to pretty much step on it to find her. Unless I just grazed her, in that case maybe someone else will get her that needs her more than I do. (and can shoot better too)

"Hey ya'll, watch this"

RE: Do you think I missed?
 

Ok, I just looked around all morning, circling everywhere the deer could have gone for about 200 yards. No hair, no blood, stomach matter, or poo. I'm sure I missed/grazed her. I checked my rifle and it was shooting a few inches low. (cleaned it last time it got rained on, maybe that took it off zero).As I replay the shot in my head, I can see missing or grazing her underside because I was aiming low and couldn't exactly see her underside through the tall sage grass (maybe she was thinner than I thought). I was rock solid when I shot and saw her through the scope the whole time. The situation was just right for a near miss, lost opportunity, and a doe thats' a little smarter now.But on the up side, there are more deer and more bullets where that came from.

"Hey ya'll, watch this"

RE: Do you think I missed?
 

By the way you described her jumping, I believe your bullet made contact. I havent ever seen one jump from that distance with out getting hit. They usually will look and trot off when they hear a noise come from that distance.

Then agian i can remember watching a friend of mine shoot low and miss a deer where the bullet hit the ground near the deer spooking it causing it to jump and run. You could have very easily missed. Lets hope this is the situation. Nothing worse than not knowing.

"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity" Martin Luther King Jr.

Edited by - burniegoeasily on 11/22/2002 08:35:47

RE: Do you think I missed?
 

Few suggestions for the next hunt. If you cleaned your gun and you think it might affect your shot placement I would field test it before taking it hunting. Also, you may want to consider passing on shots where you can't see the vitals rather then making a guess where it might be. Even if that was your only "chance", making a humane kill rather then risking injuring the deer and not recovering it should be a #1 priority.