Shot a doe with muzzleloader she acted wierd
12-15-2009, 02:42 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,093
Shot a doe with muzzleloader she acted wierd
She was only about 35 yards away and when I shot she fell to the ground and started flopping around and she made it to the woodline so i just came back to the house and gave her about 15 mins to grab the light and wait. Well I went back out and found some blood and about 30 yards into the woodline its like the blood stopped. But where the last blood i found it was a pretty good amount on the side of a little tree.
My question is since she fell when I shot but the blood trail all together isnt that great what kind of shot do you think that would be? Im fixing to go bak out and look some more so if anything new happends I will let ya'll know.
My question is since she fell when I shot but the blood trail all together isnt that great what kind of shot do you think that would be? Im fixing to go bak out and look some more so if anything new happends I will let ya'll know.
12-15-2009, 02:58 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 1,304
You had a fair chance to know when you said "...where the last blood i found it was a pretty good amount on the side of a little tree...".
How high was it up on the tree?
Was it bright red? Dark red? Were there air bubbles in it? What kind of hair was at the shot scene? Long and brown? Were there some white hair in there? Any tallow or fat on the ground?
After the 30 yards, did you proceed further?
I'd think if you took a 35 yard shot, she's toast and you just had to look around a little more. Knocking her off her feet sounds like a solid and not grazing impact. If I were to guess, I'd say you hit her high and back.(out of the liver/lungs) High shots don't bleed out well as the blood flows into the cavity. Being hit back will result in a shot that's not as fatal... quickly.
Good luck,
iSnipe
How high was it up on the tree?
Was it bright red? Dark red? Were there air bubbles in it? What kind of hair was at the shot scene? Long and brown? Were there some white hair in there? Any tallow or fat on the ground?
After the 30 yards, did you proceed further?
I'd think if you took a 35 yard shot, she's toast and you just had to look around a little more. Knocking her off her feet sounds like a solid and not grazing impact. If I were to guess, I'd say you hit her high and back.(out of the liver/lungs) High shots don't bleed out well as the blood flows into the cavity. Being hit back will result in a shot that's not as fatal... quickly.
Good luck,
iSnipe
12-15-2009, 03:43 PM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,093
The blood was bright red. I didnt see any hair around any of the blood. On the tree that the blood was on it was on the ground to probably 12 inches up the side of it. We have been looking for the past hr and half and only thing else we found was a few drops of blood about 40 or so yards past the last bit I found and now Nothing again.
12-15-2009, 03:47 PM
#5
Fork Horn
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Tug Hill NY
Posts: 420
Without getting too specific, it sounds like you hit her near the spine- enough to shock her and knock her down, but you gave her time to recover. I have seen this scenario twice firsthand- once myself, and once with a friend I was with. Both times with muzzleloaders shooting round ball. There was enough shock to initiate a good bleed at first, and knock the deer down. I quickly reloaded and finished my deer, the other my buddy coudlnt get to his reload, and by the time I got to him (five-8 minutes) it had recovered enough to drag itself into some heavy cover where it recovered enough to run off. We followed for 1/2 mile and 3 hrs, lost it in the rain.
12-15-2009, 04:04 PM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 1,304
Some "biologists" have claimed you can not hit a deer under the spine, but over the lungs to get a non-lethal hit.
Contrary to those thoughts, many hunters have stepped forward saying otherwise. It's said by the ones who have witnessed it, that one can shoot under the spine and miss the lungs. One incident a guy made a shot on a deer, but after hard trailing, couldn't find his deer. Don't recall if it was a neighbor or another hunting party, or him for that matter, but that deer was shot again later and found that there was an entrance and exit wound under the spine.
iSnipe
Contrary to those thoughts, many hunters have stepped forward saying otherwise. It's said by the ones who have witnessed it, that one can shoot under the spine and miss the lungs. One incident a guy made a shot on a deer, but after hard trailing, couldn't find his deer. Don't recall if it was a neighbor or another hunting party, or him for that matter, but that deer was shot again later and found that there was an entrance and exit wound under the spine.
iSnipe
12-15-2009, 04:17 PM
#8
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,093
it just beats the heck out of me. She was close, I had the sights directly on her (open sights) Only thing I can think of is if I jerked the gun a tad before i pulled the trigger. Regardless first thing in the morning I will be looking.
