trailrider894

Problem is i am a college student hunting on a piece of land i inherited when my grandfather died and i can't get back until wednesday. Atleast i'll get a set of antlers if i find him. No meat though. Looks like i'll be filling my does tags this year...

mr4pt

Depends. I have noticed that a mortally wounded deer will run a straight path, regardless of terrain. A deer that is gut shot or flesh wounded will pick and choose it's path, usually the path of easiest resistance. If there is any water nearby, check it.

Zrabfan26

"Unbridled" posted some very useful information. I have shot 2 deer this year that required hours of searching and tracking, both resulting with a recovery the following day. The main advice I can give is never give up. Losing blood doesn't mean your done. I followed a buck 600 yds and about 75% was by track not blood. Some fat or flesh would block his holes and he wouldn't bleed for awhile, which would result in a lot of searching with the feeling of it's over. But spotting a simple turn of leaves could mean your back on target. The other deer crossed a ditch 10 ft prior to where I was searching the night before, this was after a lot of other possibilties in direction it could have gone. Once I got that crossing which was fresh tracks in dirt I was back on him, which led to his recovery only 50 yds away. That morning when I went to look the crows were going nuts. This gave me a good feeling that I would find the deer. When I got to the deer it was in the area of crows, and very picked up, I think a fox was also feeding on it, but I just cut that meat out and kept the rest. So don't give up you owe it to the animal to recover it. Good luck finding your deer, there's no better feeling than finding the animal after not giving up.

accman

I've only been bowhunting for 7 years, and my sons the one who gets the shot, and I have to help track it down. In all the situations except one, they've run downhill, along a big path and then run into a thicket. I followed blood where I had to get down on my hands and knees to follow, only to kick em up again, take off to the open path and then head to some thickets again. When I'm looking for blood, I always check the areas around thickets, cause there's usually sign going in and sign where he comes out. We tracked one this year where we lost blood sign, and I picked it up 100 yds away and only drops here and there and lost it again. It's frustrating, especially after you put so much time into it, but we use it as a learning experience and try to recover it the next time. Sux, but nothing we can do about it now.

halfbakedi420

i got $20 says he aint no further than 50 yards from last blood sign, and he is piled up in a thicket perty close to ya, that ya probably already looked in!
where ya at, i got a dog, and she'll find blood on a 5 day old trail.
(she tracked a deer that was shot the weekend before, on accident)

unbridled

Well, there's three things that could have happened. He's either alive and wounded, dead, or somewhere else. I really doubt someone else got him if the person who hit him and tracked him a ways couldn't find him.

Realistically, he's recoverable in any of those situations.

trailrider894

I am in central missouri. I have some time today to go look and i am suited up right now to head out. I am checking all the thick stuff within 100yds of the area of the blood. If i can't find it i am making some phone calls for dogs. Not sure what the laws are about it in missouri, anyone know?

BTW here is the picture of the deer that i shot, i have been watching him for 4years. Started as a little 6pt then this was shot last year, he was about the same size this year just maybe a bit taller and less wide... Its the deer thats half in and half out of the picture. The only MONSTER!








You would want to find this thing at all cost too... even if its just for the antlers...

unbridled

Use of dogs to recover legally taken game

A hunter can use leashed dogs to track and recover mortally wounded deer, provided the hunter:

1. has exhausted other reasonable means of finding the animal,
2. contacts a conservation agent,
3. does not possess firearms or bows during dog-tracking activities, and
4. maintains control of the leashed dog at all times. Note: The use of dogs to recover legally taken game does not authorize trespass.

From the Missouri DOC

Good luck!

stcspiderman

did you find it

trailrider894

No i searched for another 4 hours today until it was nearly to dark to see out. I check everywhere and some places twice. I used my GPS to mark odd looking spots in the leaves to see if there is a pattern of some sort, but nothing came up. I checked fallen tree tops all the thick stuff and double and triple checked the prime ares. I ran grids on the hillsides in 120ft increasing intervals up the hill. I walked circles around the blood spot and checked and re-checked the creek. Sat in my stand and replayed the scenario and went to the spot i shot him and followed the trail i saw him run and nothing, no blood, hair... etc. It makes me wonder if he is really out there.... I am a criminal justice student and have taken crime scene investigation and other classes like it, i used my knowledge from those classes, but still nothing. What are the odds that my bulllet barely nicked the lung and he layed down and it clotted and he survived? There is no spray on the spot with the blood, just droplets like it was coming of its mouth or nose? I am at a total lose here... Season is only till next tuesday and i would a chance for another buck if i can, but i really would like to find this guy or see him again. What do you guys think?