Shot my first deer but I cannot find it
#11
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 3
#12
Fork Horn
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: mcdonough ga
Posts: 147
that is the typical hair on a deer ..lookin down at first it looked totally white I bet...but upon closer inspection it is half brown and half white..yes..yep sounds like a gut shot,somewhere behind the diaphram...you would have found him (probably) fairly easy if you'd have waited at least 3 hr before looking..now just roam around (preferably w/ a dog)and go find it..good luck and let us know
Last edited by davidg; 12-05-2017 at 02:00 PM.
#13
Spike
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Southern piedmont of Virginia
Posts: 60
Hey...I saw a few posts about white hair being potentially a bad sign, and it could be. If the shot was downward a higher hit on the entry side would produce a lower exit, possibly in the white. I’ve seen deer hit with a rifle produce virtually no blood especially if the bullet doesn’t exit (and a lot don’t). Follow looking carefully and if that fails go to where you last saw it and fan out going slow looking for blood and or tracks. You got a lot of good advice here but the best is don’t give up. Walk a grid pattern if all else fails. Lastly...look for crows or vultures. They are good at spotting dead deer. Good luck!
#14
Years ago I shot a small buck with my bow and at the shot it jumped so I knew it was hit and then watched it just walk away like it wasn't hurt. I couldn't believe it and when it almost got out of sight it just tipped over and died. I have killed a bunch of deer over the years with bow, rifle, muzzle loader and shotgun and never saw that happen again. My experience with white hair isn't good.
#16
I fully disagree, thomas.
Waiting half an hour or so doesn't do much more than help you start forgetting where the shot took place, unless you suspect a bad hit---in which case you want to let the deer sit still for several hours. Or, it'll help you bag a second deer, lol.
But assuming getting a second deer isn't the goal (and in some states it couldn't be, since it's not legal), I like to let the deer get out of sight in case it does stop running, and then listen to hear if it abruptly stops. If it doesn't, there's no reason to wait more than just a couple minutes. It takes long enough working a blood trail.
Waiting half an hour or so doesn't do much more than help you start forgetting where the shot took place, unless you suspect a bad hit---in which case you want to let the deer sit still for several hours. Or, it'll help you bag a second deer, lol.
But assuming getting a second deer isn't the goal (and in some states it couldn't be, since it's not legal), I like to let the deer get out of sight in case it does stop running, and then listen to hear if it abruptly stops. If it doesn't, there's no reason to wait more than just a couple minutes. It takes long enough working a blood trail.
#17
Spike
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 45
If the deer jumped straight up, it was hit low. Happened to me too, and I trailed blood for an afternoon.... The blood was good for a while, then just dried up. No way the deer lived, but I never retrieved it.... not for lack of effort. 2 guys crawling through thickets..... until an old lady kicked us off her property.
#18
Spike
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 2
I have shot deer everywhere. Brain shots, heart/lung shots, and thankfully only one gutshot. Field dressing a gut shot deer made me swear never to do that again as the insides were just mush and very stinky. I have on more than one occasion (when I was still learning) started tracking the wounded animal as soon as the shot was over, and the deer was out of sight. When a deer is wounded (excluding brain shots which render them unable to run instantly) they WILL sprint off a distance and either bed down or fall over dead. If it falls over dead your lucky.
Depending on the placement of the shot and the vitals injured, the deer may live some time after a questionable shot. Deer will bed down after being wounded as soon as they feel they are far enough away, or too weak to run any longer. If you start the track too early, you run the risk of spooking a dieing deer which may jump up and run another 100yds making the track longer and possibly a longer distance to drag.
What I do when I shoot is try first to focus on the area of impact and the general direction the wounded animal went. Know where it was standing when you shot. Make a mental note. Think pointy rock... strange looking bush.... big oak tree.... right by that group of ferns...etc. Then the deer went over hill over there, by the big rock, or tall tree.. etc... I sit and wait at least 30min, maybe an hour if I have no idea where my shot placement was. (think shotgun slug at 50+ yards) It may be hard to do especially if you can't wait to get your hands on that huge rack!...you must be patient. Give the deer time to die! After at least 30min I then get up. I inspect the point of impact. I look for blood and/or tissue, then start the tracking process. If there is plenty of heavy bleeding, I continue to track. If the blood is spotty with a drip here and there, I may wait another 30min or so. Never immediatly start tracking when the shot is over. (just the way I do it and i consider myself very successful at recovering deer that I shoot.)
If the deer is wounded but still has life left, they will get up and run some more if you happen to run up on him. Remember also: a dead dear will have his eyes open! Deer with eyes closed is not dead yet....
Depending on the placement of the shot and the vitals injured, the deer may live some time after a questionable shot. Deer will bed down after being wounded as soon as they feel they are far enough away, or too weak to run any longer. If you start the track too early, you run the risk of spooking a dieing deer which may jump up and run another 100yds making the track longer and possibly a longer distance to drag.
What I do when I shoot is try first to focus on the area of impact and the general direction the wounded animal went. Know where it was standing when you shot. Make a mental note. Think pointy rock... strange looking bush.... big oak tree.... right by that group of ferns...etc. Then the deer went over hill over there, by the big rock, or tall tree.. etc... I sit and wait at least 30min, maybe an hour if I have no idea where my shot placement was. (think shotgun slug at 50+ yards) It may be hard to do especially if you can't wait to get your hands on that huge rack!...you must be patient. Give the deer time to die! After at least 30min I then get up. I inspect the point of impact. I look for blood and/or tissue, then start the tracking process. If there is plenty of heavy bleeding, I continue to track. If the blood is spotty with a drip here and there, I may wait another 30min or so. Never immediatly start tracking when the shot is over. (just the way I do it and i consider myself very successful at recovering deer that I shoot.)
If the deer is wounded but still has life left, they will get up and run some more if you happen to run up on him. Remember also: a dead dear will have his eyes open! Deer with eyes closed is not dead yet....