I'm so disgusted...don't know what happened!
 

Well I lost my first deer Friday. Took the shot at 7:10 in the morning, nice 8pnt/tall rack, squeezed the trigger at 20yds, when he started running he almost fell (thought he was gonna go down then), but then he kept going, it wasn't a fast run though, more like a jog, after he went out of site in the trees I waited for 30 minutes. Once I started looking it took me an hour to find the blood trial, it lead out of the woods through some CRP and into a small patch of woods where it stopped cold. He could have gone anywhere from there, we looked all over till 3:00 that afternoon but couldn't find him. Some places the trail had a lot of blood, others it was a little pen speck. I get sick to my stomach just thinking about it, if it was up to me we would have looked all through the night, but we had to leave and there was no tellin where he could have gone. The trail was a good 75 yds long before it stopped cold, but there were a ton of leaves and the wind was blowing hard. Any idea what happened? Seriously doubt my scope was off, sighted it in before season and keep very good care of it. I guess its possible I just didn't hit a vital organ, but I'm certain I made a good shot. Never had a deer run farther than 50 yards on me, can't believe this happened :(

RE: I'm so disgusted...don't know what happened!
 

during rifle season in pa, i keep the gun blazing as long as i can still see he is going. I shoot til i am out of shells or he is out of sight. at 20 yards that should have been a chip shot. the deer prob did die. i have not seen many deer shot with a rifle that lived. I knipped a doe in the neck this year and i know that my shot was not fatal. only shot i had was at her neck at like 30 yards so i took it and skimmed the side. i bet if u look after the season, you will find the deer somewhere. good luck

RE: I'm so disgusted...don't know what happened!
 

We had the same thing happen to us last weekend. My cousin shot a buck right before dark, he got out about an hour later and could not find any blood. He came into camp and we ate and then went back out to look at about ten that night roughly four hours after he shot. We found the blood trail and it was just like yours. Pin specks in some spots and lots of blood in others. We quit for the night and hit it again the next morning and found him. I think the key was waiting as long as we did. He rain about a hundred yards from where he was shot but because we did not look for him till morning he bedded down and died. Come to find out he gut shot the deer. We were very lucky to find him, if he would have shot him that morning there is no telling where the deer would have died because we probably would not have waited long enough to track him. I think that you did not give him enough time to settle down from his adrenaline rush.

RE: I'm so disgusted...don't know what happened!
 

I always wait 30 minutes before going after a shot deer, with the exception of one that I watched run 20 yds & drop dead. Since it took me an hour to find the blood trail I wasn't anywhere near where the deer could hear/see me until almost 2 hrs after shooting him. My guess is if he got up and ran 2 hrs after getting shot then he probably lived for quite a while longer. We covered all of our property to the north and west, as well as most of it to the east & south. I just can't believe at 20yds I didn't hit a vital organ. This is my 5th year hunting with my .243 & 100grn Nosler Partitions, this combo has never failed me, perhaps its time for an upgrade? Guess we'll see what happens when I shoot a doe in January...

There wasn't enough time to get a 2nd shot off, he was out of site before I could get reloaded

RE: I'm so disgusted...don't know what happened!
 

ya cant say ya didnt give er yer best shot at finding him - alot of people would have given up- ? did you track him with just your eyes or did you use any electronic illuminator-i am interested how well they work- ps what did you shoot him with --slug or bullet?


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note to self dont hunt near legacy357 - talk like this scares me and give the anti-hunting community fuel for their fire------------------make it quick make it clean- ---I had a bullet hit the tree i was in because of someone with this attitude- you dont know whats behind that deer and if ya didnt hit him the first time ya probably wont hit it next time-

SAFETY FIRST--NO DEER IS WORTH A HUMAN LIFE

RE: I'm so disgusted...don't know what happened!
 

My best idea, and this is a theory, but here goes. I wonder given the relatively light 100 grain bullet and the very close range, if you didn't hit major bone (like the front shoulder) and your bullet just blew up on you without penetrating vital organs. That can happen with lighter bullets or certain bullet construction.

You really want to treat a .243/6 mm like a bow. Meaning you take special care to stay away from that front shoulder and only take shots with the perfect shot angle.

I use a .270 with 130 grain Sierra boattails, which are hellacious bullets for accuracy, long range trajectory and wind shedding. But, I had one blow up like a grenade on a very close shot - 36 yards on a nice buck. I got him because I aimed for the spine, but the bullet literally shattered and frags went off in several directions.

RE: I'm so disgusted...don't know what happened!
 

sounds like a leg hit to me. our neighbor almost a mile away tracked a doe shot in the back leg and then teh bullet went into the bottom of the chest cavity. anyways, he had the same type of blood. we found the deer after he gave up, app. 3 hours after the shot. it was still quite alert. i think a leg hit deer above the "knee" will die. the buck you shot is probably dead. just get out there and look and try and find the rack in the off season. you gave it your best. just keep your head up.

i guess i dont know about blazing away at deer, but i usually try to stick them as many times as i can before they go down. nothing i hate worse than a wounded deer. if i know the deer is hit very hard in the boiler room and its not going anywhere, i just watch it for where it falls. if i think its gut shot or leg hit, i try and put it on the ground. sometimes you can't get another shot off, and thats unfortunate in some situations. good luck on finding him

slayer