Author Topic: I lost a deer! (Read 1561 times)

WylieKy · « **on:** October 21, 2005, 06:24:57 AM »

Hey folks,
After 15 years of hunting, I lost a doe last night. :oops: I would like to get some of your input on what you think happened. I had a perfect 50yd broadside shot on a feeding doe with a 30-06! I hit her in the vitals and she kicked and ran. I found good lung blood right where she was standing, then there was fine spray for about 15 yrds. Right on the woodline there was what looked like a clot of lung blood about 3 inches long and 1/2 wide then nothing at all. I never found blood again. I circled for about 50yrds, even where I knew she could not be. After failing to find any more blood, I did a grid search for about 200 yrds in all directions, several times. After 3 hours of steamed up glasses and disgust, I gave up. Our nights are still too hot to eat a deer after being left out all night and I feel horrible. What do you guys think happen? After the shot and especially after all the lung blood I thought she would be piled up just out of sight.

R.W.Dale · « **Reply #1 on:** October 21, 2005, 06:48:33 AM »

You need a bigger gun. 30-06 has waaaay too much case body taper to be effictive these days.

Seriously I feel for you man I have not lost one yet but I almost did I ended up on my hands and knees following blood spots no bigger than the head of a sharpened pencil That deer was shot at 20 feet with a full load of buckshot.
Contrary to popular opinion I believe that even if a person does everything right this kind of thing is alawys gonna happen time to time. I would be willing to bet that you're deer is probably not 20' from you were looking a dead deer is REALLY hard to spot.

nyhunter863 · « **Reply #2 on:** October 21, 2005, 07:06:15 AM »

If you hunt long enough, one will lose a deer. Those who say they haven't are probably not telling the truth. It isn't a good feeling knowing that even if it is somehow recovered it won't be edible, but this is a part of hunting. Sometimes even with a perfect hit, they can go a long ways where we can't find them. Like the other fellow said, I also wouldn't be surprised that it is laying real close to where you looked. One can't step on every single spot in the woods, even in a small area, and deer can really dig themselves in when they are wounded and sick. They can disappear under the smallest of logs. Sorry that it happened, but don't let it get you down too much.

BnSC · « **Reply #3 on:** October 21, 2005, 07:37:54 AM »

Sorry to hear that..

sounds like you made a calculated, well placed shot. you then made a very diligent effort to respect the game you killed and retrieve it..

Don't beat yourself up. You hunted in a legal and ethical manner, but it just didn't quite end like it should have.

I lost one during an evening hunt about five years ago. I heard the deer crash and knew it was down.. I looked that night and the next morning never to find it. I eventually followed the smell and found the doe. I could have literally stepped over her and never seen her..

you hate it, you would never do it on purpose, but it happens...

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #4 on:** October 21, 2005, 08:35:34 AM »

It happens. Sounds like you did everything right. No need to beat yourself up.

Lone Star · « **Reply #5 on:** October 21, 2005, 08:49:57 AM »

As the others have said, it happens. There are only two kinds of deer hunters, those who have lost a deer, and those who will. There are too many variables in the woods to take into account every single one. You do the best you can before and after the shot, that's all that can be done. None of us want it to happen, but if you hunt long enough, it will. It even happened to Jack O'Connor and Larry Koller....

Steelbanger · « **Reply #6 on:** October 21, 2005, 09:20:14 AM »

I almost lost one this morning. A bad hit from my 30-30 had me looking for 2 1/2 hours before I finally found it, alive but unable to get up. A quick shot to the head finished it but I really felt bad about putting that deer through so much pain. Makes me think about quitting.
My only satisfaction is that I stayed with the faint blood trail and honestly would still be looking if I hadn't found it.

Graybeard · « **Reply #7 on:** October 21, 2005, 01:34:42 PM »

That's the reason I quit in the afternoons so much earlier than most do. I too lost one shot and hit properly with a .50 cal muzzle loader. I know the deer was dead and nearby but just couldn't find it. I was hunting alone and it was the last day of a two day muzzle loader season in a WMA so no way it would be legal to return next day for it.

I'm sure your deer was dead and within 50 yards of where you last saw blood. It's just mighty hard to follow a blood trail in the dark. Impossible for some of us who don't see all that well.

rickyp · « **Reply #8 on:** October 21, 2005, 01:55:27 PM »

things happen, i have lost several deer not due to trying to find them I normally spend several days looking. even If I think I may have missed.

But think of it this way, some other animal is feasting on your deer

beemanbeme · « **Reply #9 on:** October 21, 2005, 02:41:39 PM »

I understand in europe that tracking hounds are used extensively to find wounded/down game. I read recently that several states are considering the use of leashed tracking hounds to find game. Who knows..... ?

Its a rotten feeling. I spent a week long mulie hunt in Colo looking for a deer that I was sure I hit. I was using a .243 and I have never shot a .243 at another head of game.

robin-hood-90 · « **Reply #10 on:** October 23, 2005, 05:41:09 AM »

Quote from: Krochus

You need a bigger gun. 30-06 has waaaay too much case body taper to be effictive these days.

.

:eek: Please tell me you were only joking.

R.W.Dale · « **Reply #11 on:** October 23, 2005, 02:31:37 PM »

Quote from: robin-hood-90

Quote from: Krochus
You need a bigger gun. 30-06 has waaaay too much case body taper to be effictive these days.

.

:eek: Please tell me you were only joking.

Yes I was being facetious. :?

Steelbanger · « **Reply #12 on:** October 23, 2005, 03:37:09 PM »

A question has come up via PM regarding my 30-30 deer on Friday. PA has a special early 3 day antlerless season for junior & senior hunters. I just qualified as a senior this year so I used my Marlin 336A. Sorry if I made any alarms go off since for most it's strictly muzzleloaders last week.

trophytaker308 · « **Reply #13 on:** October 23, 2005, 04:00:33 PM »

i would really like to know what bullet you were using?

hunt127588 · « **Reply #14 on:** October 23, 2005, 04:40:20 PM »

Whenever you lose one and have done the grid/circle search, try this. Starting looking around fallen trees and take the path of least resistance. Deer when hit will take that route and if water is close look there. I have had a deer hole up in fallen pine trees before and would never have found it if I wasn't with someone that was a better tracker than me.

WylieKy · « **Reply #15 on:** October 24, 2005, 11:26:35 AM »

Quote from: trophytaker308

i would really like to know what bullet you were using?

SupremeÂ® Ballistic Silvertip 150 gr by Winchester. As an update, I went out Saturday morning and looked some more when I got down from my morning stand. I still didn't find her, nor did I hear any Yotes before dawn, and no major buzzard activity within sight. I have heard that if only a single lung is hit, the deer can survive (although this is dicey with a broadside shot, even though I was elevated)

Seems unlikely to me, but I KNOW I hit the lung, and I would think that after almost 2 days there would be some noticeable scavanger activity if she were down. Tell me what you guys think.

slayer · « **Reply #16 on:** October 24, 2005, 01:07:56 PM »

Yes, I would think a double lung shot would do the job quite quickly. Maybe you did only get 1 lung and the deer got lucky. Jack.

Graybeard · « **Reply #17 on:** October 24, 2005, 01:10:25 PM »

I think she is down within 100 yards MAX from the spot she was standing. Takes 3-4 days or more for buzzards and coyotes on them don't necessarily make noise. I saw one lay once here in Bama that was killed and left lay for nearly a month with no activity on it other than bugs. Then one day when I went back by there it was just GONE. No sign of it at all. No bones, hide, hair or nothing. Just like someone beamed it up. Weather was quite cold and I suppose if the person who shot it had found it next day it would have been OK but reckon they didn't.

You just can't depend on scavengers leading you to it that soon.

trophytaker308 · « **Reply #18 on:** October 31, 2005, 04:52:33 AM »

sounds like another bad experience using the nosler ballistic tips on deer,why is it always this same bullet that you here these kinds of reports from?i was planning on using them this year but im not going to be put in the spot were i might have the same thing happen to me,its like they are no good on the shoulder at all, and even with a well placed shot these things have happend with this bullet....makes you wonder why any one would want to be second guessing when using this bullet......

ABaker · « **Reply #19 on:** October 31, 2005, 04:27:19 PM »

I too have heard Horror Stories about the fancy Ballistic Tip bullets on big game. I would stick to a soft tip.

Graybeard · « **Reply #20 on:** October 31, 2005, 05:47:21 PM »

Why in the world do you guys bring up the Nosler BT out of the blue and start bad mouthing it? No one mentioned the BT being involved in anything prior to the last two posts. BTs are excellent deer killers. There is no better deer bullet than a BT of proper weight in a rifle of .25 cal or larger. Geez who in the world started the BT knocking on the internet anyway? I've seen the old stories past down as if first hand from folks I have no doubt have never even seen one.