On the Sunday afternoon of the last day of 2nd season shotgun I had a group of 25 does and 2 bucks come through a riverbottom that I beleive were pushed off an adjacent during a deer drive. Anyways, the one buck was a nice 10 point 140"ish deer.
I was on the ground in the middle of a cottonwood blowdown and because these deer were moving through rather quickly I had 1 shot with my shotgun at around 70 yards. I knew in my mind I had hit the deer even though he showed no physical sign at impact, other than booking outa there like rest of the deer did.
I went to the site where I believed I had hit the deer and found a rather large pile of black hair along with some specks of blood on the right side of the trail. I shot the deer quartering away on his left side therefore I'm sure it was a pass through shot. I follow hair and specks of blood on both his right and left side of the trail. Blood is anywhere from 1-3 foot off to the right or left of his tracks. I've never followed a wounded deer trail with so much hair before either! I follow his trail to the edge of the timber and there was better blood where he stopped to decide which way to escape from there. I follow the deer tracks with specks of blood for 300+ yards across a corn stubble field. The blood is now just one speck every now and then and right in his footprints.
I ran out of tracking time Sunday late afternoon due to one of my child's Christmas programs. I went back on Monday afternoon and picked up the old blood trail again and it led to a 15 acre switchgrass field and I ran out of daylight and had to contact this landowner.
Next day I find good pooling blood on the edge of this switchgrass. I went through this entire switchgrass field 3 times and the adjacent river bottom with no sign of the deer. Crows or coyotes showed me no sign either.
So I am looking for your thoughts?? Seems like when this deer was stopped he would bleed good and when he ran it would just be specks or nothing. The black hair and blood on both sides of trail has me thinking a pass through shot in the extreme front chest area. I obviously missed the vitals tracking him so far.
Is this deer dead or still walking? 6 hours of looking but I'm not ready to give up yet!
I was on the ground in the middle of a cottonwood blowdown and because these deer were moving through rather quickly I had 1 shot with my shotgun at around 70 yards. I knew in my mind I had hit the deer even though he showed no physical sign at impact, other than booking outa there like rest of the deer did.
I went to the site where I believed I had hit the deer and found a rather large pile of black hair along with some specks of blood on the right side of the trail. I shot the deer quartering away on his left side therefore I'm sure it was a pass through shot. I follow hair and specks of blood on both his right and left side of the trail. Blood is anywhere from 1-3 foot off to the right or left of his tracks. I've never followed a wounded deer trail with so much hair before either! I follow his trail to the edge of the timber and there was better blood where he stopped to decide which way to escape from there. I follow the deer tracks with specks of blood for 300+ yards across a corn stubble field. The blood is now just one speck every now and then and right in his footprints.
I ran out of tracking time Sunday late afternoon due to one of my child's Christmas programs. I went back on Monday afternoon and picked up the old blood trail again and it led to a 15 acre switchgrass field and I ran out of daylight and had to contact this landowner.
Next day I find good pooling blood on the edge of this switchgrass. I went through this entire switchgrass field 3 times and the adjacent river bottom with no sign of the deer. Crows or coyotes showed me no sign either.
So I am looking for your thoughts?? Seems like when this deer was stopped he would bleed good and when he ran it would just be specks or nothing. The black hair and blood on both sides of trail has me thinking a pass through shot in the extreme front chest area. I obviously missed the vitals tracking him so far.
Is this deer dead or still walking? 6 hours of looking but I'm not ready to give up yet!
