Shot a doe broadside from about 8-10 yards today from ground level. Actually, slightly below down out of the creek bed. I swear it hit dead center (up and down) and about 6-8" behind the front leg. Deer spooked and ran a zig-zag away. Waited 1/2 hour, then snuck out to get dinner. Finished dad and husband duties, then came back almost 3 hours later in the dark. Found the arrow 15 yards past. Covered in bright red (but now dry) blood. Can't find another drop to save my life anywhere. A couple weeks ago I tracked a gut shot fox 1/2 mile in the dark, so I figured this shouldn't be too hard.
Is it possible to have a good vitals shot with pass through and not have much of a trail? Shouldn't there be a few drops at the point of impact? Maybe my light just is throwing me, and daylight will help. But any advice would be great.
Heading to bed now, early to work, then hopefully home after a 1/2 day to finish the recovery. Luckily it's still cold out.
Have seen passthrough w/o much bloodtrail. Blood pooled inside the cavity. You should find the deer's exit route & work concentric circles from the last spot until you hit blood. There should be a little at least. Maybe a splash no bigger than 1/4" square. I found a deer like this 212 yards from the lethal hit. No blood for the first 40-50 yards. Then plenty & getting bigger. Get a dog. Good luck.
Like said blood most likely pooling in the cavity. Look on brush,trees etc at the same level and below your entry and exits for blood smeared as the animal exited the area.
Good Luck.
Relax.Things will look so much better in daylight.Good luck.
I have had deer go 50 yards and No blood then its everywhere.Relax wait till morning when you can see better.
seen it plenty of times no blood at impact sight will usually pick blood up with in first 50 yards good luck
If after 30 minutes you still had light I would have been looking for the deer. Dinner and chores can wait... I have shot deer that looked really good, but most bleeding was internal and blood trail was sparse.
My hunting partner shot a deer this year with what looked like a right through the boiler shot, in the snow, and had no blood for 75 yards. Arrow was a bit high and the deer was dead 125 yards away with almost no blood trail. So you never know, all shots are not the same and never take what looks like a good shot for granted.
There was no light after 30 minutes anyway. I was getting close to the 30 minutes after sunset rule when I made the shot. And picking my daughter up from daycare is pretty much non-negotiable....
And I tried bringing out the dogs. But there's so much scent around (fox, coon, and deer everywhere) that they could care less about the one I was interested in. They wanted to go the opposite way the deer went.
Glad to hear that a good shot (I was sure it was at that range) could leave little to no blood at first. Gotta get to work early, but think I'll bag the second half of the day and come home at lunch to see how things look in the daylight.
Question: If the deer has enough left in them to go a couple hundred yards, do they usually just collapse where they are? Do they often find a place to lay down in a depression or in the brush? Or is it random and without finding the blood trail it's a crap shoot?
Thanks for the help. Tough learning to hunt on your own.
I am not a great tracker, but I have been with a few great trackers that showed me a lot. Try and pick up the deer's actual track and follow that track as much as possible. Once you establish the that deer's track, stay on it. It will become clear which direction the deer is going.
Go slow, scour the foilage at the height of the hit. Look at brush front and back for blood and also for broken branches, trampled grass, sticks, and hoof depressions beyond casual walking.
Pretty much anything that would indicate a quick retreat is probably your animal.
I am usually so amped after the shot, I have a hard time focusing. If you have anyone that can go with you, take them and I mean anyone. They won't have that anxiety to find the animal all built up like you might have.
I have a hard time tracking my own animals, but a much easier time tracking a friend's animals. I don't know what it is, but that is what I have found.
Stay with it and you should find her.
Good luck,
Paul
When I make a hit I always watch for the last place I see it go and make a mental note of an object there for a reference point. Then when I decide it's time to look for the critter I walk to that point,but not on the track the hit animal took and leave a marker. If I see blood there I've shortened my trailing job. If not I circle back to the place the where I shot the animal and try to start the trail there. When you get to your marker you've established the direction of travel in case you have to start doing a grid search later.
Like mentioned, take some toilet paper or something bright for marking the last spot blood was found.
I found if your blood trail starts to zig zag all over, you need to let it lay for a while. Sounds like a liver hit, maybe slightly into the stomach if she was quartered to you a little?
Hopefully the dogs didn't spook her, deer can run a very long ways when hit back a little and on one lung.
As for following the deer's tracks, this area is thick. Hundreds of prints everywhere. Might still have some luck in the daylight. Though. We'll see in a couple hours.
I'm hoping to get someone to help, again we'll see. But I did walk away knowing that I needed to make sure I got a good look and fix the deer's last position in my mind using a landmark of some sort. Down in the creek bed, it was hard to see it go very far, and even then I don't think I really tried to memorize exactly where it went. Rookie mistake, next time I'll pay more attention after the shot for sure.
Thanks for all the help, will try to update later today. Hopefully with a picture and some good news.
Praying for a good outcome!!!
Hopefully she stayed in the creek bed. If the land layout runs downhill I would check there too.
Most mortally wounded deer like to run downhill and near water like swamps, etc. Don't forget to check blowdowns and thick brush. I've seen deer curl up and disappear into some pretty small spaces and their brown fur is pretty good camo.
If you shot her at nearly ground level, look high on vegetation for blood. Small trees and brush usually have blood at 2-3 ft off the ground.
Good luck! :thumbsup:
Always make a mental note when you shoot a deer of the following . I know the excitement gets you sometimes but work on the mental part before you shoot a deer .
1- Where the arrow hit
2-Where/How deer was standing when you shot
3-Landmarks as she/He runs away - VERY IMPORTANT - the deer went by a dead tree, jumped that small branch then paralleled that uprooted tree etc .
4-Listen where the deer runs , listen for crash or other noises.
5- Mark the spot you shot from, scrape leaves out or lay toilet paper on ground to mark it.
6- If you need to leave and come back later mark it with a GPS if you have one. TAKE A EXIT THE OPPOSITE WAY THE ANIMAL WENT .
After that repeat these over and over in your head until they are burned into your brain, you may need them later.
Once tracking starts only bring 1 or at the most 2 helpers . Once you find blood mark it then track by hoof prints, bent over grass , broken branches until you find the next drop of blood . Take your time and enjoy the blood trail. TAKE PICTURES ! Mark the blood trail with small pieces of toilet paper as you go.
Use all you senses , smell - I can smell even a lung shot deer -sometimes just a deer smell sometimes blood . Listen crows , jays and such make a living scavenging . Watch for jays ,coons, opossums and such they may lead you right to your deer , STICK WITH IT !
Good luck
Jack
all good info here, i track the actual footprints (hoove) as much as possible,if she was running hard she should have left a pretty good trail till she slowed down, by then some blood will be showing up....good luck.. :thumbsup:
Jack, is right on the money. If you were shooting level or up at the deer and hit her high, you will not have any blood until she stops running. All the bleeding is going into the chest cavity. Unless you know the exact direction and location she ran, she could be real tough to find. If she is hurt bad, she will run down hill (not up) and to where it is thick and brushy. Good Luck!
No worries David. You did what you thought was right & it is very OK IMO to wait. You did good.., no regrets. Glad on my TG brothers for such good info to help you too. A deer dog will find your animal pdq. If not, do the searches as mentioned above. Deer look for a place to lay down & stop bleeding. This is normal. So, look under bushes or undulations where a deer can hide & then die. If/when you do locate blood, mark it & you'll soon discover they will run in pretty much a straight line or arc. Now you can just follow that line w/concentric circles until you locate more blood or tracks. Let us know. Good luck.
David,
If you were below the deer and hit it 8 inches back from the front leg and mid body, there is a good chance you only got 1 lung and as others have said all the blood will be pooling inside the body cavity. I don't live all that far from you and even though I'm at work today, I might be able to give you a hand this afternoon. Shoot me a PM if you can't find help.
I'm guessing you are hunting in the "neighborhoods" of Fairfax Station. If that is the case, don't rule out the deer going uphill. I know conventional wisdom is that they go downhill when hit, but in the "hood" they will go to cover and that may be up a hillside. I tracked one my brother shot earlier this year in an urban area and it went up a fairly steep hillside to get to cover. Also as previously suggested, look for crows and/or buzzards as they will gather to feast on the kill. If she didn't get bumped when you went in with the dogs, my bet is she will be within 200 yards of where you shot her.
David,
2x to most of what has been said. One other thing is to be patient and persistent. Remember it's like a murder mystery. I once tracked a deer shot with a half charge of black powder. It only penetrated one side and something plugged that hole. To shorten this story it was not a long, in distance, track but a long in time as blood started sparse and got worse. I backtracked and worked the last portion of the trail no less than four times. Standing there and the end that last time, head scratching, something caused me to look to my right, and 10 yards over was the deer lying dead.
Patience and persistence.
Best Regards, and good luck
Mark
FOUND!! Got back from work early, changed clothes, and out I went. Started to work the concentric circle idea. Never found a drop, but found the deer right there where I could see it. Must have been within 15 feet of it last night. Anyhow, here she is:
(http://images.imagelinky.com/1293553054.jpg)
Though I saw her zig-zag, she ended up less than 50 yds up the creek from me. Went back, and found her trail but never a drop of blood except where she fell. And even then, not much. Of course, dragging her out to where the tractor could get she left a solid line on the ground. All the pooled blood you all were talking about.
I might have been a touch critical of my shot once I couldn't find her. Looking at her, I think it was pretty darned decent. Here is the where the shot went in (had to roll her over to see):L
(http://images.imagelinky.com/1293553429.jpg)
And where it came out (I guess it wasn't a perfect broadside angle in hindsight...):
(http://images.imagelinky.com/1293553492.jpg)
Well, I'm stoked about my first deer. Period. Thanks for all your help. Now I just need to figure out how to butcher it. Anyone has any links for a die-hard do-it-yourselfer, please post.
(http://images.imagelinky.com/1293553602.jpg)
QuoteOriginally posted by Stinger:
David,
I don't live all that far from you and even though I'm at work today, I might be able to give you a hand this afternoon. Shoot me a PM if you can't find help.
I'm guessing you are hunting in the "neighborhoods" of Fairfax Station.
Stinger -- Good guess. Deer is recovered, but if you're local I'd still like to meet another tradganger. I'll shoot you a PM, but if you have time for a beer you should stop by.
Outstanding job! As others have said, sometimes perfect hits leave little blood for whatever reasons (and not the broadhead's fault). Just happens. Had that deer been liver hit, your waiting to take up the trail would have been very beneficial to you. When in doubt, back out...
Congratulations on your first deer. You did very good!!!! :clapper:
One last thing, did you try to backtrack on the blood trail? Even when I see a deer fall in sight, I ALWAYS follow the blood trail. Each one is a learning experience...even those like yours where for whatever reason there wasn't much sign to go on. Again, congratulations.
Congrats!! Wish I could give you some help on the butchering. Easier to show than explain. Hopefully someone has some good links for you.
Great shot placment and even better recovery, excellent you stuck with it.
Congrats great job welcome to the gang brother!!!!! :thumbsup:
Hanging tough is what it's all about. Good going. There must be some butchering info on the Google.
Congrats on your first! You'll never forget it. On the butchering there is a tutorial in the how to section. Pretty good instruction.
Keeping the Faith!
Magnus
:clapper: :clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
I am very happy for you!
I can well remember the feelings of my 1st deer so I can imagine what's going through your mind. Savor every moment of it and re-live it whenever you can. It's good for the "hunter's spirit" in you.
Congratulations!!
God bless,Mudd
PS: If I still lived in the MDC area I'd be over in a flash to give you a hand with the butchering but you'd have to keep your eyes on your "catfish"...lol
WOO HOO!!!! :thumbsup:
That is WAY awesome! :clapper: Congrats I'm glad you found her.
Great job! :thumbsup:
Go to the Recipe/grilling section. RGK has a great butchering post. His stuff is always good!
Nothing like doing it yourself, too!
Congratulations! I shot a buck several years ago in almost that exact spot, only my entry was where your exit is, and the exit hole was where your entry is. The arrow got both lungs, but all of the bleeding was internal. I was using a Stinger broadhead too, and never had a deer go more than 50 yards while shooting them. Good job on finding her!
It's been dressed out and is hanging from the tractor. I'll check out the butchering post. But rookieville strikes again. I tore the stomach slightly pulling out the guts, and nicked the intestine at the anus. Do I need to wash out the meat? How do I keep things sanitary? (Maybe my answers will be down in the recipe section....)
Wary Buck - I did back track and still found no blood. Granted, I didn't take the time I would have if I'd still been looking though. I think once this guy is taken care of, I'll go back and look more thoroughly. Like you said, great way to learn something.
Wash it out the best you can when it's hanging, then do a thorough job when butchering.
I constantly wash venison as I butcher. The worst thing is to let foreign matter(guts,pee,poo) sit on it for long periods.
Way to go sir! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Great job!
Congratulations on what you accomplished, all that you learned, and the way you handled the situation! Here's to many more in your future.
Excellent job all the way around!!!
Congrats and many happy returns!!!
Congrats! :thumbsup:
Good job you will never forget the first second or the 100 hundred.Enjoy the journey.Kip :thumbsup: :clapper:
Pick of the litter Dave. Great Job! Thanks for the story & pix.
Congratulations! As far as I see it you did everything right...you should be proud, we are of you!...Ryan
Here's the easiest video I found on the web. There are lots more on youtube but this should serve you well.
KY Afield Deer Processing Video (http://video.yahoo.com/watch/102424/1349395)
Here is a post I did a while back that is in the "How-to" forum. Nice deer and good work finding it.
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000076
David, I have a doctor's appt. tomorrow, and can leave a book for you at the clubhouse. Merry Christmas, and congratulations! Once you butcher her yourself, you will never let a commercial processor near one of your deer!
I wish I had more time, but I am still trying to catch up on stuff I was supposed to do for Christmas. I may have some free time on Sunday, but with temps in the fifties on Saturday, she should be in cold storage by then.
Killdeer
Take a spray bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide with you, and anything that even looks like blood spray it. If it foams up its blood.
Great job and congratulations....Phil
Big Congrats to you - wish I could have been ther with ya even though we have never met. Only thing better than shooting your first is being there for someone elses. I had a deer leave zero blood that I knew was dead and had to do zigzags while leaving pieces of TP as I went to be sure I did not look in the same place twice. Was only a 40yrd tack but in some real nasty stuff and there was absolutely no blood outside the deer. When I field dressed it there was a perfect 3 prong WW hole through the heart but somehow all the blood stayed inside. Strange things happen when hunting but perserverence pays off. Once again, congratulations! Bob Urban
:thumbsup: :clapper:
good job. nice deer. the frist is unforgettable I hope you have many more.
Never say never! Great job! :clapper:
awsome job, congradulations! nice bow too
GOOD JOB BRO!! :bigsmyl:
Nice job David!
You Shoulda called me as I would have helped you butcher. I even have a DVD on it from one of the Va guys on here.
Here is a link (there are 4 or 5 10 minute parts) on YouTube from I suppose "Willie" at Willie's Meat Market on processing deer.
Though I've done many before finding this video it made more sense of it and I found it made the job easier.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzYGBNDc_xU
Regards,
Mark
Excellent!!
:clapper: good deal glad you found her. Looks like one lung and liver.
Way cool. Congrats on your deer and way to stick with it.
thats just great! im glad you got her,let it soak in ice water for a couple days in a big cooler if your worried about the temperature getting to warm, quarter it up just like a rabbit....cut some backstrap and fire up the grill..... :thumbsup:
I love happy endings! Great job brother!
Way to stick with it !! I had the same thing this year. She only went 50 yards and not a drop of blood anywhere.
Some great tracking advice on here.
I didn't read the other posts but I'd be wondering if the animal was quartering to you a bit. It's hard to tell in the heat of the moment and a slight quarter will produce similiar results.
Well, got it all in the freezer yesterday. Nothing like gutting, skinning, and butchering your own first deer with only the internet as a guide...
maxplan - Yep, on reflection, I'm sure she was quartering to me a bit. She walked straight at me, and then turned and put her head behind a tree so she couldn't see me... But not a full turn apparently from the wound. Arrow went straigh another 15-20 yards, so it didn't deflect inside.
Thanks again for the advice and all the congrats. It's great when people on the forum are offering to leave work early and come over to help a guy out.
WOW...
A big congratulations, that is fantastic, and quite an accomplishment. Great job on staying with the recovery...
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
in the light of day you will have a much easier time finding this very dead deer.... Good luck and keep us posted....please