could use a little tracking help

[wtnhunt]

Sunday morning shot a decent for this area 7 point. Deer was less than 10 yards away, should have been an easy shot. Shot was less than perfect though due to a twig with a few leaves I somehow missed seeing through my peep when I shot and I hit back. Feel bad about the shot and worse about not finding the deer yet. At this point, not any chance the meat will be any good, got in the 60's yesterday.

The deer bedded about 25 yards away from where I hit him, never hunched, just walked over and lay down. He got up about 45 minutes later when some turkeys came through carrying on and he walked off straight away with no follow up shot opportunities. We waited almost 8 hours before starting to track the deer Sunday afternoon and had trouble finding any blood, so we started going the direction I last saw the deer headed, which had us going along the river channel through 4 ft high swamp grass and tangled mess. River has water in it to a point on our property then dries up before it gets to the neighbor. We started finding blood high on the grass, entry side. That entry side blood looked like I probably caught the back of the close lung.

Ground along the river on our side is flat for the most part, but quickly goes up hill in most areas. With the exception of the area along the river seemed he stayed on main trails. Got to the slough on the neighbor where it opens up to a flat about 8 acres or so. We got hung up at one point where he turned away from the bottom of the hill headed deeper into the slough and away from the water.

After not finding anymore sign we ended up doing a grid yesterday afternoon through the slough and late just before dark we found more blood and ended up figuring out the trail we had been following was more than likely his trail back to our property. He evidently made a circle in the slough on the neighbor, maybe headed back to where there was water or maybe he did not want to go up hill? Only way out from where he was at he would had to have gone up hill or crossed the channel where it is very deep and pretty wide. In my mind I am thinking a wounded/hurt animal probably would try to avoid working any harder than he has to, so maybe he circled back(probably just under 3/4 mile total travel if he made it back to the stand), we could have walked past him in the tall grass or he could have come back past the stand before we ever even started looking. Problem is it gets to a point on our side of the river where he would have no choice but to go uphill, cross the water, or have to jump a fence, maybe crossing the water where it is easiest to cross to get to the bottom on the other side? Instinct is telling me he is probably not in the swamp grass we already searched through that I probably need to walk the river edge going the opposite direction we had been looking and looking for places he might have tried to enter or cross the water. Deer had to eventually bed down somewhere at some point, any thoughts suggestions.

[Ohiobucks]

Does anyone have a tracking dog in your area? I'd say stick near the closest water source.

Sounds like some thick area your in...might have to start looking to the sky for the crows and buzzards.

[Rhino]

Tough one there William. I would think being hit back at some point he will bed down near water. After tracking him that far though he seems to have enough energy & not hurt bad enough where he would go uphill. I've sure had it happen. Sounds to me like your best plan is the one you already have. Other than that, check the tall grass again.

BTW...Tom's right about the birds...if he's dead they may tip you off to his location in a couple of days.

[redkneck]

Hate to hear that William, happens to everybody, nothing I could add that you don't already know yourself. Hope he lives and heals up for you, they are tuff old critters. If not, hope at least you recover the rack to keep. Good luck with it.

[PotashRLS]

My experience would be that this buck going that far that long, he is likely hit further back than you thought, more like stomach/paunch area. You likely had a pretty good angle downward with a 10 yard shot so did you find any stomach contents or have a slimy, sour smelling arrow? Liver hits, while a prolonged job, tend to put deer down faster than what you seem to be describing. If you caught part of one lung, you still should have better bleeding from an exit wound. Did you have a pass through? While checking water is good, not all wounded deer go for water. I always watch for the "fish hook" bloodtrail and have many times found where deer stop, backtrack on their course and change directions ultimately heading back to a secure area near where you originally shot the deer or where the deer came from. In your case, he could easily have holed up in the grass and let you walk right by, unless he is dead there. Mapping your course thus far may help you visualize things and identify or narrow down a plan of attack. Either way, time will tell.

[dbHunterNY]

maybe you caught the edge of one lung but higher up. if he was hit in the liver i don't think he'd live that long. if that's the case i wouldn't think he'd go up hill at all on one lung. as long as you weren't hot on his trail he'll end up back to the area you shot him. if you were close it sounds so thick he may have cut back from where you were headed. if you hit back above the guts and below the spine he'll live and would get away in any direction. assuming that you hit gut, it might be a little thick to tell if crows and buzzards are hitting the carcass as easily but still possible. hope you find him.

[wtnhunt]

Does anyone have a tracking dog in your area? I'd say stick near the closest water source.

Sounds like some thick area your in...might have to start looking to the sky for the crows and buzzards.

Thick stuff, yep. Don't know anyone with a tracking dog.

Buzzards circling over the corner out in front of my stand where we did not look at the river edge. Lowest birds over the property just behind us which is where I figured the deer was probably headed to bed down had I not shot him. I can cross to that side and walk that edge, it is not as thick on that side in most places and a few spots where the water is real shallow even filled in with sand he might have crossed. Possible one of the guys on that lease shot something and left a gutpile. He has a stand about 50 yards off our side in that area.

I think the deer was already dead when we started looking, waited close to 8 hours after I shot. Most of the blood we found was drying out already. I don't think we ever pushed him. Possible though a dog or yote could have pushed him.

I hit mid body on the entry side, came out low on the off side. Deer was angling to me coming up a little ridge my stand is on.

[PotashRLS]

I hit mid body on the entry side, came out low on the off side. Deer was angling to me coming up a little ridge my stand is on.

To me this sounds like stomach angling back toward intestines. Possible you touched the close lobe of the liver on entry giving you the little bit of blood you had. The exit hole could easily have been plugged up with entrails. Gut shot deer that I have seen while tracking move slowly and appear very ill. He is there somewhere.

I'd get to where the buzzards are and take a look. Get downwind if you can and use your nose in the thick stuff.

[bowhunter97]

Sorry to hear that man it happens to all of us. I agree with everyone here.

[wtnhunt]

At this point gonna give it a break, may look Sunday afternoon after we get home from church, supposed to be warm up around the mid 80's a couple days later this week, should be pretty stinky by Sunday afternoon.

To me this sounds like stomach angling back toward intestines. Possible you touched the close lobe of the liver on entry giving you the little bit of blood you had. The exit hole could easily have been plugged up with entrails. Gut shot deer that I have seen while tracking move slowly and appear very ill. He is there somewhere.

I'd get to where the buzzards are and take a look. Get downwind if you can and use your nose in the thick stuff.

Positive I hit the guts on the offside, arrow came out low. Entry side was definitely a little back, blood we were getting high was clean red blood, not dark at all like what I would expect to see if I hit the liver.

Was probably a dozen buzzards back there yesterday, could see them circling around not far from my stand. Buzzards may not help though, had a couple circling over our pasture with the cows this morning and I know there is no dead deer out there, they may just be hunting the area with the crops coming out around us. Took my 17 month old son and went for about an hour and a half walk on the other side of the river where I thought they were circling above and had no luck. Did not get back to the thick stuff on our side where I think the deer is probably at. Listened mornings and evenings for yotes nearby too and not heard any yet.

[ruttinbuc]

These animals can be a real mystery after a less than perfect hit, William. Sure had my share of scratching my head. Over the years I have learned that the wounded deer will many times head to the security of their beds or circle back in the direction it came from. Finding that bed can be a chore in itself. There is only so much you can do and its looks like you have done quite a bit.

As Tracy says they do not always head to water. Evening deer most times are coming from the bed and morning deer are usually headed toward it. However, nothing it written in stone. Sometimes they end up where you least expect it. Hope you catch up to him for the peace of mind in knowing.