hoosierhunter Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 *Dont' read of squimish* This is a example of what a deer can take. I've been hunting for 20+ years and I've seen deer do and take some crazy things, but what I had happen yesterday morning takes the cake. I shot a doe with a 12 gauge remington copper solid at 35 yards quartering away. She jumped and ran about 80 yards and started walking. Immediately that didn't feel right. I watched her walk about 20 yards and lost her in the brush. My first thought was guts or liver. I waited 30 minutes and checked for blood.(in hind site should have waited longer) Literally she put out as much blood as I've ever seen.(I confirmed with my father that he's never seen this much blood come from a deer and find her alive) I mean a blind guy could have followed this blood trail. Looked like liver blood so I'm assuming she is piled up. Tracked about 50 yards on blood and there's so much I look up and can follow it about 40 yards through the woods and then all the sudden I see her lying with her head up. I'm stunned that she hasn't bled out yet after 30 minutes. She in some thick brush and I can just make out her head and body so I decide to pump one more into her instead of letting her lay and bleed out. So I take a shot and shoot over top of her with the first and she just stays there. I pump another one in and hit her with the second as she gets up and runs off. At this point I do back out and get my father to help me. We get back about 1 hr later and take up the trail. After another 30 yards from where she jumped(very thick) we see her laying. I get to looking again and her head is still up. So this time I put it between her eyes and touch it off. Instantly her head drops. She kicked a few times and then stops. After about two minutes we walk up on her and I see her chest going up and down. At this point I'm feeling horrible and grab the knife and slit her throat. It still took her about 10 minutes to bleed out from that. Here's what I found upon field dressing her...... 1st shot completely torn her liver in half and exited about 6 inches behind the far shoulder. 2nd hit was through both back hams(not lethal) 3rd hit right below the eye ball head on I had no idea that a deer could take the hits that she took and still be alive basically 1.5-2 hrs later. The stamina that deer have it unreal. It was tough for me to post this because it's hard to relive a bad memory, but I hope that people can learn from what happened to me when it comes to a hit deer namingly in the liver. I'm sure she would have bled out from the first shot, but I had no idea how long it would take that long. It's also good to go with your first instinct on a deer. Mine was to back out, but I looked at the blood trail and changed my mind. Always go with your gut feeling. Again I'm not asking for ciriticism or what I should have done differently, but I'm wanting to try to help others when it comes to recovering our deer. Our ultimate goal as hunters is to make a clean ethical kill and hopefully this story helps someone to understand a liver hit a little better and helps to recover the deer. Hoosier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dartonman Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 I think this is a great post.....thank you for laying insight in this...they will take a shot and keep going if need be. I have seen bucks get hit right in the heart, and run for 100 or more yards on adrenaline....open em up, and the heart is in three or four pieces.......truly amazing.......al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kat Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 Jenns doe was the same way.....Jenn had to pump two lethal .270 shots in her and she was still going when we got to her. I broke her neck with a 30 30 bullet to finish her. It's the first deer I've had take that gun and not drop on the spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairiepredator Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 It is amazing how much a deer can take! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeaveragehunter Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 I seen someone do the whole slit the throat thing and it was not quick and did not sound painless for the deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stinger-Hunter Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 Similar thing happened to me while hunting. I shot a small buck - double lunged him, waited about 10 minutes. He was only about 30 yards away. When I got there he was still alive. Shot him through the heart. Still alive. I had to shoot him again. I bought a 30-06 the next year and rarely use the .30-30. I know it is a good gun, but since I've used the 30-06, I haven't had that problem ever again. They drop in their tracks or run 30 yards and die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchuLace Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 It's amazing how tough deer are. This year my dad shot a doe and another guy shot a buck about 30 yards apart at the same time. My dad was down in the crick getting his doe and the other guy was walking around the hill to get to his doe. I was with my dad and we looked up the hill and the buck was getting up and running towards the hill. The other guy got in position and hit it 2 more times with a .300 ultra before it finally dropped. I hate to see a deer get up after a shot because I know it is suffering but they are extremely tough animals. I don't think most people realize it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambar Hunter Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 Shouldn’t have been using a shot gun! Use a rifle, 1 shot kill! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rad_112176 Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 Shouldn’t have been using a shot gun! Use a rifle, 1 shot kill! Sambar, There are some states that do not allow us to use rifles during gun season. Here in IL it is shotgun or muzzleloader only. MI is devided where you can only hunt half of lower MI with shotgun only but can go north and use rifle. Just some of our crazy laws over here in the states. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeygirl Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 Shouldn’t have been using a shot gun! Use a rifle, 1 shot kill! Shotsguns are just as effective...and luckily don't go quite the distance a rifle will go, although some set up right can go quite far, because some people who hunt with them don't consider what is beyond the target! No need to be prejudice about hunting equipment...to each their own. Hoosier, I know how you feel. Hunting has it's bad memories...I've had them and sometimes they just replay in your mind the whole day. I was thinking how tough some deer are with injuries and in other circumstances they become so weak with injuries. I shot a doe one year during shotgun...I wasn't finding a ton of blood but enough and there was snow on the ground. Kept bumping her. Finally caught up to her bedded and put a shot through her skull. Go up and find my 1st shot was just about textbook, slight quarter to but entered in front of the one shoulder, exited out behind the other shoulder, and she still managed to go a couple hundred yards. You did good following up on her:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNcrittergittr Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 (edited) Shouldn’t have been using a shot gun! Use a rifle, 1 shot kill! There are some places in some states where you can only use a shotgun. Shoot a .30-06 into a board or target, then shoot a 12 gauge slug into one. Just look at the size of the hole alone. Shotguns are extremely great deer guns for some places. I strictly bowhunt now, but if I were to use a gun, for where I hunt, I'd take a slug gun over a rifle over 90% of the time. I strongly agree with one shot, one kill, but I don't care what ya shoot, one shot one kill goes right out the window if you don't put the one shot where it counts! Hoosier...I hear ya man, it's absolutely amazing what deer are capable of. I put a great double lung shot on the buck I got this year, and the blood trail was by far one of the heaviest I have ever seen and that buck went close to the farthest of any deer I've shot. It was incredible! And you are absolutely right! It can be really tough to do sometimes but ya gotta be patient and do what deep down, and in your gut what you know is best. If that means backing out, then so be it. Learn all you can, so that you will have the best chance and knowledge of recovering animals, even in the most difficult of circumstances. Good lesson learned there! That is such an important thing that is very difficult for beginners or impatient hunters to learn. I hate to hear about the less than ideal situation you had, and all the shots you had to take, but in the long run it'll make you a more experienced hunter, I can tell you care, so good luck to ya! Edited December 2, 2009 by MNcrittergittr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbuckkilla89 Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 I had somethin like that happen to me last year. On the last day of first season in IL. I was goin down the levee behind town and I came up to a field I hunt and always see deer. A doe was feeding about 50 yards from this little 3 acre woodlot (an old hog pen) just right outside of town. I put a stalk on her and got about 100 yards and I wanted to meat shoot her so I shot her in the neck I was using a remington model 870 magnum 12 gauge with a bull slug barrell, and i was shooting winchester rifled slugs. I shot her in the neck and she dropped straight down. I start down the levee to her and when i get to the edge of the field she has her head up lookin at me. She turned her head toward the woods and I hit her about an inch from where the first shot hit in the neck. I thought that would be all 4 her but no as soon as I shot her she jumped up and started for the woods I was tryin to stop her and finally I whistled and she turned straight to me and i settled the crosshairs between her eyes and darn near took the whole top of her head off. When I skinned her I took the hide down a bit further and lookin at her neck there was no way she should have even been breathing her windpipe was mangled from both shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted December 11, 2009 Report Share Posted December 11, 2009 I know about this all too well. Many a deer have been down but not out - requiring a knife to finish the hunt. I used to cut the windpipe in the neck in half (takes only a few seconds to do and the deer dies in less than a minute). This doesn't make for a pretty picture and not a good idea if you plan to mount it. This year I decided to stab the deer behind the shoulder blade and between the ribs. I hit the lungs and it was dead in about 30 seconds. If your knife is short or the deer is large you might need to stab both sides and get both lungs and finish the job quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloodtrails Posted December 11, 2009 Report Share Posted December 11, 2009 :death: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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