mauser06

today i went muzzleloading for the first time...about 2 i heard something running full speed my way..im hunting a rather urban area so i expected it to be a dog but got ready just incase...well it was a deer...i said bah to stop it perfectly 20yds away...pull the trigger..nothing but a flash...it starrs at me then tros 15 yards and i stop it again and i reprime...its still looking for whatever i am...i line up..its quartering away but barley...i shot and its front end dropped and the cloud of smoke ruined my vision..i had no clue where it went after that...i go to where it was and find blood a half ring of hair and a big bone fragment..i start looking for the trail...i find a few drops here and there...then i loose it after 25 yds or so....so i start a grid and cirlce patter all around...i was sick i lost it that quick..i marked the spots i shot it at and where the last drop was and was walking home to get dad...well i was coming out and found a few drops of blood...they lead right into the deer highway i told you about in previous scouting posts...i follow that down 30 yards or so and find 3 spots where it laid down...3 fist size puddles (not huge but a decint amount compared to waht i found before..)and drops leading to each all within 10 ft...i thought for sure she was right there...i looked closely on my hands and knees and couldnt find another drop of blood no tracks no nothing..i busted the hill side up and back up and down and all around grid patterns cirlces and random walking...looked in the creeks and everywhere i could think of....nothing....not another drop of blood or anything at all.....im very ashamed to be here telling you this...i looked for over 4 hours and busted myself up breaking anything that was in my way because all i wanted to do was find that deer....it made it over 150yds before i found the 3 big spots of blood...the blood was a bright red...i smelled it and looked closely and it didnt smell or have any other liquids in it...but it wasnt deep red...it was kinda bright...tomarow my friend said hed come with me....even though im dead tired and sore i owe it to the deer to look more...also it was atleast 45 mins or more before i found the big puddles of blood so she probally laid there a while..i was looking for blood where i shot her for a while....anyone have any advice....what kind of hit does it sound like to you? is it possible i only went through a leg or something and didnt hit the lungs? from the angle of the shot i guess i may only hit the front or something..but my gun shoots low and a bit left( i aimed a bit above center and just to the left of the front leg and the deer was facing left...it shot about an inch or 2 or 3 to the right and a few inches down...i tried to compensate for that...she was only 25-30yds and i was shooting at 50 at the range.....if i aimed dead on id still put it in the boiler room i just wanted to put it better.....anyone.....i feel so sick.....anyone have a guess on where i hit? i tried to be detailed if you have any questions post them i need help...is it worth looking for her anymore? i looked for atleast 2 and a half hours after i found the last 3 big blood spots and found nothing more whats bright red blood indicate?? thanx alot......i really want to find her but if shes not dead i guess i cant....what do you think?

stubblejumper

The only advice that I can give you is to adjust your sights so they are dead on and practise your shooting.Not making a clean killing shot at 25-30 yards indicates that you need to spend more time practising.Get your shooting under control before you give it another try.

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timbercruiser

You should have waited 45 minutes or longer before you started running all over the place. The deer may have laid down and bled out. Three fist size spots of blood aren' t what I would call ' large spots of blood' . Sounds like you may have hit in the lower shoulder/upper leg possibly.

mauser06

i didnt miss at all....the first shot was a misfire...the second was a hit......god only knows where......i really dont know....i think i would found her if she was close....no blood no nothing to follow up on...and i searched all over for hours to not find anything else....i really dont know.....i feel horrible.....but i really dont feel looking anymore will be productive being over 2 hours didnt bring anything new up....i really dont know........

thenuge15

I can' t give you any advice on finding it, but I wouldn' t go into the woods thinking I would have to compensate for my gun being off. When that big buck walks out and I have a small shooting opportunity I just want to put my sites behind the shoulder and shoot, because I know I would forget to compensate. I hope you find her, I know the feeling I lost one last year.

mauser06

well...i went back out today and took a friend...he was into it...he was on his hands and knees and really looking....we looked for 2 hours trying to find more blood..the direction she was headed and the actual body...i bust more brush all day in diffrent areas.....no turkey vultures flying or anything...and no smell even though its early....i really truely think i just grazed her right infront of the shoulder....everytime i replay the shot it looks like thats what happend...and the angle was quartering away....and the hair i found seens to have came from the front or lower part of the body...they are short hairs and are a grayish lightish brown color but short..not like body hair...and she made it over 150 yards before i found the little bit of decint blood...but it all dissappears...nothing more...like she just got up and walked away....i learned a few valuble lessons....ive never shot a deer that didnt fall where it stood or within sight...so i never learned much about tracking...and thought waiting was only for bowhunters or if you know you made a bad hit....well i am now waiting if i shoot a deer and dont see it fall atleast half an hour depending on how i feel about it ect....and i read tons of tips on the bowhunting page on tracking...i learned alot...i should have waited and maybe she would died there....though i dont think i pushed her...she was to far and i was still where i shot 30-45 mins after the shot...so i dont think i pushed her..if she would bled more it would made things easier..but she didnt..nothing i can do about that...and even though the season is in until saturday im not going back out...im going to shoot my gun get it perfectly zeroed and wait until theres snow on the ground before i take the smoke pole back out....i just cant take loosing another one.....but i gave it my all and found nothing....headed towards water...dowhill....thickets....all around inside the giant thicket....i just couldnt find her or more sign...i hope shes ok....another possiblity is a bow hunter found her and took her...she was running hard at me and maybe another hunter shot her then she ran back to him and he took her thinking it was his hit or something...thats a long shot but there were atleast 2 guys in the same set of woods....i feel so bad....i just wish i knew if she was dead or not...just thought id let you guys know i learned something out of this and that i didnt find anything else in over 6 hours of looking........

stubblejumper

If you found big bone fragment it was more than a graze.You did make an honest attempt to find the deer which is really all you can do.You are going to properly sight in the gun which may prevent this from happening again.You lost a deer but you did learn from the experience and will be a better hunter as a result.

uncle matt

I don' t understand. I keep reading posts asking " Where do you think the shot hit?" , " Does it sound like a good shot?" , " I' m sure it was drilled right thru the heart-why can' t I find it?" , " There was a little blood, then alot of blood........" , " There was alot of blood, then no blood........."

Practice is to be done to the point of absolute confidence in BOTH your shooting abilities and range estimations BEFORE hunting, NOT after!

There should be a WHAT HAPPENED/WHERE IS IT section for this message board. Although I wouldn' t want anything to even slightly encourage anyone to " let lead fly" .

It is very poor sportsmanship and EXTREMELY UNETHICAL to squeeze a trigger on an animal unless you are sure you can place and deliver an effective and quickly dispatching shot. (For all you " lead throwers" out there, notice I said SHOT- NOT SHOTS!)

PRACTICE.........PRACTICE...........PRACTICE

This post was made in good spirit and not meant to offend any single individual(s). If anyone is a little bit put off by my words, there is probobly good reason for it. Guilt is a good emotion, it shows you are human and usually willing to adapt to be a better person.

Uncle Matt (in IL)

Split-Hoof

Mauser - I always wait 1/2 hour at the very least before looking for a deer. If it drops within sight, I still wait - unless it appears to be suffering, in which case I take a finishing shot. If it goes out of sight, I like to wait at least an hour before looking. It may not always be necessary, but I always follow these self-imposed guidelines to avoid losing an animal.

You did make a mistake by not having your gun zeroed, but you learned from it and I bet it won' t happen again. I' m glad you went back and gave the extra effort to find her. It' s unfortunate you weren' t able to recover the deer, but perhaps she is still alive. One thing is for sure, this experience will make you a better hunter.