Koontzy

went and hunted an area today and a nice small buck came out ofthe woodline into the field right before dusk with just enough lightto see I shot him and he bucked down and fell over moving hislegs.. I waited about 15 mins and by then I coudlnt see him because it was soo dark.. so I called me dad to come help me pull him out of the field... about 25 mins later my dad comes up and we go int othe field... He is not there..... I am sure I got a good shot on him, but we could not find him...the bad side is no blood since it was pouring down rain and has been all day... its too dark right now to even try and track him, so I am planning on doingit tormorrow... i will have my brother with me, whats the best way to find this deer if I got a clean kill shot on him? I am gonna look for him till I am sure that either I got him whe nIfind him or that I didnt get a good shot, but I am sure the shot was good..

thanks

jrbsr

If it is legal in your state.

See if you can find a person with a hunting dog.

And take the dog to where you last saw the buck.

And see if the dog can find where he went.

I hope this helps you.

Good Luck

jrbsr

PositiveBo

Fields can be touchy as far as marking the true spot where the deer was hit...it's not uncommon to misjudge it by many yards. Did you have a bush, a tree within the woodline, or some other identifiable marker? If so, mark it and begin there, regardless of presence of blood/sign. If not, try to recreate the sightline you had and have your brother mark the nearest spot you believe to be valid.

His reaction to the shot, of course, indicates a hit but such a reaction can easily be misinterpreted.

The rain is unfortunate, but I probably would have tried to stay on him before any fresh blood would have been washed away by morning (even through the night). Sometimes, a deer dog (where legal) on a leash can really help out in such situations.

Very disheartening I'm sure but you may well find him closer than you think...I hope so.


GL Koon...

RomanWild

I wouldn't bother looking. If you can't find it that night then it will be spoiled by morning especially if it's above freezing. You have to get the heat out or it will go green. Sorry but it happens to everyone eventually. Nature will take care of it.

Angus74

Koontzy,, I would definitely look for the deer, as ethical hunters we owe it to the game we hunt,, If you can get more people together, go to where you last saw the deer, and start making circles around the area only as wide as the terrain will let you and still see all of the land, if you got him good he didnt go far, but spend as much time as it takes to be sure you didnt get him or you find him.. Good luck.

hillbillyhunter1

putting some time in, in the morning, is the right thing to do. he could very well be within plain sight of where you saw him last. if he ran out of the field, check the fences for signs of him--if he was hit hard he probably tried to plow right thru the fence instead of at a place where deer usually cross.. he's probably laying under the nearest brush pile--let us know what happened
hb

cardeer

Look for it ,do the right thing,It could still be alive and stumbling around or laying in a bed.

North Texan

Check the nearest sources of water. When one gets hit, if it doesn't drop quickly, it will eventually head for water. I'm sure the wound probably stings, so the deer will try to cool it by laying down in shallow water or mud. An old man gave me this advice a long time ago when we were helping another hunter find a deer. Sure enough, the deer was within a hundred feet of water. Its worked many times since.

Whitetail_Buck

I'd probably go out tonight... with a Flash Light to try and find the Deer. Not sure it'd still be good in the morning. Depending on the Temp... besides I like to Gut the Deer soon after the Kill. Let us know what happens! [&:]

hillbillyhunter1

koontzy--did you find that deer?