test your tracking knowledge

[AHLHAWK81]

Given the scenario below, I would welcome your expertise and opinions. The questions are: Was this deer recovered? Why or why not? And, where was it hit?

Sorry this is a little long.

A few facts: The hunter/shooter: 17 yr old with average to above average shooting skills. 4th year hunting, 2 previous kills. Rifle: 30-06, scoped, 180 gr. RN. Shot made from elevated stand, approximately 50-60 yards, 11:30am. Area: northern part of the state, typical terrain, pines, poplar, swamps, low thick brush etc. Weather: clear, temp mid 30’s, no snow, light SW wind.

Here’s how it played out. Walking to my son’s stand, I jumped a deer that moves in his direction. After several minutes and no shot heard, I continue on to his stand. He confirms hearing some noise off in the pines but did not see anything. For the heck of it, I make a couple grunts and kick some leaves, immediately he sees legs move but stay behind a balsam. Another grunt and from his perch he sees a large doe start moving through the brush, seemingly to get downwind. As it crosses his shooting lane at a slow walk he shoots. Instantly, the deer lurches forward in a low run, tail down, crashing through the brush. After 10 seconds or so the crashing stops. He feels good about the shot, and from what I saw on the ground and heard, I do too.

Tracking:

12:30 – One hour later. Point of impact, no blood, and no hair is found.

12:45 – 20 yards from POI, good blood spot along with a chunk of soft fatty tissue the size of my finger. Unfortunately, no air bubbles and not pink. Decide to wait another half hour before going further.

1:15 – Re-starting at the first blood, tracking is easy. Every 10-20ft baseball size blood with drops in between.

1:30 – At about 75 yards, there is a large blood spot the size of a dinner plate. Dark red and thick (almost the consistency of paint). Looked like someone took a ketchup bottle and squeezed a pile onto the ground. No stomach matter is noticed, no smell, no bone, no more tallow. Took a 15 minute break.

2:00 – At least 100 yards now. Blood is still fairly easy to spot and within 25 yards of the last large blood spot it is obvious the deer slowed as 3 more dinner plate sized spots were found within a couple feet of each other. Tracking continues easily considering no snow.

2:30 – Approx. 200 yards. Golf ball sized blood spots are noticed quite frequently. The deer is on a zigzag slow walk through the thickest nasty brush it can find. Blood has been brushed on twigs, grass (12-18 inches high) and logs when not pooled on the ground. More sign indicates the deer stopped at a waist high blowdown, eventually jumped it and then continued moving slowly.

3:30 – By this point the deer has traveled about half mile or so, at times moving quickly on a major deer trail. Still has not bedded down and when moving through open areas and major trails the blood trail is very spotty.

4:30 – I am guessing we are close to a mile now and still blood but the largest spots are now the size of a dime and getting few far between. Since it is getting dark, we make the tough decision to resume the next morning. The rest of the night, my son is noticeably quiet and upset. With wolves howling a few days earlier, he is convinced recovery is slim to none.

Now it’s up to you……what happened?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Was the deer pushed? Sounds like a liver hit by the description.. Did you go back the next day?

[JacobMHD]

Liver hit is what I was thinking as well. If that is the case, then it will be a dead deer. I would liketo think it was recovered. Hopefully without any teeth marks.

[B-man715]

Since the deer zig-zagged it was looking for a bed (to die), in which you jumped it out of. You then continued to slowly track it with less and less blood and eventually backed out.

I would say you found the deer the next morning.

Next time back out right away if the deer jumps. She would have bedded down again as soon as she felt safe (100-300 yards depending on terrain) instead of pushing her a half mile more.

I hope you got to her before the wolves! But if not, nothing goes to waste in nature.

[leech~~]

Sounds like he may have nicked the front brisket and knocked off a little fat. It bleeds well for a while but then the hole clogs up with blood and fat and stops. The spots you seen early on may have been where it stopped for a bit but more like bedded down and then kepted moving and bedding until you may have got to close and pushed it. I think it may have stopped bleeding and you did not find it?

[zzammon]

My first thought was high on the leg, and I would assume you found it or you wouldn't have posted this... maybe...

[Steve Foss]

Now it’s up to you……what happened?

Geez, I'm tempted to ask who cares what happened. That's one of the best blow-by-blow accounts of a shoot-and-track that I've ever read. All the detail you need without a lot of extra yakking. And I like how you broke the narrative into time-stamps.

FWIW, my guess is . . . . doe found and meat in the freezer!

[Arctic Cat Pete]

I agree with the brisket hit and not finding the deer.

[AHLHAWK81]

Liver hit was my expectation early in the tracking as well. However, I kept ruling that out after not finding the deer 5 hours later and it traveling nearly a mile.

deitz, we probably pushed it later in the tracking but did not jump it during the track.

[leech~~]

Liver hit was my expectation early in

I think if you hit the liver or any organ it would not have stopped bleeding, like if it was just a nick through a fatty area and may have been in the freezer by now. I have tracked a few wounded deer in the last 40years of deer hunting. The first two deer I ever got were deer others had wounded and gaven up on, but I kept looking because I was young and hungry! But I did learn a little about tracking and not giving up, if you have the time to stay with them. But a lightly hit deer will stop bleeding and may make it. At least let your son know that so he doesn't feel to bad about the wounding. Most of the deer I have tracked over the years were from the younger members in our party! They do pretty well at the targets sighting in their guns, but get a little shaky when there's a real deer in front of them.

[Bear55]

I also vote for the brisket hit, the fat is usually a good hint. They will bleed for a while but things slowly dry up. My guess is if you didn't find her in a mile you won't find her.

[AHLHAWK81]

very good comments guys. the fatty tissue at first blood provided a lot of information, until we came across the thick red blood. That still baffles me a bit.

[MrCrappie]

Brisket hit, closer to leg. You didn't find her, but the wolves did. I had a similar situation with a bow and expandable broadhead. No way I thought this deer would survive, but sure enough she vanished like a ghost. I lost the blood trail after an hour and 1/4 mile in the rain. No arrow, no deer, just an baffled hunter. The first deer I ever shot too.

[Sheephead Slayer]

I'm annoyed by this game. It's not a toy for amusment, what happened?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Sheepie- my guess, the orig poster has responded and they are still looking for the animal or it was not recovered.

[leech~~]

I'm annoyed by this game. It's not a toy for amusment, what happened?

I really don't see an issue here. If posts like this help others in their tracking abilities, maybe more Deer will be recovered. I think you just don't want to wait for the end of the book to hear "who done it"

[Deitz Dittrich]

LOL @ Leech.. true..

In my opinion. having not been there.. The deer probably had been pushed.. if it was not recovered, that may be the lesson learned. If you give them a chance to bed down and stay down.. you have a much better chance to recover them.

[Surface Tension]

What side of the deer is the entrance hole and was the shot broadside, quartering away, or what? Knowing that will help with the following clues.

What side of the deer was the blood trail on? Left, right, center? If we knew what side of the deer you shot shot then we can get an indication of a pass though or not. Blood wiped on the grass at 12-18". Unless the deer stumbled that blood came from one of four legs. Which side off the deer was the blood on the grass? Left right or center?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Frank-- you make it sound like you have tracked a deer or two in your life? LMAO

[so haaad]

I think you just don't want to wait for the end of the book to hear "who done it"

The teenage kid did it...in the wheelhouse...with a rifle!

[pulleye16]

Low...front chest from right to left just slightly quatering away...what do I win? I'll take the back straps!!!Good luck on getting this!

[AHLHAWK81]

Just to be clear, the intent of this post was/is: 1) Obtain feedback from others based on their given experience. 2) maybe help others learn something from this and 3) help my son understand this part of hunting, and learn from it. It is not a game for amusement!

This deer was not recovered. The search the next day resulted in a lost blood trail shortly after we quit the night before. I still do not know if it is alive or the wolves got on her (there was no sign to indicate this). Either way, the sick feeling is hard to shake. Probably more so for my son.

In hindsite, we may have pushed the deer to hard. If I was sure it was gut shot, we would have backed out immediately. The deer was shot broadside, entry on right side, never bedded down once, blood dropped straight down. I suspect nicked front leg and brisket. I have hunted deer for 35 years. We all like to make a clean kill, and usually that happens. When it doesn't, I feel it is beneficial to learn what you can from it. When you think about it, tracking is a necessary skill, but if every shot dropped them in their tracks, one would never gain experience.

My son will be reading these replies. I do appreciate the feedback guys.

[Bear55]

If it was a brisket hit the deer might have a pretty good chance at survival. This of course depends on the level of damage to the lungs, if its nonexistant or light the deer will have no problem surviving. If she made it a mile without bedding down that could be taken as a good sign she will survive. If her leg wasn't damaged all that much she shouldn't have a problem avoiding the wolves. Its all just speculation but, we can only try and learn from our mistakes and hope for the best. If she doesn't make it she won't go to waste, nature usually has wasy of not letting things go unused.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Note to AHLHAWK81's Son...

Keep your head up. No one likes to loose an animal, but the truth of the fact is, sometimes we do. I commend your father for turning this into a learning experience.

In these situations, its always a second guess situation. Could you have made a better shot? Maybe. Could you have waiting longer to start tracking? Maybe. But for all we know? You made the perfect shot? Deer on a perfect shot have known to run 1/4 mile or more with little to no blood.

At this point, if you go back to the area. Keep your ears peeled for bird noises, as they are very good at finding dead things. Also if you know of a watering area, it would be a good place to check. Often they will go down hill, rarely uphill.

Again, from the sounds of it, it sounds like you tried very hard to recover your animal, thats all you can ever do.

[leech~~]

I 2nd Deitz, it has happened to all of us that have been hunting for a few years. I've lost one with a Bow, Rifle, and one Bear! I was pretty bummed about them, but learn something each time.