Retrieval advice

[suburbboy]

Hi everyone,

I was out hunting today, shot a blacktail spiker from under 100 yards, I saw the bullet make impact towards the rear of the buck and saw the buck wince. After a moment, it walked away from where it was, stopped, and then slowly made its way into some super thick stuff (crossing a road to get there). I was sure I just needed to give it some time, and so didn't fire a second shot (cursing myself for this now). I waited for a short period of time (maybe 20 minutes) then I went to the place it was shot, walked all along the road, and into every deer trail entry-point in the section (I was watching the area the buck went into the forest). Didn't see any blood at all, in fact, I hardly saw tracks. Spent almost 4 hours trying to find this buck with no luck.

I'm super bummed out. I'm hoping the buck will live on, but not knowing is really killing me.

What am I doing wrong, what can I do about the situation at this point, and what do I need to do to have this never happen again?

[Ron.C]

It happens. Best thing you can you if you think the shot is questionable is back off and give it lots of time, I mean hours. Poorly hit game will often lie down pretty quick and stay there if they are not pushed.


Yes, I've been there and learned this the hard way too. Keep your chin up

[boxhitch]

To have this never happen again? Only one answer and its not good

You tried, gave a good follow up, and were not lucky enough to seal the deal, $#it happens

But take the good and bad points and build on it for next time.

Not all wounds leave a blood trail, so shot placement is crucial to a good kill.
Tracking is a learned skill most hunters don't get the time to practice

[Salty]

Sleep on it and give it one more try tomorrow. Mark where you shot from, where the buck was go from there. Use a grid pattern and look hard for any hint of blood. Odds are low maybe but you'll feel better for trying everything you could and not finding any blood. By what you describe you may have missed you'll learn more tomorrow.

[emerson]

Been there myself. Sucks, but none of us are perfect. You could go back and check for ravens. I shoot again if I have a chance for a second shot.

[moosinaround]

Yup, hunt long enough it happens! Look for as long as you can, to try and find the critter. You may not have done as much damage as you think. I blasted a buck one time across his brisket. Found hair, and looked like a pretty solid hit, never retrieved! Lived that shot over and over, but it happens! Moosin

[Gateholio]

Don’t be scared of taking a follow up shot.

[dana]

If you hunt long enough, it will happen to you. Hunt even longer and it will happen again. Hard not to beat yourself up over it but it is what it is. I have found going in circles in ever widening archs from the last known sight point can find an animal that you can't find much blood on. Instead of looking for blood, pan the forest for the dead animal. That being said, some animals are just damn tuff. I once shot a buck at under 40 yards. Entered front of chest and took out opposite shoulder. Tracked him for several hours with good blood to start with and then barely a drop every few hundred metres. Had to give up due to darkness. Went back at first light to find a whole mess of tracks where the buck chased does and bred all night long. Hunted long and hard for. Lost plenty of sleep. Finally turned him up the last day of the season 3 1/2 weeks later when I finally was able kill him,

[mod7rem]

Welcome to the realities of hunting. It happens to everyone and it sucks. I agree to go back again and try to piece it all together when you’re not amped up and feeling pressure. Take your time and do your best. If there are any fence lines or ditches or logs that he may have needed to jump, that is a good place to find blood and possibly pick up a trail.
It has happened to me a few times over the years, and because of it, I always take follow up shots if given the time even if I believe the first was a show stopper.
Good luck.

[suburbboy]

What really sucks is this was my first buck, and my first solo hunt. I think I was too excited (also, I'd seen the buck twice before and not shot because of lack of proper opportunity, so the pressure was on). Also, I probably could have been quieter after the shot in the hopes of having it bed closeby. I did an initial search after 20 minutes, then took a break for maybe 40 minutes and then went back and tried to go to every spot systematically. I just don't understand how there was such little sign.

I'm sure it was a hit, but from the looks of it, may have been hind quarter.

The grid thing is what I've done for waterfowl, but today was in the thick nasty steep ridges in the northern stretches of the Harrison. Initially I was sticking to game trails, but there were points I was just hauling through thick brush, got totally soaked, cut up, and couldn't see 5 ft ahead of me. If anyone sees a crippled buck while hunting up a dozen kms before the washed out bridge on West Harrison, let me know :(

I saw one raven and was hoping it'd lead me to the kill, but it kept flying across the lake.

Definitely going to practice freehand shots more at the range, and going to take follow up shots as a rule. And probably also silently wait longer after the shot.

[Wild one]

Without being there it is really hard to give solid advice and tracking without blood is not easy either(takes time)

Sounds like it might be gut shot( again not there so really guessing) and if that’s the case it might be down. You could always go back in the morning and search. A dog would help even a dumb mutt

Truth is most have already posted what I would like wait longer after a bad hit, follow up shot is good, slow down, grid search and all that fun stuff.

Big thing tracking slow down and watch for all sign scuffs, broken veg/branches, tracks, and any other disturbance. Try not to push far past last sign or sighting. If you can’t find sign back track to last sign/sighting and start over. If you get too far ahead of yourself you can trample what little sign is there and it becomes lost. Recovered lots of game without blood(mostly bears) so get in the habit of looking for more then blood take note of all forms of disturbance

Main thing to avoid it happening again try to relax and stick to shots you are 100% on. If the shot looks iffy back out and give lots of time

It happens it sucks been there. If it was me I would give it one good last effort to find the deer in the morning. You will be calmer, you may find him and at the worst peace of mind that you put in the effort to make it right

[northof49]

Hit in hind quarter and can go a long way. Curious what caliber, bullet, weight?

[BornNRazed]

Don’t rule out the shot may have been better than you think as well, I once walk a km and half every direction looking for a buck that walked off, no blood no tracks no nothing, finally I re went to where I was sure he was standing, nothing, walked ten feet into the bush there he was upside down in the only 4 foot deep hole around. Some times you overestimate how far they will go.

I ended up missing my mother in laws birthday dinner on that guy, �� that was rough in the first yearbof marriage!

[suburbboy]

I wish I had a dog, that would've really been helpful. This was definitely a learning experience. All of the game I've taken in the past has been shotgun or .22, so figuring this out will be important. I found some disturbance in the form of flattened out stretches of brush, but they didn't lead anywhere. It's super tough going without any sign, like not even a few hairs. As a new hunter, going it alone can be quite the uphill battle.

I was using a Hornady Precision Hunter 178 grain .308, ELD-X bullet.

Haha BornNRazed I hope you gave your mother in law the best cuts of the deer.
The thing is, I saw my buck cross the road, but I saw maybe a track maybe two on that side of the road and there weren't many points of entry into the bush, there, esp for a wounded deer. I have a feeling that buck travelled a distance.

[walks with deer]

one shitty night i shot s buck at feet away..

looked tell flashlight died..called older freind we looked to no end...
i had no choice but to pour concrete in am he promised to look..
he found it right where i hit it fell doqn a hole.

[elch jager]

where was this? 2-8? I see you are in Coquitlam... if you are hunting close to home, I can bring my dog out tomorrow... PM if you want some help

[HarryToolips]

Sleep on it and give it one more try tomorrow. Mark where you shot from, where the buck was go from there. Use a grid pattern and look hard for any hint of blood. Odds are low maybe but you'll feel better for trying everything you could and not finding any blood. By what you describe you may have missed you'll learn more tomorrow.
X2....you may not find blood either, you may find the animal, some die with little blood showing...they may also double back - I once trailed a buck who ran along a trail, I finally found blood, but he/the blood stopped eventually on the trail, went back, and went on a new trail, where I eventually found him piled up..

[suburbboy]

elch jager, PM'd, thanks so much for the offer!

If my noise and search within an hour did affect this deer, how far does a hind quarter shot buck go before dying (if he dies)

[BCHUNTER21]

If you shot the deers hind quarter then theres a chance you messed up the femoral artery. if you did then the deer still bled out and cant be far away.

[Buck]

If you shot the deers hind quarter then theres a chance you messed up the femoral artery. if you did then the deer still bled out and cant be far away.

Had this happen on an evening hunt it started to rain slightly and the ground was covered in some green and red small leafy plant so blood tracking was terrible.Came back the next morning with a buddy who shot a huge 4 point on the way in.We did find the buck i shot and he had bled out on the rear leg he did not go far from where i shot him.Deer will also burrow under logs and head to water we have seen this a couple of times.

[boxhitch]

Take a couple of rolls of TP when you go tracking, helps to avoid missing spots
makes for good marking of the spots you check and can be left to degrade in the weather, unlike flagging tape.

When the area has more white than anythings else, it has been checked ! )

[Jelvis]

If you want to find the deer after a few days the " Ravens " will find it when it dies, if it dies --?
At least you will know
When you shoot at the deer, mark the place where your feet are -- so you can look back at the spot

If your brand new hunting - try hunting in snow, then you can see your own trail and the deers --
Jel -- you will learn these things as you go --> --- Another thing! > Try to get a rest for your gun to aim steady on -- makes a world of a difference

[elch jager]

I am on my way out towards West Harrison this morning. Thought I would poke around with the dog just in case you're out that way. If you pick up my p.m. call me.

[northof49]

elch jager, PM'd, thanks so much for the offer!

If my noise and search within an hour did affect this deer, how far does a hind quarter shot buck go before dying (if he dies)

Really depends on where hit, how much damage and how much bleeding. Had a deflected shot in thicker bush once at fairly close range on a very big buck broadside. 175g partition. As it turned out, catastrophic damage to rear hip and socket rendering right rear leg completly disfunctional. Snow on ground and apparent rear leg was dragging somewhat and knew I likely had an issue....very little blood and only about 1/2hr of light left. Followed slowly for about 150yds down through thick benchy bush hoping to get a look for a second shot but very apparent he was still in flight mode so backed off hoping he would bed. Light also fading fast. Back at first light. As said very little blood, tiny spec every 20-30yds or so and tons of other tracks making tracking difficult. Without snow never would have found him. He bedded 3 times over night and kept moving inbetween rests. I finally caught up to him about 1.5km downhill in valley bottom. He was very much alive and jumped up head on at about 15m as I pushed thru thick regen. Things ended there and he had a massive body and rack. I was blown away at the amount of damage, lack of blood and how far he was able to go tho. Had completely stopped bleeding. Took me about 5hrs to track him that day with the snow. Like said never would have found him without it. If no vitals or main vessels they can go a long ways and more if pushed.

It is also amazing how well they can blend in where they fall especially in thick stuff with lots of shrubs or in a depression, etc. Another thing to consider is gut shot. It is very easy to shoot a few inches too far back from vitals especially when first starting out hunting. These will also go along ways with very little, if any blood at all.

Good luck with your search if you choose to have another look.

[Jimbob]

My dad always taught us to shoot until it drops. He was fine having a little-wasted meat instead of a wounded animal walking around. Even if the shot is perfect I am shooting again and especially if I think the shot is not perfect.

When I was archery hunting one year I shot a deer a little far back. He ran 60 yds then bedded down in some thick stuff. I could see him with my binos but not my naked eyes from my treestand. He laid there with his head up for over an hour. I wanted so bad to try and sneak in and finish him but there was zero chance of that with the bow. Then he put his head down and breathed his last kicking as he did so and pushing himself into a bit of a dip by a log. I got down to go retrieve him and it was amazing how well he was hidden. He would have been so hard to find if I wasn't able to watch it from my treestand. If I would have gone to look to early then he would have for sure ran away. Also, even when he was dead and I KNEW where to find him it was not easy.

[suburbboy]

You folks have given me some amazing advice, thanks so much. I've been taking notes of everything to really make sure I get every part of the process down.

As a newer hunter with no hunting family, there's no substitute for practice (esp for tracking, but all the other hunting skills too). I've been trying to learn as much as I can these past years. If anyone's ever going out and could use a hand, I'd love to learn. I'm a great camp chef, pretty confident with most of my outdoor skills, and hunting skills are something I've been trying hard at for a few years (although I've not gotten a buck so far). There's nothing like in-person learning though in my opinion.

[northof49]

My dad always taught us to shoot until it drops. He was fine having a little-wasted meat instead of a wounded animal walking around. Even if the shot is perfect I am shooting again and especially if I think the shot is not perfect.

This is sound advice. Always do the same and never stand there admiring the first shot especially with elk, moose, bear. Always a quick follow up thru the lungs unless they drop with first shot and stay down. Am never worried about an extra hole thru the ribs/lungs.

[emerson]

I have shot 2 follow up shots on a new hunter’s bear. Maybe not needed, but failing light and thick swamp close by. His shot was good, just no wish to track in the dark.

[monasheemountainman]

I always take a follow up shot if the opportunity is there....as for not finding a wounded animal, happens to everybody eventually...

[boxhitch]

"The thing is, I saw my buck cross the road, but I saw maybe a track maybe two on that side of the road and there weren't many points of entry into the bush, there, esp for a wounded deer. I have a feeling that buck travelled a distance."

a deer doesn't need a hole or point of entry

Planning on another tracking effort on your deer?

[okas]

NEVER TO DEAD double tap when unsure

[suburbboy]

"The thing is, I saw my buck cross the road, but I saw maybe a track maybe two on that side of the road and there weren't many points of entry into the bush, there, esp for a wounded deer. I have a feeling that buck travelled a distance."

a deer doesn't need a hole or point of entry

Planning on another tracking effort on your deer?

Yeah true, but I saw no areas outside those points of entry where the brush had been pushed down the way it'd be if a buck went through it.

There's been a pretty serious storm here so I doubt even a dog would be able to pick up sign unfortunately. I'm going to UBC, but have Fridays off, so I'm thinking of going then. Might be too late for that buck, but from talking to someone who hunts the area, he thinks it sounds like a miss, so I might have a chance to either find him again fresh, or find him wounded and finish him.

[boxhitch]

Or to find a fresh one
good luck

[Keta1969]

As others have said hunt long enough and you may lose one. You ask how not to have it happen again and my #1 piece of advice would be to find a shooting position other than offhand. A tree to lean on ,a stump, a knee etc.,anything to help steady your shot especially when you're looking at your first deer as the excitement level will be high. Take 5 shots at the range offhand and 5 with a rest and you'll see the difference without the excitement factor thrown in. Good luck for the rest of the season.

[BigfishCanada]

Now that i have been hunting for years, I wont pull the trigger on a deer unless i have a kill shot. On a spike deer, a ass shot would take most of your meat anyways.

[suburbboy]

Having learnt my lesson, I'll be heading back to the same spot tomorrow. If anyone has any words of advice for Harrison blacktails around this time, I'd love to learn. I've practiced shooting more and tried to learn a bit more about retrieval too.

[northof49]

Just have fun....its about being outside. Good luck

[mpotzold]

Having learnt my lesson, I'll be heading back to the same spot tomorrow. If anyone has any words of advice for Harrison blacktails around this time, I'd love to learn. I've practiced shooting more and tried to learn a bit more about retrieval too.

The 308 is great gun-properly loaded it's ample for any game in NA.

LT, my regular hunting partner since '67 has been using the 308 for over 50 years with excellent results. In general 1 shot kills, even at a fair distance(was a witness to many).

I have shot a young buck from about 100 yards with my 300 Win mag. & he ran through the timber downhill for almost 100 yards before dropping in between some deadfalls.
Took us a while to find him. The one shot blew 1/4 of his heart away.
The buck saw us first & no doubt was full of adrenaline & ready to escape before the shot. Makes a big difference with all game!An unsuspecting animal drops right away with a proper shot.

Good luck!

[Coyote]

Knowing where the shot impacted is important. Liver, give it at least two hours. Intestines or stomach six to eight hours. Some good winter reading is Finding Wounded Deer by John Trout. Nothing replaces experience but reading of others experience can give you a leg up.

[Mosin]

Give it another try to look, look up for ravens

[Hugh Mann]

As some people have said, you'd be amazed at just how well deer blend in when they're on the ground. Back in October, I shot a large two point, similar in size to a 4 and 5 point my group took down last year. Last few minutes of the day, I watched it tip over and kick its legs up in the air in my scope as it fell over, and went I went to go look for it, I could not find it. I looked for 15-20 minutes, it was about 300m away in open grassland and sage when it fell, and I could not find it, so we drove the truck up to there as a point of reference and starting searching nearby stands of trees and cover, as we were certain it got up and ran when we weren't looking.

After an hour and a half of searching fruitlessly by headlamp, we resolved to come back in the morning. Four feet from the truck we found this deer, behind a tiny little sagebush. We almost ran the thing over going to go look for it. So all I can say is look carefully behind every bush because these suckers can hide really well.

[suburbboy]

Thanks for all the input folks. Didn't see any deer around Harrison today unfortunately. Some sign and tracks (and a grouse - the one time I didn't bring my shotgun!) Also found a fricken massive shed! The bases are insane (especially for a blacktail). The shed on the right is another blacktail for reference.

https://i.imgur.com/12JE1AK.jpg

[jbruce]

a wounded animal will head down hill and will be looking for water to lay in,not written in stone but more often then not.

[wideopenthrottle]

What really sucks is this was my first buck, and my first solo hunt. I think I was too excited (also, I'd seen the buck twice before and not shot because of lack of proper opportunity, so the pressure was on). Also, I probably could have been quieter after the shot in the hopes of having it bed closeby. I did an initial search after 20 minutes, then took a break for maybe 40 minutes and then went back and tried to go to every spot systematically. I just don't understand how there was such little sign.

I'm sure it was a hit, but from the looks of it, may have been hind quarter.

The grid thing is what I've done for waterfowl, but today was in the thick nasty steep ridges in the northern stretches of the Harrison. Initially I was sticking to game trails, but there were points I was just hauling through thick brush, got totally soaked, cut up, and couldn't see 5 ft ahead of me. If anyone sees a crippled buck while hunting up a dozen kms before the washed out bridge on West Harrison, let me know :(



I saw one raven and was hoping it'd lead me to the kill, but it kept flying across the lake.

Definitely going to practice freehand shots more at the range, and going to take follow up shots as a rule. And probably also silently wait longer after the shot.



sounds like you learned a lot from that.....i retube and put the crosshairs back on any animal i have shot....i will never hesitate to take that 2nd shot or even a third if it is still standing....you are showing great ethics by agonizing over this lost animal....ravens will be plentiful and noisy if they have found a kill....do you know any one with a good trailing dog?....also i carry a small cigar to smoke to force myself to wait if a deer runs out of sight