It's supposed to happen to the other guy...

[AeroncaTAL]

...not me right? Yesterday, my daughter and I were on the second day of our muzzleloader hunt. We were set up at the edge of a small ravine looking across in an old clear cut. Sarah had been rattling for 15 minutes or so, when a deer appeared on top of the ridge above the ravine. She continued to rattle and this deer started working his way down the hillside all the while looking over toward us wondering what was going on. I could tell that it was either a spike or forked horn, and my tag allows me to take any deer. I waited until he was 60 yards from me, put the sight on his shoulder and pulled the trigger. Sarah told me that it was a good hit and he went straight down. I reloaded and waited for about ten minutes and didn't see any movement. So I started to move down slope, when the deer popped up and moved off into the brush. I didn't have enough time to take another shot at him. We could tell that he was hurt bad, he was kinda hunched over and limped off. Sarah said she saw a spot of blood in the lung area figured where I had hit him. So I sat down and we waited 30 minutes or so then crossed the ravine and went looking. We found the blood trail and it was obvious that it was a lung shot. We followed it for about 50 yards and the trail just stopped. We spent the next 5 - 6 hours searching all over the hill side for that deer. Never found him. We were in the timber and it was brushy, mostly bracken fern and Oregon grape, but it wasn't that thick that it would hide a full grown deer. We examined the last spot of blood and we could tell that he stumbled at that spot. He had to be close to being spent. I knew that he had to be probably within 50 feet of that spot, but try as we might we could not find him. I even went back up there today with my wife and the dog, but still no luck.

I am so disgusted with myself. My first deer with muzzleloader, a good solid hit in the lungs, dropping him right on the spot and I do a rookie stunt by not waiting long enough before I start heading over and loose him. The deer is probably cat food by now...

Scott

 

[rabjr]

Sorry man I feel for ya,

Sounds to me you hit a bone in the shoulder/leg and might of gotten one lung. Or even may have deflected into the gut if he was hunched up as you say. A deer like this can live a long time and travel a long ways. Could also explain the lack of blood at the point you lost the trail. If you did put a ball through both lungs, he would not live for very long.

 

[rabjr]

Btw wheres the nearest water? That deer most likely took the easiest route out of there and headed for the nearest water.

 

[AeroncaTAL]

Swampy,
The nearest water was in the bottom of the ravine and that it the direction he was heading. We searched all the trails where it crossed the ravine looking for any blood trails. The way he was acting and walking/limping, I can't imagine that he was even able to go up hill. The slopes were at least 45 degrees, steeper in parts. We thought that he might have fallen down the slope to the bottom, after the spot where he stumbled, but again we searched that whole hillside. If he made it across the stream at the bottom and managed to go up the opposite side there's ten thousand places he could have gone to...
Scott

 

[Idaho Ron]

To be honest I think the buck was hit high enough to be close to the spine. A hit like that will flatten them hard and then they jump up and get out of there. Also a hit like that might NOT have hit a lung. it might have slid under the spine and above the lung, or it might have hit just above the spine and clipped a chine bone. That would flatten a deer but NOT kill it.
While charts show the lungs filling the lung cavity, I think that there is some open space above the lungs and below the spine when a deer is standing at ease.
Most of the time a solid lung hit will NOT take a deer off it's feet with a ML. Instead they tend to kick and take off running.
Here is a shot placement picture. ALso what was your load? Ron

 

[AeroncaTAL]

When the deer jumped up, my daughter could see a blood spot where we assumed where the bullet hit.

I just went over this with her and the arrow indicates where she saw the spot of blood. I could have hit high, but feel that I didn't. Of course, this is all speculation since I don't have the deer to confirm where I actually hit. I was using 90 grains of FF with a .530 round ball in my GPR. I do know that my rifle is pretty accurate at the range I shot, and the deer was broadside to me.

Scott

 

[Little Wattsy]

When the deer jumped up, my daughter could see a blood spot where we assumed where the bullet hit.

I just went over this with her and the arrow indicates where she saw the spot of blood. I could have hit high, but feel that I didn't. Of course, this is all speculation since I don't have the deer to confirm where I actually hit. I was using 90 grains of FF with a .530 round ball in my GPR. I do know that my rifle is pretty accurate at the range I shot, and the deer was broadside to me.

Scott

Like Ron I would guess it hit "High"...Common occurance. We often get a splattering of blood initially due to the flesh wound and what ever initial blow out there might be BUT THEN the chest cavity has to fill up before the blood starts comming out the hole again...I hit one high last year. ONE pinky nail spot of blood. I had given up and HAPPENED apon the deer on my way back to the car so all was well...He died with in 60 yards of the shot but "no blood"....Anyway, with all that said I bet that sooner or latter we all lose one; I know I have and THAT was with a 7mm Mag. Go figure.
Dosnt make you feel any better but if you did what and all that you could let your conscience be clear and go try again.

 

[BrownBear]

I gotta say that "broadside" is a pretty relative term in my experience. Little twists and turns of the body can make a big difference in bullet path, while the deer still looks "broadside."

The one I shot today is a perfect example. Just a little meat buck at about 40 yards offhand. Too far for a head or neck shot without a rest, so I carefully plopped a 50 cal ball (launched by 80 grains of 3f Goex) to land tight behind the shoulder while missing it and taking out the lungs. Shot felt good and the deer went right down, then jumped up and ran about 20 feet and dropped for good.

I was kinda surprised when I got over there for a closer look. The entry hole was right where I wanted it, but the exit was back a little and showed some stomach contents. RATZ!!! Took out the near lung, blew up the liver (double RATZ!) and ripped off the front of the paunch without hitting the offside lung. And I'd swear on a stack of bibles that the deer was perfectly broadside for a double lung shot with that POI!!!

The reaction you describe makes me wonder about your "broadside," too. I once plopped a deer that reacted the same way. Dropped, then got up and limped off. Thankfully there was snow on the ground, because we tracked him for close to two miles before finally dropping him. A fair bit of blood at first, then down to a spot every 100 feet or so.

That "broadside" shot wasn't even close to broadside, though it looked it. Turned out that it was angled slightly away from me and the shot skidded along the outside of the ribs and angling forward. Completely cut three ribs, but never entered the body cavity, instead exiting the brisket just barely in front of the off shoulder. Passed right under the near shoulder between it and the ribs. Lots of blood within the hide, but we were darned lucky to get the buck about three hours later. No snow, and no deer, I'm afraid. Again, I could have sworn that deer was almost perfectly "broadside."

Any chance of a similar bullet path on your deer, with it angled slightly away from you?

 

[jethro224]

Deer are tough critters. Hard tellin' what you hit without getting the deer, but he might live to tell about it. I've lost a couple and I know the feeling. Keep trying and learning.

 

[Goshawk]

Scott I had that happen to me a while back but I was very lucky and ultimately was able to find the deer. Actually I did not find the deer, my buddy did.. he tripped over it about 20yds from “the last spot of blood and we could tell that he stumbled at that spot.”. We started to make small circles again (with flashlights in hand) and there it was. We must have walked by it 10 times”¦. It sounds like you took your time and made the best shot possible. Like the guys said above, “you hit a bone in the shoulder/leg and might of gotten one lung”, “buck was hit high enough to be close to the spine”, We often get a splattering of blood initially due to the flesh wound and what ever initial blow out there might be BUT THEN the chest cavity has to fill up before the blood starts comming out the hole again “Little twists and turns of the body can make a big difference in bullet path, while the deer still looks "broadside." I think these are logical/excellent possibilities and to add to the above, I think sometimes they are just not ready to give up the ghost yet! I’ve made good shots on deer through the heart, lungs etc. and have had them run pretty good distances”¦then make the same shot through the heart, lungs etc. and have them just drop”¦.go figure.


.690RB

 

[rabjr]

Yep, like Brownbear said, I've scratched my head a few times after dressing out an animal which I swore was broadside. Surprised where the ball or bullet ended up. All you need is a slight angle and even with the stout load you were using, you'd be surprised how much a ball can be deflected after hitting any kind of bone. Especially a heavy bone.

 

[AeroncaTAL]

Well all, thanks for the information. I guess I'll never know exactly what happened and a high hit sounds plausible. When I said he was broadside to me that was a relative statement. He wasn't face on to me like he was walking down the hill. When I first saw him, I was standing up next to a rather tall stump. I kept still as he was looking right at us as he came down the hill. When he bent down to grab a bunch of vegetation I was able to crouch down behind the stump and use it as a rest. He then came down the trail he was on and turned to his left coming "broadside" to me. When I shot he could have been angled slightly from 90 degrees to me.
Anyway, I'll definately give it another try...
Scott

 

[chance]

I know its hard but just get back out and get another one. Good luck.

 

[Stumpkiller]

It's a bitter thing. I arrowed a nice eight-point on the edge of a large swamp on the second day of a five-day canoe/camp hunt. Big, symmetrical rack with tall tines. I shot down at an 80º angle into him almost below my feet from a tree-stand and the hit was just behind his shoulder as he passed under me near the spine and he went down in a heap. I figured I "zinged" the spine. Like a dummy I neither waited or prepared a second arrow and instead began to lower my bow on a cord. The deer jumped up and ran off - 15" of my 30" yellow-crested arrow sticking straight-up out of his back.

I waited half an hour and tracked him into the swamp and found two large pools of blood where he paused. Then nothing. At camp I got help and we fanned out and searched in spirals and grids. I spent the next three days on my own sloshing through a hemlock swamp along a lake looking under every root, tangle and hummock. Nothing. Not a hair, arrow piece or drop of blood. It was 10 years before I hunted from a tree-stand again; not that the treestand was at fault but I was disgusted with myself and didn't trust that angle with an arrow.

I have no doubt he died - that arrow was in the vitals and was a large Sasquatch broadhead. One thing I did do was switch to a narrower broadhead for added penetration . . . and I shoot again now if offered a chance.

 

[BrownBear]

. . . and I shoot again now if offered a chance.

That's the bottom line for me. Of course with a muzzleloader "again" is a longer time in coming than with most other arms.

Gotta tell a funny on myself. That little meat buck I shot was in plain sight the whole time, in spite of the heavy timber and brush. Got it home, and once it was skun and hung, I went to clean my rifle.

Boy, something weird was going on! The swab just wasn't sucking any water up into the bore as I pumped on it. :shocked2:

Then it occurred to me to check. Yup, still a load in there! :redface:

I have no recollection of doing it, but I had reloaded right after the shot. Doh...... :rotf:

 

[AeroncaTAL]

Thanks again for the words of encouragement and battle stories guys. I figure that loosing an animal is much like what they say about tailwheel pilots. There are those who have ground looped, and those who will. When it happens, you get back in the air as soon as possible. I've "ground looped", both in my airplane and with my muzzleloader. I'll be jumping back into the cockpit real soon and giving it another try...
Scott