Lost deer

[New bp shooter]

I am new to the black powder world my kids bought me a kit for father's day I put together.. couldn't believe how much I enjoyed shooting it. So I decided to deer hunt with it and only use bp all year for my hunting season. Saturday I was in the stand at 1:48 pm when a buck pushing a doe came though I took a shot at 30 yards and he just kept walking. I reloaded and shot at him again at 40 yards and he just stood there for what seemed like forever probably 3 minutes . Flickering his tail and walked off . I couldn't believe it I thought I missed twice but knew he wasn't acting right I have seen deer do that tail flickering before when liver shot with a bow and then just walk off without running just like he did. So I got down went to where he was standing last and there was a thick blood spot on the ground tracked it for 70 80 yards and the blood just stopped we searched around for awhile to find nothing else even called in a dog the next morning but it did rain we never did find that deer I don't understand it and it makes me sick I was using a 50 Cal t/c minie ball 275 gr conical with 75 grains of 777 2f

 

[GANGGREEN]

That's a shame. Most of us have been there and it is in fact sickening. I see guys claiming on here that they've never lost a deer and all I can say is that they're very lucky. I'm a reasonably good shot with a flintlock and I've killed a few dozen deer with one, but I've still lost several. They frequently run off when hit with a round ball and they frequently don't bleed well, if at all. Sometimes it happens.

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

This is really unfortunate, and I feel your pain. I shot a doe a couple years ago with my .54 flintlock, and she just kinda flinched and stood there too. She stood long enough that I got off another shot at her, at which point she started to run, and my brother fired off a hail Mary while she was running. Ultimately we did harvest her and when we processed the meat found evidence of what I believe to be my first shot--a lung shot. I've never seen a deer react to a shot like that before, but the next year I took a deer during archery on a liver shot and that one also just slowly walked away, wobbled a little, then laid down and died. Those two deer had very un-dramatic responses to what was ultimately a fatal shot.

Sorry that you weren't able to harvest this one. It does happen, unfortunately, and all we can do is try our best to learn from it. Bringing in a dog was a good move. That, plus good tracking skills is about the most I suspect you could have done.

 

[Sparkitoff]

It happens and usually can’t be explained. My opinion is that the shot did not hit where you think it should have. No telling why it didn’t, too many variables. Check sights and load on paper, check the range just to be sure for next time.

 

[Spikebuck]

If you searched thoroughly, which it sounds like you did, even bringing in a dog, you did all you could. Don't let it discourage you. It can happen and has to most of us who have been at the game for decades. It happens to people regardless of the weapon they carry...modern or primitive.

This year my SIL (only bowhunts) had seen what he called a very large six numerous times. A couple of weeks ago he finally got a broadside shot at 20 yards and he says he saw the arrow hit right in the lungs. The deer quickly disappeared over a rise and he heard a crash. He waited a bit, then started sneaking over to where the crash sound came from. Much to his surprise, the buck was standing there with two does and they all ran off. He tracked it for about 100 yards and there were a couple of tiny bright red blood spots. Then he lost it. I joined him and was able to follow it by tracks for another150 yards or so until it went down an embankment and crossed a gravel road where we found two marble-sized chunks of meat. After that, he went into a huge thicket and we lost the track. We did an extensive search over two days...nothing. And now the rest of the story....last weekend he's sitting in his stand and guess who's chasing does...yep...that buck. He watched him and could see no apparent injuries or issues with the buck. I don't know where he hit him, but it wasn't where he thought it was. I'm not saying it always happens, but they can recover from even some severe wounds. And if not, they are recycled and used by other forest animals.

 

[Britsmoothy]

It happens. At least you got two in there.
Are the bullets hard?

 

[New bp shooter]

No they are supposed to be lead ... T/c maxi hunters ... But this morning I shot my muzzleloader at 5 inch pumpkins with that 75 grain charge and hit it 2 times and it did not explode it then I put a new pumpkin up and shot it with 100 grains and a prb. .490 and it sent that thing flying into Peace's .. so I think I have new load

 

[Shooter1]

Patched round ball has been great 50 cal load for many years.... !00 gr may be something for me to try.. Mine patterns and shoots well with 50 gr, but will try incremental increases and see if I get a new sweet powder load with higher powder/velocity loads...

 

[HiDesertHunter]

Sorry to hear but it happened to me twice - once while ML hunting and the 2nd time was while bow hunting Elk - but that turned out to be a false alarm when a careful search revealed my 'clean' arrow in the weeds on ground about 30 + yards beyond where the elk stood. The first - the ML hunt - I may have in fact missed as the weather was bad, it was hard to see and I never saw any blood so I chalked that off as a miss - but I have an interesting story about a 'lost' deer and a friend.

While in his office many years ago he shows me a pic of a dead buck on the ground near a road and says what do you think of my deer? I said very nice, big four point mulie. He then kind of laughs and says ' you won't believe this but I FOUND this deer'

He explains while on his way back to his vehicle as he was approaching the road he sees the deer laying there and upon checking it discovered it still warm.

So he told me he waited there a few minutes, and finally after about a half hour no one showed up so he gutted it out and walked the short distance to his pickup, came Back and loaded it up.

He told me he decided to drive around a little bit and see if he might run into any hunters with a 'puzzled' look on their face and maybe engage in chit chat and see if any may have shot at 'anything' and maybe saw it enough to describe it and if so he might give it up.

Well, he did run into some hunters but none said anything about shooting at anything so he tagged it, drove to his camp, hung it up and finished dressing it out.

No one ever came in to his camp and he took it home as 'his' deer!

 

[Britsmoothy]

No they are supposed to be lead ... T/c maxi hunters ... But this morning I shot my muzzleloader at 5 inch pumpkins with that 75 grain charge and hit it 2 times and it did not explode it then I put a new pumpkin up and shot it with 100 grains and a prb. .490 and it sent that thing flying into Peace's .. so I think I have new load

Sounds like you found the problem.
Use a ball. You will be pleased.

 

[JeffG]

In the instance that I just couldn't locate a deer I had shot, I would take my dog out on a leash. It doesn't have to be trained to locate game. Put them onto last blood. They have a knack of finding them. A neighbor's dog would do in a pinch...

 

[Britsmoothy]

In the instance that I just couldn't locate a deer I had shot, I would take my dog out on a leash. It doesn't have to be trained to locate game. Put them onto last blood. They have a knack of finding them. A neighbor's dog would do in a pinch...

Good point.
I recently lost a wounded fox so I asked a friend to bring his bird dogs.
With some encouragement they found the fox for me.

 

[hanshi]

Losing a deer is a truly awful feeling that one has to experience in order to understand. I've lost two, that I can recall, when using a centerfire rifle. But I've never lost, fortunately, a deer shot with a muzzleloader. While sitting on my stand years ago I had a buck trailing a doe cross in front of my position. I fired and he dropped. When I examined him I noticed 3, two huge and one small, scar tissue lesions high on the back and on the ribcage. They were healed but still looked nasty. When I dressed the deer out it became obvious to me what had occurred. At some point, possibly even the archery season which was earlier in the fall, he'd been shot with an arrow which hit and mostly skidded just under the skin without actually penetrating the body cavity. The arrow had gone through with little effect and exited.

I have on my wall at home a nice, heavy 9 pt. rack I cut off a deer I found where I was hunting. Coyotes had been at him and decay was advanced. Someone had shot this fine buck and lost him, probably from a poor hit. I salvaged the rack and the coyotes got the rest.

 

[chix2111]

I just wrote, then erased, a long story similar to yours. Shake it off, learn from it, but don't dwell on it. It happens.

 

[Stony Broke]

I lost a nice buck last season, that I still wonder about. I shot him with a prb and 70 gr. of 3f...which is my normal hunting load. He walked in 20 yards in front of me and stood in a perfect stance for me. I put the rb in what I've always considered the perfect place, and he ran off. I followed the direction he went and never found so much as a drop of blood, and could not not follow his tracks very well as the heavy tall grass and other problems made it impossible. I covered the area for hours, and never found so much as a small sign. I know there was no way I missed him or didn't hit him right at such a close distance and shooting from a rest in a stand. Guess I'll always wonder....

 

[Patocazador]

The photo shows bright blood. It doesn't look like liver blood to me .. but photos can be deceiving. As pointed out by others, a dog put on the trail right away will find the animal 90% of the time.

Sorry that you lost the deer.

 

[rich pierce]

I had the dangdest thing happen Saturday. Saw a very large buck 125 yards away visible now and then. I circled around a ridge and peeked over. He was 40 yards away and spotted me. I came over the hill, thought I had a good shot as he wheeled. He went down immediately. I foolishly walked up without reloading. Huge deer, probably old. He was breathing. There was an exit wound above the spine. I obviously creased him. He got up and ran off a ways. No blood where he lay. He must have forgotten what happened. While still reloading he stopped and I thought he might drop. Nope! He pawed the ground, swung his head around at a branch, and peed! Then walked out of sight as I seated the ball and primed. I looked for 2 hours, no blood anywhere. If only I had 1) stood and reloaded, 2) watched and waited.

then Monday night at end of shooting hours I was heading toward the car by hiking along a steep ridge. A young buck was just below looking at me. He watched as I mounted the gun and fired. He gave no sign of being hit and ran off at least 50 yards and out of sight. I had to do a fairly long hike off and around the ridge and it turned dark. I could not find where he stood when I fired. I did arcs looking for blood using my small ball cap light. Bingo. Not much. Then a little more. Then a decent blood trail. Then there he was, dead. Complete pass through entering mid shoulder near side and exiting low through latter ribs on far side. Took out near side rib, near side lung, diaphragm, part of the liver, stomach, and far side rib. Yet he ran off seemingly ok and made it 75 yards or so. In reality that is less than 10 seconds till death.
The point is it can be hard to judge shot placement and effect.

 

[chix2111]

There is a couple points that I have to make. I am sure it will get some irritated feedback, but it's a personal truth of mine.
I realize that your rifle was a gift, and that .50 can be a real accurate target rifle, but if you want to be a serious traditional hunter get yourself .54 with a long heavy slow twist barrel. Double set triggers, a fine set of sights. Shoot a swaged, pillow ticking patched round ball that fits tight. Start with a heavy charge of powder, and if it shoots well keep going up till it doesn't shoot good. This rig will be sufficient for anything on this continent. I have learned to shoot through the front shoulders always....both if possible. Little usable meat will be lost as it would be with a centerfire, and you won't have to spend a bunch of useful hunting time following blood trails that dry up. Inspect your fired patches as you work up your powder charge to make sure they stay in one piece. I shoot 100+ grains by volume, of Triple 7 in mine, using MUSKET CAPS (lots of fire and waterproof)...burns clean, easy cleanup, no stink. I have always used TC Bore Butter on patches. I don't know if they still make it but it works great. Pay attention to little things. Track of the Wolf is a good place to spend your money.
Watch yur' top knot.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I believe a 45 or 50 is enough for whitetail. Probably mulies too if one doesn't push the range. As always shot placement is important. A bad shot with a 45-50 or 54 won't make much difference. Obviously if you are going for larger game, then the 54 is much better.

 

[chix2111]

Only reason I can think of that would have one choose a .45 or .50 over a .54, for deer size and larger animals is if recoil was a big problem for you.