need help fast!!!!

phil03

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so i shot a nice buck with my 16g. with no. 1 buck

it was a 20-25 yard shot, i got him i know i did but he was bedded, he got up did the kick and all but.... no blood!!

is it possible the pellets didn't go through and through?! now everything is going through my head, where the F is this buck, is it possible that i wont find blood right away, i have no clue Ive never had this happen to me. now the tracks this buck left behind seems to me as what an injured deer would leave and crashing into trees, i even found a chunk of hair!(like 40 yards from where i shot him)

can someone pls tell me if i would be wasting my time going back tomorrow morning to look for him?!?!
what should i look for?
how long should i look?

i know you old farts(no offense) on here have my answers, plz help me!
 
I would be very surprised if you had pass through. How did he kick? Hind legs kicking back like a horse? How long did you wait before going after him? What is the terrain like? You should go back first thing - look for ravens as you are approaching the area. Follow the tracks/sign until you lose it - then go really slowly in an arc looking to pick up the track or sign again. If you have no luck then try and circle around the last known sign. Look at deer height on the branches too - you may find hair or blood. Move slowly and keep your eyes peeled and your ears perked.

If you still have no luck then try and look for some real thick brush near the last sign and take a look there. You can also try to look around for water.

Good luck.
 
You certainly owe it to the animal to try to find him. If hit well enough, the blood should turn up within a few yards. If chest hit, the blood should be frothy because of the air from the lungs. he should not have gone far. A couple of hours into every nook and cranny within a couple hundred yards should turn up positive.
 
he was bedded in in a pine plantation with a dirty black swamp near by, i waited 20 minutes, i know it might be a little quick but i was too pumped. I looked for him about 2 hours, i was alone so it was that much harder for me, i was barely blinking and the stress level was running high and the sun was coming down faster then ever, im going back tomorrow morning first thing!! anything else i should look for?
 
Nearly every deer I shot ran and died within the 50 yrd mark. I find a running dead deer tends to run in a pretty straight path. Give the deer the respect it deserves and look for it the whole day. If you have no luck than I would say you gave it a honest go.
 
Not sure how good you are in the bush at night but try this if you are comfortable...and leave the friggen gun at home so as not to be charged with poaching.Do you have or have access to coleman lantern? An yes its one of the old ones that you put white gas into or also called naptha.Fire it up and go to where you took your shot.

Now walk to where the deer was and hold it above your head...any blood will flouresce and glow...follow the blood that glows in front of you...swing the lantern side to side and keep looking for blood.

If YOU ARE NOT COMFY AT NIGHT IN THE BUSH DONT TRY THIS AT ALL...Thats my disclaimer or SAR techs will have to find you in the morning....
 
this is the first time i have any problem with a buckshot, usually the damn thing fall right over! i will go out tomorrow morning, ill let you guys know how things go, its the last day so ill make a hunt out of it somehow.....
 
Yup, I agree 110% with mahony1977. I've used my dogs 3 different times & recovered ALL 3 of those deer.

Also, PUT YOUR LOCATION IN YOUR PROFILE! Where are you?

Cheers
Jay

Check your reg's 1st to see if you are allowed to hunt with dogs in your area.

If dogs are NOT allowed (like WMU 65-Ont) you will have to leave the gun at home.

Then you're just out for a walk with your dog. ;)
 
no luck, i got help from a local hunter with a dog, still came up empty.... better luck next year!

I know it sucks, but it does happen.Don't fret too much.

Not every situation results in a perfect kill. Sometimes when your adrenaline kicks in things happen fast with no time to think before the trigger is pulled.No matter how many times you go over it in your mind you can't change it. The best thing you can do is try your best to prevent it from happening in the future.

CHIN UP....LESSON LEARNED......THATS HUNTING.
 
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Maybe you'll see him next year! 16g with buckshot doesn't really seem like a super powerful deer stopper to me, and if by happenstance those pellets hit some tough shoulder muscle, ribs, shoulderblade, etc, it's possible that he isn't even woulded badly (obviously not enough to leave a blood trail). We've all seen the magazine articles about deer that were shot, then the hunter found a broadhead embedded in the spine or something.
 
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