2023 Deer Pics/Chat/Excuses

[dlbleak]

View attachment 429714
My oldest got one this evening

Great deer. Pass on the congrats!

 

[dennishoddy]

Well, I had my chance. My target buck came out at 7:09am. He did a quick trot check of the feeder and food plot and came trucking my way. He hit a full sprint as he crossed the creek. When he popped out on my side of the creek, to my surprise he stopped, just 20 yds out, standing broadside. I actually wasn’t nervous. I settled the crosshairs behind his shoulder and just as I released the bolt, he took a step forward with his opposing front leg. That caused me to hit a little far back. Tail clinched and he headed for the trees. I gave him about 30 mins before I got down. I walked to where he entered the trees and found good blood…but also stomach contents. I marked that spot and headed to the cabin for breakfast.

I went back 2 hrs later and picked up the trail, marking it with flag tape as I creeped into the trees. For the first 75 yds, I didn’t even have to struggle to find blood. It was a steady stream. I then started finding only drops, but still good, dark blood. Looked like I got the liver and stomach. At 150 yds, I lost most all blood. I backed out and called for a dog.

At 2:00pm, we got back on the trail. The dog got on a good trail then took us to a major creek crossing (yellow line). His nose was in the air and not on the ground, and since we could find no blood, we went back and started over. The second time, he stayed on blood the whole time. (Red line). We traveled my property and two of my neighbors but we had to stop when we got to a neighbor I did not know. Where the red line ends is where we suspended the track with confirmed blood. I have since made contact with that neighbor and now have permission to search their property.

Looking at the map this evening, I noticed that the spillway of that pond (blue line) runs down and enters the main creek just south of where the dog took us when he was off blood. I am going to search that area tomorrow as the deer might possibly have made his way to that pond and back toward the creek. Here’s to hope!

I swear I think I am cursed to not get this deer. So much history and so many opportunities, only to have yet another mishap throw a wrench in the works.

View attachment 429704View attachment 429705View attachment 429712

Hopefully you get on the neighbors to find him…or it survives to be hunted another day.
I killed a buck years ago with what looked like a fully mushroomed lead bullet in its neck. Still have that bullet. Probably MZ.
Point is, that it survived to be hunted again.

 

[dennishoddy]

View attachment 429714
My oldest got one this evening

A great buck anyone would be proud to take. Please pass on congratulations to the new Hunter!

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Well, I had my chance. My target buck came out at 7:09am. He did a quick trot check of the feeder and food plot and came trucking my way. He hit a full sprint as he crossed the creek. When he popped out on my side of the creek, to my surprise he stopped, just 20 yds out, standing broadside. I actually wasn’t nervous. I settled the crosshairs behind his shoulder and just as I released the bolt, he took a step forward with his opposing front leg. That caused me to hit a little far back. Tail clinched and he headed for the trees. I gave him about 30 mins before I got down. I walked to where he entered the trees and found good blood…but also stomach contents. I marked that spot and headed to the cabin for breakfast.

I went back 2 hrs later and picked up the trail, marking it with flag tape as I creeped into the trees. For the first 75 yds, I didn’t even have to struggle to find blood. It was a steady stream. I then started finding only drops, but still good, dark blood. Looked like I got the liver and stomach. At 150 yds, I lost most all blood. I backed out and called for a dog.

At 2:00pm, we got back on the trail. The dog got on a good trail then took us to a major creek crossing (yellow line). His nose was in the air and not on the ground, and since we could find no blood, we went back and started over. The second time, he stayed on blood the whole time. (Red line). We traveled my property and two of my neighbors but we had to stop when we got to a neighbor I did not know. Where the red line ends is where we suspended the track with confirmed blood. I have since made contact with that neighbor and now have permission to search their property.

Looking at the map this evening, I noticed that the spillway of that pond (blue line) runs down and enters the main creek just south of where the dog took us when he was off blood. I am going to search that area tomorrow as the deer might possibly have made his way to that pond and back toward the creek. Here’s to hope!

I swear I think I am cursed to not get this deer. So much history and so many opportunities, only to have yet another mishap throw a wrench in the works.

View attachment 429704View attachment 429705View attachment 429712

Who did you use if I may ask? You can PM if you prefer.

I would recommend waiting 8 hours before starting to track a liver hit buck. Otherwise you risk pushing it because a liver hit takes time to kill the buck. Gut hit will even take longer to kill. Trophy buck that I know was gut shot won't get tracked for 24 hours.

Pushing it increases the chance of losing it for multiple reasons. The longer it leaves a "wounded deer scent trail" the more likely coyotes will cross it and then chase it. It can be pushed onto a neighboring property that may not allow access. The further they go the increased difficulty in recovering it.

Often times a liver or gut shot will bed up within 200 yards and die in first bed if given enough time. If they are bumped after bedding they may have clotted up and no longer leave a blood trail. No blood usually makes tracking by sight difficult. However, a dog trained on interdigital scent will be able to track it.

I wish you the best luck tomorrow!

 

[JT708]

Well, I had my chance. My target buck came out at 7:09am. He did a quick trot check of the feeder and food plot and came trucking my way. He hit a full sprint as he crossed the creek. When he popped out on my side of the creek, to my surprise he stopped, just 20 yds out, standing broadside. I actually wasn’t nervous. I settled the crosshairs behind his shoulder and just as I released the bolt, he took a step forward with his opposing front leg. That caused me to hit a little far back. Tail clinched and he headed for the trees. I gave him about 30 mins before I got down. I walked to where he entered the trees and found good blood…but also stomach contents. I marked that spot and headed to the cabin for breakfast.

I went back 2 hrs later and picked up the trail, marking it with flag tape as I creeped into the trees. For the first 75 yds, I didn’t even have to struggle to find blood. It was a steady stream. I then started finding only drops, but still good, dark blood. Looked like I got the liver and stomach. At 150 yds, I lost most all blood. I backed out and called for a dog.

At 2:00pm, we got back on the trail. The dog got on a good trail then took us to a major creek crossing (yellow line). His nose was in the air and not on the ground, and since we could find no blood, we went back and started over. The second time, he stayed on blood the whole time. (Red line). We traveled my property and two of my neighbors but we had to stop when we got to a neighbor I did not know. Where the red line ends is where we suspended the track with confirmed blood. I have since made contact with that neighbor and now have permission to search their property.

Looking at the map this evening, I noticed that the spillway of that pond (blue line) runs down and enters the main creek just south of where the dog took us when he was off blood. I am going to search that area tomorrow as the deer might possibly have made his way to that pond and back toward the creek. Here’s to hope!

I swear I think I am cursed to not get this deer. So much history and so many opportunities, only to have yet another mishap throw a wrench in the works.

View attachment 429704View attachment 429705View attachment 429712

That sucks, hope you find your deer

 

[hunter966]

View attachment 429714
My oldest got one this evening

Awesome, I bet he’s still wearing the biggest smile he can make! Congrats!

 

[Okie4570]

Who did you use if I may ask? You can PM if you prefer.

I would recommend waiting 8 hours before starting to track a liver hit buck. Otherwise you risk pushing it because a liver hit takes time to kill the buck. Gut hit will even take longer to kill. Trophy buck that I know was gut shot won't get tracked for 24 hours.

Pushing it increases the chance of losing it for multiple reasons. The longer it leaves a "wounded deer scent trail" the more likely coyotes will cross it and then chase it. It can be pushed onto a neighboring property that may not allow access. The further they go the increased difficulty in recovering it.

Often times a liver or gut shot will bed up within 200 yards and die in first bed if given enough time. If they are bumped after bedding they may have clotted up and no longer leave a blood trail. No blood usually makes tracking by sight difficult. However, a dog trained on interdigital scent will be able to track it.

I wish you the best luck tomorrow!

What did we wait on mine last year, just over 25hrs iirc? Liver/stomach hit. Didn't appear to have been dead for a real long time either. Total distance traveled was about 150y from shot to where it was found.

 

[retrieverman]

@undeg01
I’m still pulling for you. Good luck finding him today!!!

@Gunblinder
Pass on my congrats to the young man!!!

 

[Oklahomabassin]

What did we wait on mine last year, just over 25hrs iirc? Liver/stomach hit. Didn't appear to have been dead for a real long time either. Total distance traveled was about 150y from shot to where it was found.

Yes, between 25-26 hours.

Edit to add:
We knew it was hit back in liver or guts. We treated as worst case scenario in our wait time.

 

[undeg01]

Who did you use if I may ask? You can PM if you prefer.

I would recommend waiting 8 hours before starting to track a liver hit buck. Otherwise you risk pushing it because a liver hit takes time to kill the buck. Gut hit will even take longer to kill. Trophy buck that I know was gut shot won't get tracked for 24 hours.

Pushing it increases the chance of losing it for multiple reasons. The longer it leaves a "wounded deer scent trail" the more likely coyotes will cross it and then chase it. It can be pushed onto a neighboring property that may not allow access. The further they go the increased difficulty in recovering it.

Often times a liver or gut shot will bed up within 200 yards and die in first bed if given enough time. If they are bumped after bedding they may have clotted up and no longer leave a blood trail. No blood usually makes tracking by sight difficult. However, a dog trained on interdigital scent will be able to track it.

I wish you the best luck tomorrow!

I will PM you.

We never did jump the deer, and never found where he bedded at any point. That was another thing we both found odd. The last blood we found almost a mile into the track was dry, almost 9 hrs after the shot, so I don’t think we were pushing him. He had obviously passed that point long before we made it there.

I sat outside until about 10:30 last night and never heard coyotes. Not sure if they got on him in the overnight hours or not.