FOUND: 9-Point Buck.

[kludge]

_Really_ nice 9 point. Gut shot. No evidence that it was tracked. Less that 50 yards from the main hiking trail.

C'mon people. There's 2-3 inches of snow on the ground. Even though there was no blood trail, this was an easy deer to find. Didn't even make it to the thicket.

Shooter probably thought he missed.

Too bad it was gut shot and ~24 hours old or I would have dragged it out myself. Well on second though it would have taken more help to drag it out. Rigor and meat was partially frozen, being gut shot, I didn't take any chances.

(Phone is dead, will post picks after it charges.)

 

[phylodog]

How do you know no one tried to track it? Gut shot deer can go quite a distance. If they get bumped after they first lay down they'll often times go until they drop dead. Definitely sucks that the shooter didn't find it though, hate waste.

 

[yote hunter]

Yea gut shot bucks don't bleed very much so the hunter who shot him prob. didn't have much of a blood trail to track.... But lucky for you for the find.... If nothing else you got ya a set of rattle'n antlers...

 

[kludge]

Yes, he could have gone a ways being gut shot. However from this picture, it looks like he may have got the liver. How far can a deer go without out a liver? I don't know, the one doe I shot in the liver (one lung and liver) lasted about 5 seconds. There was a little splatter on the carcass, so there should have been some on the ground.

But you're right I shouldn't assume that the shooter didn't look for it. I would have spent all day looking for a buck this nice!

 

[T.Lex]

Were there snow tracks leading to the spot? It almost looks like the snowfall came after he dropped.

At least, about the same time, since there isn't much on top of him, too.

Several years ago, my father in law and I were bow hunting at dusk and he got a solid shot on a doe. HUGE blood splatter at the point he hit her. Small blood trail to a fenceline, then another blood blow-out as she jumped the fence. We looked until about midnight, but the trail just stopped.

She died someplace. But, where ever that was, our tracks probably were no where near it.

I'm sure others have similar stories.

 

[bocefus78]

Yes, he could have gone a ways being gut shot. However from this picture, it looks like he may have got the liver. How far can a deer go without out a liver? I don't know, the one doe I shot in the liver (one lung and liver) lasted about 5 seconds. There was a little splatter on the carcass, so there should have been some on the ground.

But you're right I shouldn't assume that the shooter didn't look for it. I would have spent all day looking for a buck this nice!

I had a liver shot doe make it about 150 yards before. Very high and back shot which left little to no blood on the ground. I tracked it by the overturned leaves, but it was found. In my book, a 150 yard track is nothing to accomplish, but to some state land hunters, if it doesn't die within sight, they think they missed or just don't care. I'm like you, I would have tracked that thing for hours/days walking thru EVERYONES hunt to find that thing.

 

[yote hunter]

What a shame hes a nice buck.... Someone was sick they didn't find him...

 

[phylodog]

I hit my buck in the liver, no lung unfortunately. We let him be for two hours and then it took over an hour to find him. He bled decent for 60 yards then it stopped. Had to begin grid searching and found very little blood for another 50 yards then it stopped again. Another grid search and we found liver blood which led us to him. He ended up making it around 250 yards and we were within ten feet of him before we could see him.

 

[trophy hunter]

I treat a liver shot like a gut shot if not pushed they will usually bed within 150 -200 yards but if pushed can easily be lost..too bad nice buck

 

[kludge]

The snow was all there before he was shot - it was a state park hunt Monday and Tuesday, and the snow was done by legal time Monday morning. Body heat melted the snow. Some snow fell on him from trees after he was cold, and some blew over his face from wind.

And yes, tracks led me to the animal.

The pics don't do the antlers justice. The G2 and G3 tines were 9-10" long. The other side had a broken G4 with a small fork that you can't see in the pic. G3 on the left side was broken too.

 

[trophy hunter]

The snow was all there before he was shot - it was a state park hunt Monday and Tuesday, and the snow was done by legal time Monday morning. Body heat melted the snow. Some snow fell on him from trees after he was cold, and some blew over his face from wind.

And yes, tracks led me to the animal.

The pics don't do the antlers justice. The G2 and G3 tines were 9-10" long. The other side had a broken G4 with a small fork that you can't see in the pic. G3 on the left side was broken too.

that's a shame then...

 

[T.Lex]

Wow. If the tracks in the snow led to the animal, I understand your frustration.

 

[indybrad]

What park?

 

[vwarren]

typically liver shot deer will take 3-5 hrs to die bigger the deer longer it seems to takes...
snow can make things very hard for the weekend warrior... warm blood melts in to the snow some times making it hard to find... then all it can take is a light dusting after that add in dark and you have issues... everyone thinks you can stay on a deers track in the snow but it can be tricky when they turn onto a heavy traveled trail for a bit... Stupid deer should just lay down and die after we shoot them lol!

 

[ADDICTED2TONE]

Some people are crappy hunters and some don't even try to track

 

[trailrider]

Took me almost 12 hours to find a liver shot deer last year by myself. Gave him 4 hours. Don't think I bumped him. Good blood...then spotty... then none. I would have liked to have snow to track. Would have made it easy. What a shame.

 

[indyjohn]

Too bad it was gut shot and ~24 hours old or I would have dragged it out myself. Well on second though it would have taken more help to drag it out. Rigor and meat was partially frozen, being gut shot, I didn't take any chances.

Here's where I show my ignorance of hunting (and laziness to find out elsewhere). How does time and a gut shot ruin the meat?

 

[Willie]

Liver hit deer can live a long, long time...depending on what part of the liver is hit.

Blood trailing is part of hunting and usually the hardest part to learn as the only real method of learning is actual experience.

I would not be too hasty as to judge why this deer wasn't found. We do not know the circumstances...

 

[Water63]

Seems I always find one or two along the creek after season. That was a nice deer I doubt that they shot and never went after it doesn't make it any better for the finder. My daughter had a small deer run in and drop in front of her last year. We heard the guy shoot and went over to the farm he was hunting on. We told him his deer was on us and he said I never shot. The coyotes got a spike buck last year and that guy lost his hunting rights on the neighbors farm but it still doesn't make it right.

 

[42769vette]

Here's where I show my ignorance of hunting (and laziness to find out elsewhere). How does time and a gut shot ruin the meat?

Running pumps adrenaline through the body giving the meat a bad taste. A short run means your meat will taste better than a long run. Time depends on the temperature. You always want to get the hide off to get the cooling process started.