Trying to stay positive.
- adudeuknow
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Trying to stay positive.
This belonged to a gun buck I shot at roughly 60 yards. Shot the buck, immediately dropped and pushed himself down the hill with his back legs. Flopped for a few seconds and then went motionless for 20 seconds. I am standing there collecting my emotions and I notice him get up in the brush and start casually walking off. It was so thick I had no follow up opportunity. I got to where he was flopping and found that he had forcefully shed his right antler. He walked towards road, crossed and dropped into woods behind housing plan. In the small field before re-entering the woods I found a decent pool of blood. That would be the only blood I found. I backed out and we put a well seasoned beagle on his trail. Tracked him for 1.6 miles and never saw him or heard a deer jump. I feel very confidently I somehow managed to hit him very near but below spine but above any vitals. I believe he is alive unless he was killed by someone else. I did hear shooting in the general direction he was heading later that day.
I am going to pursue him in late season. Have cameras out trying to confirm but nothing so far. If he makes it until next year he will potentially reach B&C status. This is the first deer I have not recovered after a lot of bucks and does and 22 years of hunting. It is as bad as I have heard it feels and then some. I do feel partially blessed he left me this 71+ inch antler sticking in the mud.
http://imgur.com/gallery/4S1lyWn
I am going to pursue him in late season. Have cameras out trying to confirm but nothing so far. If he makes it until next year he will potentially reach B&C status. This is the first deer I have not recovered after a lot of bucks and does and 22 years of hunting. It is as bad as I have heard it feels and then some. I do feel partially blessed he left me this 71+ inch antler sticking in the mud.
http://imgur.com/gallery/4S1lyWn
"I knew all the rules but the rules did not know me."
- adudeuknow
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Re: Trying to stay positive.
"I knew all the rules but the rules did not know me."
- oldrank
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Re: Trying to stay positive.
Hmmmm, sounds like some type of spinal shock. Him pushing with the back legs is odd though. Scratching my head on this one. Hope you get back on him.
- cspot
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Re: Trying to stay positive.
I have seen this from grazing across the top of the back with a bullet. The shock from the bullet momentarily paralyses them and then the deer gets back up and is fine. I tracked a doe that was very similar on snow for a long ways until we finally ran out of blood. Hope you can get him next year or late this year if you still have season left.
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Re: Trying to stay positive.
My dad had a trail cam up and caught a shot that my uncle took on a buck where the same type of thing happened. It was crazy you hear the shot and see the deer go down, then it kicks around for a while and gets up and trots off. Only difference is my uncle found no blood, we have no idea what happened, could not tell where he hit the deer from the video.
- adudeuknow
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Re: Trying to stay positive.
cspot wrote:I have seen this from grazing across the top of the back with a bullet. The shock from the bullet momentarily paralyses them and then the deer gets back up and is fine. I tracked a doe that was very similar on snow for a long ways until we finally ran out of blood. Hope you can get him next year or late this year if you still have season left.
I think I grazed right under the spine. Same basic principle.
"I knew all the rules but the rules did not know me."
- Boogieman1
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Re: Trying to stay positive.
Tough one to swallow. I learned a similar lesson years ago. Now days if I can get a second arrow in him I don't care what he's doing I'm gonna keep slinging em until he's stopped breathing or my quivers empty. The one I lost staggered then laid down 20 yards away and put his head on the ground. I watched him for 30 min thought he expired, then I went to climb down and that sucker shot out of there like grease lightening.
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- JakeB
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Re: Trying to stay positive.
Boogieman1 wrote:Tough one to swallow. I learned a similar lesson years ago. Now days if I can get a second arrow in him I don't care what he's doing I'm gonna keep slinging em until he's stopped breathing or my quivers empty. The one I lost staggered then laid down 20 yards away and put his head on the ground. I watched him for 30 min thought he expired, then I went to climb down and that sucker shot out of there like grease lightening.
Daddy always said “don’t stop shootin till they quit movin”
- adudeuknow
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Re: Trying to stay positive.
JakeB wrote:Boogieman1 wrote:Tough one to swallow. I learned a similar lesson years ago. Now days if I can get a second arrow in him I don't care what he's doing I'm gonna keep slinging em until he's stopped breathing or my quivers empty. The one I lost staggered then laid down 20 yards away and put his head on the ground. I watched him for 30 min thought he expired, then I went to climb down and that sucker shot out of there like grease lightening.
Daddy always said “don’t stop shootin till they quit movin”
Sounds like a good plan from 70+yards away into this. Lol
"I knew all the rules but the rules did not know me."
- adudeuknow
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Re: Trying to stay positive.
Merry Christmas to me. Got him on camera tonight. He is alive!
"I knew all the rules but the rules did not know me."
- Ghost Hunter
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Re: Trying to stay positive.
Wow, glad you got a confirmation. Shooting any deer and not being able to find them is by far the worst part of hunting.
- cspot
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Re: Trying to stay positive.
adudeuknow wrote:Merry Christmas to me. Got him on camera tonight. He is alive!
Good to hear. Could you see the impact on the photo?
- adudeuknow
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Re: Trying to stay positive.
cspot wrote:adudeuknow wrote:Merry Christmas to me. Got him on camera tonight. He is alive!
Good to hear. Could you see the impact on the photo?
I could not. He was facing the camera quartering too. He had multiple areas that were not smooth on his hair so it would be hard to tell from photo. Unfortunately he busted off his giant g2 since I seen him in person. It was probably close to 13 inches as well like the right side. Left side was more of a crab claw up front as well.
"I knew all the rules but the rules did not know me."
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Re: Trying to stay positive.
Great news! He's a biggee - hoping he lives thru the winter.
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