Lost a deer

I must disagree with the "look until you find her" theory. I could make an argument for "look until the meat would be spoiled" but even that's a stretch.

There's no sense in looking for a dead deer 2 or 3 days. It could be 4 counties away by that time. If you hunt areas anything like I do, it could be on posted property (the kind where you have ZERO chance of access) in as little 50, 100 maybe 300 or 400 yards in any given direction.

No sense in losing sleep over it either, unless you did it on purpose. It's going to happen sooner or later. This isn't like shooting a person. If inflicting pain is immoral, shooting them is immoral. It's the intent that counts. If you did your best and did a reasonable search, and I do mean reasonable, not 5 minutes and not 5 days, then sleep well. You did your best.

Yes, it sucks, but you didn't hurt Walt Disney's Bambi. You hurt a real deer. It's not afraid of death, of what waits on the other side. It's family is not worrying about if it will be OK, or where it might have gone if it's dead. They're not crying over the loss or sharing fond memories.

Live and learn but sometimes there's not much to be learned. Aim a little higher, maybe? But you don't want to hit too high either.

I had a similar situation a couple years ago. 40 yards, standing, broadside, I was sitting in a chair, elbows on my knees. I've made freehand shots and twice that distance with the same gun. All we found was a piece of meat/bone and 3 specks of blood. :confused:

It happens. It's hunting. Life goes on.
 
+1 Brian.

I wonder how many people return day after day to the spot on the highway where they hit a deer with their car?

For some reason hunters have this thing in their psyche that requires much self loathing and guilt if one gets away.
 
I had an eight point buck in my sights the other day. It was only about 75 feet from me. Motionless. I could have taken the shot.

Unfortunately, it was my back yard in Ballwin, Missouri where we have an "urban deer" problem.

Shooting him would have brought the criticism of the neighbors and the local police department may have had a few opinions.

I had to watch as he simply strolled across my back yard, very slowly.
 
Well, someone has to say it: You shouldn't have gone into the woods undergunned. :)

I've lost them too, it sucks, leaves a horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach. I wounded one last year with a 12ga as well, looked that night, looked the next morning. Never found her. I didn't hunt for a week afterwards I was so upset with myself.

This year I'm bringing a more appropriate gun. Shot at 2 with my 243 so far and got them both. See, it's all about the gun you use. :)

Zhe Wiz
 
I knew an old guy and he told me he always hunted with salted bullets and I asked him why? He said so the meat don't start rotting before he gets there (it took him a long time to get out of the stand)
 
I rifle hunt, and still have lost a deer. Makes you feel bad, no one likes it, and everyone tries to avoid losing wounded game animals.

All I can say is, even coyotes like an easy meal.
 
My shorthair always finds the wounded deer, dog will bay when it finds the deer too. Used to hunt with my pit bull, he would lead me right to a bedded down deer and latch it after the shot. Cant do it now with a pit but the tracker will find em if ya got one. Any friends got a shorthair, wirehair or other versatile type dog? ask em to bring it out you may find it, dont wait two days tho. I sent mine out at dark once, she found the deer like 200 yards from where I thought it was, let her scent the blood trail and off she went lickety split.
 
I feel your pain

I've been deer hunting for 25 years now. Probably killed 70-80 deer. And yes, I've wounded some and never found them. It does feel horrible, but time will ease the pain. And like you've said, you have LEARNED a lot. This is the most important thing, learning lessons forom this experience. Like when to take or not take a shot or whatever.
I've been bow hunting for about 15 years and I don't know anyone that's been bow hunting a few years that hasn't lost deer. I actually trained a black lab to track about 5 yaers ago and it's amazing what a well trained dog can do. This may sound sick, but I got a lot of enjoyment just watching the dog work. Sadly, he was stolen 3 years ago right before duck season.
Also, I have seen 3 legged deer on 4 separate occasions in my hunting years, soi know they do live a lot of the times on leg hits. Usually a leg hit will bleed small droplets of blood and if the deer is allowed to lay up or even stand still long enough, the wound can coagulate and stop bleeding. The only leg hit deer my hunting friends or I have ever found were ones we were able to keep moving. This goes against common advice of letting a deer lay up and die, but the only way I know of to get a leg hit deer is to keep it moving. This is where a good dog is awesome. We found one after tracking it 2 miles with my lab one time. Some bigger dogs will actually run a leg hit deer down and catch it.
I also agree with looking for a reasonable amount of time. Reasonable to me is if the meat is still going to be good.
And always remember God put coyotes and buzzards here for a reason.
 
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