|
Forums46
Topics538,118
Posts9,733,174
Members87,069
| |
Most Online25,604
Feb 12th, 2024
|
|
|
 Deer tracking poll
#1839160
11/16/10 11:29 PM
|
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 22,262
Texas Dan
OP
THF Celebrity
|
|
OP
THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 22,262 |
Something that I've found many new hunters don't recognize is how far a deer or hog can run after being hit. Just this past weekend, I helped a hunting partner find a hog and doe that he had shot with his 7mm mag rifle. In both cases, it was found that good heart and lung shots had been made. And yet, both animals were able to run about 40 yards before collapsing.
Here are few polling questions that might help newer hunters better recognize common practices when looking for a deer after the shot.
Only if I find blood (1%, 1 Votes)
|
If the deer appeared to have been hit (3%, 5 Votes)
|
Both 1 and 2 (19%, 29 Votes)
|
Always, even when no blood is found (77%, 115 Votes)
|
100 yards or less (5%, 7 Votes)
|
101-500 yards (21%, 31 Votes)
|
1/4 mile (4%, 6 Votes)
|
As far as it takes (70%, 102 Votes)
|
High-end LED (Surfire, etc) (50%, 71 Votes)
|
Hand-held Spotlight (20%, 29 Votes)
|
Gas Lantern (8%, 11 Votes)
|
Hand-held 6-volt (5%, 7 Votes)
|
Traditional 2-cell flashlight (17%, 24 Votes)
|
Yes (6%, 8 Votes)
|
No (26%, 36 Votes)
|
No experience with them (69%, 96 Votes)
|
Not sure it was hit (47%, 89 Votes)
|
Fear of getting lost (7%, 14 Votes)
|
Fear of the dark (7%, 13 Votes)
|
No assistance from others (15%, 29 Votes)
|
Just don't care (24%, 45 Votes)
|
"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: Texas Dan]
#1839186
11/16/10 11:43 PM
|
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 11,124
LandPirate
THF Celebrity
|
|
THF Celebrity
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 11,124 |
Personally, I can always hear the bullet hit. So I know it's a hit. Secondly, I practice, practice, practice. I know my gun is on and I know I'm on.
I've never lost a deer and never had to track one of my own. In fact, the farthest one has run is about 30 yards. I feel that practice and confidence in the rifle is paramount to this success.
Mike
Buda, Tx
Hunt near Freer
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: LandPirate]
#1839364
11/17/10 12:45 AM
|
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 39,551
redchevy
THF Celebrity
|
|
THF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 39,551 |
I dont konw this is a hard thing to put into a poll.
-I think you should always look if you shoot, it is common sence
-On question two, it depends on what you find when you start looking
-I think blood shows up better in a traditional light like a maglight
-I feel like most if not all beginning hunters are poor trackers just because they have no experience.
matt
It's hell eatin em live
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: Texas Dan]
#1839399
11/17/10 12:55 AM
|
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 26,548
JCB
THF Celebrity
|
|
THF Celebrity
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 26,548 |
Really good polls there.
Just this past week I blood trailed a hog that I double lunged with a 300 Ultra Mag that went about 90 yards. Wild animals are tuff critters and its surprising how far one can go even with a shot to the vitals. Give it a honest effort to recover any animal you take a shot at even if you dont find blood. Ove there years I have recovered several animals that did not leave a drop of blood behind. One of those animals was the first deer I ever shot. It was a 9 point shot at less than 20 yards with a 270. It was a perfect hit and the deer still went almost 100 yards without leaving a drop of blood behind. There wasnt even any blood where I found him.
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: JCB]
#1840026
11/17/10 03:50 AM
|
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 6,483
jim1961
THF Trophy Hunter
|
|
THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 6,483 |
Good poll Dan with some interesting results so far
|
|
|
 Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: LandPirate]
#1841701
11/17/10 06:52 PM
|
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 64
Hoss 1962
Outdoorsman
|
|
Outdoorsman
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 64 |
Personally, I can always hear the bullet hit. So I know it's a hit. Secondly, I practice, practice, practice. I know my gun is on and I know I'm on.
I've never lost a deer and never had to track one of my own. In fact, the farthest one has run is about 30 yards. I feel that practice and confidence in the rifle is paramount to this success. Amen !!! Could not agree more.
Mike
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: Hoss 1962]
#1841725
11/17/10 06:58 PM
|
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,566
CurtisCatfish
Pro Tracker
|
|
Pro Tracker
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,566 |
Head and neck shots, and you'll have no need to look other than where it was when you shot !
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: CurtisCatfish]
#1841730
11/17/10 06:59 PM
|
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,566
CurtisCatfish
Pro Tracker
|
|
Pro Tracker
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,566 |
My first bow kill only made it about 20 yards further than where i shot it.
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: CurtisCatfish]
#1841738
11/17/10 07:02 PM
|
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,074
Justin T
THF Trophy Hunter
|
|
THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,074 |
440 yards is a quarter mile, just sayin.
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: CurtisCatfish]
#1841746
11/17/10 07:04 PM
|
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,074
Justin T
THF Trophy Hunter
|
|
THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,074 |
Head and neck shots, and you'll have no need to look other than where it was when you shot ! I've trailed a deer shot in the neck for over 5 hours and about 1 mile.
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: CurtisCatfish]
#1841753
11/17/10 07:06 PM
|
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 220
Dacotua
Woodsman
|
|
Woodsman
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 220 |
Head and neck shots, and you'll have no need to look other than where it was when you shot ! I shot a doe this past weekend in the neck. She ran like the wind and I thought I missed. When I went to look where she was standing, there was blood all over the place. I waited 20 minutes, tracked her and found her about 60 yards away. The bullet ripped her juggler out with her wind pipe. I was shocked she even ran. I used to say shoot them in the neck and they drop right there. Now with experience, they still can run.
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: Texas Dan]
#1841758
11/17/10 07:06 PM
|
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 511
ddmm
Tracker
|
|
Tracker
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 511 |
nice job Texas...
My son is starting to bow hunt, so I suspect I'll be doing a little more tracking! We have a large area of shinery that you have to navigate on hands and knees, it's not fun, but we do it!
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: ddmm]
#1841893
11/17/10 07:43 PM
|
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 488
CFR
Bird Dog
|
|
Bird Dog
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 488 |
Blood trailing is something that every hunter needs to learn and understand. I always volunteer to help any hunter I know with blood trailing, because you will learn something every time you do it.
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: CFR]
#1842021
11/17/10 08:24 PM
|
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 22,262
Texas Dan
OP
THF Celebrity
|
|
OP
THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 22,262 |
I may be crazy to think it, but I feel as if I have a "sixth sense" when it comes to finding a downed animal. After asking the shooter which way the animal ran, I've often walked straight to it. In one case, I walked straight to an animal that had run over 200 yards before collapsing.
It's a sense that also seems to tell me when I've traveled past the animal, as was the case this weekend when I helped a fellow hunter find his hog. I had a strong sense, as best as I can describe it, that the hog had dropped closer to the food plot. I started back and walked almost right to her.
"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: Texas Dan]
#1842116
11/17/10 08:44 PM
|
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 39,551
redchevy
THF Celebrity
|
|
THF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 39,551 |
I may be crazy to think it, but I feel as if I have a "sixth sense" when it comes to finding a downed animal. After asking the shooter which way the animal ran, I've often walked straight to it. In one case, I walked straight to an animal that had run over 200 yards before collapsing.
It's a sense that also seems to tell me when I've traveled past the animal, as was the case this weekend when I helped a fellow hunter find his hog. I had a strong sense, as best as I can describe it, that the hog had dropped closer to the food plot. I started back and walked almost right to her.  
It's hell eatin em live
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: redchevy]
#1842193
11/17/10 09:02 PM
|
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
rifleman
Sparkly Pants
|
|
Sparkly Pants
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461 |
I'm the designated tracking hound, so I get to go look for all kinds of animals folks shoot at...usually find them even if I get down there a week later....almost lost one a few years ago, but back tracked and started looking at the blood again and found one speck on a briar to the right of the rabbit trail I was on......had a 8' tall solid wall of briars next to me and what looked to be a rabbit hole going into the bottom of it... had to get down on my belly and shine a light into it and somehow a 17" wide buck got in there without showing any signs to the briars that he did. Shot with a 270 at 140yds and dbl lunged...I watched him run 250 yds before he turned the corner in the road cutting diagnonally across the clearcut.
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: rifleman]
#1842380
11/17/10 09:49 PM
|
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 22,262
Texas Dan
OP
THF Celebrity
|
|
OP
THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 22,262 |
I'm the designated tracking hound, so I get to go look for all kinds of animals folks shoot at...usually find them even if I get down there a week later....almost lost one a few years ago, but back tracked and started looking at the blood again and found one speck on a briar to the right of the rabbit trail I was on......had a 8' tall solid wall of briars next to me and what looked to be a rabbit hole going into the bottom of it... had to get down on my belly and shine a light into it and somehow a 17" wide buck got in there without showing any signs to the briars that he did. Shot with a 270 at 140yds and dbl lunged...I watched him run 250 yds before he turned the corner in the road cutting diagnonally across the clearcut. Good post. I'm sure we could start a new thread and quickly fill it with accounts of deer that did some very strange things after being shot. And this doesn't include all the accounts I've heard of deer that were thought to be dead and thrown in the back of a truck, only to prove otherwise.
"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: Texas Dan]
#1843615
11/18/10 04:24 AM
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 332
jrpbullrider
Bird Dog
|
|
Bird Dog
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 332 |
Granted I have only shot at 1 deer and got her. the 1 I got went about 40 yards with no blood I knew about where she went so I went after her and found her with no blood trail and it was still some what light out getting dark but not yet. Found her with very little problems.
I heard blood lights are good but all I got is a stream light scorpion from a past job that I will use.
I read and heard others talk about hearing the round hit but with my hearing not going to happen.
I just hope I can get every one of them I shoot but being new I just don't know
oh by the way I hit her lung and heart removed part of her heart but she ran anyway I learned it the hard way
Last edited by jrpbullrider; 11/18/10 04:26 AM.
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: Justin T]
#1843773
11/18/10 07:19 AM
|
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 32,516
kmon11
junior
|
|
junior
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 32,516 |
Head and neck shots, and you'll have no need to look other than where it was when you shot ! I've trailed a deer shot in the neck for over 5 hours and about 1 mile. Not a mile but I have trailed neck shot deer for over a half mile and head shot deer over a qusrter of a mile before recovery. The belief that a head or neck shot deer is either a miss or DRT is :BS: IMO.
Last edited by kmon1; 11/18/10 07:20 AM.
lf the saying "Liar, Liar your pants on fire" were true
Mainstream news might be fun to watch
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: Justin T]
#1843774
11/18/10 07:20 AM
|
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,533
deerslayer78
Pro Tracker
|
|
Pro Tracker
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,533 |
I stay away from neck shots... I normally put my shot behind the front shoulder or top of the shoulder/base of the neck!!! My doe I shot opening day didn't bleed right away, so an inexperienced hunter would have stopped looking there, but 20 yds into the woods I found heavy blood and another 20-30yds she was DRT...
You Only Fail If You Never Try!!!
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: deerslayer78]
#1843776
11/18/10 07:30 AM
|
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,533
deerslayer78
Pro Tracker
|
|
Pro Tracker
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,533 |
I'm always the one who gets called out of my stand early to go look for a downed deer, but have only had 2 cases where the deer was not found and one was because we believe the buck crossed the property line and was shot after doing so by another hunter.We believe this because another shot followed the hunters shot on my lease quickly after the deer was hit. Sucks, but the other hunter may have thought he was spooked or just didnt care that our hunter had already hit him and with people like that it's very wise to stay clear out of their sight, lol.
You Only Fail If You Never Try!!!
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: CurtisCatfish]
#1843782
11/18/10 08:02 AM
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 793
RockinU
Tracker
|
|
Tracker
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 793 |
Head and neck shots, and you'll have no need to look other than where it was when you shot ! Wrong. I've spent many hours with my dogs trailing head shots gone wrong. Bad thing is, when you blow the lower jaw off a deer, it's hard to get them to stop even with dogs...and you are dooming them to a slow terrible death. IMO head shots are one of the most irresponsible things hunters do.
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: kmon11]
#1843851
11/18/10 12:29 PM
|
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 22,262
Texas Dan
OP
THF Celebrity
|
|
OP
THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 22,262 |
The belief that a head or neck shot deer is either a miss or DRT is :BS: IMO. Couldn't agree more. No excuse for a deer to suffer and die with its jaw blown off as a result of some guy needing to stroke his ego.
"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: RockinU]
#1844850
11/18/10 05:50 PM
|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 86
Skunk Ape
Outdoorsman
|
|
Outdoorsman
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 86 |
Head and neck shots, and you'll have no need to look other than where it was when you shot ! Wrong. I've spent many hours with my dogs trailing head shots gone wrong. Bad thing is, when you blow the lower jaw off a deer, it's hard to get them to stop even with dogs...and you are dooming them to a slow terrible death. IMO head shots are one of the most irresponsible things hunters do. We'll have to agree to disagree on this one. My last two deer, including the 11 point I got opening weekend this year were head shots and dropped in their tracks, no tracking required. I prefer head shots because of this, and the fact that it doesn't ruin any meat. I don't see this as being irresponsible.
|
|
|
|
Re: Deer tracking poll
[Re: Skunk Ape]
#1844894
11/18/10 06:00 PM
|
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 60,489
BOBO the Clown
kind of a big deal
|
|
kind of a big deal
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 60,489 |
big fan of neck shot with small, fast... cup and core bullets only.
Have taken many of head shots on deer, I perfer the neck shot just due to the jaw issues.
Also on the none ruined neck meat... Thats funny b/c regardless if you are keeping neck meat... have fun putting that through a grinder.. way to much ligament for my taste
|
|
|
Moderated by bigbob_ftw, CCBIRDDOGMAN, Chickenman, Derek, DeRico, Duck_Hunter, hetman, jeh7mmmag, JustWingem, kmon11, kry226, kwrhuntinglab, Payne, pertnear, rifleman, sig226fan (Rguns.com), Superduty, TreeBass, txcornhusker
|
