MyHuntingForum.com
MHF US Northeast => Hunting New Hampshire => Topic started by: Mtnman on Nov 16, 2019, 02:05:57 PM
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3:30 yesterday had a thick beam ten pointer come into my setup. I didn't think he was going to give me a shot. 1 bleat and he turned and came in. I took a broadside, barely quarter to me shot a 40 yards. He plowed leaves with a front leg split, got up and went 15 yards and stood there looking around.... As I was scrambling to reload my muzzleloader. I didn't get another shot off, but he just walked away. Where he stood first there was a baseball size spot of blood. From there quarter size drops with the intermittent baseball size spots for the next 150 yards then I lost blood. I looked for the next blood for the next 1.5 hours and then finally got a call back from a dog tracker. Went back out at 7:30. Dog kept tracking to power lines within 100 yards of last blood and would start circling and zigzagging. Called it at 10. I went back out at first light. Searched the area again, and everywhere within about a 5 acre radius we had not been... Never found another drop of blood and I still have all my tags.... I hate this feeling
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That’s to bad :(
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I've been in your shoes. It weighs heavy on ya for sure. It happened to me once 3 years ago on an 11 pointer at a long shot. Felt that one for a while.
Sucks but Don't let it keep you down, get back out there.
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Sorry to hear that. Blood color will tell a lot. Pure red, most likely no vitals hit. My guess is chest or neck graze. No fur?
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definitely dont let it get you down same thing happened to me about 4 years ago on a nice 6 point had blood for about 50 yds then nothing. Good news is the next season same stand a larger 8 point walked within shooting distance and dropped him in his tracks low and behold he had a scar that went right across his chest no hair growing on it. im convinced it was the same deer i hit the season before just grazed it enough to bleed for a bit.
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I have been hunting for 30 years and hunt for the meat. I have never even had an opportunity at a deer like this... Although I hate the notion after wounding this deer after days of covering more ground in these woods than I have ever before I am convinced he is still moving. This experience, although tough has made me Litteraly cover every inch of the lands I hunt most. I have found bedding areas that I have never noticed before, more scrapes than I felt possible, and some amazing hidden deer travel routes that look like highways that have gone unnoticed for 6 years I have been hunting it. I have learned to not rush anything, especially the shot. I have always been worried about missing my opportunity by waiting for a better one, but now I know that this result is a worse one. I am thankful for what I have taken from it and the better hunter it has made me. It's amazing, but even after 30 years, I guess there is always something new to learn