I screwed up this morning, and without too many details, I'm wondering how long you would leave a non-scared gut-shot deer before you go back to find him? He only ran about 30 yards after the shot, stood there for about 15 minutes, hunched up, and then sauntered away. I went to the shot sight, and there was decent looking blood, along with ponch materials. I saw the shot area on the deer, and it was perfect, other than the fact is was 12 inches back too far. I quickly left the area, and am going back this afternoon.
***After all of the great advice, I ended up waiting 5 hours prior to going back. It ended up he was only about 10 yards from where I last saw him through the bush. He had layed down, then it looks like he got up and stumbled 5 more yards to his eventual resting place. I imagine he was dead within an hour of me leaving, but Woody couldn't put it any better..."if he's dead in an hour he'll be dead in 4 hours!". He was a little 3 pointer, with a deformed rack...good to get him out of the herd. He'll be good eating, for sure.
Again, thanks for the very useful advice. It contributed to my success in finding this animal. All the best.
Korey
Last edited by korey99 on Sat Dec 15, 2007 10:59 am, edited 2 times in total.
Leaving him alone and not pushing him was the right idea I think. A gut shot deer can travel a very long distance and chances are you would never find him. On the other hand, given the time to lay up, the wound might close up and then you woudn't be able to trail him. Hopefully an artery was nicked and he'll bleed to death in place. If you lose his trail, look for him around a water source. Walk up and down the nearest creeks. Going back out to look in the afternoon is the best bet.
Korey,read this article:
How to Track a Wounded Deer
The key to a successful recovery is what you do following squeezing the trigger or releasing the arrow!
Tracking a deer too soon can push that deer off the property you are hunting on, especially if the area you are hunting is small, and onto another hunter’s or landowner’s property, who may not let you to pursue it any farther.
Once the shot has been fired [having bright fletch helps see the arrow], watch the reaction of the animal.
whitetail deer blood trailing
* If the deer drops straight away, it is probably a brain or spinal column shot
* If the deer jumps a bit in the air, it is usually a heart or lung shot. Sometimes the deer simply run off, but usually don’t get much further than 200 yards
* If the deer hunches up with its tail down as runs away, it is usually a gut shot
* If the deer receives a shot to the legs, it often jumps or stumbles a bit and then runs
Mentally note the location where you shot the animal, and continue watching it with binoculars and note where you lose sight of it, and keep listening in case you can hear it moving/crash.
Unless you can see the deer lying on the ground, STAY where you are for a while. If you were using a firearm, wait up to half an hour. If using a bow, wait at least a couple of hours. If you think it was a gut shot, wait 6-8 hours before tracking the deer.
When you get to the place where the deer was hit, mark the spot so you can come back to it if you lose the trail, and look very carefully for:
* Hair – lots of hair tends to indicate a grazing shot [brown hair indicates a high shot, white indicates a low shot], and a small amount can indicate a hit to the body
* Bone fragments – usually indicates a leg has been hit
* Blood – be careful not to stand on blood on the ground. Fresh blood is bright red, however once it has dried, it is much harder to distinguish from the surrounding vegetation. Look on surrounding brush and leaves up to chest height for blood left as the deer has brushed past the vegetation:
o Fine drops of blood, sometimes up to a metre off the ground indicates a shot to the heart, lungs or large blood vessels in that area. It may also contain small bubbles of air. The deer has been fatally hit, and won’t be going too far. If only one lung has been hit however, the deer can travel further before dropping
o If there are patches of blood that are regular for 100-200 yards, and then start to diminish – it indicates a hit to the body muscles in the neck, back or legs. These blood trails can dry up as bleeding slows. These deer can travel a long way if they feel they are being pursued. If you see this type of blood, wait a couple of hours before tracking
o A blood trail of small drops, sometimes green or brownish coloured with food particles and a strong smell will indicate a gut shot. As these deer run off the blood is diverted away from the gut to the muscles, so the blood trail diminishes. When the deer stop and rest for a while, blood returns to the gut and moves away from the muscles. The deer then finds it harder to get up, and can bleed to death in the bedding area if not pursued.
* Tracks, kicked up leaves, and dirt marks indicating the deer has walked/run in that direction. This may be the only sign once the bleeding stops or you lose the blood marks
When hunting with a bow, there are several points to note:
* The ideal shot is a double lung shot. The ground where the deer was standing when hit should contain blood, and with a pass through shot, there should be plenty of blood. The animal should be found within a hundred yard radius. If the angle of the shot is steep, it is likely only one lung will be pierced. If no other major organs are damaged, some deer can survive with only one lung. These deer should be left for 2-3 hours before pursuing
* If a major artery was hit, there should be plenty of blood to follow, however there are situations where a high shot with no exit hole allows the blood to pool in the chest cavity, leaving a poor blood trail to follow. The key is knowing where your arrow probably hit, and what damage it has done
* A muscle hit is unlikely to kill the animal, but that is no excuse for not tracking it. If there is snow on the ground, you can start tracking it straight away. If there is no snow, wait 2-4 hours before tracking the deer
* Gut shot deer can survive a long time so it is important not to pursue them straight away. Leave them 6-8 hours. The deer often seek heavy cover or water, so bear that in mind when tracking. Because they can be so hard to track, it is helpful to get some help from your friends
* Deer that are shot in the liver or liver/gut usually have a lot of blood, with the amount of blood determined by the arteries that are hit. This will also determine the time it will take for the deer to bleed out. Wait 4 hours before pursuing these deer. If they are not pushed, they usually bed down within a hundred yards
If you lose the blood trail, you can use a product called Starlight Bloodhound to see blood in the dark.
It can only be used in the dark.
It is sprayed on the ground or vegetation, and glows bright blue on contact with blood. It actually works best when the blood has been washed away after a rain.
It can highlight blood that is not visible to the naked eye. It is a tool however, and doesn’t take away the need for the skills of tracking.
REMEMBER: If you are not sure whether to search straight away for a deer you have shot – WAIT! Your chances of a successful recovery depend on it.
You owe it to the deer to find it after you have shot it!
In my opinion,if you don't find significant sign withing a couple hundred yards,I would wait a day.
A gut-shot deer is probably the most difficult to recover because of the poor blood trail and the hunter's impatience to wait him out. A lot of bowhunters want to hurry up and find the deer. Since the liver and stomach are close together, it is possible that the deer will go down and die quickly if the shot also penetrates the liver. If the deer is dead in an hour, he will still be dead in 4 hours. Have patience, he will not go anywhere. Wait him out for at least 4 hours. Wait overnight if the deer is shot in the evening.
When a deer is shot in the stomach area, he will usually take several short jumps and commence walking or running. His back will usually hunch up and his legs will be spread wide. The hair from this wound is brownish gray and short. The lower the shot is on the animal, the lighter colored the hair will be. The blood trail is usually poor with small pieces of ingested material (stomach contents). If the intestines are punctured there will be green slimy material or feces .
Track slow and quietly as the deer can be down but not out.
Take your crossbw with you as you might need a finishing shot.
Good luck and let us know how you made out.
Woody Williams
We have met the enemy and he is us - Pogo Possum
Hunting in Indiana at [size=84][color=Red][b][url=http://huntingindiana.proboards52.com]HUNT-INDIANA[/url][/b][/color][/size]
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A bowhunter with a passion for shooting firearms.
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Glad you found him before the yotes did. (Yotes is pronounced yoh-tees) 