HELP GUT SHOT TRACK!!!

[AaronBlaine]

Hey guys I got buck fever and shot a doe in the belly. I found two chunks of white fur as well as a chunk of calamari and a huge pile of green crap.  The shot was just before dark and after an hour of getting lost in the woods trying to track the animal I am going to drive all the way back up to try and track it.  Anyone have any ideas that could help me find it? It ran like hell into a tree did a flip got up and kept hauling tail down the mountain until I lost track of it.  thanks so much it was my first deer! I GOTTA FIND IT!

[AaronBlaine]

also there was a TON of single hairs on the floor as well. It was too dark to notice any blood. 

[bluecoupe]

If you can find a Coleman Gas lantern it will make the blood shine.  Big help if have access to one.

 

Good luck!

[PREDATE]

Ok you can find it, just keep calm. You should be able to track a running deer just by the ruffled up leaves. Is there a water source at the base of the mountain? Gutshot deer will often seek out water. Most importantly, take your time and be careful out there by yourself in the dark. Watch your footing and have your cell with you. Good luck

Edited November 17, 2013 by PREDATE

[AaronBlaine]

I couldn't find it..... I also just found out that its going to rain there tomorrow and that will destroy whatever tracks it left.  I was in such awe after shooting it I could feel my heartbeat in my fingertips.  3 long hard years on public land trying to harvest one of these animals with a bow and rifle and it finally happened.  The experience was amazing either way.  I was on my way out of the woods after a long hard day on foot with no sightings and hot temps.  I stopped to sit on a log and while scratching my head from wearing a face mask all day I notices a little spruce tree that had a FRESH rub on it.  Suddenly my heartbeat returned and the motivation was instantly back.  I told myself I was going to leave it all out on the table and hunt until dark.  So I sat as still as possible making light doe bleats and a few grunt calls.  Then just before last light this big body doe just popped out infront of me 40 yards at best on the top of a ridge.  The instant sound of your heartbeat blasting out of your ears is indescribable.  Watching the crosshair dance around trying everything you can to keep it steady and control your rush.  I didn't expect how damn loud a 30/06 is in the woods because when the weatherby went off I almost fell off the rock I was standing on lol.  When the ringing stopped I realized I was watching the deer take off dumbfounded by the entire experience and what to do next lol amazing time I am hooked for life! 

[shawnhu]

Sorry about the lost deer. Sucks it had to happen on your first.

[mt624]

1st you don't track a gut shot deer right away. Leave it over night in this case, should have backed out.

2nd, you don't shoot when it's dark or "hunt until dark" and this is why. Look up what time, down to the minute, legal sunrise and sunset are where you hunt.

A gut shot deer is a dead deer as they say. If you don't push it and nothing else spooks it, they typically bed down and die within 150 yards. Google search and read up on it. Go out and look in the morning.

Also, sounds like you may have shot uphill at a deer with no backstop. Very dangerous. Hard to know from your description, just saying.

Good luck

[Paula]

1st you don't track a gut shot deer right away. Leave it over night in this case, should have backed out.

2nd, you don't shoot when it's dark or "hunt until dark" and this is why. Look up what time, down to the minute, legal sunrise and sunset are where you hunt.

A gut shot deer is a dead deer as they say. If you don't push it and nothing else spooks it, they typically bed down and die within 150 yards. Google search and read up on it. Go out and look in the morning.

Also, sounds like you may have shot uphill at a deer with no backstop. Very dangerous. Hard to know from your description, just saying.

Good luck

 

You shouldn't assume. He did not give a time that he shot deer or if he jumped right into tracking

[AaronBlaine]

there was still plenty of light it wasn't a matter of not enough light.  I waited before tracking the deer and the deer was backed by a mountain so I knew I had a safe backdrop for the shot.  I am driving back up today to try and find it and I will be bringing a few people to help me track it.  I will keep everyone posted on how it turns out I just hope the rain didn't wipe out the tracks.  Hopefully I can find some blood.

[growalot]

I commend you for trying...but caution you on trying to recover the meat with a gut shot and in these temps...that is if the yotes haven't already eaten her...

[mt624]

Good luck Aaron, beyond looking for tracking sign look for the body in thick areas and any nearby water sources. Do a grid search if there's no trail to follow. Thanks for clarifying the backstop. Hope you find her, she should be in the area.

[mt624]

Paula, in his first post he says the shot was just before dark. In his second he said he decided to hunt to dark and had been walking out already when he decided to hunt more. He then said he tracked for an hour almost getting lost in the dark. I'm not assuming anything, only trying to help him as he said this is his first deer after 3 seasons of trying. I was simply clarifying and offering advice.

Edited November 17, 2013 by mt624

[bubba]

906 and you are posting you are going?  Get your butt up there.

[Five Seasons]

there was still plenty of light it wasn't a matter of not enough light. I waited before tracking the deer and the deer was backed by a mountain so I knew I had a safe backdrop for the shot. I am driving back up today to try and find it and I will be bringing a few people to help me track it. I will keep everyone posted on how it turns out I just hope the rain didn't wipe out the tracks. Hopefully I can find some blood.

Some lessons learned here. It happens. Do you have any mentors? Curious, how much time? Gut shot time should be no less than 4 hours.

Edited November 17, 2013 by Belo

[AaronBlaine]

well guys thanks for all the great advice.  I got up early this morning grabbed my girlfriend and off we went! ON A MISSON!  We got to the spot that I shot it and carefully followed whatever tracks we could make out for about 100 yards until I found a sweet pile of intestine.  Which unknowingly my girlfriend picked up with her bare hands only to drop it squirming like a worm! lol She was great though we leapfrogged finding tiny drops of water mixed blood from the rain.  Then all of the sudden approx. 150 yards from where I shot it my girlfriend screams out THERE HE IS THERE HE IS!!! And to my surprise she was right! Right next to a small stream of water was my dead dear.  Turns out it was not a doe and a button buck!  So we videotaped me gutting the dear and nearly puking my guts out in the process.  Just had a cheeseburger and all I can smell is oowww that smell! lol Great times hard work pays off a little at a time.  He may not qualify for boone and crocket but at least hes gonna make it to my dinner plate!  Thanks again everyone and good luck out there!  

[mt624]

Awesome! Great job making the best of it Aaron and congratulations! You learned a lot and great outcome! Thanks for the update.

[josephmrtn]

Good job finding it! i know how exciting it is!

[Lawdwaz]

Congrats!

[New York Hillbilly]

Hats off to you for not just writing the deer off like so many do. Congrats on your first deer!

[Renegade Hunter]

I'm glad you found him. Next time don't try and rush the shot in fear the deer will be gone. Take nice deep breaths. When you are ready, exhale and hold at the bottom of the breath. Your body comes to a natural pause at the end of each exhale, not inhale. Slowly squeeze that trigger to the point it surprises you when it actually fires. Don't anticipate the shot. Now go eat some venison!

[Water Rat]

Persistence paid off.....congrats .

Sure would like to see that video .

[F-150]

Congrats Aaron on your first deer and I commend for taking the time to track and recover him, good luck in the future !!!      

[Hunter1]

Good job congrats

[Vince1]

 GOT to see that video congratz man, finally broke the ice

[PREDATE]

Well done. Did you throw a DMP on it?