You can't make this up!

[First-light]

So I head out at 2:15 to hunt our lease property. My neighbor next door texts me saying another neighbor shot a nice buck and is down at the swamp (next door neighbor property)  looking for it. I offered my help but didn't hear back. I'm walking a logging road much higher up than the swamp. I look to my left and see a pool blood and spray. I figure out which way the deer was going and follow. Easy tracking in the snow but just drips here and there but large amounts when it stopped. I would say I tracked this deer 200-300 yards. Found 5 good areas of blood thinking the animal was dead just ahead. I got to a point almost in the same area my gut shot Doe died and saw a deer take off and then another one behind it hunched up tail tucked in walking. I continued tracking and it led me to where this deer was. Found a bit more blood but nothing else. Spent another hour poking around in the dark then called it. My next door neighbor calls me and says the deer I was tracking may of been the buck they shot. They said they tracked it until it got to my property and gave up because they didn't have my number. Said it was a nice buck and they shot it in the jaw. (WTF) First off they could of got my number from my neighbor. Second shooting a nice buck in the head, doesn't add up. Third the deer I saw that was injured was a big Doe or Spike. I spent 4 hrs looking for someone else's mistake. My guess is they shot a Doe. 3 pictures of areas where deer stopped. Honestly I can't sit back and not give it another try in the morning. I think the deer is shot in jaw or guts (I think guts) and she can't be far from where I ended it. I'll be looking at google maps to aid in the search. It helped twice this year. 

[JJJWNY]

1 hour ago, First-light said:

So I head out at 2:15 to hunt our lease property. My neighbor next door texts me saying another neighbor shot a nice buck and is down at the swamp (next door neighbor property)  looking for it. I offered my help but didn't hear back. I'm walking a logging road much higher up than the swamp. I look to my left and see a pool blood and spray. I figure out which way the deer was going and follow. Easy tracking in the snow but just drips here and there but large amounts when it stopped. I would say I tracked this deer 200-300 yards. Found 5 good areas of blood thinking the animal was dead just ahead. I got to a point almost in the same area my gut shot Doe died and saw a deer take off and then another one behind it hunched up tail tucked in walking. I continued tracking and it led me to where this deer was. Found a bit more blood but nothing else. Spent another hour poking around in the dark then called it. My next door neighbor calls me and says the deer I was tracking may of been the buck they shot. They said they tracked it until it got to my property and gave up because they didn't have my number. Said it was a nice buck and they shot it in the jaw. (WTF) First off they could of got my number from my neighbor. Second shooting a nice buck in the head, doesn't add up. Third the deer I saw that was injured was a big Doe or Spike. I spent 4 hrs looking for someone else's mistake. My guess is they shot a Doe. 3 pictures of areas where deer stopped. Honestly I can't sit back and not give it another try in the morning. I think the deer is shot in jaw or guts (I think guts) and she can't be far from where I ended it. I'll be looking at google maps to aid in the search. It helped twice this year. 

That to me does not look like gut shot blood. The way the blood is kind of sporadic drips all over seems like it might possibly be hit in jaw and blood is kind of spread out where it was standing. If it was gut shot i would think it would just be one pool of blood where it was standing. If it is shot in jaw, wound wont kill it but starvation certainly will. Good luck.

[First-light]

25 minutes ago, JJJWNY said:

That to me does not look like gut shot blood. The way the blood is kind of sporadic drips all over seems like it might possibly be hit in jaw and blood is kind of spread out where it was standing. If it was gut shot i would think it would just be one pool of blood where it was standing. If it is shot in jaw, wound wont kill it but starvation certainly will. Good luck.

I get what your saying but if holes clogged with guts most of blood from mouth. I don't know. Got to give it one more try. Yeah what a way to go, three days of season left and your jaw shot off. Happy Holiday hunt!

[Four Seasons]

5 hours ago, First-light said:

So I head out at 2:15 to hunt our lease property. My neighbor next door texts me saying another neighbor shot a nice buck and is down at the swamp (next door neighbor property)  looking for it. I offered my help but didn't hear back. I'm walking a logging road much higher up than the swamp. I look to my left and see a pool blood and spray. I figure out which way the deer was going and follow. Easy tracking in the snow but just drips here and there but large amounts when it stopped. I would say I tracked this deer 200-300 yards. Found 5 good areas of blood thinking the animal was dead just ahead. I got to a point almost in the same area my gut shot Doe died and saw a deer take off and then another one behind it hunched up tail tucked in walking. I continued tracking and it led me to where this deer was. Found a bit more blood but nothing else. Spent another hour poking around in the dark then called it. My next door neighbor calls me and says the deer I was tracking may of been the buck they shot. They said they tracked it until it got to my property and gave up because they didn't have my number. Said it was a nice buck and they shot it in the jaw. (WTF) First off they could of got my number from my neighbor. Second shooting a nice buck in the head, doesn't add up. Third the deer I saw that was injured was a big Doe or Spike. I spent 4 hrs looking for someone else's mistake. My guess is they shot a Doe. 3 pictures of areas where deer stopped. Honestly I can't sit back and not give it another try in the morning. I think the deer is shot in jaw or guts (I think guts) and she can't be far from where I ended it. I'll be looking at google maps to aid in the search. It helped twice this year. 

Sucks no doubt. Stupid late season hunting as it is. Kudos to you for giving it a go and back at it tomorrow to hopefully end the suffering. I would also kinda rule out gut shot only. Maybe back but still got liver or something and jaw…hard to even write that… could also be in play. 

[Daveboone]

Good luck finding it. It is cool enough if it dies overnight it should be fine. Even if gut shot...and it dies, it would likely be bloated, but that doesnt mean the quarters/etc. were ruined.

[First-light]

Headed out a bit later than expected. Fog is really bad. I just have a suspicion its in the area I searched near dark. Very thick with briars. Snow is gone no more blood trail or tracks. Probably start there then spread out. This deer went pretty far leaving a lot of blood. Just hope it kept bleeding and bedded. Leaving here around 10. I'll report back. Thinking about this deer kept me up most of the night, just can't believe I didn't find it with all that blood loss or a blood bed. 

[First-light]

Sorry to report no luck. 10:30-2:30 covered a lot of area found nothing. Still had some snow in the woods but could not pick up trail from last blood. I'll listen for crows next few days. Too bad.