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So you fire a shot. What comes next? #6089339 12/17/15 06:11 PM
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I was fortunate to learn how to hunt from men who had very strong ethics when it came to respect for wild game and practices in hunting them. Most of them were hardened, WWII veterans who do not take likely to those who broke the rules by looking for shortcuts. One of them was looking for game after taking a shot. Their stance was that if you took a shot, you owed it to the animal to look for it, without regard to whether it was daylight or dark, raining or dry. You didn't just run down to where the deer was standing and look for blood, and if not finding any, use it as an excuse not to look. In fact, if you did shoot and miss, or even worse, wound the animal, you spent a very long time looking for it, almost as if you were being punished for not being a more accurate shooter. And believe me when I say the very last thing you wanted to happen, is for the animal to be found less than 50 yards from where you thought you shot and hit it. As one of them once said, and which I have repeated here, "The buzzards tell no lies."


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Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: Texas Dan] #6089358 12/17/15 06:24 PM
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I tend to agree. But if I know where an animal was when I shot, and after 20 minutes, can't find a drop of blood within 30-40 ft of where he was, I'll quit looking. But i think you are talking more about looking within a few feet of where he was, and giving up.


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Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: Texas Dan] #6089392 12/17/15 06:38 PM
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I always look after shooting. Regardless if I find any blood. Depending on where the animal is hit there may not be any blood. I shoot a 22-250 ballistic tip and there are many times that I hit an animal and never find blood but recover them anyway. I definitely think u owe the animal enough respect to look for them.

Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: Texas Dan] #6089401 12/17/15 06:44 PM
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Took me 10hrs to find a spike once. He was frozen 1/2 way under in a creek. bang

Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: TFF Caribou] #6089407 12/17/15 06:48 PM
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Originally Posted By: Tff caribou
I tend to agree. But if I know where an animal was when I shot, and after 20 minutes, can't find a drop of blood within 30-40 ft of where he was, I'll quit looking. But i think you are talking more about looking within a few feet of where he was, and giving up.


Like the OP said, I am looking anyway. I have seen too many animals never leave a drop of blood and be found 50 yards away.


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Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: Texas Dan] #6089425 12/17/15 06:59 PM
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Once I fire a shot I can go to the spot the animal was shot and somehow it's always laying right there. Strange.


How come everybody I meet is a deer hunting expert?
Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: Simple Searcher] #6089426 12/17/15 07:00 PM
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A guy on our lease looked for about an hour and then returned to camp and grabbed his Drone to look for the deer since he found no blood. He never foudn the deer, but I give him props for thinking outside the box.

Originally Posted By: Simple Searcher
Originally Posted By: Tff caribou
I tend to agree. But if I know where an animal was when I shot, and after 20 minutes, can't find a drop of blood within 30-40 ft of where he was, I'll quit looking. But i think you are talking more about looking within a few feet of where he was, and giving up.


Like the OP said, I am looking anyway. I have seen too many animals never leave a drop of blood and be found 50 yards away.


I put 4 well placed shots on a deer with a 30-06 and had a very minimal blood trail, he was piled up about 30 yards from where I last shot him. 2 shots to the shoulder/chest, and 2 through his neck and he was still able to walk away eek2


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Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: TFF Caribou] #6089430 12/17/15 07:01 PM
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Originally Posted By: Tff caribou
I tend to agree. But if I know where an animal was when I shot, and after 20 minutes, can't find a drop of blood within 30-40 ft of where he was, I'll quit looking. But i think you are talking more about looking within a few feet of where he was, and giving up.

I have found many a deer after looking for blood and not finding one drop. I have found the first blood 50 or more yards away in some cases. I have shot deer and watched them go down in sight. Then get out and try to find the blood trail to them to see if I could. Sometimes the only thing I could find was the tracks leading to the deer with blood only within a few feet of the dead deer. Some deer just do not bleed till they hit the ground depending on shot placement. I shoot high point of the shoulder so I expect to not find blood close.
I will also say I have looked for a buck I shot that I watched bolt off and run into thick brush one foggy morning. I waited about 30 minutes and walked to the spot I had marked(the fog had lifted). I made a quick walk into the brush on a trail and no deer. Made a few circles and still no sign of blood or deer. I widened my search circles with still no sign of the deer or blood. It was not very thick after I got into the brush where I thought he had run. There was a creek drainage that I thought he got into in the fog and I missed him running off. I walked north and south in the drainage and still could not find the buck or sign from him. So finally I went back to where I thought the buck had been standing to look for lunge marks when he bolted. Nothing. So, finally I went back to stand to look at my mark. What I saw was I walked to far(common miscue) and needed to be closer. I started out again where I thought he was standing after a new mark. I walked past a tall thick cactus clump and noticed him laying in the middle of it. I tried back track him and never found any blood. This all happened over an hour and a half time frame. I knew by the bucks reaction he had been hit. He left no blood. I did find what I thought was his tracks on very hard ground. I lost a doe one night when the blood played out after 300 yards. Had my dog with me in the very tall thick cover and she might have found it but did not stay on it(she was way ahead of me in the thick cover). I finally gave up after a couple of hours. It was cold after a windy front blew in at dark that night so I decided to pick up the search with better light the next morning at daylight. I was driving down a road on the backside of where I was looking and drove up on my dead doe laying in the road. She was probably still 200 yards passed where I lost the trail. Luckly it was cold that night and she was still in good shape.


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Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: noland] #6089447 12/17/15 07:11 PM
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Originally Posted By: noland
I always look after shooting. Regardless if I find any blood. Depending on where the animal is hit there may not be any blood. I shoot a 22-250 ballistic tip and there are many times that I hit an animal and never find blood but recover them anyway. I definitely think u owe the animal enough respect to look for them.


maybe its just me, but this would concern me and my caliber/bullet selection.

I never had a lack of blood or really even a tracking job with my 30.06 put in the shoulder.


Originally Posted By: cameron00
If I send my neighbors a text and ask them to give me feedback on my lawn and plant rye into a giant dong pattern, I'm probably going to get some less than positive feedback. Same goes here.
Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: jshouse] #6089455 12/17/15 07:14 PM
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Originally Posted By: jshouse
Originally Posted By: noland
I always look after shooting. Regardless if I find any blood. Depending on where the animal is hit there may not be any blood. I shoot a 22-250 ballistic tip and there are many times that I hit an animal and never find blood but recover them anyway. I definitely think u owe the animal enough respect to look for them.


maybe its just me, but this would concern me and my caliber/bullet selection.

I never had a lack of blood or really even a tracking job with my 30.06 put in the shoulder.

trout It is just you... bolt


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Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: Texas Dan] #6089465 12/17/15 07:19 PM
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I have always shot a 22-250 and always kill what I'm shooting at. I have several other calipers but that is my gun of choice. I have killed deer pigs and axis with that gun and have always found them. I was just trying to get across that a lot of people shoot smaller calibers and they may not leave much blood. It's about shot placement more than anything.

Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: stxranchman] #6089470 12/17/15 07:23 PM
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Originally Posted By: stxranchman
Originally Posted By: jshouse
Originally Posted By: noland
I always look after shooting. Regardless if I find any blood. Depending on where the animal is hit there may not be any blood. I shoot a 22-250 ballistic tip and there are many times that I hit an animal and never find blood but recover them anyway. I definitely think u owe the animal enough respect to look for them.


maybe its just me, but this would concern me and my caliber/bullet selection.

I never had a lack of blood or really even a tracking job with my 30.06 put in the shoulder.

trout It is just you... bolt


ha, would you want to be shooting that thing at 170" buck HOPING for a blood trail?

please, please, just this one time give me a blood trail!!!!


Originally Posted By: cameron00
If I send my neighbors a text and ask them to give me feedback on my lawn and plant rye into a giant dong pattern, I'm probably going to get some less than positive feedback. Same goes here.
Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: noland] #6089474 12/17/15 07:25 PM
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Originally Posted By: noland
I have always shot a 22-250 and always kill what I'm shooting at. I have several other calipers but that is my gun of choice. I have killed deer pigs and axis with that gun and have always found them. I was just trying to get across that a lot of people shoot smaller calibers and they may not leave much blood. It's about shot placement more than anything.


I don't doubt that it will kill, not being able to count on a blood trail every time is what concerns me.


Originally Posted By: cameron00
If I send my neighbors a text and ask them to give me feedback on my lawn and plant rye into a giant dong pattern, I'm probably going to get some less than positive feedback. Same goes here.
Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: jshouse] #6089482 12/17/15 07:30 PM
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Originally Posted By: jshouse
Originally Posted By: stxranchman
Originally Posted By: jshouse
Originally Posted By: noland
I always look after shooting. Regardless if I find any blood. Depending on where the animal is hit there may not be any blood. I shoot a 22-250 ballistic tip and there are many times that I hit an animal and never find blood but recover them anyway. I definitely think u owe the animal enough respect to look for them.


maybe its just me, but this would concern me and my caliber/bullet selection.

I never had a lack of blood or really even a tracking job with my 30.06 put in the shoulder.

trout It is just you... bolt


ha, would you want to be shooting that thing at 170" buck HOPING for a blood trail?

please, please, just this one time give me a blood trail!!!!


If I know have a bullet in him, I am finding him. up In your case grin you first have to actually see this 170" live and in color...not on a TC peep


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Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: jshouse] #6089484 12/17/15 07:31 PM
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Originally Posted By: jshouse
Originally Posted By: noland
I have always shot a 22-250 and always kill what I'm shooting at. I have several other calipers but that is my gun of choice. I have killed deer pigs and axis with that gun and have always found them. I was just trying to get across that a lot of people shoot smaller calibers and they may not leave much blood. It's about shot placement more than anything.


I don't doubt that it will kill, not being able to count on a blood trail every time is what concerns me.

Learning to track a deer without a blood trail really helps you when you have a blood trail. Your eyes are looking for more sign than just blood. up


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Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: Texas Dan] #6089485 12/17/15 07:31 PM
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low blow


Originally Posted By: cameron00
If I send my neighbors a text and ask them to give me feedback on my lawn and plant rye into a giant dong pattern, I'm probably going to get some less than positive feedback. Same goes here.
Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: Texas Dan] #6089486 12/17/15 07:32 PM
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On a TYHP hunt a couple years ago on a HF ranch, a young lady shot a nice 7pt that promptly ran off into some mildly thick woods, not too bad. They waited a bit before going in and started looking, we joined in about an hour later. After about 2 hours of walking we took a break to eat lunch and went back to take up the search. After about an hour they found the buck, but he had already been eaten up to the shoulders by a hog(s). We heard one doing some squealing during the first part of the search which turned out to be the general area where he was found, but didn't see any. I never would have thought a hog would eat a deer like that and be able to do it so fast, but I guess that's why they call it "eating like a pig".

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Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: Texas Dan] #6089487 12/17/15 07:32 PM
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Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: CharlieCTx] #6089492 12/17/15 07:35 PM
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Originally Posted By: CharlieCTx
On a TYHP hunt a couple years ago on a HF ranch, a young lady shot a nice 7pt that promptly ran off into some mildly thick woods, not too bad. They waited a bit before going in and started looking, we joined in about an hour later. After about 2 hours of walking we took a break to eat lunch and went back to take up the search. After about an hour they found the buck, but he had already been eaten up to the shoulders by a hog(s). We heard one doing some squealing during the first part of the search which turned out to be the general area where he was found, but didn't see any. I never would have thought a hog would eat a deer like that and be able to do it so fast, but I guess that's why they call it "eating like a pig".

Charlie

I have never seen a hog eat a deer but do not doubt that they will. I had a friend from north central Texas tell me that some people in his area are using skeletal parts of dead deer carcass or gut piles to bait hogs in traps. Said that it is working very well to catch hogs.


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Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: noland] #6089498 12/17/15 07:38 PM
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Originally Posted By: noland
I have always shot a 22-250 and always kill what I'm shooting at. I have several other calipers but that is my gun of choice. I have killed deer pigs and axis with that gun and have always found them. I was just trying to get across that a lot of people shoot smaller calibers and they may not leave much blood. It's about shot placement more than anything.


Not just the caliber. I have shot and seen many deer shot with 308, and 30-06 that left no blood. Even with the best bullets. All the deer I shot this year with my 308 165 grain hornady sst's have left very little blood. Usually a large pile at the site, but very little blood trail after that. Had one I shot with the 150 grain barnes TTSX with zero blood, but he only went about 20 feet. [censored] just happens and it will happen with any caliber and any bullet.

Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: jshouse] #6089503 12/17/15 07:41 PM
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Originally Posted By: jshouse
Originally Posted By: noland
I always look after shooting. Regardless if I find any blood. Depending on where the animal is hit there may not be any blood. I shoot a 22-250 ballistic tip and there are many times that I hit an animal and never find blood but recover them anyway. I definitely think u owe the animal enough respect to look for them.


maybe its just me, but this would concern me and my caliber/bullet selection.

I never had a lack of blood or really even a tracking job with my 30.06 put in the shoulder.


It'll happen at some point. Give it time grasshoppa'.

Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: Texas Dan] #6089507 12/17/15 07:45 PM
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I have driven into town to buy better lighting to help a fellow hunter look for his buck. Look for blood, broken brush and ground and follow the path of least resistance if you lose track. We stayed up so late I ALMOST couldn't wake up the next morning to go back out.


If found, please return to stand or boat.
Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: rifleman] #6089511 12/17/15 07:51 PM
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Originally Posted By: rifleman
Originally Posted By: jshouse
Originally Posted By: noland
I always look after shooting. Regardless if I find any blood. Depending on where the animal is hit there may not be any blood. I shoot a 22-250 ballistic tip and there are many times that I hit an animal and never find blood but recover them anyway. I definitely think u owe the animal enough respect to look for them.


maybe its just me, but this would concern me and my caliber/bullet selection.

I never had a lack of blood or really even a tracking job with my 30.06 put in the shoulder.


It'll happen at some point. Give it time grasshoppa'.


I will admit, the vast majority of those were llano county deer, and most of those were does that probably dressed out at about 47lbs grin


Originally Posted By: cameron00
If I send my neighbors a text and ask them to give me feedback on my lawn and plant rye into a giant dong pattern, I'm probably going to get some less than positive feedback. Same goes here.
Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: CharlieCTx] #6089521 12/17/15 07:59 PM
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Originally Posted By: CharlieCTx
On a TYHP hunt a couple years ago on a HF ranch, a young lady shot a nice 7pt that promptly ran off into some mildly thick woods, not too bad. They waited a bit before going in and started looking, we joined in about an hour later. After about 2 hours of walking we took a break to eat lunch and went back to take up the search. After about an hour they found the buck, but he had already been eaten up to the shoulders by a hog(s). We heard one doing some squealing during the first part of the search which turned out to be the general area where he was found, but didn't see any. I never would have thought a hog would eat a deer like that and be able to do it so fast, but I guess that's why they call it "eating like a pig".

Charlie


actually....

bricktop, from the movie "Snatch," describing how to get rid of a body...

.....And when you got your six pieces, you gotta get rid of them, because it's no good leaving it in the deep freeze for your mum to discover, now is it? Then I hear the best thing to do is feed them to pigs. You got to starve the pigs for a few days, then the sight of a chopped-up body will look like curry to a pisshead. You gotta shave the heads of your victims, and pull the teeth out for the sake of the piggies' digestion. You could do this afterwards, of course, but you don't want to go sievin' through pig ****, now do you? They will go through bone like butter. You need at least sixteen pigs to finish the job in one sitting, so be wary of any man who keeps a pig farm. They will go through a body that weighs 200 pounds in about eight minutes. That means that a single pig can consume two pounds of uncooked flesh every minute. Hence the expression, "as greedy as a pig."



best movie ever, btw


Originally Posted By: cameron00
If I send my neighbors a text and ask them to give me feedback on my lawn and plant rye into a giant dong pattern, I'm probably going to get some less than positive feedback. Same goes here.
Re: So you fire a shot. What comes next? [Re: helomech] #6089526 12/17/15 08:03 PM
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Originally Posted By: helomech
Originally Posted By: noland
I have always shot a 22-250 and always kill what I'm shooting at. I have several other calipers but that is my gun of choice. I have killed deer pigs and axis with that gun and have always found them. I was just trying to get across that a lot of people shoot smaller calibers and they may not leave much blood. It's about shot placement more than anything.


Not just the caliber. I have shot and seen many deer shot with 308, and 30-06 that left no blood. Even with the best bullets. All the deer I shot this year with my 308 165 grain hornady sst's have left very little blood. Usually a large pile at the site, but very little blood trail after that...


That's why I quit shooting SSTs in my 270. They kill ok, but I'd rather have a good blood trail to follow. Gotta find that good balance between expansion and penetration.

Back on topic: I agree with what was said in the OP. You take a shot at an animal, you have a responsibility to do everything you can to recover it, and the sooner the better in my book. I learned that lesson after I had shot a doe with my .44 mag one evening. I went back to the cabin to get my dad and some light, but the LO was visiting and assured me she'd be fine if we found her in the morning. I found her with out much effort the next morning, but the pigs or coyotes had found her first and there was nothing left.

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