Open sight 30-06 is old school. Is it efficient? Sure in the right hands with lots of practice. Are there better more efficient options? Sure modern scopes are pretty good even the cheap ones. I shoot a 30-06 and use a scope because it improves my odds of making a better shot.

My son shot a spike youth weekend and he did the hunch and jump. Walked over and not a single drop of blood or hair. Searched the immediate area for 10 maybe 15 minutes and nothing. I knew he was hit by his reaction and I heard the hit. I opened my search up towards the direction he headed and sure enough30 yards away and 5-10 minutes later there was good blood. Found him about 40 yards further and he was heart shot with a half fist size exit. Weird... but you never know.

Sure are a lot of people hunting with bow and arrow and now we got criticizing over modern rifles and open sights??

I'll have to go back and look some more. I searched for about 1.5 hours in the direction it went. Its just the first time I don't see blood, im a little confused.

...until you keep looking.

Keep in mind comments are often not directed at whoever made the original post, but towards the topic in general.

Yes, sometimes a fresh and/or another set of legs and eyes is all it takes to find a downed deer. I remember the time when a friend came and got me to help him look for a deer only after he had just about given up. It took me less than 15 minutes to find the deer, not because I was any better at looking, but because I looked in an area he never thought the deer would go.

If you were searching after dark, you have to consider the shadows that are created when light from even the best hand held lights encounter objects and the terrain. It's why I like to use just a plain old Coleman lantern when searching for a deer at night. It provides more light in a more broad manner.

A two mantle Coleman Propane lantern puts out about 1000 lumens, while a Coleman Pinacle Propane Lantern is just shy of 1600 lumens.

Let me make a suggestion on something that has worked well for me, and helped me find blood trails. Use your rangefinder after you shoot the deer. Range to the spot the deer was standing when you fired, then walk there and range back to the stand to be sure you are in the right spot. I can say from many years of hunting and trailing that 'the spot' looks much different than it did from the stand. You can be 6 feet off on your guesstimate on where that deer was standing and you'll miss the blood trail completely.

And when trailing blood, use toilet paper bits to mark the path. Badly wounded deer tend to move in a somewhat straight line, where possible, and looking back at your TP trail can keep you on track when you can't find the next spot of blood. Also, wounded deer tend to drag their feet (hooves?), and if you have a good layer of leaves on the ground, you may be able to see where the deer walked. If shot in the lungs, the deer will often rest against a tree, so often the blood isn't always on the ground.

And a good messy bullet like a Nosler BT of Hornady SST through the lungs almost always gives a good blood trail. Lungs...shoot em in the lungs. I've been doing this since the early 60's. Trust me.

To summarize: lung shots, range finder, toilet paper, in that order.

After I got on the blood trail of that deer my boy shot I back tracked from the first blood I saw.... only saw a pin drop on a leaf about 5 yards before that but nothing from there to where he was shot. It still has me scratching my head. I wanted to keep going back and keep searching even after we found him which I did several times...

Dont believe anyone is criticising... If u get that out of my post id say youre a

Dog

Bow shots are less than 30 or 40, maybe 50 yards. I dont care if your davie crocket, at 75 yards you just cannot see well enough down those iron sights to make a clean ethical shot. Yes it can be done, and im sure some of yall are real badass shots (or so you say) but its a matter of being ethical,just buy a damn scope and quit trying to be annie oakley. Nothing worse than wounding a deer just because your too proud to buy a scope. And don't tell me you can't afford one.

I have a strong conscience myself, i hate wounding animals, why even risk it? If you had hit that deer correctly it would have dropped or ran little distance. A 30-06 should drop him on his [censored]. I use 180 gr winchester or federals and have never had a deer run more than a few yards with a lung shot. I use the same loads on elk with great results.

As mentioned earlier, a lantern does work well for looking for deer when it is dark and works better with foil on the back half as that improves your vision with the light all out in front.

Good point.

I've seen cases where someone who wasn't holding the lantern at the time, saw the deer before the person holding it.

X2

The outdoor store I purchased my ammo at had Safari ammo right next to the whitetail ammo. Both were 150 grain, and the only difference was the wording after 150gr. I wasn't paying attention and picked up the safari grade ammo. Shoots fine, it just doesn't expand on thin skinned animals like whitetail. I still shoot it because of the price, but I just make head or neck shots now. Plus side is no more tracking.

I'll try to remember to take a picture of the ammo when I get home. No promises though, I've been on seven twelve's for a while now. By the time I get home, I'm ready for a shower, supper, and to hit the pillow.

well, what is the verdict?

Found this while doing some research. Obviously not 100% and it's for archery, but it gives you a good idea of POI.

POI Impact Reaction

Did you look for the deer or just blood where you shot? I've had several deer the past couple of years that didn't bleed much at all including a doe that I shot this week. Shot her at 90yds quartering away with a 7mm Mag and NO BLOOD. Bullet exited through the center of the brisket. She ran about 30 yrs and pile up. Found her pretty easy in the brush, but there was no blood anywhere between the shot and the deer. Odd.

Agreed! If you can still go look I would! One if not THE biggest mistake I've made when hunting/shooting a deer was when I got down after I shot a buck. He whirled and took off into a creek bed. I went to look for blood but didn't find any...I thought that perhaps I'd missed but looking back on it and remembering his reaction there is simply NO WAY I missed! I am utterly coninced I hit him and he just didn't bleed out. I should not have given up so quick and should have gotten help. I was pretty young and thought that if I'd hit him there would be blood to follow which is not true! The one I shot Wednesday didn't leave a trail. Yes I found blood at the point of impact but then there was no blood at all to track, at least not immediately. I was fortunate that he ran into a field where I saw him pile up.