Need a little tracking advice please!

So my son shot a nice 8 pointer this morning. When the bullet hit the deer made the typical jump that you would see when vitals are hit. It ran into the tree line about 50 yards from the initial hit. We gave it 30 minutes and went in. We found blood but after about 50 more yards we lost the trail and decided to back out. Pretty sure we jumped the deer because we found this nice puddle about 20 yards in. Does this blood look like a fatal shot? How long would you wait to get back out and track? Also does anyone know someone with a tracking dog around the azle springtown area?

What color was the blood. Dark, with food particles would be a gut shot. Dark red with no food would likely be a non-fatal body shot. Bright red with foam would likely be a lung shot.

Use the tp method. Put a small chunk of toilet paper at each blood spot. That helps a lot keeping you on the right tracking path. It’s good to see the back trail, so you won’t wander off track.

Looks like a good hit to me, good amount of blood. Sweep circles looking for more blood and tracks on the trail he took. Look for deeper, irregular tracks and drag lines too where he may have hit the ground.

Mike Chittum 817-401-1161. He’s in azle i believe. Great guy. Great dogs.

No green stuff so that's good. Food particles could be from his esophagus. I would wait two hrs

Good luck, I hope your kiddo recovers him.

I'd give it a couple of hours

Looks like shot was forward

Only thing I can think of as well. We went back in with the same results. No more blood at all. Thinking he got him in the brisket. I feel bad for the little guy. Did a lot of practicing this off-season and he got really good at shooting.

Called this guy but he moved to Washington. I did get in touch with another tracker but he couldn't make it out til later this evening and we have a wedding. I'm hoping that the buck is still alive. Last thing I want is some waisted meat sittin out there for the yotes.

That much blood looks fatal to me. Have killed deer with less blood.

My thought too Stompy

Wish this was the case. Went back at it for a third time and still same results. Blood just stops. Weird thing was right where the blood stopped was a big ol pile of fresh poo. Had a buddy come over to help and we circled where it stopped out to a couple hundred yards and still found no sign. All's I can hope is he shows back up on camera.

It sounds to me like the deer was gut shot (unfortunately speaking from experience). Those most often will seal off and quit bleeding. Going on memory, the blood goes from dark red to less and less blood, and the blood gets sort of watery looking. You’d think though that there would be some sign of corn or green grass, but maybe not if the bullet was in the guts but didn’t hit the stomach.

On hits high in the legs, some of which i’ve allegedly also had some experience with, the blood was dark red, but there wasn’t a whole lot of it. And those will clot up and quit bleeding.

Anyway, i’m sorry the deer is lost.

That's a dead deer. Get out early and walk concentric circles around blood trail, leaving survey tape. If you're in Azle- Springtown area there's probably large stands of greenbriar. Those boogers go right into the thickest shiite they can find. Thats where he's at.

Shot one this morning around 0700. Took out both lungs, but a little far back to not ruin the forequarters. Tracked him for nearly an hour, spot of blood here a piece of lung there just not much sign but I new it was a good shot. What I did was placed a piece of toilet paper at every sign I found. After a 130 or so yards the sign quit.I back tracked and with the paper on the ground I was able to see the direction he was goin. He traveled almost 250 yards before he expired but I got him...

Pm your cell

I know a guy in Chico who has a good dog. You can call him

if you have cell phone signal you can also drop waypoints over an aerial map then walk a cone shape at the end of trail.

several aps will show your trail so you can see the grid you are covering.

Thanks for the advice everyone. We're gonna get up in the morning and give it another try at finding him.

If there is a pond nearby check it. I've had a couple of bucks run to water. I guess it was to cool down the wound.

Found these pics on a trail cam at one if my bow stands. Surely this has to be the buck right? The wound looks pretty fresh in the first pic and it looks like I see some blood on his legs. Does that look like a possible bullet wound?

Sure could be a bullet wound. If that's him I would think he is going to be ok. He sure wasn't far from being dead though, the heard is only ever so slightly above the brisket.

For you and your son, I hope its him. I wounded my first buck. It was before trail cameras were main stream, but I hit forward of the front leg in the brisket, he left a good trail we tracked for a long while. He bedded and we jumped him twice. He was seen that season off and on healed over.

For the future, I'd get a squirt bottle of hydrogen peroxide and keep it at camp or in the truck. When you run out of blood trail, spray a bit around and look for it to foam up. It'll turn a drop of blood you'd never see into the size of a dime.

Two reasons I carry toilet paper, the first one is obvious and the second is to mark blood trails, always leaving a square at the last spot of blood. If there's two people one needs to stay at the last spot until another is found. I only sweep or circle as a last resort. Marking the trail with TP gives you a good line of travel, it's easy to get side tracked.

yup that kind of shot will do it