I have the names and numbers to 2 great tracking dog owners but I am not sure where leander is. These guys are west of fort worth. PM me if you want their numbers. I had a similar situation last year except I shot an absolute freaking monster 10 point and the guys dog tracked it for 1.25 miles plotted out on google earth and we lost the trail. I hit the deer in no mans land below the spine and above the lungs with a 180 grain XP3 out of my 300 wsm. I thought the hole would be the size of my fist but we found little blood. HOpe you find him.

When you find a drop of blood you have to mark it with a stick or something. Then make concentric circles going out until you find the next drop of blood and then mark it. You will continue this until you hopefully find the deer.
I gut shot an 8-point one time that I had to track for over a mile and it took me 6 hours but I found him. I have lost deer so don't think it is the end of the world because it is not.
Good luck with your search. If it has been a day or two, then like other post said, look for buzzards and yotes.

Mr. Gordon: my dog eats rocks and he'd probably chase the cows. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Aggiehunter: I have a guy coming out Friday, but I'll keep you in mind if he can't make it. Thanks. Wow! 180gr and little blood!? Was he Robo Deer?

Timber Trout: 2 drops is all we found. A mile is along way to go. Did he bleed the whole way? The reason I'm not a good tracker is because of my lack of experience at it. Where I'm from, brush is extremely thick and the deer run straight down hill into a holler. The hills are too steep for an injuried deer to climb...most of the time. On the other hand, I once watched a deer get hit by a car, roll, jump up, run about 50 yds up a hill that was almost straight up and down, and die at the top.

I hate tracking deer with a passion. Thankfully I've never had to track one of my own. Always someone else's deer.

This partially because I make the decision that if I'm going to shoot a deer near sundown I shoot in the neck or dead square in the shoulder.

Yes, that shoulder shot will ruin some meat but not near as much as losing a whole deer. If you shoot 'em in the shoulder and break bone they generally won't go far. I've never had one go more than 30 yards.

sorry for your frustration.....I have found on several similar occasions that the deer don't go as far as you think. He could be hiding/dead under a low hanging bush like a cedar or something. You definitely need to check the closest water hole just in case he is dead there. And even though it is too late don't ever forget and I know it was already said, when in doubt back out.

Any new info.? BTW, dogs don't need blood to track, it's just an added bonus. They are more-so going off the scent of the hormones the wounded animal is putting off, coming from between the hoofs, to find the animal. Sadly, I think it's been too long for even the best dogs out there. Good luck in your search.

Maybe, but I wouldn't bet against the ones giving it a try...

Oh don't get me wrong. I hope they give 'em hell. But after 24 hrs. it's a whole 'nother story.

Is that a hint that you are going out there? Keep an eye out for badgers haha

We don't like no stinkin badgers...I just called the guy about the pics...says he will send them after supper...but he said that last night...

Join the lost deer club. I hit a hill country buck about 90 yards away with my 243 (Normally shoot a 30-06). Found small drops of blood every 5' for about 20 yards then lots of blood. Then drops of blood every 5' again but more. I rushed out of my blind and pushed him I think. I should have waited 30 minutes. Saw him trotting off between some branches about 50 yards away. Never found any more blood after 50 yards. Left to eat breakfast to not push him. Came back about 1-1/2 hours later and looked for 2 more hours. Never found the buck or any more blood? Hate losing deer. I think maybe I hit i in the brisket.

I'll call you in a few west...

Thanks for bringing the dogs, RockinU. I hope he's still alive and not laying dead somewhere a mile away. Yes folks, even the dogs couldn't find him. I don't feel so bad for not being a horrible tracker. As far as my shootin skills, well, I need to work on them.

I looked on Google Earth which helped me find a pretty big creek in the area. Nothing. Thanks, everyone for your input. Well, here's to better shots, horns on the wall, and meat on the table. The weekend is upon us.

Being an arrow flinger and night hunting hogs, I have the set up for tracking and it's long lasting, reuseable and cheap enough. Don't buy the special lites and sprays. They don't work like we hope.
Here's our set ups.
GO to Walmart automotive section and get one of those Million candle watt hand held spotlites. Cut the ends off and apply either alligator clips or the electrical slip on ends. Those work better than gator clips. Go to the feed store and get a 12V feeder battery. ( I use the 6 inch long one. Costs @ $16.00) Then put your set up inside a tool pouch or bird bag. When you use it, wrap some of the extra wire around the battery so it doesn't pull off the terminals if you get hung on vegetation, and only pull out the amount of cord you need to not get hung in the brush. ( I mostly track in deep south TX brush/mesquite/ ramada country. That's where the hogs love to go to die or charge on ambush. I want to see!).

I wear a holster to carry my .44 so I prefer a bird bag over my opposite side shoulder or a bird vest would work too. The light will last well over an hour full throttle on white light and if it does die out, carry a spare battery or rob one out of the feeder till morning. Works most excellent! Good hunting!

Guide Girl, thanks for the tip. As far as the 12V 7 amp hour batteries, I service alarms so I acquire them for free. I'm sure I could rig up or "hillbilly engineer" something portable. I'll use a backpack or something. "I want to see! "That's funny; I want to see too.

I made a perfect shot with my 30 30 last weekend. no blood to be found anywhere. looked that night and decided to come back in morning. The deer was 40 yards where i shot it and coyotes had eaten it completely. It sucks. i know

I told you that was him they were on...Congrats bud, you deserve him. Can't wait for the complete story!

OK...I've given West virTexan all day to tell the story...so I'll tell what I know of it.

We got there with the dogs Friday, got on the downwind (from where the deer was hit) property line, and walked it hoping the dogs could wind the dead deer. Near the end of this walk, we came across a nice little running creek, which we recognized as the closest water source to where the deer was hit. When the dogs went down to the creek to refresh themselves, they went across, and started casting pretty hard, but they didn't really move it very far. We decided to get on the downwind side of this creek for the trek back towards the truck. As we went, the dogs started casting harder, and ranging farther out. All of a sudden we hear a bark...was that a strike? Few seconds later...yep, that was a strike, they are going, and going hard. I look at West virTexan and say "Dude, your deer is alive!"...he looks doubtful, but the dogs are going fast and we don't have time to discuss it. As I'm hustling to catch up, I can hear a bay, but it breaks before I get there. We bring the dogs in, and re-cast, they don't go far and strike again, this time the barking stops without a bay, and the dogs come back. I retrace their movements using the GPS, and find where the buck jumped a net wire fence that the dogs couldn't get through. I told West virTexan that I couldn't guarantee that it was his buck, but that I could tell him that it was a deer with blood on it or an armadillo, since those are the only two things my gyp will bark at, and that I've never seen an armadillo run that fast. I also reasoned to him that two pretty hardcore dogs, and all the buzzards in the area were pretty much saying the deer he shot wasn't dead as well, so it stood to reason to me that this was his deer. He looked doubtful, but was very gracious. So Robert and I finished our drive to the ranch, and being the small world that it is, one of our hunters for the weekend was West virTexan's landowner!! He asked lots of questions, expressed regret that we hadn't recovered the deer for West virTexan, but was hopeful since the deer was still alive. He also heaped praise on West virTexan for caring enough to get dogs out there. So Sunday, said landowner and I were trying to put a stalk on a big, but uncooperative buck when he gets an email from West virTexan saying that he had killed the buck in almost the exact location where we pulled the dogs off the track! The old wound was an underside clip, with the off leg involved...but he has him now!

That is an awesome deer bud!! Congrats! I hope you are going to have him shoulder mounted...too much story behind him not to.

heck of a deer , im glad it worked out for ya!

Great ending to the story....


BUY SOME WEENER DOGS!

RockinU, you beat me to the punch. I had to open up a Photobucket account so I could post these. They're huge pics; sorry folks. It would greatly be appreciated if you could tell me how to shrink them. The bottom pic is the knick on the belly with dried blood.

I'm still stoked about getting him. I was sitting about 90 yds south of my feeder so I decided to take a walk to that fenceline. I was standing in the road next to the fenceline for about 10 minutes debating whether or not to keep walking when I heard a grunt. I knelt down behind the tall grass and there he came chasing a doe oblivious to my existence. He came so close (40 yds) that I had to adjust my scope from 6-7x to 3x because all I saw was fur. Because I was shaking so bad with Buck Fever, I harvested a couple of acorns from the trees with my first two shots. I put two shots about 3 inches apart behind the shoulder as he was quartering away ; he dropped. A spike and a little 5 point came out to finish chasing the doe. Almost saw light-weight fight. I waited about 25 minutes, walked to my truck, and came back 15 minutes later to a dead deer. I earned this one. I'm getting him mounted for my Chritmas present. Thank you again, RockinU, for bringing your dogs.

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