buck lost then found
Contributors to this thread:Connecticut
From: Chuck>>>-------->
01-Dec-15
Hey guys not proud but just wanted to share my story so I've followed this buck for 2 years seen him a bunch of times with no shot opportunity. This year I decided to pull a firearm tag because he was always just a little out of reach. Anyways I set up a ground blind, first day he comes in heart pumping he gets nervous walks off quickly. Couple days later he starts coming in the a hot doe shows up and and he goes chasing. Not thinking I would ever see him again he shows up the next day. Takes his t coming across the field he stops broad side at 65 yrds I set the cross hairs of my savage 20ga behind the shoulder he mule kicks hard and runs hard runs off I was confident with the shot the savage never let me down. I wait 10 mins and go look for blood no blood couldn't believe it found hair brown not white belly hair. Ground was soft in this field I was about to follow the tracks 100 yards no blood the found 1 little drop then another 50 yrds another drop then tracks went into the woods and got hard to follow no blood anywhere. Me and 2 guys spent hours looking in the area. Finally we gave up thinking it was a light back grazing. 2 days later my buddy was hunting the area and saw movement in some thick brush in the area we suspected my buck ran. With a closer look with a scope he saw 2 yotes feeding on something. After they left he went over and recovered what would have been the nicest buck of my life. I'm not proud of it obviously I did something wrong. What waste of a nice deer. Wanted to share my sob story. Heres all that was left. I'm spending the rest of the season hunting these things.
From: Chuck>>>-------->
01-Dec-15
Another angle
From: whaler
01-Dec-15
Thats a bummer but sounds like you tried hard. Kill the totes, I fling arrows at them any chance i get. Nice buck man.
From: notme
02-Dec-15
That sucks dude!!! Not to be a dick or anything,do you /anybody really, have to put a tag on that or is it more of an ethical thing ?
From: cuntrytocity
02-Dec-15
Nice buck, that sucks. We all lose a deer at some point and you've felt the pain and anguish of not recovering a nice buck and it's obvious in your story. You're an ethical hunter and I wish you the best of luck.
From: Gene
02-Dec-15
I am glad that you at least had closure on that buck.I had pretty much the same thing happen to me years ago. I took an offhand shot at a buck across a field and followed a sparse blood trail as rain and snow started coming down as it was getting dark. I went back the following morning and walked in the direction the buck had gone hoping to get lucky,which I did. There wasn't much left but I took the head. I felt pretty funny walking out of the woods carrying a 10 pointer's head with a tag on it!
From: Chuck>>>-------->
02-Dec-15
It was a tough couple days lost a lot of sleep I would have been happier if he made it also sucks burning up a tag on it, you cant eat the antlers, but it was the right thing to do.
From: Passthrough
02-Dec-15
Not me if you killed it, you should use a harvest tag period. You harvested the animal wether of not the coyotes harvested the meat for you. I had a friend not tag a doe like this year's back. Let's say I don't associate with him anymore. He killed it that's what the tags are for. Maybe I'm just a really ethical hunter. I had to tag a deer with soiled meat this year. Left a tag on the deer with a note incase anyone came across it and filled a secound tag to carry on me at all times incase a problem ever camexperienced up. Just my 2cents.
From: Captain Art
02-Dec-15
I feel your pain because I almost gave up on looking for my buck that I shot last Friday. I had a good track at first then lost it. After 2 hours of searching with no sign I was at that point of calling it, but then one of my friends sons stumbled upon it. Friends are always a great resource to call upon to help out with the search, have found a few deer that way.
From: notme
02-Dec-15
Passthrough,i know the feeling well.
From: Wayniac
02-Dec-15
At least you have resolution and he's not wandering around wounded. Sucks losing them, we've all been there.
From: Chuck>>>-------->
02-Dec-15
Thanks guys, it does really suck. I just have that crappy feeling of I should have done more or done something different.
From: Toonces
02-Dec-15
That sucks.
How far did he end up going after the shot?
From: Chuck>>>-------->
02-Dec-15
300 yards off then property then back on, into really thick stuff only reason my buddy found it was because 2 yotes where feeding on it and he saw the movement.
From: Toonces
02-Dec-15
To bad there wasn't enough left for an autopsy to find out where he was hit and why there wasn't a good blood trail.
I have a savage 20 gauge slug gun as well.
From: Chuck>>>-------->
02-Dec-15
I love the gun its never let me down before. So after I went and shot from the same set up on my stool with shoot rest which was new to me and have never used one before. Any ways what I found was with the shooting stick all my shots where high and without it they where dead on so I know it was at least high. Lesson learned about trying something new with practicing but never thought it would make a differnce
From: deerman406
02-Dec-15
Get a European done. It is a nice buck, in a case like this you really should have a contact for a bloodtrailing dog if allowed in Conn. It most likely would of found him. Also in NY we could bring the tagged head into our DEC and they would give us a replacement tag in most cases. It is their call but I have done this a few times over the years and they always gave me a replacement tag. Sorry but as I said it will make a nice European mount. Shawn
From: Chuck>>>-------->
02-Dec-15
Never thought of a tracking dog Ill keep it in mind. I still have 3 bow tags and I will only take one more if I get a chance anyways. Its getting a euro mount for sure already in the process, Thanks Shawn.
From: bigbuckbob
02-Dec-15
For the same scenario and they said it was not allowed. Not sure the law changed.
From: soapdish
02-Dec-15
Sorry to hear. I have found that the slugs today don't make it through the thick stuff like they did 20 years ago. They do fly faster and flatter for greater distances though. I used to use winchester 3" magnum sabots with 1 oz of lead. It would plow through just about anything. My son shot at a deer last year with a sst copper slug that blew apart 20 yards out the barrel on a very small briar bush breaking the slug into 8 pieces. You can see the side of the tree. He was heartbroken, a mature 8pt. It was a buck that I had missed earlier in the year with the bow. He wouldve gained bragging rights. It's ok though. Saved me $500 bucks on not having to get it mounted lol.
From: Chuck>>>-------->
02-Dec-15
I am sighted in with 2 3/4 Remington accu tips because they grouped tight maybe I should try a heavy load in 3 inch. I'll shoot a little more over the summer.
From: bigbuckbob
03-Dec-15
Heavier load is not the answer, a well placed shot is. IT sounds like your gun was grouping well, but shot placement was off, it happens to all of us. The only thing you can do is look for the animal exhausting all locations he could have went,....but they do hide very well when hit. The worse part is you fed a couple of yotes a nice thanksgiving meal :)
From: deerman406
03-Dec-15
BBB, I am in NY if your comment was for me. Shawn
From: deerman406
03-Dec-15
Chuck, post a pic. when you get the Euro done! Again Congrats! Shawn
From: bigbuckbob
03-Dec-15
Didn't know you were in NY.no idea about the laws there.
From: Chuck>>>-------->
05-Dec-15
Will do.
From: Chuck>>>-------->
05-Dec-15
Will do.
From: PaperPlate
07-Dec-15
Tough luck Chuck. The reason you were high off the shooting sticks is because the barrel has a chance to jump if you aren't holding the stock. Slugs don't move fast enough out of the barrel, so when the powder is ignited the recoil beings and the slug is still in the barrel.It is important to hold the stock when sighting/shooting slug guns. It keeps the barrel from jumping.
From: bigbuckbob
07-Dec-15
I found a buck the other day, so I spent it ;)
Sorry, feeling kind of stupid today :)
From: Chuck>>>-------->
07-Dec-15
That's exactly what happened. I returned the shooting stick didn't need that memory around anymore. Nice BBB funny.