# Lost Deer in Emigration



## JBronko (Dec 3, 2014)

Took a shot at a little 2pt last night at last light. If seen him before and passed, but with time running out, I figured I better take him now or never. Good shot, 20 yards down hill, maybe a tad high. Rage went in, but didn't pass all the way thru. I saw it sticking out as he ran back and away, but couldn't tell where he was hit. Waited an hour before getting up and found my arrow where he ran into the brush. Decided to let him sit overnight because he ran into some really thick cover and it was well past dark.

Went back this morning at first light, and was super excited to see a bright massive blood trail in the snow. Followed him down hill and came upon some pools where he had obviously stopped. First pool was at about 100 yards, and then 50-100 feet after that. He continued to run downhill into some nasty gnarly undergrowth, but the blood trail was easy to follow in the leaves. Came upon another blood pool, and then another about 10 feet away, and then... NOTHING! Not a drop anywhere. Deer runs in all directions, but no snow. Tracks and poop everywhere, but no blood.

I circled the last blood spot over and over, continued down the hill to the creek bottom, tracked back and forth below the last known spot, even crawled on my hands and knees, and I cant find a thing. Nothing in any of the snow at the bottom, and nothing i can see on the opposite hillside.

Anyone ever had this happen, or have any suggestions? The snow continues to melt, and it may rain tonight. I cannot get back out until Saturday to look again, but I'm worried that the hills are going to be trampled by hunters again.


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## phorisc (Feb 2, 2011)

that sux, maybe he was somewhere dead where the blood trail stopped? I doubt he ran off without leaving blood if you hit him good. I'd thoroughly check all places he might've taken his last breathes and laid down...


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

phorisc said:


> that sux, maybe he was somewhere dead where the blood trail stopped? I doubt he ran off without leaving blood if you hit him good. I'd thoroughly check all places he might've taken his last breathes and laid down...


+1

Drag a 50ft cord behind you along where you see sign, it can help you visualize where hes going. Also check the sides of oak brush body high for places he brushed up against it leaving blood smears. Thats a really good blood trail in the snow, IMO its dead really close to where you lost it.

You mention you left it over night... any lion tracks around? Lion might drag off a carcass.

-DallanC


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

You might be able to get someone with a dog to track it for you? I know some guys that may be interested in helping you.


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## Bowdacious (Sep 16, 2007)

You probably missed.....


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## Mtn. Runner (Oct 7, 2009)

Did you shoot him on the south side of the road ?


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

How far from your original shot did he travel before you lost him? May have hit him above the lungs in "no man's land."


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## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

I lost one last week. Pass through high lung. Tracked for two hours, bedded and let sit for six more. Came back and bumped the deer again. I let it bed down nearby but couldn't make it back until 36hrs later. It was cold so I felt fine with everything but tenderloins. Well, I brought my dog in to track it and located aa last years kill, Nike shoe from the late 80s and fresh leg that was picked clean. Looked like a cat took it into a tree and the leg fell out. I was bummed. 

Good luck finding your deer but it may be gone to the woods or another hunter.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

AF CYN said:


> May have hit him above the lungs in "no man's land."


With blood spraying out like in that 3rd picture? No way...

-DallanC


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## Bo0YaA (Sep 29, 2008)

Its dead somewhere real close to where your last sign was IMHO.


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## RandomElk16 (Sep 17, 2013)

Anyone in Ogden area have dogs good at finding these??


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## Fez (Sep 3, 2009)

Good luck finding him!!

What is your bow setup? 20 yards and no pass thru on a deer?


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## Trooper (Oct 18, 2007)

Fez said:


> Good luck finding him!!
> 
> What is your bow setup? 20 yards and no pass thru on a deer?


Whoa! Out of bounds dude! He obviously feels bad and is doing what he can, now is not the time to make him feel worse.


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## Fez (Sep 3, 2009)

Just curious is all. No hard feelings towards him. I really do hope he finds him


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## Bo0YaA (Sep 29, 2008)

I was curious as well to be honest. Not trying to insult anybody just curious. I had a hot knife though butter pass through at 52 yards on about the same sized deer. Cant help but wonder in that case, if the broadhead had something to do with the lack of penetration. Again, not makin fun, just thinking of all possibilities.


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## c3hammer (Nov 1, 2009)

From that lung blood and blood trail I'd say he J hooked right at the last blood and is buried in the brush right there somewhere.

With that said, I lost a good 6x6 bull in Wyoming this year where the arrow completely disappeared inside the elk. Tons of blood spraying out and then nothing after 1/2 mile. I would have bet huge money he was right there somewhere. After 19 hours crawling around on my hands and knees and three days of searching I had to call it a season up there.

Keep at it and good luck. They don't always turn out the way we plan and is part of the game.

Cheers,
Pete


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## 2:22 (Jan 31, 2013)

DallanC said:


> With blood spraying out like in that 3rd picture? No way...
> 
> -DallanC


I've seen bloody noses bleed that much and I never found a dead guy at the end of the trail.  Superficial wounds can bleed a bunch and then stop. It's hard to say. Snow always exaggerates the blood.


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## Lonetree (Dec 4, 2010)

Looking at the blood on the leaves I don't know that he is hit in the lung. That's the other thing that snow does to blood. Looking at the blood trail there is aHEAVY...light....light.....light......HEAVY......light......light......light That goes pretty synchronous with gait/stride and the deer's body length. Without a pass through, and with that pattern I'd think maybe he was hit a bit forward, maybe high front leg? 

I've seen far less/no blood trails with dead deer at the end though.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I have also tracked a deer that was bleeding like a stuck pig with enough blood left on the ground that he should be dead. When I last saw that buck he was running straight away from me looking like there was no problem. I never did find that one, I even figured that the ravens and magpies would be on him in the next couple of days but a week later and he was still nowhere to be found.


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## JBronko (Dec 3, 2014)

Yes, south side of the road. Just past the gated community east of Kamp K. 

Bow is set at 70lbs. Took shots at similar distances in two previous years with same bow/arrow/broad head setup and had complete pass thoughs. One of the blades on the Rage 2 blade was bent a little and wouldn't fold back in after I found it. Like I said, shot felt a little high. May have clipped a shoulder, broad head not fully opened, or hit in high muscle area.

Going to look again tomorrow.


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## Mtn. Runner (Oct 7, 2009)

I seen a 2 point running around in that area that had been hit in the back hind but looked like he would recover.


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

AF CYN said:


> How far from your original shot did he travel before you lost him? May have hit him above the lungs in "no man's land."


I'm not an expert on the matter or anything so nobody think that I'm trying to pass my opinion off as Gospel. I have done enough reading on the subject to become a veritable armchair internet expert, however. I've come across a few articles that say the "void" or no-man's land on a deer is a myth. The bottom of the spine and the top of the lungs are so close together that you are not going to pass an arrow in between the two. You are always going to hit one or the other.

Here's where it gets weird though. I have also "read" that SOME double lung hits are survivable. Don't double lung shoot the messenger I'm just relaying what I have read. Apparently not all double lung hits are created equal. The lower forward section of the lungs closer to the heart are chalk full of vessels and arteries and a hit here is certain death. The upper and further back section of the lungs have a lot less blood vessels and sometimes deer can survive a pass through hit here. Again, I am just relaying what I have read/heard. Not saying it is the honest to god truth or trying to get into any debates here. I'm too lazy to go digging around looking for where I read this crap, but if you are really interested google is your friend.


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

It seems like the Rage broadhead has legions of both supporters and detractors. Opinion seems to be on one extreme end of the spectrum or the other with this head. It is either the best head ever created, or absolute garbage that shouldn't even be legal to hunt with. I have about a dozen of these heads that I bought used from a guy at a pretty cheap price. He told me he is going to go back to shooting muzzy. Kind of telling that he would sell off all his rage heads for cheap and go back to the tried and true muzzy. After hearing about one having poor penetration from a 70 pound bow at 20 yards, I'm not super confident in using them. I also have a half dozen muzzy mx-3s that I bought used from a guy for cheap. Maybe they will be getting the nod next year.


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## Gunner73 (Dec 3, 2007)

Is this him? A guy on Facebook posted this he said he found it by the V?? I have no clue where that is.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Bo0YaA (Sep 29, 2008)

The V is in Bountiful.


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