Tuesday deer, bad hit.

[44man]

Bad spot and very thick with cedar trees. I had a doe come in behind me in a short step to thick. I had the red dot on and hammer back but had to make a slow turn to get on her. I thought I was in the center of her chest as she seen my movements and looked up. Now or never, I let the .500 JRH go. She reversed and bolted, I heard brush breaking and seen a deer run left, just a glimpse. I walked every trail with no blood at all. Of course I was looking left. My neighbor came and we were talking, I looked down and was standing on leaves with blood. We tracked her and she went to the right, the deer I seen was a different deer. We got to fallen logs and knew she would lay up at one. We seen her at the side of one but she got up, went over the log and was falling as she ran, I could not get the revolver on her before she went into a gully. I found only one spot of blood and my neighbor had to leave for a funeral.
I followed scuffed up leaves and found her. But my knife and drag was at the stand in my pack. I walked the gully out, across a flat and came out at my other stand. I got the pack and Polaris to that stand.
I went back and gutted. I had hit left of her shoulder, through the guts and back out and into the knee at the rear leg, destroyed it. There was a huge pile of guts blocking both holes. Long drag with the sun blinding me and I got off course, could not find the trail or Polaris. I left the deer to find it and got turned around. I knew where I was then and went back.
Now I could not find the deer again. I went to where I came out of the gully to follow my drag but it petered out too.
Then I tripped and banged my heel on a rock so I was limping. Finally I went more right and walked up on my deer. I took her to the trail and wound up at the stand I shot from. Now to hobble back to my Polaris. She was larger then I thought and I busted a gut to load her, figure at least 175#. I figure I dragged her 300 yards.
I stopped at the house where I hunt and the lady came Wed morning to cut and wrap. I gave her the deer. I skinned and cut so she could bone it out. It took her 4 hours.
A friend came to shoot some and I checked mine, hit the bullseye so it was me that shot bad.
Crazy day, lose a deer, find it and lose it again.
She was full of corn and when I was skinning chunks of bone fell out of the leg so I just cut it off. Ham was still OK. Just lost some stew meat.
I did not take pictures. Ashamed at a bad hit. Yet hard work recovered the meat.

[badge176]

I applaud your honesty and determination

[taco650]

Don't beat yourself up too much. Every deer hunter, including me, makes mistakes that end up causing more work for ourselves. Glad you got the deer out and made the best of it. Also sounds like the JHR did its job pretty well.

[Blammer]

Makes for the adventure for sure!

Some times it's good to get out of routine.

[clintsfolly]

Been there do it too!

[gunauthor]

Now you've got a good story to tell

[Jpholla]

To tattle on myself a little, I missed a deer for the first time this year due to hitting a sapling which was about 17 yards away from me. At least it completely missed the deer...

[thegatman]

I wish I could see a deer.

[44man]

Thanks fellas, I feel bad about a bad hit but i never give up when the trigger is pulled. We can fail so don't feel bad as long as you did your best.

[petroid]

Everyone screws up a shot at some point, I know I have. It is a true sportsman and ethical hunter that follows up a wounded animal and makes every attempt to recover it. Don't beat yourself up about the shot. Hold your head high that you put in the hard work to make up for it.

[MBTcustom]

Thatsort of thing NEVER happens to me.
Good on you for getting it done.

[jmort]

"...I never give up when the trigger is pulled."

The right way

[Duster340]

A less ethical hunter would have given up. You did good.

[44man]

More thanks to all. I would hunt with any of you.

[Indiana shooter]

Great job for following through. As sportsman we all strive for an ethical kill but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way.

I have hunted for 23 years, killed at least a hundred deer, and failed to recover less than 5. During this years archery season I failed to make a good shot on a doe at 50 yards(I practice at much longer ranges but 55 yards is my self imposed limit) The doe was quartering away I settled the pin and let 'er fly. The arrow struck the deer right where I wanted.

Long story short, I misjudged the angle and gut shot the deer. I tracked the deer for several hours before finding her.

We can't always make clean shots but our actions after the realization that we made a bad shot (knowing the difficulty of recovering a poorly shot deer) is what makes us sportsman.

[Ramjet-SS]

Great to share the harvest.

Even the best shots can have issues like fat or guts plugging the holes but you did exactly what teach my son to do; follow,the tracks the best you can look ahead and do not forget thier trails they do not and I stinctevly follow them even when wounded.

[UBER7MM]

You did the right thing. Bravo!

[Thumbcocker]

You did what you had to do to recover a lot of meat for someone who will appreciate it. You are welcome at my fire or in my woods any time.

[monge]

Always amazes me how a twig could deflect a shot.had it happen to me this year clean miss at 50yards ,no blood found were the shot cut a sapling and hit the ground.you are not alone bad feeling thank god it ended well!

[gtgeorge]

It happens to us all. I didn't think it would to me but once it did it happened several times before I got back on track. Seeing a second deer run the opposite way got me good for one I zeroed on with the .223 between the eyes and squeezed the trigger. It was thick but I could see the head clearly as she turned her head at 60 yards to nibble an itch on the hind quarters. When I squeezed the trigger I was in shock when I seen her run and break right. Ended up putting her down with a shot behind the shoulders at 80-85 yards and while texting my wife I broke the AR curse but missed the first shot I saw another at 100 yards and dropped her with a 10 yard dash only. When I got down I had 3 deer lined up at 60 85 and 100 yards. Reviewing the camera I had on the rifle showed the head shot was perfect and dropped like a rock but there was another deer hidden by the large pine right beside that. It looked like the same deer running off as the shot broke. Only reason I saw the first one was I smelled the poo when it left it's droppings out in front of me . Anyhow it is easy to mistake the deer shot with another if you don't see the other first when hunting the thick stuff.