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Big buck tonight- bad shot

I'd go look first thing. If you don't find good blood and a dead deer pretty quick then wait for dog. If you do trail blood, try paralleling it rather than tramping over it. The dog follows interdigital gland scent from the hooves and if you step on the deer's track you'll muck up the track and get the scent on your boots, which could lead the dog astray.

Seeing the arrow I myself would go first light and start out ahead of where the deer ran when you last saw him, and scan around for a dead deer. I've found a lot of deer like that without tracking at all. I usually only have to track when I can't immediately find the deer. Lots of people get so entranced with finding droplets of blood that they don't see the 200lb dead critter lying right there in the wide open. I'm guessing you're going to find that deer pretty quick. But if not the dog will.
 
Apostolic Outdoors said:
Hope you find him. Shayne Simpson says don't trash the track if you plan on calling a dog in. I've never used a dog to track a deer so can't speak from experience. Good luck!! Can't wait to see him.
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the tracker I talked to tonight said it was ok to go in there an follow blood. But if there wasn't any blood, he said do not grid search or tromp all over the thicket as that makes it much harder for the dog.

I think ill go in the morning and search carefully. If I have no blood, ill back out again and wait. Just hate to lose meat if I dont have to. But also definitely dont want him to suffer longer.
 
Ski said:
I'd go look first thing. If you don't find good blood and a dead deer pretty quick then wait for dog. If you do trail blood, try paralleling it rather than tramping over it. The dog follows interdigital gland scent from the hooves and if you step on the deer's track you'll muck up the track and get the scent on your boots, which could lead the dog astray.

Seeing the arrow I myself would go first light and start out ahead of where the deer ran when you last saw him, and scan around for a dead deer. I've found a lot of deer like that without tracking at all. I usually only have to track when I can't immediately find the deer. Lots of people get so entranced with finding droplets of blood that they don't see the 200lb dead critter lying right there in the wide open. I'm guessing you're going to find that deer pretty quick. But if not the dog will.
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Good points. I heard him crashing through the thicket for about 100 yards from where he went in. so I'll probably parallel the thicket for at least that far and then push in and see what I can see. Will be putting the carhartt's to good work in that thicket tomorrow.
 
philsanchez76 said:
the tracker I talked to tonight said it was ok to go in there an follow blood. But if there wasn't any blood, he said do not grid search or tromp all over the thicket as that makes it much harder for the dog.

I think ill go in the morning and search carefully. If I have no blood, ill back out again and wait. Just hate to lose meat if I dont have to. But also definitely dont want him to suffer longer.
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Yeah I was gonna say the same thing. You don't want to cause the dog to not be able to find it. But I get wanting to find it before 3 to make sure meat isn't spoiled. You've got below freezing temps tonight which is a good thing. Will have just got to 50 degrees at 3 tomorrow. Biggest worry is coyotes finding it I'm thinking.
 
You want to find him in his 1st bed. Hopefully dead already, but if not, so weak that he can't run half mile before he beds again. Min 8h, preferably 12h from the shot. Don't start looking till 830 or 9. It will still be plenty cold, and he prob won't die until 4am or so, so meat will be just fine. If you bump him and he doesn't look almost dead, back out and wait for the dog at 3p.
 
megalomaniac said:
You want to find him in his 1st bed. Hopefully dead already, but if not, so weak that he can't run half mile before he beds again. Min 8h, preferably 12h from the shot. Don't start looking till 830 or 9. It will still be plenty cold, and he prob won't die until 4am or so, so meat will be just fine. If you bump him and he doesn't look almost dead, back out and wait for the dog at 3p.
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good plan. update this thread tomorrow. thx yall.
 
Congratulation on a hard earned well executed hunt Phil! Take megas advise above and let him lay a while longer. If you bump him your job gets much harder. Right now you have a fatally wounded animal that will be dead guaranteed! Take your bow and binos and do as the tracker said. If in doubt on the blood trail back out. Even if he lays all day the meat and hide will be fine. Good luck buddy! We're all pulling for you…GO SLOW, when you think you're going too slow, SLOW DOWN MORE!
 

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