Mount on page 6, Shot a nice buck… Need advice! -found him!!!

[Michael Arnette]

Update! I found him and he's a hog!!! Pictures to follow! Read the harvest thread and full story here:
   http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=211&t=000104  

     
     
From 6/7/14- Well gang, yesterday was a sad day! Bad shooting on my part! I shot a nice buck at about 30 yards and hit him essentially midline of the torso with a razor sharp snuffer 145 grain. The arrow passed through and we found it a few yards into the trail. I shot him at about 8 o'clock yesterday morning the sixth and waited until 4 o'clock that evening to track him. A buddy and I tracked him for about 150 to 200 yards at 4 o'clock that evening and then I came back later and tracked him with Goodblood every 1 to 3 feet for another 150 yards.
He headed the opposite direction that I thought And the blood trail stops in sick Greenbriar right next to the Access road. It looks like he may have bedded down here but that's not conclusive as there's no obvious bed or pile of blood.
I get off early this afternoon and plan on tracking some more. Any advice?
Other details: all the blood we found was dark in color indicating that I may have gotten liver and there were no signs of any intrails or intestinal shot. Also, he headed downhill and towards water which I'll be checking out later this afternoon.

[DanielB89]

After reading some previous threads, my advice would be just stick with it.  Chances are he has expired by now, go find him!  

Keep us updated on how it goes!

[Flingblade]

Michael,  Was there gut matter on the arrow?  From the location of the hit it sounds like a gut shot although you may have hit liver.  When you get to the last blood mark it well visible from a distance and then make semi circles out in front increasing in size to search ahead for the next blood.  If you completely lose the trail and can't find anymore sign look for the nearest water.  Many times a gut shot deer will head for water.  Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

[centaur]

If you got liver, he is dead. If you got guts, perotinitis will get him and he will die within a few hours. Keep trailing and you will find him. Do you have access to a tracking dog? If not, grid search.

[Kopper1013]

Get as many people as you can and start to do a grid pattern search. Keep close to each other and keep working the area till your positive he ain't there. Then go work the next logical spot

If tracking dogs are legal in OK, that would be my first choice!

Bisch

[bowtough]

Yep, liver shot deer is a dead deer. I would imagine he is dead by now. Maybe a tracking dog would be a good idea.

[maineac]

If you have had good blood, try to pick up the trail. he may have stood in the thick stuff to watch his back trail after the hit.  Tracking dogs can be amazing if you have access  Here is a link to an organization of certified trackers across the country.  I used to find one in my area last year.

 http://www.unitedbloodtrackers.org/

[Krex1010]

If you run into a cold trail, check he areas parallel to the blood trail. I've seen several bucks circle back and bed down off to the side of their back trail. Check the uphill side first, I know everyone says look downhill, but every buck I've seen that circled back in this situation was found uphill where he could look down on his back trail. Also walk the nearest waterway. Good luck.

[DaveT1963]

My guess is he is in the green briars if you left him alone.  If it was just a gut shot - I would have someone on other side of green briars in case you jump him.  If there is water nearby and you don't find him - look there.  very seldom does a pure gut shot bleed heavily.  Based on where you said you hit him and the color of the blood, You either got some liver (which is my guess) or you hit a large vein.  If the blood was dark red then you know if was liver - that buck will begin to feel the effects of that shot petty quickly and will usually be fatal within an hour.  So - he probably is not much further then where you found last blood unless you pushed him?

[Michael Arnette]

My fear is that I may have spooked him on my way out at about 1 o'clock  

[Diamond Paul]

If you got the liver, I seriously doubt that he went that far, seeing as you waited a good while to take up the track.  You would have found him dead far sooner, unless it was a very peripheral liver hit.  As everyone above said, find someone with a tracking dog, quickly, before someone else stumbles upon your deer.

[J. Holden]

I have read that one option is find a set of tracks.  Measure the distance between one set and another using a stick of some sort.  Now you can lay that stick out one the ground and look for his next set is various directions.  Now, I have never tried this, just read about it.

Also with my limited medical background a biological response to a traumatic injury is thirst.  I would bet he went towards the water...

Be sure to let us know how you do.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I agree with the previous posters about trying to find someone with a dog. I would explore that option before having a large group of people doinga grid search solely because they can mess up the scent trail if you gain access to a dog afterward.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[sheepdogreno]

In my experience a liver shot deer can go a long ways. Keep at it and like others said he probably isn't too much farther from where u left off. Good luck!

[Michael Arnette]

Thanks Michael for the tracking dog site! I'm left a voicemail with a gentleman who is about an hour and a half from me in Monette Missouri

[Possum Head]

Down in this part of the country coyotes would have made a snack of him with that much time. Hope you find him. Track with confidence many have been found when hit there.

[Flingblade]

Don't let yourself get discouraged.  My best buck to date I shot through the liver and he lived four hours.  I waited four hours to trail him and although he only went 100 yards he still had a couple kicks in him trying to get up when I found him.  If I had trailed him sooner who knows how far he may have gone.  Again, good luck and let us know if you get a dog on him.

[CRS]

Keep at it,
good advice so far.

With what you have described, you have a dead deer somewhere.

[BRIARS]

Go in the morning and look for crows and buzzards. They will go to the carcass at first light and make a big rukus.