I lost a very nice 8 point yesterday. I am very disappointed. I am not sure what went wrong, I thought the shot and hit were good, so I’m going to throw this out for any comments, thoughts, or insights anyone might have.

The gun was a Browning ABolt Stalker in .243 Win. The load was a Sierra 85 grain BTHP on a max charge of IMR3031 lit by a Fed 210. The scope was a Pentax Gameseeker 4-12x40 with their PrecisionPlex reticle. This is a consistent .8” load in this gun. This load worked very well on some does late last season so I decided to try it this year for the whole season.

The deer was a very large (by north central Texas standards anyway; I’d estimate 130–150) 8 point buck. The body was so large I noticed it before the antlers, which were also nice. Wide, tall, good mass. Only knock was the very small brow tines. I didn’t need the binoculars to tell I was going to shoot him. He began eating the corn under the feeder. This was unusual because we’ve had such a good acorn crop this year, the feeders have gone mostly untouched even by the pigs. He was facing me almost dead on straight but not quite; he was angling a bit. He was very skittish. He’d get a bite and bring the head back up looking around. I watched him for a couple of minutes. He never appeared to relax and he never moved. So I decided I’d better get on the trigger before he skedaddled.

I’d already gotten the gun out the window, so I lined the crosshairs on the crease inside his left front shoulder. I squeezed the trigger. It felt good. It was only a hundred yard shot. He jerked and kicked like I’d hit him with a jolt of 110 volts. He ran into the treeline through a cedar tree (for you non-Texans these are more like a big nasty bush than a tree). I could hear it clearly in the blind. I really expected him to be piled up dead 30 yards in, but I waited thirty minutes before climbing down and looking.

Under the feeder there was good blood, three pieces of bone, and a couple of bits of what I think was lung tissue though it was more purple than I have seen lung tissue be. Judging from the blood I thought there was blood from entrance and exit wounds and maybe spray out the mouth and nose. I found two more pieces of bone about six yards away from the point of impact. He entered the tree line and began a curve back to the north (he’d been facing almost due south). The blood trail was excellent and distinct. It took no work to follow it. Stevie Wonder could have followed this blood trail. Here are some pictures of the blood trail. There’s was never more than 2 feet between blood spots. Obviously, I thought there’d be a deer at the end of this. Oh, was I wrong.













These pictures are at the almost end of the blood trail.



This was just before the big puddle.



This was just to the left of the big puddle.



This was immediately before the previous three.



This followed the previous three.



And that was it. Two more little spots found a few feet after this and then nothing more.

We’ve got about 9 man-hours in searching. We’ve scoured the area for, depending on the direction, 200–400 yards in all directions. Nothing. No deer, no blood, no obvious spot where it laid down. Just some very nice time in the great outdoors.

Here’s the bone pieces recovered. The three together were found where he was shot. The two were found about six yards away.



So what went wrong? I thought the shot was good. The deer reacted as if well hit. Bone pieces, lots of blood. Especially lots of blood at the end of the line. If I had it to do over again, I think I would have taken a base of the neck shot instead. I’d appreciate everyone’s thoughts.

Regards,

LWD

LWD,

I don't think you did anything wrong. Sh*t just happens sometimes.

I think that deer is dead somewhere, you just don't know where yet.

Do you any deer dogs?

I know you spent 9 hours but I can't believe the blood trail just disappears.

Maybe go back to the last spot and literally go inch by inch in all directions for about 15 ft in all directions to see if you can re acquire it.

When things don't make sense it is usually cause you don't have a piece of data.

Sounds to me like you did everything 100%. Sorry for your luck. Same thing happened to a buddy of mine using a 243 but someone else shot and claimed the buck.

Though the 243 works on deer, this is another example of why I would never use one.

Your deer is most likely within 200 feet of your last blood. He likely quit bleeding because he had no more to give. I would begin to scour everything within fifty feet of last blood and slowly expand out. He about has to be there, you have arterial blood, lots of it and evidence that says he was stopping because he was running out of steam.

With that much blood, I would not give up. Give him time and you will find him in a day or two. I use a 243 in a Browning BLR and always take out the lungs or shoulder.

You probably hit a little into the shoulder, that would be the bone you found. 85gr HP exploded on the shoulder, lots of blood and a crippled lost deer. A good dog is the way to find this deer.

I said many years ago"If one hunts deer with a 243 you will eventually lose a deer for no other reason that you were shooting a 243"...

Now, I shoot a 243 a good bit, but use 95gr Nosler Partitions which, in your case, would of penetrated far beyond the shoulder impact spot.

If you had been shooting a 270Win with premium bullets the buck would of been recovered.

I hope you find him, good luck.

troy

Be sure to look in and under any tree tops that have fallen. I once lost a doe during muzzleloader season about 10 years ago. I shot her at last light and new she crashed, but could never find her. Finally did about 2 weeks later, she had crawled into a giant tree top that had fallen and died in it.

Last year, I shot another doe at last light. This time I heard a giant crash about 50 yards from the shot location. Sure enough, this doe jumped in the middle of a blackjack oak tree top that had fallen. She was suspended about 2 and half feet above the ground hanging in the tree top.

Good luck finding the deer, he's around there somewhere close!

JMO, I think the smaller the diameter, the better the bullet needs to be. To me, this rules out most cup/core bullets like Sierra, Hornady, Speer, etc.

Partition would be a much better choice, IMO.

LWD-

I, too, think he is close -- probably no more than 50-60 yards from where the blood trail ended. And I feel it ended because he had basically bled out but perhaps made one last adrenaline-charged dash. He could have fallen into a low spot or under some scrub brush, making him difficult or almost impossible to see.

Dead deer. Keep looking.

Yup.

Light bullet in a light rifle.

I would not say you did anything wrong.

IMHO you probably walked by the deer laying dead out of sight. That deer is definately coyote food now.

I once hit a deer at about 20 feet in the shoulder with a 22-250 and a 70 grain speer. The buck jumped up and ran off. We didnt see exactly where it ran to and after nearly an hour of doing cirlces we finally found him only about 40 yards from where I shot it and within feet of where we had previously walked in our search.

I had another deer that I found two days after I shot it and once again it was only feet from where I had searched under a deadfall. The eagles and ravens found it easy enough though :P.

I agree with Mike - there is probably more blood. but it may be sparse. It looks like pics 7 and 8 (where you are "almost to the end") may be where he stood still for a while, & dripped blood onto one place, creating quite a large spot - - he also may have clotted up somewhat or plugged off one of the holes while he was standing there. Then perhaps he took off again as you started after him 30 minutes later. If it has not rained, I would try hands & knees searching starting at last blood and spiraling out. You should find blood somewhere within 20-30 yards. See if he took off in a new direction. Again, expect a sparse trail. If he was bleeding less and running fast again, spots will be few & farther between.
I also agree with the comments on semi-inadequacy of the .243. My nephew used one for a few years on youth hunts here in TN, & we had trouble tracking several that he hit pretty well. We ultimately recovered them , but one was found 3 days later after the coyotes had gotten most of it, and these were relatively small deer. You can certainly kill a large deer with one, but a shoulder hit (I'll bet that is what the bone bits are from) may mean a very marginal wound. I prefer a little larger caliber with a little heavier projectile.
That said, don't beat yourself up - as one response said "sh.. happens". You made a decent shot - the gun was adequate - sometimes it just isn't meant to be.

" A good dog is the way to find this deer.
If you had been shooting a 270Win with premium bullets the buck would of been recovered. "

I must respectfully disagree on the .270 being a promise of not losing the deer. I have tracked a lot of deer for paying hunters over the years. Caliber can come into play with less experienced hunters but larger calibers are no guarantee either.

A dog would work in good conditions but even that can be limited by the amount of time lapsed, the trail/track being contaminated by human scent etc.



I do agree that the deer is probably laid up dead within 1/4 of a mile from the last blood found though. I have seen blood trails stop suddenly though.

The last deer I "lost" was in TX. I shot it directly in the chest as it faced me from about 150 yards with a 270 using Federal Fusion bullets. We could hear it hit. We found little blood. The bush was THICK. A day or so later, the deer was found within 100 yards of where it was shot.

Don't give up.

First off, good luck on finding your deer. I will however offer you another theory that is not quite as encouraging. On a Texas hunt a fellow hunter in camp shot a deer almost exactly as you described, found similar pieces of bone, all at the impact site. The blood trail was very simmilar to what you showed--you didn't say how long it lasted distance wise, or I didn't catch it just now on the read of the thread, but on the deer with the fellow I am referring to the trail ceased at about 400-450 yards. It ran in a big oval cirling back toward it's original path into the stand.

We left the deer overnight after several hours of searching at the end of the blood trail. The ranch owner went after the deer in the morning at first light with a trained tracking dog--great trailer! They jumped the deer about 1000 yard up a trail that ran up the bluff above the stand. We concluded that the light bullet had not penetrated well, and that we had been pushing the deer the previous night, and until we backed off, the deer was getting up and down adn leaving blood. As soon as he really took off, no blood left behind. This deer was shot on a management hunt about 45 days later, with a huge wound on his left front shoulder.

I sure hope your deer is dead, and it is found soon--and like many others here, that would be my first guess, but the situations are so damn similar I felt it was reasonable to share it with you. It is incredible what can happen when a bullet hits bone right at impact sometimes, and I do side with the camp that thinks a heavier stouter bullet is appropriate for these type (raking angle and possible bone contact) shots.

I agree with Doc on bullet selection for these things, I like the TSX's as an example...just drill the tips out on 30 cal and smaller...

Thats why I don't shoot Brownings!!!!

I'm very sorry to hear this. I have never lost game shot with a rifle but I have with a bow. It is a terrible feeling.

I hope you can find him

Good luck.

Fish,

You are such a downer...LoL.

Sorry to hear this, truly one of the lows in hunting.

I have some questions and ponderings.

When the deer ran, was there any visible injury to rt of left front legs? Was it running funny at all, anything out of the ordinary that just didn't compute in your mind?

Where do you think the bone came from? I can't form an opinion from your pics.

A couple of thoughts, and this is my opinion only.

1. You shot low and hit the brisket. There would be bone fragments and the amount of blood sign is consistent with a major tissue damage. Typically what I have seen with muscle damage is plenty of blood that just stops.

2. You shot to the right and put the bullet just outside the rib cage, possibly hitting major non vital muscle in the neck and bullet exited out behind, or through the shoulder breaking the offside leg without entering the vitals. Could have you hit the trachea allowing blood loss into the trachea giving the illusion of spraying lung blood?

My conclusion is this.
1. Deer is dead and you couldn't find it.
2. Bad shot placement.
3. Bullet failure. BTHP= boattail hollow point correct? This type of bullet construction typically doesn't do well if major bone is encountered.

only one thing to do:

get a dog on the blood trail.

I agree that bullet choice is the likely culprit here. A .243 with 95-100 grain bullets designed for large game will kill deer all day (and probably would have killed this deer, as suggested by DTala), but varmint/target bullets can't be counted on. Even the .22 caliber centerfires are suitable for most Texas whitetails, so long as tough bullets like the 60 grain Partitions are used. And yes, varmint/target bullets will work, provided you avoid shots that will hit bone, but who wants to be limited in the shots that they take? I hope you find your deer.

For all of you bigger rifle naysayers...I saw this EXACT same thing play out in OK 3-4 years ago and the rifle was a .30 Hart (like a suped up .300 Wby for those who don't know) shooting 180 gr Accubonds.

quote:

I don't think you did anything wrong. Sh*t just happens sometimes.

+1

ledvm, I know I was not there, but there is no way a 180 Accubond out of a 300 magnum would fail to kill quickly IF, IF the bullet hit the shoulder any where near mid body vertically. I'd bet the deer you speak of was shot too low.

The Accubond penetrates pretty good, and hold together.

Every deer I've seen lost with a BIG gun/good bullet was due to poor shot placement. One can definitly lose a deer with a big gun.....

Although it is hard to judge only by what is shown here and the information you give, I wonder if you didn't just break the leg, severing a smallish artery in the process. The bone fragments appear to be from a leg bone and the blood has that bright red appearance of a "meat shot."
After shooting I always look for blood before deciding what to do next. If the blood has froth or bits of lung I will wait a few minutes for the deer to expire before going further. If, on the other hand, I see blood and bits of bone like this, I am generally inclined to push the deer immediately. I know that goes against common wisdom, but I have found through unfortunate experience that a leg hit that results in good initial bleeding will often close up if the deer is allowed to sit tight. By following immediately you at least have a chance of keeping the wound open and the blood flowing.
On the other hand, if it looks like a gut shot, I let the animal sit for several hours before following up.

I used to use that 85 gr Sierra for groung hogs with my 6mm Rem. A fine bullet but not meant for deer.
I mainly use an 06 for deer with 150 gr Nosler ABs. Don't have to track many. Ocassionally use the 6mm Rem for deer with the 85 gr Barnes TSX, for a light bullet it does a fine job.
As far as your blood trail, I wouldn't describle it as heavy. Dripping, not squirting. A steady trail at first usually abit heavy at times and a small pool where the buck stopped then turned off like a faucet.
I'd bet money that is a muscle hit, leg maybe, seen it before. That deer will not be recovered.
243 is on the light side for deer, it will get the job done but there are better choices. If you just have to use it, try the barnes TSX or Nos Partition.
A good dog is an asset in deer camp, but he won't find what isn't there.

Phil

First, let me say thank you for all the insights. I’ll also try to respond to a few of the questions. I’ve also added a satellite photo of the location with some annotations.

quote:

I know you spent 9 hours but I can't believe the blood trail just disappears.

We can’t either. We’ve searched the ten yards around the blood trail 4 times looking for more blood, a place where it laid down, a spot where it entered the trees, and zero.

quote:

You probably hit a little into the shoulder, that would be the bone you found.

Where do you think the bone came from? I can't form an opinion from your pics.

I think it’s too thick to be shoulder blade. Three of the pieces are at least ½” thick and appear to be only a partial piece---not the full thickness of the bone hit.

quote:

You shot low and hit the brisket. There would be bone fragments and the amount of blood sign is consistent with a major tissue damage. Typically what I have seen with muscle damage is plenty of blood that just stops.

I think this is possible, but with the amount of bone and blood, I would have thought the heart would have sustained significant damage. The blood is not frothy like it would be if blown out the lung.

quote:

I agree that bullet choice is the likely culprit here. A .243 with 95-100 grain bullets designed for large game will kill deer all day (and probably would have killed this deer, as suggested by DTala), but varmint/target bullets can't be counted on.

I used to use that 85 gr Sierra for groung hogs with my 6mm Rem. A fine bullet but not meant for deer.

This is a “big game” bullet. In fact, the hollow point versions of the Gamekings are actually stouter than the other ones. I’ve not failed to get an exit wound with this bullet on does.

quote:

I mainly use an 06 for deer with 150 gr Nosler ABs. Don't have to track many. Ocassionally use the 6mm Rem for deer with the 85 gr Barnes TSX, for a light bullet it does a fine job.

I also agree with the comments on semi-inadequacy of the .243.

I’m wondering if the results would have been quite a bit different with my 30-06 and 168 TSXs. I tried the TSX in this gun and just couldn’t get it to shoot at all. These shot better than either 100 grain Hornadys or Sierras.

I have always had a .30-06 or .375H&H in hand when there’s a possibility of trophy deer. I hadn’t used this gun before just because of the confidence I’ve had in the others. However, after the performance of these bullets on does last year, I decided to give it a go.

quote:

Although it is hard to judge only by what is shown here and the information you give, I wonder if you didn't just break the leg, severing a smallish artery in the process. The bone fragments appear to be from a leg bone and the blood has that bright red appearance of a "meat shot."

I’m beginning to think this is possible. If i pulled the shot right just a bit I would have hit the front leg. On the other hand, the deer reacted as if hit very, very hard, and I would have thought that a deer gimping along on a broken leg would have continued to leave enough blood to get found. I would have also had to have pulled the shot very low not to have gotten some hit on the chest cavity.

quote:

Thats why I don't shoot Brownings!!!!

Now, that’s just wrong!

quote:

When the deer ran, was there any visible injury to [right or] left front legs? Was it running funny at all, anything out of the ordinary that just didn't compute in your mind?

No, but I only saw it about 10 yards before it entered the tree line. Everything I did see looked like a textbook hit. Had I pulled it so low that I had gotten leg only I’m not inclined to think it would have reacted as if hit hard.

Here’s a satellite photo annotated. F = feeder. B= blind. X= last blood. The stuff on the immediate right is very thick. I could have missed him in there. In the tree line north of the field is a very deep ravine. We thought he might have headed there, but we scoured it twice and found nothing. He’s definitely not in the field.



Thanks again.

LWD

It takes a REAL MAN to make a post like LWD did. For what ever you think it is worth, I'm real proud of you for posting about it. I know you "knew" there would be all sorts of comments and you stood up and posted anyhow.

Don't blame yourself for the actual "Shot". Unless(make that) Until the Deer is actually found, any thoughts on what actually happened is pure speculation.

I "might" have selected a different Bullet, but..., the exact same thing could have happened with it.
-----

" IF " I was closer to you, and had my current responsibilities under a watchful eye, I'd show up and we would go find that Deer.

It happens. And if you Hunt enough, it will happen again. It is NEVER fun, but you remember these more than all the Trophy Kills, and that makes us more resolute than ever about making a clean 1-shot Kill.

Best of luck to you!

sounds a lot like the only buck I shot and lost . . . except I was shooting 165 gr Hornadys out of a 300 Savage.

What happened to me was that I hit a bit too low. I thought it was a good heart/lung shot, but there was more of a slope than I accounted for (shooting at a deer down hill from me) and I hit leg. Similar shot presentation. I thought it was a good hit, but when I got on the blood trail and found a big chunk of humerus I knew I had problems. Tracked him several hours and 400+ yards. Eventually he laid down (found a bed with blood in it) and when we jumped him off it (without ever seeing him) no more blood was to be found - it either clotted or matted up with dirt/leaves in it.

Troy

when I looked at the pic of the area, my first thought was the deer went right, not across the field, and not in the treeline edge of the field. Then, I read that you wrote the stuff on the right is thick.

My bet is he's in the thick stuff.

I don't think you should beat yourself up over this. Like others have said, there is no way of really knowing what happened until or if the deer is found. This could have happened if you'd been shooting a .30-06. In fact, such did happen to me once. I shot a doe with Remington Core-Lokt factory ammo (150 grain 30-06) about 200 yds away. If felt like a good shot. The deer even fell once and got back up and finally went out of sight in the brush.

My father-in-law came to help me hunt her (and he's good at tracking deer). He went in the direction I thought the deer went in the brush (we found little blood except within a few yards of where I shot her). I went in the direction I thought the deer had come from, thinking she may have turned back the way she came. I found nothing and my father-in-law found nothing and he assured me he had searched everywhere for 200 yards the direction he went.

I couldn't come back the next day because of work. I did return a few days later and searched for the deer (I just couldn't believe I hadn't killed her). I found her--not fifty yards from where I last saw her and the direction I thought she had gone and the direction my father-in-law had searched for her. He had apparently walked right by her and didn't see her laying in the pile of brush she was in. I could have kicked myself for not rechecking the area he had looked.

If I hadn't found the deer, I would have concluded that I had made a bad shot, but I hadn't. It was just one of those times that things didn't work out right.

My guess, is that your deer is dead somewhere in the area, but there's a chance you may never find him. I hope you do so you'll know for sure what happened. Good luck.

Anybody that hasn't lost a deer hasn't shot many. It happens. I hope ya do find him.

troy

I feel for you. I took my wife's cousin out on mule deer for an afternoon this year. He's only shot one other so he wasn't after anything tremendous. I found him a nice big 2 point that he made to questionable shots on. It was at the top of a large mountain and it was getting dark. He was not in the best of shape so I hoofed it quickly to the top, wondering what I was going to be able to find. I found a similar blood trail - including a huge puddle where he had laid down. I followed him for about 200 yards and it dried up. I never did find him, though from the frothy blood I knew he was lung shot and thought I would find him easily.

I too think it was good that you posted it and you obviously care about finding it and put in the sweat. I will say that I have never lost any game, but that's because I'm a crap hunter and when I do go I never get anything.

Red

Interesting post, agreed that this could happen with any cartridge, only thing you can do is offer the best equipment possible for the job at hand.
I think the blood trail stopped because the deer bolted. Also convinced that those are pieces of leg bone. I would search the area to the right and the ravine like i was looking for a rabbit in a grass clump. Deer's reaction to a hit with a bullet that explosive could be extreme no matter where you hit.
If i were closer i would enjoy helping you find him.

quote:

Originally posted by DTala:
ledvm, I know I was not there, but there is no way a 180 Accubond out of a 300 magnum would fail to kill quickly IF, IF the bullet hit the shoulder any where near mid body vertically. I'd bet the deer you speak of was shot too low.

The Accubond penetrates pretty good, and hold together.

Every deer I've seen lost with a BIG gun/good bullet was due to poor shot placement. One can definitly lose a deer with a big gun.....

Don't disagree.

What makes you think the above was different???

There is bones in the breast plate.

My point is...that...big guns don't cover up all evils.

The fellow who shot the deer I speak of is one of the best I have ever seen. He was shooting an adequate caliber out of a good rifle and felt good about the shot. All else was EXACTLY as the scenario above.

Sorry about the loss. It's never easy to lose a animal, and I appauled your concern. Just a few thoughts:

1. The bullet is too much of a varmint bullet for my liking, especially if it found a branch before the deer.

2. I hit a buffalo in the sternum, and it look exactly like your blood trail for two miles, and was still going strong before I stopped it with a second shot.

3. Wounded deer like to head into the thick stuff to hide as a final act. That is where I would look. I had a deer make a 90 degree turn into the thick stuff, where I found him dead.

Good luck

I am not convinced that this is leg bone, you would have seen a leg flailing with that much bone removed. If it is leg bone, it is lower. I don't think you would find bone laying on the ground if the hit was on the leg up in the body.

I think you got part of the brisket/along the rib cage. There would be lots of tissue damage with subsequent blood loss. It looks like muscle blood to me, not vitals.

One last thought looking at the pic and thinking about your last blood. You gave him thirty minutes, my guess is he stopped at the last spot wondering what just happened. Maybe cleaned the wound? There are different spots of blood from him changing position.

Did you happen to find tracks at the end, like he was going on a death stumble with some tore up ground. Did he back track on you? He could have made it to the opening and chose not to go across and reversed course into the thick stuff?

quote:

Originally posted by DTala:
Anybody that hasn't lost a deer hasn't shot many. It happens. I hope ya do find him.

troy

+1.