# I shot one today but can't find it?



## 308 (Jul 10, 2007)

I shot it with a 6mm. About 180yards. There was lots of blood where i shot it. Had my uncle, dad, and grandfather out with me looking for it. Followed blood into the woods and it ended. Lots of tracks up there so we can't tell which one it is. Will be heading out tommorow to look for it again. This is the first deer I've ever hit.

That would suck if we can't find it. Tommorrow our last day of deer.
And we don't have any deer.


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## nmubowyer (Sep 11, 2007)

man that sucks, i know how you feel, i lost one this yr too, but i was standin over it when it got up and ran


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## iwantabuggy (Feb 15, 2005)

308 said:


> I shot it with a 6mm. About 180yards. There was lots of blood where i shot it. Had my uncle, dad, and grandfather out with me looking for it. Followed blood into the woods and it ended. Lots of tracks up there so we can't tell which one it is. Will be heading out tommorow to look for it again. This is the first deer I've ever hit.
> 
> That would suck if we can't find it. Tommorrow our last day of deer.
> And we don't have any deer.


You sure you want to post that here? Lots of folks here think that caliber is too small for deer. It's likely they'll be flaming on you for it.

Do you know where you hit the deer?


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## johnsona (Dec 4, 2003)

I don't think anyone here will be flaming him for using a 6mm. It's basically the same as a .243. Unless I missed something, I don't know that I've ever seen more than 1 or 2 airheads say that's too small.

Unfortunately, losing an animal is just part of the game sometimes. We all try our hardest to make sure that it doesn't happen, but sometimes it does.

What bullet were you using? No matter the caliber, bullet selection is a critical factor.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

308, what do you have in the line of crows, ravens, or magpies? If you have any around be out and high at sunrise. Somewhere high enough to be looking over the trees where this deer went. In the mountains out west ravens often give away the position of a wounded or dead animal. I'm not sure what goes on in Pennsylvania, but it's worth checking out.


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

Plainsman! 
Thats a great idea. I often use the crows to alert me as to when deer are moving, I might add I don't think I have ever had them sound off, and something not come.

I would give it a shot hit the woods hard search everywhere. If there is good blood more then likely he will be dead. Depending on where you shot him.


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## 308 (Jul 10, 2007)

I was useing federal premium powershock 100grain bullets.

The 6mm acutally has a little more powder behind it than a 243 and they use the sam bullet. :sniper:


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## 308 (Jul 10, 2007)

It was right before dark and it dropped when I shot. It got dark and I lost sight of it. We waited 45 minutes and went to look. All that was there was a circle where it drug it self then it showed it got up and ran. We found allot of places where it fell over and got back up.

I had buck fever. I'm only 12. I hit it between the spine and shoulder.


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## usmarine0352 (Nov 26, 2005)

Go to where there was blood last spotted and walk in ever enlarger circles.

You'd be surprised how many times deer only went 20, 25 yards. And not miles like you'd think.

Good luck.

:sniper:


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## eaglehead6 (Nov 6, 2005)

Don t give up and keep trying , this is all sound advice from everyone who replyed, remember that hunting game animals is not always going to go the way you envisioned it would. One shot one kill. You showed remorse and concern as well as ethics by searching for the deer beyond all reasonable doubt if you cant find it , you cant find it. Good luck in the future.


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## TANATA (Oct 31, 2003)

Something that would really help in the future is shooting something a step up from the Power Shock. Since I have started using quality ammo and gone with Light Mag SST from Hornady, I have not hit a single deer and had it run. Even when I shoot them in the rear.

Buy the good stuff, you only shoot a box a year whats a few extra $$ for the kill. I bet you would pay the extra money now, and that's how I look at it.


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## eaglehead6 (Nov 6, 2005)

My advice, try very hard not to shoot any deer in the rear no matter what type of calibre or grain of shell you are shooting (300 Win Mag, 7mm Mag, or the .338 Mag) and do not think that just because you spent extra money on shells entitles you to make poor decisions on shot placement. It sounds like you did the ethical thing and waited for the appropriate time period before you searched for your deer, you tracked the deer the best you could and even went back the next day. You did everything that a responsible deer hunter can do. Sometimes deer hunting just does not work out the way you think it should and some people will give the advice to up your gun or your shell grain. (bigger is better right - wrong- good shot placement is better than wrong shot placement with a bigger calibre any day. Keep up the good work and I think your next deer will go down with the proper shot placement. Remeber to always try and learn from any mistakes that you might have made even if they are small or insignificant, hunting is a sport and if you try and learn something from every experience you will be a better hunter for it in the long run.


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

Shoot um in the face!!

They don't take another step after that. And you don't wound them dead, or miss!


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## TANATA (Oct 31, 2003)

eaglehead6 said:


> My advice, try very hard not to shoot any deer in the rear no matter what type of calibre or grain of shell you are shooting (300 Win Mag, 7mm Mag, or the .338 Mag) and do not think that just because you spent extra money on shells entitles you to make poor decisions on shot placement.


Well I take it your talking about my post. Just so you know I don't do any of that stand hunting stuff. I was shooting off hand on uneven ground at a deer running full speed through a slough. Hit it and took it down and I believe high quality ammo will help you take them down if you happen to have bad shot placement. You can't always make a good shot. Every deer I shot this year of 6 was running full speed.


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## eaglehead6 (Nov 6, 2005)

Been there done that (shooting deer on the run, I grew up hunting in Saskatchewan) but you have to remember that you are talking to a 12 year old boy who just lost his first deer. When he is older and kills a few more deer than maybe he will feel more comfortable taking "riskier " shots. That being said , just because you got lucky and killed a deer by shooting it in the hind end does not mean that it was because of the quality of the bullets you were using. It just means you got lucky and hit his heart or a lung but also probably destroyed a majority of the edible meat. Hunting deer is not an exact science unless you have your own ranch and sit in a blind but giving this type of advice to a 12 year old is kinda defeating the point of trying to teach him good hunting ethics or supporting him in his hunting efforts.


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## TANATA (Oct 31, 2003)

I agree with a lot of that. But that said, I also think better shells would have made a huge difference and is an easy thing to correct. You may not be able to shoot better by next year but a better bullet will help your chances of dropping that deer. My Hornady compared to the blue box Federal is about 400fps faster and has a much better bullet.

Don't shoot them in the *** like I did, and shoot good ammo you won't regret it. I started on cheap stuff when I was your age and quickly moved on.


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

SX3's zipped through 4 lungs for me with one shot on does. Saved ammo.


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## usmarine0352 (Nov 26, 2005)

*
Most important aspects of shooting:*

1.) Accuracy (without it, doesn't matter what caliber or bullet your shooting.)

2.) Ammo (with todays high quality ammo you can do more with smaller calibers then before.)

3.) Caliber (no matter what people say, big holes release souls.)

Taking a shot that you are confident you can make, not just any shot is very important.

The only deer I ever shot in the rear was running directly away from me. I felt confident in my shooting abilities and the fact that I was shooting a .338 win mag with 230 grain Failsafes. Went right thru the deer and didn't even damage the deer. In fact, it was so fast the bullet never really opened up. (I use a .338 b/c it is all I have, it was a gift. I would like a Kifura in .270.....lol....but that's about $2,500). I would not have taken that shot if I was using something smaller, like say a .308. It was the biggest 9 pointer of my life.

I can tell you that buying the GOOD ammo is well worth it. I usually only fire 1 to 3 shells a year. Depending on how many deer I shoot. Besides this year, it's been one shot, one kill.

So a box of ammo will last you for along time. I've been using the same box since 1999.

Since my rifle hasn't been off yet when sighting in, one shot site in is really easy.

:sniper:


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

I also have a .338, but I don't like to use it, unless long shots and big bucks are expected. Bullet doesn't expand properly on a thin skinned deer. They suffer to much. Not like a sledge hammer, kinda like a field point from a bow.


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## eaglehead6 (Nov 6, 2005)

I agree , better bullets do increase your chances of killing a deer with one well placed shot. And better bullets are designed to compensate for tricky or riskier shots on deer. Due to the fast paced lifestyle of todays hunters who often only have 2 or 3 days a season to hunt deer the demand for better bullets has increased. The ammo companies have complied and are experimenting everyday with new and better loads. Not everyone has the same oppurtunities to hunt (time wise) as hunters did 10-20 years ago.


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## Gildog (Jan 30, 2007)

I have lost one deer, and almost two others, by just clipping the top of their back. The shock of the hit dropped them, but the bullet did not hit vertebra to sever the spine. The one I lost we tracked a long ways in the snow, finally losing blood...then losing the track when it went among other deer...then losing daylight. It had dropped at the shot, but lay there with it's head up while we approached...this would have been my first deer and we were muzzleloading so follow up shots weren't as easy as with a rifle. After a commody of errors, the deer had time enough to get its wits and run off...never to be seen again. Like I said, would have been first deer when I was a teenager so very much a bummer! But lesson learned for me...if I drop a deer but head comes up as it lays there, be ready to apply finishing shot if possible! That's what I did with the other two deer that I've hit high, and I was able to get them. both of those deer were barely hit in the top skin of the back. It was also a lesson on shot placement--deer are often missed by shooting high.


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## TANATA (Oct 31, 2003)

I aim high and for the neck. Just keep it at the right height and you have the full body length to hit it and drop it. Knocked down a buck and doe with spine shots this year and one last year. With the running if I miss once aiming high I hit them by the 2nd shot everytime. Just got sick of gut shots. :eyeroll:

I've only shot one deer that was standing about 6 years ago in Minnesota. Heart/lung shots are easy when they are standing their.


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## headshot (Oct 26, 2006)

I always shoot the neck. Very humane and never any tracking. I handload and I am an accomplished marksmen. I practice shooting in the field not the range. Run a mile and shoot a five shot group in the prone position, walk another mile and shoot offhand, try mixing it up. Don't go to the range the day before the season opens and shoot a 12 inch group and call it good. I was taught to shoot by my grandfather and I excelled through my training because of his sound advice. I too have lost a deer. It was a similar situation to yours but i found the deer the next morning. The shot was good and I had a good blood trail but that deer traveled almost a mile before he realized he was dead. Bullet failure was the cause and I have handloaded nothing but the best since then. Why take the chance of losing a deer on cheap ,crappy ammo? :withstupid:


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## usmarine0352 (Nov 26, 2005)

headshot said:


> I always shoot the neck. Very humane and never any tracking. I handload and I am an accomplished marksmen. I practice shooting in the field not the range. Run a mile and shoot a five shot group in the prone position, walk another mile and shoot offhand, try mixing it up. Don't go to the range the day before the season opens and shoot a 12 inch group and call it good. I was taught to shoot by my grandfather and I excelled through my training because of his sound advice. I too have lost a deer. It was a similar situation to yours but i found the deer the next morning. The shot was good and I had a good blood trail but that deer traveled almost a mile before he realized he was dead. Bullet failure was the cause and I have handloaded nothing but the best since then. *Why take the chance of losing a deer on cheap ,crappy ammo? *:withstupid:


Or just buy more expensive, high quality ammo.

I don't shoot for the neck, because if it's running, and you aim for the spine and miss: high = complete miss. Low = Probably lung, not so bad. But if you aim for the lung area and miss: high = neck, low = heart. Right on = lungs. Can't go wrong with that equation.

I've shot a few deer and never had any problems with heart/lung shots. Never had a standing deer run after one of those shots. Just fall over dead.

:sniper:


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## TANATA (Oct 31, 2003)

Aiming for the center of brown always seems to drop them with a 30 cal and good bullets, but I don't like the gut shots. Since all I was shooting this year was a hand full of doe tags I aimed for spine or neck and called it good. If I would have missed one o well I'll shoot one next slough in ten minutes.

Big buck is a different story vitals all the way. :beer:


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## bwnelson (Oct 29, 2002)

Not a flame - BUT please reconsider neck shots.

It is all to easy to hit the brown of the neck without clipping the wiring or the blood plumbing. A deer that leaves with a hole in the neck without hitting the cns or an artery is in for an ugly demise.

Big Drift plugged a nice 8 twice in the neck this fall before it dropped. Lucky for them both it stood there after the first shot. Granted he had a 6 inch hole in the cover to shoot through, but the immediacy of neck shots is WAY overrated.

And let us NOT get into jaw-breaking head shots!


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## TANATA (Oct 31, 2003)

With the damage my SST's do to the deer I don't think I could really miss something vital in the neck?! Also I've never seen one not drop cold from a neck shot I guess.


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## IOWAFOWLER (Nov 30, 2006)

Personally shooting a deer with a high power is lame, try using a slug or even a bow to make it harder. I know other parts of the country re more wide open but here in Iowa we kill deer very close. Shot 3 this yar within 10 yards the othe 3 about 50 yards. Only 2 where running the rest didn't even know I was there. This guy was 50 yrds out broadside, one shot and he went down. Benelli Nova smooth bore barrel rifled slug with full choke. Basically stock is cock.










Now that being said, it sucks losing a deer but it sounds like you did what you could. Better luck next time.


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## Estaban (Mar 17, 2006)

If I have said it once I have said it literally hundreds of times. I am STRONGLY against shooting at deer whille they are running. :******: I don't care how great of a marksman you think you are or how much practise you have put in or even if it is the biggest buck you have ever seen! Reading about how people take crack shots at running deer is the one and only reason why I am leary about heading back into the deer woods every year. WHen you see a running deer and take a quick shot or 2,3,4, whatever.....do you really know what is beyond your target? Is there a house, a road, perhaps another fellow hunter. Maybe even your hunting buddy! I personnaly know a fellow who used to hunt deer exactly how you folks are and he "accidentally" shot another hunter who ended up dying after being in the hospital for 5 days.

# 1 Safety is first and foremost! Know your target and what is beyond your target.

#2 Make your 1st shot count if you truely respect the animal that you are hunting.


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## bretts (Feb 24, 2004)

First off, don't come on here and start ranting and raving about your "ethics" you don't know the situation, you don't know the person, you basically don't know anything that went into the shot. Many hunters take running, trotting shots, depending on the scenario and what the hunter feels are his/her capabilities, this shot can be quick and ethical. Granted, yes, many deer are wounded each year from a runnning shot, BUT, many deer are wounded from a standing broadside, quartering away etc. shot.


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## Estaban (Mar 17, 2006)

Bretts, 
I don't know about you but where I come from in order to legally hunt you have to pass a hunters safety course here in Vermont and *one* of the ethics & responsibilities of a safe hunter is being 100% sure of your target and what is beyond it. I have been an certified hunter safety instructor for several years years now and I have taught literally thousands of folks young and old. 
That being said I have been an avid hunter for over 25 years and I know how scenarios play out. When you jump a deer and it takes off on a dead run you don't have much time to truly analyze the reprocutions of your shot. With today's camo, you can easily make the biggest mistake of your life. Once the trigger is pulled you can never pull the bullet back. We as hunters are a declining breed and are always under the microscope by anti's therefore we should be sure that our best foot forward. If you don't agree with that you would never have the opportunity to hunt with me or anywhere on my tract of land.

Safety first quality shots always. :sniper:


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## bigbuck144 (Sep 9, 2007)

did u find your deer 308? if not i wish you the best of luck next year.


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## bradguck (Jun 12, 2007)

In some parts of the country people do actually still hunt or sit in blinds or stands. When I hunt for deer we don't do any pushing, just scout, and wait. I shot deer at a full out run at 100 yards or so, and in no way compromised anyones safety. Hunting from a stand allows a hunter review where and in which directions are are safe and ethical shots. I have taken several deer at a run, and have never lost a wounded animal from this type of shot. So yes, individual situations could allow for a shot at a running deer, and SAFETY and ETHICS are possible in these situations. While hunting there have also been times where I had to let deer walk (including one 140 class deer) because there wasn't a perfectly safe shot to take.

SO I think that individual situations do allow for certain shots, and it is still about your confidence in your ability to make a good shot.

To the original poster. Sorry for the hijack. It sounds like you put every effort possible into retrieving the animal. Unfortunatley that is also sometimes a part of hunting. Losing an animal is never easy when you know it is wounded. Way to go for putting in the time looking for it. That is being an ethical hunter. When we as deer hunters pull the trigger even if we think we missed, we owe it to the animal to be 100% certain that it was in fact a miss. And when a situation arises with a wounded animal, we owe it to that animal to make every effort to retrieve it. I hope you have better luck in the future. Also, don't worry about the rifle you are shooting, a 6mm is plenty for taking deer. Higher quality ammunition may help, but shot placement is always king. A 100gr round from that gun will take a deer everytime if you hit the boiler room.


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## bretts (Feb 24, 2004)

I do not disagree with knowing whats beyond your target, and the other safety precautions that go along with that. I do not disagree with that. I however do know that many hunters around the united states do shoot at a running, trotting deer with gun's and bow's. Scenarios are different. Im not saying that is always ethical, but, it can be ethical depending on the situation.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Estaban, your from Vermont, so your not familiar with North Dakota right? We can often see for miles out here. Where I hunt the next house to the north is five or six miles in a strip four miles wide. Running shots are the norm in this state. Some people here think I am unethical because I sit and wait for them to come to me. I have heard that if you shoot at a standing deer in some German hunt clubs, you will be booted from the hunting club. Odd how it differs, but keep that in mind.


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## Estaban (Mar 17, 2006)

Plainsman:

I have never had the pleasure of hunting in N. Dakota but I have visited the area on several occasions. Beautiful State. S. Dakota is also another beauty of a state. I agree that in open areas such as N.D. shooting at moving deer would be considered safe & ethical. I do not want to sound like I am bashing on any style of hunting whether you still hunt, drive deer, sit in a stand or blind etc.... I practice all of the methods myself & every situation is going to be different. 
Brett:

Sorry for firing you up but I think that you know where I am coming from.
It just makes me feel uneasy when I hear or read stories of hunters who take a crack shot at running deer and the deer suffers for days or miles. I feel even more uneasy when I read article after article of hunters mistaking their buddies or another hunter as game. 
.308

I am sorry for going astray on your thread. I hope that you have found your deer. You sound like an ethical hunter who has tried to recover your animal to the best of yoru abilities.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Thanks Estaban. I understand what your saying. I just thought I would mention some of the hunting situations here in North Dakota.


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