Bambi Whacking 2022-2023

[Park ranger]

Saw a spike and 3 doe this morning. Then bunch of other hunters (one got a nice 8 point!), and mountain bikers. Called it for the day. Public land on nice days is too multi-use for me today.

 

[Ecestu]

...two misses.

Oof.

 

[AlBeight]

Public land, Hanover Watershed @ 8:30 am, knocked down my biggest body and biggest rack buck ever, TWICE! He managed to get back up both times and limp off slowly out of site to never be seen again. Bloodtrailed him for 4 hours, bupkus.

First shot, 7mm Mag at 50 yards, jumped high mule kick landed in a face plant, kicked around a minute or two then got back up and limp-ran quickly a big arc to my left, he stopped behind a big blowdown and all I could see was his head and neck, took a neck shot. He disappeared, and I stood up to see him tumbling and rolling/flailing hard behind the tree.

I was pretty happy at this point, decided to give him 15-30 min, but 5 min later saw him stand back up & wobble a bit and started limping slowly and directly away from me, too many saplings and branches to put another one in him, but I figured he’d be done very shortly.

30 minutes later I went over and found Texas Chainsaw Massacre type bright red blood, and started tracking. 500 yards, 2 PITA hills later I lost the prominent and easy to follow blood trail in a steep ankle-breaking rocky stream bed, the bastard even button-hooked around and crossed back over his own bloodtrail, but I was lucky enuf to catch on to that, but only for two more blood spots, then....nothing. Gone.

So disappointed, spent 4+ hours looking for him, including my father helping me for the final 2. Haven’t lost one in dozens of years, but have lost my last two now (late gun season last year lost a doe tracking off my lease onto unknown neighbor’s). That sucked too, but this big boy hurts my heart. Watching how big and wide he was as he dragged himself slowly straight away from me is going to haunt me for a few days for sure.

It did sound like WW3 out there in the area btw. This was the only deer I saw, and it happened very fast.

 

[Slackdaddy]

Public land, Hanover Watershed @ 8:30 am, knocked down my biggest body and biggest rack buck ever, TWICE! He managed to get back up both times and limp off slowly out of site to never be seen again. Bloodtrailed him for 4 hours, bupkus.

First shot, 7mm Mag at 50 yards, jumped high mule kick landed in a face plant, kicked around a minute or two then got back up and limp-ran quickly a big arc to my left, he stopped behind a big blowdown and all I could see was his head and neck, took a neck shot. He disappeared, and I stood up to see him tumbling and rolling/flailing hard behind the tree.

I was pretty happy at this point, decided to give him 15-30 min, but 5 min later saw him stand back up & wobble a bit and started limping slowly and directly away from me, too many saplings and branches to put another one in him, but I figured he’d be done very shortly.

30 minutes later I went over and found Texas Chainsaw Massacre type bright red blood, and started tracking. 500 yards, 2 PITA hills later I lost the prominent and easy to follow blood trail in a steep ankle-breaking rocky stream bed, the bastard even button-hooked around and crossed back over his own bloodtrail, but I was lucky enuf to catch on to that, but only for two more blood spots, then....nothing. Gone.

So disappointed, spent 4+ hours looking for him, including my father helping me for the final 2. Haven’t lost one in dozens of years, but have lost my last two now (late gun season last year lost a doe tracking off my lease onto unknown neighbor’s). That sucked too, but this big boy hurts my heart. Watching how big and wide he was as he dragged himself slowly straight away from me is going to haunt me for a few days for sure.

It did sound like WW3 out there in the area btw. This was the only deer I saw, and it happened very fast.

Hes dead, somewhere,, get out there tomorrow AM and grid search where you lost the blood,, or go over the MDwhitetail.com and ask for assistance with a blood hound.

 

[Slackdaddy]

Went down to the creek bottom (private) and crossed about 75' into public, I was in a decent thicket and went up 25' in the climber- 5:45AM, 6:00 saw a red headlamp working down from public and flashed him off, never saw him again.
I intended to stay all day and take advantage of the public land hunters moving around by mid morning. by 10:30 my choir list was eating at me,, so I came down and headed up to the house.
Went back out at 2:00 and went in a ladder stand that overlooks the creek bottom. 3:00 3 deer come trotting down from the houses and pass on my right, but their path will have them cross the creek in front of me 50 yards in front. everything to my forward/right is thick.
I can just make them out passing through the thicket and they will cross the creek in the open, in front of me. Just before the creek, they turn to the right and are staying in the thicket headed for public. They hit the base of the steep hill on the other side of the creek bottom and are about to disappear up the hill into the mountain laurel. The lead doe turns broadside in a 3' wide "somewhat" opening and i take a 100+ yard shot (20ga H&R USH,
She drops.

After recovering her,, I notice the hooves??
Whats going on here?

 

[Inigoes]

Hes dead, somewhere,, get out there tomorrow AM and grid search where you lost the blood,, or go over the MDwhitetail.com and ask for assistance with a blood hound.

+1

Take a spray bottle of peroxide and toilet paper to mark the blood trail where you lost it.

Did you see any drag marks, where someone could have made off with the deer?

 

[remrug]

Went down to the creek bottom (private) and crossed about 75' into public, I was in a decent thicket and went up 25' in the climber- 5:45AM, 6:00 saw a red headlamp working down from public and flashed him off, never saw him again.
I intended to stay all day and take advantage of the public land hunters moving around by mid morning. by 10:30 my choir list was eating at me,, so I came down and headed up to the house.
Went back out at 2:00 and went in a ladder stand that overlooks the creek bottom. 3:00 3 deer come trotting down from the houses and pass on my right, but their path will have them cross the creek in front of me 50 yards in front. everything to my forward/right is thick.
I can just make them out passing through the thicket and they will cross the creek in the open, in front of me. Just before the creek, they turn to the right and are staying in the thicket headed for public. They hit the base of the steep hill on the other side of the creek bottom and are about to disappear up the hill into the mountain laurel. The lead doe turns broadside in a 3' wide "somewhat" opening and i take a 100+ yard shot (20ga H&R USH,
She drops.

After recovering her,, I notice the hooves??
Whats going on here?
View attachment 389697

View attachment 389698

View attachment 389699

I shot a doe about 5 yrs ago that had the same thing going on. I researched and found out it is caused by eating too many carbs.

 

[AlBeight]

+1

Take a spray bottle of peroxide and toilet paper to mark the blood trail where you lost it.

Did you see any drag marks, where someone could have made off with the deer?

Trail marked with blue ribbon, but not really needed as it is a very memorable and obvious location. No drag marks, but was right off a main fire road and the only other truck in the parking lot was gone when we got back. It couldn’t have been dragged or wheeled out without passing by either me or my father. We split up and walked out the entire river valley for over 2 hours and found squat. I’ve never found a deer after a 500+ yard blood trail, the wound was congealing or closing up, as the blood was spraying for the first 400 yards, then dripping, then nothing.

Very tough deer. Took two 150 gr Core-Lokts from a 7mm Rem Mag and managed to get away.

 

[Slackdaddy]

I shot a doe about 5 yrs ago that had the same thing going on. I researched and found out it is caused by eating too many carbs.

I think every household has been putting corn out,, I mean there are corn piles every 100-150 yards up and down the creek bottom,, plus up at the houses.

 

[Inigoes]

You never know, it might be laying under a pile of leaves after sliding down a hill.

 

[Slackdaddy]

Trail marked with blue ribbon, but not really needed as it is a very memorable and obvious location. No drag marks, but was right off a main fire road and the only other truck in the parking lot was gone when we got back. It couldn’t have been dragged or wheeled out without passing by either me or my father. We split up and walked out the entire river valley for over 2 hours and found squat. I’ve never found a deer after a 500+ yard blood trail, the wound was congealing or closing up, as the blood was spraying for the first 400 yards, then dripping, then nothing.

Very tough deer. Took two 150 gr Core-Lokts from a 7mm Rem Mag and managed to get away.

What was the deer positioning and shot placement like ?

 

[Slackdaddy]

You never know, it might be laying under a pile of leaves after sliding down a hill.

Had that happen a few years back,, A big doe.
She left a good blood trail for 30-40 yards then nothing,, we searched well after dark,, the deer and blood just disappeared.
went back in the morning and same thing, an hour or two later stumbled on her.
she "died" and went down hill and slid under a log, taking a group of eaves with her,, we had walked by her a few times and never saw.

 

[AlBeight]

What was the deer positioning and shot placement like ?

Shot #1 - Perfectly broadside, 50 yards of wide open hardwoods. Mid-front shoulder aim.

Shit #2 - perfectly broadside facing same direction, head and big fat neck above a fallen tree trunk, aimed for mid-neck. Most of deer was obscured by the tree trunk. I knocked it down instantly and it rolled around thrashing and legs flailing, but then got up a 2nd time.

 

[outrider58]

Public land, Hanover Watershed @ 8:30 am, knocked down my biggest body and biggest rack buck ever, TWICE! He managed to get back up both times and limp off slowly out of site to never be seen again. Bloodtrailed him for 4 hours, bupkus.

First shot, 7mm Mag at 50 yards, jumped high mule kick landed in a face plant, kicked around a minute or two then got back up and limp-ran quickly a big arc to my left, he stopped behind a big blowdown and all I could see was his head and neck, took a neck shot. He disappeared, and I stood up to see him tumbling and rolling/flailing hard behind the tree.

I was pretty happy at this point, decided to give him 15-30 min, but 5 min later saw him stand back up & wobble a bit and started limping slowly and directly away from me, too many saplings and branches to put another one in him, but I figured he’d be done very shortly.

30 minutes later I went over and found Texas Chainsaw Massacre type bright red blood, and started tracking. 500 yards, 2 PITA hills later I lost the prominent and easy to follow blood trail in a steep ankle-breaking rocky stream bed, the bastard even button-hooked around and crossed back over his own bloodtrail, but I was lucky enuf to catch on to that, but only for two more blood spots, then....nothing. Gone.

So disappointed, spent 4+ hours looking for him, including my father helping me for the final 2. Haven’t lost one in dozens of years, but have lost my last two now (late gun season last year lost a doe tracking off my lease onto unknown neighbor’s). That sucked too, but this big boy hurts my heart. Watching how big and wide he was as he dragged himself slowly straight away from me is going to haunt me for a few days for sure.

It did sound like WW3 out there in the area btw. This was the only deer I saw, and it happened very fast.

A gut/entrail shot deer will often hunker down in a cold stream as the peritonitis sets in. They get a real high fever from the poisoning. I'd go back tomorrow morning and comb that creek.

 

[remrug]

Shot #1 - Perfectly broadside, 50 yards of wide open hardwoods. Mid-front shoulder aim.

Shit #2 - perfectly broadside facing same direction, head and big fat neck above a fallen tree trunk, aimed for mid-neck. Most of deer was obscured by the tree trunk. I knocked it down instantly and it rolled around thrashing and legs flailing, but then got up a 2nd time.

I just guessing here. Core-loks arent as hard a bullet as they used to be.
1st shot...bullet blows up on contact with shoulder bones?????
2nd shot hits neck but misses bone????

 

[AlBeight]

A gut/entrail shot deer will often hunker down in a cold stream as the peritonitis sets in. They get a real high fever from the poisoning. I'd go back tomorrow morning and comb that creek.

That’s not a bad idea, he’s definitely not there now, but if he lived he might go there today or tonight. He went straight to that creek. His little button-hook trick was pretty clever, blood went stright toward the creek, then instead of crossing it he turned upstream along the bank, then looped back around and went back and crossed thru or over the original blood trail which made it really hard to discern which trail I was following. I caught one big leaf with directional drops pointing downstream, then two more decent spots before it disappeared.

No indications of gut shot, front left leg is done, flopping to the side, pretty gingerly walking on both front legs (probably first shot), head hanging down (2nd shot?). I’m pretty confident not gut shot, but you never know. Blood was very bright red, no lung bubbles, but very bright red, not dark and no gut signs at the areas of each shot.

Massive amount of blood on the 2nd location, something important got hit.

 

[outrider58]

That’s not a bad idea, he’s definitely not there now, but if he lived he might go there today or tonight. He went straight to that creek. His little button-hook trick was pretty clever, blood went stright toward the creek, then instead of crossing it he turned upstream along the bank, then looped back around and went back and crossed thru or over the original blood trail which made it really hard to discern which trail I was following. I caught one big leaf with directional drops pointing downstream, then two more decent spots before it disappeared.

Sometimes we just don't know where that bullet hits. The fact that he ran to water gave me pause.

 

[lazarus]

I just guessing here. Core-loks arent as hard a bullet as they used to be.
1st shot...bullet blows up on contact with shoulder bones?????
2nd shot hits neck but misses bone????

My guess also. Not sure if Remington reformulates those based on the loaded cartridge, but a 7mm rem mag is moving awfully fast if it slams into something like a shoulder without a bonded bullet. Something slower is less likely to fail.

 

[Batt816]

Fried oysters and Bambi tenderloin. Doesn’t get much better!

 

[outrider58]

Fried oysters and Bambi tenderloin. Doesn’t get much better!
View attachment 389709

Oh nice!