Kinda live Mississippi deer tracking thread

[jwatts]

I've mentioned on here a few times about using my dog to blood trail deer. There seemed to be some interest in the subject, so I figured I would put together a thread about my tracking season for 2023-2024.

A little background info. I have been tracking for the public since 2015. I started with a German Shepherd. I quickly figured out that, while she is a great blood dog, she's a little too protective of me to track for the public. Off-lead she would leave the track, and get between me and the hunter. I'm not too big on running on-lead, so I went a different route. I still track with her in situations where a leash is required (urban tracks, tracks near major highways, etc), but for the most part she's just a general house dog these days.

I picked up a female GSP back in 2014. She was almost 2 years old when we got her. She was being fostered by a guy in Texas and seemed to be a good fit for us. Once she was adjusted to the family, I started taking her to the woods. She was a natural on quail. Turns out she was a natural on deer as well. I ran her (Maggie) with my GSD (Aubrey) some, then went to tracking with Maggie solo. Over the past few years it seemed that she couldn't come across a barbed wire fence without needing stitches. It got to the point that my vet told me to stitch or staple her myself and call him for antibiotics. This past summer she needed an ACL replacement, so now she's retired.

In 2019 I decided Maggie needed some help. I took a drive to Boonville, MO, and picked up a 10 month old GSP named Boone. Boone was also a natural on deer. I never tried him on birds. He was definitely a big help for Maggie, and their personalities complimented each other. Maggie is slow, methodical, and checks in like she's bird hunting while tracking. Boone is wide open, tends to wind more than track "nose down", and pretty much hopes the deer is still alive when we get to it. He's a maniac that wants nothing more than to be in the woods after a deer.

I am also an admin for Mississippi Blood Trailing Network. We are a Facebook based group that puts our handlers in touch with hunters in need across Mississippi. We have been operating since 2015 and have over 100 handlers covering all 82 counties in Mississippi. We are a volunteer organization, tracking only for tips. We cover upwards of 800 tracks per year across the state.

Here's a picture of Maggie with her first recovery



And here's Boone (he's not too photgenic)

 

[jwatts]

I didn't track any for the first month of season. I was either at work, or in Colorado hunting and goofing off. I didn't even load my box until November, and didn't take a track until our Youth season opened up.

11/4- I got a request to track 2 deer shot at the same lease. Two different youth hunters shot, and were unable to locate their deer. The first track was a doe, shot with a 7mm-08 at just at 100yd. There was no sign of a hit. No blood, no hair, nothing but the deer's reaction made them think it was hit. The deer jumped straight up at the shot and ran off. Other deer in the plot also ran off, and they weren't sure which way their deer went. This isn't a unique scenario. We see it a lot. In this case I just let Boone work the edges of the plot, checking game trails until he finds one he is interested in. This time he wasn't. We chalked that one up to a miss.

Track 2 was a different story. It was shot quartering to, around 80 yards, with a 350 Legend. The deer hunched and fell at the shot, then ran off. They didn't find blood at the shot site but knew the deer was hit. They knew the direction the deer went after the shot, so we had something to work with. We cut Boone loose, and off he went, through the plot and down an old road. I let him get out a ways, then walked his track to see if I could pick up any sign. I quickly found a spot of thick, gritty looking blood. This indicated gut/liver to me. He worked his way into some older planted pines. I called the hunters to me to show them what I saw, discuss the shot, and what we should expect. Any time we have a gut shot deer, regardless of how long it has been after the shot, I prepare to have a live one on our hands. I let Boone get a few hundred yards ahead, then I followed his track into the pines. My 14 year old son tracks with me and has his own Garmin handheld. He can track me and any dogs we have out. I walked the track, still finding the same blood. It was spotty, but the spots were getting bigger as the trail went on. After roughly 400 yards on the collar, Boone went on point. This means one of two things. He either found a bed, or found the deer. I immediately dropped a pin and waited to hear a bark. about 30 seconds, no bark, and still on point= dead deer. I went in to him and sure enough, there he was. It was a small, basket rack buck. The deer never bedded. It ran close to 400 yards from the shot site and died running. I called my son and had him give his handheld to the youth hunter's dad so he could navigate to me. A few minutes later the dad is there and we start dragging. We hit a wall of briars and backed a side by side in as far as we could. Next up was a round of high fives and big smiles for our youth hunter.

 

[jwatts]

11/5- I'm at home not doing much when a buddy of mine called. He is training a new puppy and wanted some backup on a track. It was right up the road from my house, so I loaded up and headed to meet him. It turned out to be a buck, shot a roughly 30yd with a crossbow. The arrow went in a little far back and they had gut matter on the arrow. The deer had time to lay a while so we were comfortable turning out. We got the dogs collared and took them to the shot site. The other handler also brought his male bluetick. My GSP cannot stand to track around a male bigger than him. He commenced to pissing on everything in sight rather than having his mind on the task. He left the food plot on an old road, the opposite direction from where the deer entered the woods. He slammed on the brakes, threw his nose up, and started down the hill. I called him off (like an idiot) and brought him back to shot site. By then he was a little behind the big bluetick. The puppy was on the track between the 2. Once we entered the woods, the dogs hooked a hard right. Once I knew Boone was lined out and on the track, the bluetick went on point. We walked that direction and Boone went on point about the time we got there. Dead deer, and a young lady's first bow kill. I looked at my GPS to determine the best route out of there when I realized where we were. 50 yards up the hill was the old road Boone had run down to begin with. The point where he threw his head up and started into the woods was just above us. He had winded the deer when we got there, and rather than trusting the dog I pulled him off. It's a lesson that I'll probably never learn. Regardless, we had one more under our belt for the season.

 

[jwatts]

For context, here's a rundown of Mississippi's season structure. It can get confusing:

Archery- October 1 through January 31 in the majority of the state. The south zone is 10/15-2/15.

Youth rifle- Typically the first Saturday in November

Primitive Weapon doe season (private land only, DMAP properties can use weapon of choice for does only)- Typically the Monday following the youth opener.

Rifle season- We can pretty much say that rifle season runs from the Saturday before Thanksgiving until January 31. There are several different seasons within that span, including primitive weapon seasons, but you can call it rifle season. Our primitive weapon season allows single shot, exposed hammer, break action rifles 35 calibers or larger to be classified as "primitive", and private land is weapon of choice.

 

[jwatts]

11/12- Man this was a day for the books. 5 tracks with lots of excitement. I'll put up track 1 and get the remainder later tonight.

A buddy of mine called to see if I could cover one that was one county to the east. He had it set up for the prior evening, but the guy called it off saying that his nephew was coming to help. They didn't find it and requested a dog. He was unable to come so I made contact and loaded up.

The hunter was an 88 year old man. The shot was from a box stand, over a feeder, at just under 100yd. 300 Win Mag, hard quartered to, one drop of blood at the shot site. He said there were 2 deer, and his went out the left side of the plot. After collaring the dog, we went to the shot site. Boone immediately went right. The hunter said the other deer had gone that way. I pulled Booned off and pointed him to the opposite side of the plot. (Remember that part above about me not learning a lesson?). He showed little interest and came back. I told the hunter we should try the right side of the plot. Boone hit a game trail, and immediately went on point. On the drive in I had seen some quail. I figured he was pointing one of those. I looked up the hill and all I coud see was a white belly. The deer was DOA not 40 yards from shot site. Had they looked up there the night before they would have found her. We pulled the big doe out, got her on the tailgate, and hauled her back to the gentleman's home. The bullet had entered near the crease of the neck/shoulder on one side and out the opposite arm pit.

 

[Brad W]

Great thread. Thanks for posting. Good on you for helping folks find their deer.

 

[jwatts]

Great thread. Thanks for posting. Good on you for helping folks find their deer.

Thanks. I think I get just as much enjoyment out of tracking as I do hunting. To see the smile on a new hunter's face when they put their hands on their first deer makes my whole season.

 

[Brad W]

My son got his first buck a few weeks ago. I know the feeling. Kids pure joy is hard to beat.

 

[jwatts]

11/12 Track 2. This one's a doozie.

When I left headed to track 1, a request came in through our Facebook group for a kid's first deer, but 1 county west of where I live. I was headed 40 minutes southeast, this one was 40 minutes southwest. The shot sounded good, good sign, but they lost it in a thick cutover. I started trying to put them in contact with a handler but nobody in that area was available. We have another admin that lives close but he was about to leave headed out of town for the day. Typically I advise hunters to immediately back out when they decide to call a dog. The longer they track, the bigger the risk of spreading scent or even jumping the deer. Based on talking with the hunters dad, I knew it was dead. I asked him to proceed no more than 100yd past where he was then back out. I'd head his way next. As soon as I got to track 1, he called and said he'd found it.

I finished track 1 and almost got home, when the handler mentioned above called me. There was another track near his house that he couldn't cover. I made contact with the hunter and determined he was on public land. In Homochitto National Forest you have to have a free permit to run a dog for any activity. I ran home, renewed my permit, and got on the road.

The parking spot was one I was familiar with. There's a dirt berm blocking an old road. I've scouted ducks and turkeys in here several times. My son and I walked nearly a half mile to meet the hunter. We met where a hill tapered into a hardwood bottom. There are palmettos and oaks, and, not far from there, a slough that stays ankle deep and is fairly thick with hardwood saplings.

The youth hunter had shot a big doe at roughly 65yd with a 7mm08. They had sporadic dark blood. To me it indicated liver. The deer hit the palmettos and went into the slough, with only the second deer reappearing on the other side. They lost the trail in the palmettos. We let Boone go and the hunt was on.

He skirted our side of the slough, going on point several times. He came back, and repeated the same thing for the middle and the far side of the slough. Something had him off his game. There are a lot of hogs in the area, so I'll chalk it up to that. He even picked up the trail of the non wounded deer and took it a little ways until he decided that wasn't the right one.

I called him back and reset him at the shot site. Same thing as the first time. When he made a pass through the center of the slough he opened up. I heard him bark bayed, heard a deer get up, and watched him run about 30yd on the GPS. I let the hunter know we had a live one, readied my pistol, and started wading in. Almost immediately he quit barking, turned around, went back to the original bay, and went on point. There was the deer, dead as a hammer. All I can figure is that the second deer was her fawn. It must have circled back, found her, and bedded with her. I've seen it a few times before.

I keep my leash with me on tracks. It has a clasp on each end, with a floating ring that can slide the length of the leash. It allows you to keep the dog on the leash, but also connect the other end to a tree to tether the dog. It also helps tremendously with dragging a deer. We drug her to dry ground so the young hunter could check out her trophy doe. This is where things get wild.

Her dad and I take turns dragging the deer back to their setup just off the old logging road. From where we recovered her to the road was about 250yd. Once we got her to the road, the hunter's dad went to gather their belongings. We were about to walk out when told he me to that he was warm and couldn't cool off. He was also queasy. I told him we'd hang around, even drag the deer out if needed. He said he'd go get his atv once he felt better.

He decided to sit and complained about tingling in his extremities. His breathing was labored. He decided to lay down and said his chest was tight. I checked his pulse. It was very weak and erratic. He was starting to slur his speech and was incoherent. I got 911 on the phone and monitored vitals. I dropped a pin on the map for the blacktop and sent my son to that pin to meet the ambulance. Talk about scary. I kept tabs on him and kept hod daughter calm. I helped him sit up and he started feeling a little better. Soon the medics showed up. They got a jeep down the old road and got him out to the ambulance at the blacktop. By the time we got out he was in the ambulance and being monitored. By the time I fed the dog, got my gear in the truck, and loaded the deer, he was out of the ambulance. He was feeling better, just tired. Turns out he has blood pressure issues. That exertion pushed him over the edge, and his blood pressure dropped to near nothing. Talk about one to remember.

 

[KipCarson]

Good thread, I’ll be following along. A good friend of mine has a pair of Drahthaars that are amazing to watch on a track. I had one of them find a deer for me last year. Long story made short it was a marginal hit, so I backed out to let the dog try before I mucked it up grid searching. We put him on the track the next morning, 13 hours later, and in no more than 5 minutes he had worked out the trail and found him 250 yards away. I’m glad there’s such a growing interest in tracking dogs, it’s a great tool to have in the toolbox when things go wrong.

 

[jwatts]

Good thread, I’ll be following along. A good friend of mine has a pair of Drahthaars that are amazing to watch on a track. I had one of them find a deer for me last year. Long story made short it was a marginal hit, so I backed out to let the dog try before I mucked it up grid searching. We put him on the track the next morning, 13 hours later, and in no more than 5 minutes he had worked out the trail and found him 250 yards away. I’m glad there’s such a growing interest in tracking dogs, it’s a great tool to have in the toolbox when things go wrong.

Those drahthaars are some impressive dogs. That may be what I get next.

 

[jwatts]

11/12 Tracks 3 and 4

When my son and I left headed to track 2, we intended to go hunting afterwards. We were going to go to our lease (another county away). He was going to sit on a pipeline crossing and I was going to climb a tree nearby and bow hunt from my saddle. That didn't happen. It was after 2 before we left track 2, and we still hadn't eaten lunch. We grabbed lunch and made the drive (a little over an hour) to our lease. I talked to another member on the way and he told me to just drop my son at his plot so I could take care of the dog and slip into my plot nearby. I dropped him off, handled a few things, and slipped into my plot with a "primitive weapon" in hand.

Some other members, and close friends, had their whole family out that afternoon. About 30min before dark I heard a shot back towards where my son was. It wasn't him. That meant mom and youngest daughter had an opportunity at a deer. About 15min later there was a shot to my right. Dad and oldest daughter got a shot too. A quick text on our group chat confirmed. 2 deer shot. My wife mentioned before we headed to hunt that she was cooking pork chops and gravy for supper. I was hoping this wouldn't be a rodeo and that we could get home to a warm supper. I picked my son up and headed to the first one.

We arrived at their parking spot. I turned on the collar and both GPS handhelds. In the time it takes the handhelds to connect I can get ready for the track. I have an LED headlamp with a belt mounted battery, a 6in fixed blade knife, and a 44 mag revolver with a Vortex Venom red dot. I put my leash over my shoulder, cut Boone loose, and start walking towards the plot. I like to let Boone run free on the way to the track. He's gonna drop a deuce at least twice, and this walk didn't disappoint. I'd rather him do it on the way in rather than under the hunter's feeder or in the middle of their honey hole. When we got to the plot mom and daughter were in the plot, and hadn't found any sign of a hit. It was shot with a 350 Legend at around 80 yards. We walk Boone to where the deer was standing and off he went. Less than 100yd later he's on point and doe number 3 for the day is headed to the tailgate. The deer didn't bleed. It went in just behind the shoulder, and was lodged in the skin just in front of the opposite hindquarter.

We drug it to the plot and started the walk out. About that time dad, oldest daughter, and son showed up. Deer number 2 left the plot plowing dirt, so we knew it was hit. Dad drove his side by side in and got the deer. In the meantime we got Boone loaded and ready to drive to the next one. Grandpa showed up to help as well. He had been hunting a nearby property and wanted to check in on his granddaughters. We all made our way to the next one. Everybody but grandpa, Boone, and I piled on the side by side after parking at the gate. We made our way to the plot and turned loose. There was definite signs of a hit. Dirt was kicked up where the deer left pushing his front end. No blood at the shot site or on the broom straw where the deer left. In short order Boone made a hard right, paralleled the plot, and went on point. We walked over, and sure enough there was a dead buck. It was shot square through both shoulders, but a little forward. Again, no blood initially, only in the last 30 yards or so. Number 4 for the day was headed to the truck.

 

[jwatts]

11/12- Track 5

We rolled up to the house just in time for supper. The pork chops were still in the skillet. I unloaded Boone and got him situated in the house. My son hopped in the shower and I started to unload my gear. That's when it happened. A request came in to our group for the next county south. It's just up the road. Why not? I gave them a shout and got some info. Not the best details, but we'll give it a shot. The guy shot close to dark. No idea where it was hit. He found very little blood in small specks. He couldn't find the exact shot site. He brought the whole family to help search. They also brought the family dog. They jumped the deer a few times. All the things you don't want to hear. It's not far from me, and about a half mile from my parent's house. It's right where I grew up so I know the area and all the landowners well.

Imagine a field of fresh snow. If you walk straight across it, you'll be easy to track. If you decide to look to the left, walk back, look to the right, it'll be a little harder to determine where you went, but it's doable. Now put the whole family out there. That's what this dog's nose is about to see. The whole family taking the scent all over the place. It's ok though, we'll work it out.

I turn Boone loose at last blood and he starts to piss on every bush in sight. The joys of tracking with a male dog behind another dog. Once that was out of his system he lined out, made a wide loop and came back. Yep, one family member tracked that way. Round 2, straight line across the pasture to the next woodline, then a wide loop back. Family member 2's track from earlier. Let's try again. Straight line following the little bit of blood, sweeping left hand turn, then a 90 degree left and a straight line then a point. I walk up to Boone pointing a dead coyote against a net wire fence. Strike 3? Nah, let's try one more.

We reset one last time. I explain to the hunter what's going on and he understands. This is his first time using a dog and had no idea what he needed to do. Honestly, the guy was just trying to find his deer. Boone lines out, same sweeping left, same 90 at the fence, then a straight line down the fence and back towards us, then back, and back again. The deer jumped the fence and he's looking for a hole. We make visual contact, head his way, and meet him about the time he finds a hole. This is where it gets western.

The truth of the matter is, not all injured deer are dead. If you let a gut or liver shot lay, it'll die. I have jumped deer shot low in the guts still living 12hr later. If a deer is leg shot, it'll likely die from coyotes or infections. I had tracked 7 deer up to this point, with 1 miss and 6 DOA. The odds of having 5 DOAs in one day are slim. My luck ran out.

Boone ducked under the fence and immediately barked. The hunter yelled out "There's my deer". The deer ran deeper into the thicket with Boone in pursuit. I told the hunter that as soon as they stopped moving, we had to be there to put an end to things. About that time, Boone stopped moving and started barking again. You could hear an awful commotion as we ran through the thicket to the deer. When we got there we found Boone at the deer's rear end, deer facing us, head down. About that time she caught our movement and bolted between me and the hunter with Boone in pursuit. It was pretty thick, so she stopped just past us. I made my way in, pulled my pistol, called Boone backed, and put her down. Now we can see where she was hit. He hit low and forward. very low, very forward. He knocked both her legs off at the knee. It was not pretty. But, as we were tracking we heard a pack of coyotes very near. I just know that she was going to be eaten alive within the hour had we not gotten to her. It was ugly, it was brutal, but it was necessary. Number 5 for the day was headed to the skinning rack.

That's where I am now. I head back to work for 2 weeks tomorrow afternoon. When I am able to track again we'll be deep into pre rut and gun season. I'll be back out there trying to put them on the tailgate again .

 

[GrantK]

Wow, I had no idea just how in demand a tracking dog could be! that's awesome to see so many deer recovered.

 

[jwatts]

When the rut hits, it's gonna get wild.

 

[jwatts]

12/1
I decided to try a wood duck hole this morning. Got there, and the spot that held 7ft of water this year was bone dry. We headed to waffle house, then home. After running a few errands, my son and I were planning our afternoon hunt. I received a call from someone that hunts on the same lease as us. She shot a doe this morning and couldn't find it.

We loaded up and headed that way. We met her at the gate and got the scoop. Very little blood, lots of bone fragments. Bone means one thing, leg. The only other time I've seen bone is with a jaw shot, and there's usually teeth involved too. Leg shots always mean a complex tracking job, which 90% of the time ends with a live deer being found.

We collared up, geared up, and headed to the plot. Boone immediate lined out. About 150yd later, he opened up. He was barking and gained speed. The deer was alive and moving fast through a 4 year old cutover. The good part is, they were headed towards a gravel road. I called another hunter and told him to watch that road. He drove around and watched. It wasn't long before he called and told me to come to him.

About the time he called, Boone went on point. The deer was down. We drove around to that road, and pushed our way into the cutover. I guess the wound opened up when she started running, because the deer was taking it's last breath when we made it to her.

We didn't get any pictures this time. We were all in pretty bad shape by the time we got out. The deer was soaked, Boone was soaked, I'm scratched from head to toe. But, we got the ladie's deer and still made it out for the evening hunt.

 

[jwatts]

12/8- My son and I drove an hour away to hunt a friend's farm. A state biologist was coming to pull CWD samples, and wanted as many does as he could get. Turns out the deer had other plans. After the hunt, a post came across our Facebook group for a guy needing a dog for a buck his 8yo son had shot. It happened to be on my way home, so I set it up.

The shot was roughly 125yd with a 300 blackout. The deer went down in the back end, spun, and ran. There was no blood or anything at the shot site. The hunter's dad walked into the woods in the direction the deer went and found a little blood, but not enough for him to follow. We get Boone suited up and onto the track.

This guy had never used a dog before. I explained the process and let Boone get a little over 100yd from us. I could tell he was lined out on the deer, so we walked into the woods as Boone continued to track. I showed the hunter the GPS screen where Boone had traveled, and pointed out blood as we were walking his track. About then Boone went on point around 450yd away from the shot site. We started that way. He then started walking a straight line directly away from his last point, then back, then on point again. Very strange behavior.

We went to him and found a 7 strand barbed wire fence, spaced so that Boone couldn't get through it. We also found blood where the deer crossed the fence. We picked Boone up and put him over the fence and off he went. We found a spot to cross and got back on the track. As Boone continued, we found blood in a scrape. It's becoming obvious that it's just a flesh wound, but we'll keep going. Boone goes on point again, then started working straight lines again. Another fence.

This time we came to a net wire fence. We've been following sporatic blood since just past the shot site and have it up to this point, about 850yd from shot site. We also haven't come across a bed yet. That means that the deer wasn't hurt enough to bed down after the shot. Since we're on blood, and Boone is slowly looping us back to the truck, we continue. We put him over this fence and off he goes. At about 1200yd from shot site he barks. The deer had bedded. All of a sudden he's running full blast across an overgrown field. then makes a hard left in a straight line. Then back to where he came in a straight line. Another fence.

We made our way along his track. We never found blood after roughly 850yd. There wasn't blood in his bed. We had to cross this fence to get back to the truck. We get Boone across, and he never picks the track back up. We decide to call it off. All this time the dad is with us. The 8 year old was back at his grandparents house. We called him and told him the bad news on the way out. Talk about one devistated kid. But, after we explained that it was likely just a flesh wound he was excited to get another shot at the deer.

 

[jwatts]

12/12 I recieved a request through our Facebook group around 330pm. I was just wrapping up processing a deer I shot yesterday, so I decided to give them a shout.

The deer was shot at 645am while chasing a doe. They had blood and gut matter at the shot site. They let the deer lay a while then started tracking, only to jump the deer. They had backed out and repeated several times throughout the day until they lost blood. In total they had made about a 500yd wide, arcing loop.

I got Boone ready and we went to the shot site. You could tell it had been stomped all day. He tried to sort it all out with no luck. We walked to the last blood to reset and get a fresh start. Once I got him lined out he crossed a small road and went straight to a small briar patch. A very likely spot for one to bed. He sniffed around, and made a hard left moving quick. I didn't see or hear a deer get up, and Boone typically barks at live deer. Next thing I know he's on point at the creek where the deer previously crossed.

I made my way to the creek only to find Boone trying to get into a hole in the bank. I guess he jumped a coon in that briar patch. Every time I start to brag on him, he brings me back down to earth.

Back to last blood. Boone runs right back to the briar patch, circles, and makes another mad dash , but in the direction the deer was already traveling. Before I knew it I heard him let out 2 quick barks. Live deer. I saw him circling on the GPS and the barking intensified. Live deer on his feet.

I started in towards the deer. It was in a pine plantation with surprisingly little underbrush. When I got within 75yd I saw the buck on his feet, with Boone circling. I also saw innards hanging out. The shot was very low, and his intestines were hanging out both sides.

In Mississippi we're allowed to dispatch wounded deer in the daytime with rifles, but only pistols at night. As we were tracking in the daylight I was carrying my single shot 35 Whelen. As soon. As Boone widened his circle and the buck was broadside, I sent a 180 Barnes his way. He lunged a few steps and that was it. One happy hunter and one more saved from being coyote bait.

 

[jwatts]

Things are picking up in my part of the state. I've had to hand off several tracks the past few weeks while I was at work. I'm home for a few days so I'll be in the woods, hunting and tracking.
This morning my son and I went out. I have a ladder stand that has been covered in deer morning and afternoon for the past few weeks. I've even gotten a few bucks on camera bumping does around. We got to the woods about 30min before shooting light. He went to the ladder stand, and I went to a ridge about 400yd away to watch an old road crossing in my tree saddle.

Legal light was 6:30, and I was just getting settled in at that time. The wind was good and the woods were still. A little after 7 my phone started going off with people needing deer tracked through our Facebook group. Knowing I had my son in the woods, I declined tracking until we were done for the morning.

About 7:30 I heard a shot very close by. I texted my son, and sure enough he had shot what he claimed was a huge doe. He also said one was in the woods blowing at him. I told him to check for blood and get back with me. He did, and it wasn't what I wanted to hear. He had a big pile of white hair and no blood.

If you look at a whitetail you can see where they have white hair. None of those locations make for an instantly lethal shot for the most part. My mind always goes to a very low shot, or a forward shot. I climbed down and went to help look.

Turns out it wasn't just white hair, but there was a ton of it. I was able to turn up some blood too. It was sparse. Some was pink and foamy like lung. Other spots were red and bubbly like muscle. It was tough to read. I went about 75yd until we were about to break into some open hardwoods. If she was alive and bedded, she'd definitely see us and bust out. We decided to wait.

We went home, got Boone, goofed off a little, and went back. By the time we left the truck it had been 2.5hr since he shot. We let Boone run ahead as we rode the 4 wheeler in. We parked, got our things, and made our way to the plot.

By the time we crested the hill to the plot Boone was off. He had winded the track and got to work. Before we got to the shot site he barked bayed a few times and was off like a rocket. I immediately regretted not waiting til tonight to track this deer.

As quick as he started, he came back. He made a mad dash for a few hundred yards and came back to shot site. We met him there's as he looped back into the woods. He almost immediate went on point. 125yd later we were at a dead doe. She was a good one too. An average doe here may break 100lb. This one ended up weighing 134lb.

So what happened? The deer was shot perfectly square in the onside shoulder. The bullet exited low and forward of the off side armpit, leaving all that hair. It was a mix of white and gray. The deer that was in the woods blowing was her yearling. That's also what Boone chased off at the beginning of the track.

 

[Khunter]

very cool thread and play by play