There was just a post up about a buck that was bedding unusually that the poster didn't know if it was wounded or not. This got me thinking about an experience I had last archery season. It was a morning in late October and I was hunting an area where the bucks were fired up moving into the rut. Mid-morning I heard a ton of breaking sticks and leaves about 100 yards to my left (neighboring property) and a small 8 came charging through cattails towards me. Once on my side of the cattails the buck stopped and kind of just looked around to see what the hell was going on like he just got his butt kicked by another buck. As he came closer I grunted and he came in to about 30 yards of me and I could clearly see he had blood coming out of his left side in the stomach area mid-height. I quickly grabbed my camera and videoed him moving past. He was limping a little but otherwise didn't seem spooked and just slowly walked off. A couple hours later I heard what I thought was a climber clinging together over on the neighboring land. It moved away and all was quite. I eventually got down, found the blood trail and saw he was only bleeding on the side I saw the blood on. I did not want to follow up on the buck, worried I might jump him. I was unsure if he was whooped on by another buck or if someone had gut shot him. If he was shot I hoped that the neighbor would give him time and later recover the buck. Never found him through shed season. And no one ever contacted me to find the deer, I wasn't worried if they trespassed for it honestly as long as they tried to recover it if it was hit. I know this info isn't a lot to go off of but does this sound like a gut shot buck or one that got his butt whooped by another buck? Attached is a screenshot of him. Tell me what you think because it baffled me for the rest of the season. Thanks.
I'd assume he was shot. I heard a shot during shotgun season one year that was very close. A few minutes later I saw a small buck walking across the field a couple hundred yards out... Clearly had been shot in the intestines. I never shot anyone trail him and I never picked up any blood to trail him with either. But he was walking slowly and very hunched up. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I was headed to work last year or year before and got about 5kns from home and saw couple deer run out in front of me. The spot is usually a good place to see deer and watch thay one is not gonna jump in front of you. So slowed down cautious that more would come and as looked along the side of road they went toward saw a doe that had a arrow sticking through her neck. Really debated on stopping but surprisingly she wasn't really walking slow or hunched over. But that was just about the worse missed shot ever saw. As for your deer I'd say it looks like a shot. Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk
op, i'm going to say whooped. if you heard a climber clinging together i'm pretty sure you would have heard the shot.
Looks like shot to me. By picture looks like it was located in an area where I would give it a good chance of survival.
Was it gun season or bow? i assume bow because you would have heard the gunshot, i think he might have just been whooped, you said there was only blood on one side, shots that far back don't have much resistance to stop a pass through. very interesting story! would've kept me wondering all year as well!
