Just figured I'de share the story with you guys and my new found knowledge that it never hurts to look some more. Pictures : http://imgur.com/a/bZtYN Finding time to go hunting has been rough for me the past few years as a full time student but I made it a point this year to set aside time to make it into the woods. I've never taken a large buck and never seen one close enough to my stand to consider taking a shot at. About six oclock a group of does start moving around my stand and a half hour later a beautiful ten point walked across the small river where I hunt. It stood in the same area for about an hour until he walked out of the brush and presented himself for a perfect broadside 40 yard shot. After i shot I waited about an hour and went back to my house and gathered a group of friends to go track him down. About 30 yards from where he was standing we found good blood and tracked him for about 150 yards with varying degrees of small speckles of blood and good amounts until all the sudden it stopped. We searched for about two more hours on our hands and knees until it started to pour rain forcing us to call it for the night. I replayed the shot a million times in my mind wondering if I had pulled it hitting the shoulder. Needless to say I couldn't sleep. I went out first thing in the morning and started looking again. Not five minutes after getting to the last spot I saw blood I found him laying about 50 yards ahead of where I had last looked.
Thanks everyone! The deer ended up weighing 180 after being gutted. Yep Pretty sure I got him right in the liver which is why I couldn't find a great blood trail as it was all pooling up inside him. Not where I typically aim but it did the trick. I had just picked up a pack of Kill-zone mechanical broadheads and was quite impressed with the size of hole they cut, and how similar they flew to my field tips even at forty yards. Still not quite sold on them though might have to sight back in for my muzzys. I know mechanicals have come along way in recent years but the stories of them not opening are hard to get out of your head after you take that shot.
Congrats on the buck and its nice seeing a thread saying it was tracked and found! Good job with that!
Awesome buck! I know what you mean about figuring out priorities when your a full time student. Weekends arent long enough and the hunts are too quick.
