If you have ever shot a deer and it has walked away, the best way to recover the animal is to analyze where the bullet went in the animal’s body and its reaction. If the deer jumped right away after the shot, it likely was hit in the vitals. It should have been within 100 yards. If it was hit in the stomach, however, it may take hours to find it.
Gut shot deer can travel for miles
A gut-shot deer will bed down in a hundred to two hundred yards from the point of the shot. The wounded deer will have the need to drink and will often cross a body of water. While this may be a good time to sneak up and shoot the sick-looking deer, it is not always easy to close the gap. In dense terrain, a gut-shot deer will be difficult to track, and it may take hours to find the deer.
The deer will lie down within 100 yards of the spot of the shot. It is critical to stay quiet and avoid bumping the deer as it lies on its side. If you climb down too early, you will likely commotion, bumping it. Aim for a quieter location and wait for at least eight hours before pursuing the deer. The deer will not go further than this. If you pursue the deer too soon, you may have to wait another day for the deer to die.
During the recovery process, you must find the shot. If the deer is alive, it may bleed and leave a faint trail. A tracking dog may also help you find the deer. If the deer was gut-shot, it is possible to see the blood trail by tracking the dog’s movements. When this happens, you will be able to identify the deer’s location and the location of the shot.
Liver shot deer will usually head for water to reduce fevers
If a deer is wounded, it may try to cross the water for safety or to quench its thirst. If the deer is gut shot, they will likely head for water to reduce fevers and the urge to urinate. A liver shot deer may take longer to die than a heart or lung hit. If the shot is lethal, you should bring a weapon designed for a liver hit.
A deer that has been shot in the stomach will often have its tail raised. It will usually head for water to reduce fevers and will not travel more than 300 yards from the spot of the shot. This type of deer is highly likely to be in a water source, but can sometimes travel hundreds of yards. A tracking dog can be used to follow a deer that has been gut shot to reduce fevers and to find its location.
Deer may also suffer from an illness called EHD. The disease is a highly contagious virus, with fatality rates up to 90% in infected deer. Fortunately, some deer can survive the disease and eventually develop an immunity to it. Antibodies to the disease can be found in the blood of animals that have been infected with the virus. This makes it possible to monitor the condition of deer in the wild.
Tracking a wounded deer
When you’ve shot a deer and it’s walked away, you may be wondering how to track it. Luckily, there are a few simple techniques to help you find the deer’s whereabouts. First, look for blood trails. Although they may not be huge, you’ll likely notice some on the ground. The bright red blood indicates a heart or lung wound, while the dark blood is likely from a kidney or liver shot. If you have to wait for hours to track the animal, you can try using toilet paper. Also, if the blood trail is brown and yellow, you’ll know to look in bedding areas. If the deer is hit in the lungs, it shouldn’t walk far, so you’ll want to keep an eye out for blood trails.
When a deer dies, it’s best to wait a few hours before trying to track it. A deer that’s been shot in the chest, heart or lungs is most likely to die within a hundred yards. But if it’s hit in the stomach, it may take hours to be tracked. In these cases, you’ll want to stay near the deer until the time comes when you can easily find it.