Quote:
Originally Posted by cal33
Finding an animal in the open is one thing. If that animal makes it into the thick and nasty a blood trail, or an enormous amount of luck, is cheap insurance. Once shot a smallish buck through the heart at 12 yards,he ran, leaving not one drop of blood. Found him by putting my faith in turned up leaves and duff only about 45 yards away. Exit hole was actually a little difficult to find, about the same size as the entrance. I was using a. 270 with 130 grain winchester power point factory loads. Actually had similar experience a couple other times using small light bullets at close range, but how are you going to know at what range you will be shooting?
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I also have had real life experience with having a difficult time finding a deer that was hit hard with a .243. One there was no snow on the ground and three of us finally just walked a grid where we had last heard the buck and beyond. One guy almost stepped on it before he saw it.
Another time there was lots of snow and lots of deer tracks. I shot a buck with a doe. I did not see which way he had gone. When I walked up two deer ran off to the left so I followed them looking for blood. I ended up making a big circle and found no blood. Then I saw a big buck run across a road near by and thought it was the one I had shot at, so I went down and followed his track.
Two days later I was in the same area and saw ravens. The buck had gone right not left, had not dropped any blood I could see and was dead less that 50 yards from where I had shot him.