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frost and a blood trail I need help too

dblmainbeam

dblmainbeam

Member
I hit a big buck tonight but I'm not sure how good the hit was. I dont want to push him but its supposed to be cold and I am wondering how frost will affect a blood trail and quick advice will help. Ill be out there at midnight if I have to.
 
Give us a little more info to better understand the situation. I dont wont to give bad advice. When in doubt...WAIT!!
 
It was just before dark My sight pins were still plenty visible but when I shot I couldn't see where the arrow hit he ran about thirty yards and walked really slow for about another hundred yards into a thicket of tall willows. I waited an hour and a half then went and checked to see if I could find my arrow I didnt then i found a good blood trail and followed it to the edge of the willow but the blood trail seemed to be getting a little lighter so i thought Id better wait till morning then I started thinking about frost and Ive never tracked when theres been a threat of frost. will it wash away the blood should i wait or go back out?
 
what did the blood look like? bright red? any smell of gut? what color hair? ect... Frost has never"washed away" any blood trail I've seen...but its supposed to be a heavy frost tonight. I think it would be best to wait.Where are you at?
 
it's too bad you didn't see where you hit him at, that would help out a lot. from the way he's acting (walking kind've slow) it sounds like you may have hit some liver or stomach. was he hunched up at all with his head down? was he limping off any leg? could you tell what color the blood was, dark or light/bright color? do you think you jumped him as you neared the willows? chances are if you got into the body cavity, whether it's guts or liver, he's dead in the willows. if the frost wasn't a factor i'd let him go till morning. since it is i'd go out around 10 or 11 tonight and find him. what time did you shoot him about?
 
Ia about dead center and twenty miles from minnesota. Bright red blood didnit find any hair but the blood was heavy for quite aways didnt smell any thing gutty.
 
I shot him about 5:30 some of the blood was dark but some was bright red.not limping but i couldnt tell if he was humped up but i think he kept his head down Im worried sick this is the biggest buck ive shot 150+
 
Just checked a weather site, they're saying 15 mph wind tonite. Windy here in northeast Iowa. Too much wind for frost. I doubt the frost will cost you much sign, it takes a lot of rain to wash out a trail. Good Luck
 
Im going to wait it out thanks for the info guys If im lucky maybe I can get hour of sleep tonight . Oh one more question do you think its a gut shot or a good shot? I pray i didnt hit him in the leg or something he wasnt limping though. I should have never got a mathews my old bow i could watch the arrow now its a little tougher.
 
I think you are too far away for me to come help ya...but I would say it sounds like a good hit..The blood sounds good and the head hanging sounds good.Did you hear a crash? i hope so. Its pretty much up to what you want to do know. I would get a little help if you want to out again tonight.Make sure you all have good light,too.Let us know what you decide.Wish I could help more.
 
Ok know comes the hard part. I would let him lay tonight,given on what you have told us. I wouldn't worry about the frost so much if you marked the spot where you last saw blood. I would get up and out early in the morning and pick up the blood trail again. If you lose the blood trail I would start a grid search and keep searching int you have exuasted all options. Good luck hope you find him and keep us posted!!!
 
The blood will be frozen maybe already.It just a little harder to see.And of coarse the meat wiil be good yet in the morning.I would wait til morning.Yea ,I know that sucks.But,BIG bucks don't go anywhere if there dead.Good luck.
 
no I had good blood for about 300 yards before he went into a recently cut alphalpha field I spent eight hours with four guys searching everything I dont know what to think. I gut shot a doe once about 18 years abo felt so bad when I couldn't find her I didnt bow hunt for 12yrs. I kinda feel that way again. this sucks!!!!!!!!! Thanks for all the help. By the way we did have some frost and I didn't have any trouble finding the blood trail.
 
Hang in there dblemainbeam, I blew a shot on a 150+ this weekend gave him a nice shave on his back shoulder. It was one of the sickest feelings i have had hunting ever. Haven't slept to much in the past two nights. Hang in there keep hunting that's the only way to make up, get another chance to get the big boy.
 
good news and bad news. I heard a big buck got hit by a car a mile from my stand. I went to the kids house who got a salvage tag for it. when i got there they where skinning it. right in front of the back leg the meat looked like it was run through a meat grinder there were some cuts that looked like they were cut with a knife and the meat was almost black. the guy told me thats how they found it they think it was caused by the accident but the rest of him doesnt look like that. the front leg was broke and his one antler was broke inside his head bot not off. I would bet money that its the one i hit. when i shot he was quartering away at 25 yards if i hit back further thats right where i would have hit him on the same side. I looks alot like the one i shot other then his browtines spit and he had a small kicker on one side (but he snuck up on me and i was sure if he was 10,12, or what he was i just knew he was big) which makes it a 13 pointer. They said a dnr officer guessed him to be in the 170s and would be back to green score him. Even if hes not the one i hit im going to tell my self he is. it makes me feel better thinking hes dead instead of wondering if hes out there suffering somewhere. If that is him it bums me out but the kid said hes going to have it mounted and hes salvaging quite a bit of meat so hes not being feed to the coyotes. he should be on my wall though. I guess it doesn't matter how much you practice theres always that chance of a having a bad shot.
 
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