liver shot with a rifle

[Chirogrow]

Nobody likes to admit when they make a bad shot but sadly it happens. I need some help here. I took a quartering to shot 2 days ago on a bull with a 300 win mag. it was a tight shot but I believe the bull stepped as I squeezed the trigger and it hit a little far back. the blood trail was all of 80 yards, dark dark blood. the last 40 yards were just one drop about 10 yards apart. I lost the tracks about 200 yards from last blood. I waited an hour from the shot to start my search, after circling for a few hours I sat water. I am lost as to how I can get some closure on this bull. I believe with that caliber of rifle he is dead but I'd love some input on how I could improve my tracking skills or thoughts on this specific case. I have been hunting elk for a long time and this is my first unrecovered animal. I'm losing sleep over it and feel sick about it. Any help would be appreciated, please leave out any remarks on "make a better shot", I'm already in a dark enough place! ha

 

[Gerbdog]

Not a lot to do other then keep after it as long as you can. Start gridding the area. Watch for ravens. Listen for coyotes at daybreak. Stay after it.

Bring buddies. Wardens have been known to lend a hand if you give a call.

Injured bulls dont always go downhill to die. Injured bulls dont always go to water to die. Gutshot animals dont always go to water to die either.

gonna edit to add here:
Look at your topo map : what direction was he headed by blood trail? Pull back your map, take a look at the nearest north facing bedding area in the direction he was headed : go check that whole ridge on the north face (even if its just a draw, doesnt have to be a big north face, also doesnt have to be close - could be a mile or more away).

 

[mlob1one]

Do you know any people with draat's? They're trained to recover big game as well as bird. Or houndsmen? A good dog will run that track down in short order.

I've been there, and it is gut-wrenching. What type of terrain were you hunting? Clear weather for the next day or two?

He's likely bedded up and dead, good luck.

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[Glendine]

• Mark your existing signs of blood and tracks with signal tape in case you need to re trace your steps.
• Deer usually run for cover so pay particular attention to any near you last blood trail sighting.
• Deer usually run downhill when shot so start high and work down if this is the case.
• Look for crows etc. they will lightly find the carcass before you do as the love eating eyeballs.
• Remain calm and break your search are down into 100 yard circles.
• If you find blood hairs etc. don’t walk on the track as you many need to re-examine it later.
• Look for broken limbs of trees and don’t be afraid to get on your hands and knees to look for sign as with a live shot deer tend to hunch up and run with their head down
• Can you get someone with a scent dog to help you out?
• When you find the deer let us know here as we wish you the best of luck.

 

[Choupique]

If you shoot enough animals it's going to happen. Probably won't be the last time. Nothing you can do except look until you can't look anymore. He might be dead 4 miles away and he might be dead 100 yards away.

 

[Tod osier]

• Mark your existing signs of blood and tracks with signal tape in case you need to re trace your steps.
• Deer usually run for cover so pay particular attention to any near you last blood trail sighting.
• Deer usually run downhill when shot so start high and work down if this is the case.
• Look for crows etc. they will lightly find the carcass before you do as the love eating eyeballs.
• Remain calm and break your search are down into 100 yard circles.
• If you find blood hairs etc. don’t walk on the track as you many need to re-examine it later.
• Look for broken limbs of trees and don’t be afraid to get on your hands and knees to look for sign as with a live shot deer tend to hunch up and run with their head down
• Can you get someone with a scent dog to help you out?
• When you find the deer let us know here as we wish you the best of luck.

When I'm tracking, I pick up sticks as I go and stick them into the ground on sign (blood or tracks). A bunch of 12-18 inch sticks stuck into the ground can really help pick up what the animal is doing, often a subtle drift in one direction can become a full-on turn and the sticks convey it well as it is happening. Don't have to pick them up like flagging and it is fast to mark every few feet.

 

[Gerbdog]

Use a square of toilet paper for flagging... if you forget to go back, or miss a piece, it will go away unlike plastic ribbon flagging

 

[Wrench]

A friend liver shot a cow with an arrow. She went about 1000 yards before we found her.....dead. super tough track job.

 

[Nwihunter]

I have limited experience with elk but a lot of whitetail experience. Over the past 5 years I’ve liver shot 2 whitetail. In my experience they bed down fairly quickly but will take quite a while to die. Also both were archery hits. One was a doe that I jumped up after waiting about 4 hours to track and never recovered. The other was a buck that I jumped after waiting about 5 hours to track and ultimately ended up finding his blood trail again by pure luck. I was able to get another arrow in him to finish him off. I learned you really need to give a lot of time with a liver shot. They are definitely lethal but take a while to expire.

 

[Chirogrow]

Do you know any people with draat's? They're trained to recover big game as well as bird. Or houndsmen? A good dog will run that track down in short order.

I've been there, and it is gut-wrenching. What type of terrain were you hunting? Clear weather for the next day or two?

He's likely bedded up and dead, good luck.

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I'm in mountain terrain, 9,000 ft. mostly quake and pine. I know a lot of people with dogs they use for bear and cats. Would they be able to track for blood?

 

[Gerbdog]

I'm in mountain terrain, 9,000 ft. mostly quake and pine. I know a lot of people with dogs they use for bear and cats. Would they be able to track for blood?

cant hurt to ask the dog owners

 

[Rich M]

Things happen. A liver shot is a death sentence, just takes longer.

I'd spread your search distance out to a mile or 2 and go from there. He probably went somewhere and laid down, if you didn't bump him, that's where he is.

 

[sierracharlie338]

I'm in mountain terrain, 9,000 ft. mostly quake and pine. I know a lot of people with dogs they use for bear and cats. Would they be able to track for blood?

I’d definitely ask them. I’ve seen dogs do wonders down here in south Texas mesquite which is way worse that up on a mountain.

 

[Rich M]

I'm in mountain terrain, 9,000 ft. mostly quake and pine. I know a lot of people with dogs they use for bear and cats. Would they be able to track for blood?

An Update? Did you get the dogs, find the bull?

 

[Chirogrow]

sadly no. the day before he could get out there it poured rain

 

[Wellsdw]

I have a tracking dog and that has pretty much taken over my hunting season and interest over actually hunting. When it comes to liver shot animals WAIT….. a while is not an hour it’s 6. 10-12 hrs on gut shots. Liver shot animals don’t go very far generally before bedding down. Where they bed they die or real close to it. After 6 or 8 hrs they struggle to get up if they are alive. Less than that you will just keep pushing them and they will walk off will trace amounts of blood. They are also no dropping a lot of scent for a dog vs running. People say, down hill, head to water… A hill is irrelevant to an animal that can jump an 8’ fence A guy once told me. They go where they go. They bed in a place they can watch their back trail and wind at their back.

Call trackers sooner than later. And before grid searching. That really makes most tracking for most dogs and handlers extremely difficult. A lot won’t even fool with it after grid searching.

Bad shots happen to everyone, I tell folks I don’t have a trailing dog because I’ve found everything I ever shot. I needed one more than once. Shake it off and good hunting.