Shot a good buck Slightly 1/4’d away this ev .. He jumps straight up in the air after the shot. Heads 5yds toward a fence row in the direction hes facing then doubles back to the direction he came from. No blood or hair to be found. How many have saw em jump straight up after a clean miss?

Call a dog

How’d he run off? Skint back, trotting, tail up, tail down, running into things, dodging and weaving through brush and limbs. Reaction after the shot normally tells me a lot about what happened. You could’ve just barely grazed him or you could’ve absolutely drilled him. I’ve never had one jump straight up in the air that wasn’t hit in some way and I’ve killed a semi trailer load of them.

Probably not a clean miss.

If you’re not confident let him lay tonight and call a dog in the morning.

If leg shot, get a bay dog now.

Ive killed quite a few good bucks & have never saw em jump straight up after a clean miss. Have always been able to find some amount of blood or hair on a grazed or leg shot also. He wasnt skint back but got outta there quick. Sorry i didnt pay attention to the tail . Thanks for the info

My son shot one Monday evening just a touch high and in the shoulder. It jumped up and forward. Blood wasn’t the best, but it didn’t make it 75 yards… 308 sst

What caliber gun?

Didn’t miss. If you shot quartering to you there may not be an exit. I’ve shot several like that and never found a drop of blood. Grid search in the morning.

Yes like he was trying to dunk a basketball. Mine was a dead deer running.

7 mag CNC. He was slightly 1/4 away at the time of shot

I shot one last week and he was quartering slightly to me. He ran 350 yards just clipped the back of the impact side lung the liver. Deer was found the next morning hunkered down dead. I was aiming for his shoulder but jerked the trigger I think. Got good neighbors where that hunting location is though.

I would call dog

An individual hunter might only have it happen once in their life but I get quite a few calls every year where deer reacted to a graze by mule kicking or jumping. Jumping usually occurs from a graze across the belly. It may have only knocked off a few hairs. It’s possible you hit him and didn’t get an exit but if he absorbed the full impact of a 7 mag into his body cavity then he’s likely messed up bad and not too far away. Its also possible you could be over looking some sign on the ground. I see that happen pretty often as well.

You hit him

following

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I had a somewhat similar situation a few weeks ago. Quartering towards me with no blood. Didn’t find him for a week and a half. Dog would’ve found him easily. Pure luck I found him later on

Well guys i wish i had good news.. i ended up jumping the deer this morning near the property line approx 250yds from the shot location. Of course he ran into the neighbors property. I was unable to reach the landowner for permission to search. A dog & permission would have very likely been a recovery. Never found a drop of blood . I sure hate to lose 1.. thanks to everyone for the input