Man I hope you find him. By the looks of that blood that deer is dead. I know I'm a ways off being in cullman but pm me if you think need some guys to help I know myself and couple buddies wouldn't mind coming to help. Good luck.

Well, I just have to hang my head. I looked again today and didn't find him. I want to thank fzzwhite and bloodtrail for coming out and helping me look Monday and Pea Ridge for coming out today. I really appreciate y'all spending a couple hours looking with me. I've spent over 10 hours looking for him and now its just a waiting game to see if some buzzards show up after we get out of this deep freeze. I'm am just sick to lose him. I don't think I ever gave any background on the shot so let me tell what happened. I was sitting on the edge of a thicket in some select cut pines. I spotted the buck working his way accross the ridge in front of me. I could see he was a deer I wanted to shoot and got the gun off my lap and tried to find him in the scope. It was pretty thick in front of me and I couldn't find him. I pull off the scope and am trying to see where he went when I see he has turned and was walking straight towards me and closing fast. I get a bead on him but he is steady walking towards me with his head down and I have no shot. Finally he starts up the side of the little bottom I'm on a raises his head. When he does he is within 40 uards, facing me head on, and pegs me immediately. So the deer is about to bolt, I put the crosshairs in the center of his chest and squeeze a round off. I immediately see that he is hit hard. He wheels and turns trying to get up the ridge and is having a rough time running. He angles back accross the ridge and goes out of sight. When he didn't fall within sight I was initially worried that there wouldnt be a blood trail because of the straight on shot. After picking up the blood I thought for sure I had a dead deer. The bloodtrail went for about 250 yards before I lost it. My guess after replaying this in my mind 109/times is that he might have been slightly quartering to me and I hit him just outside of center and only got one lung. In which case he could have went a long way. I hate to lose a deer and when I pulled the trigger on this buck at 40 yards I never would have thought I was taking a marginal shot.

Gosh man that stinks I will pray he turns up for you or maybe he didnt get any vitals and is still around .

mercy. i have felt your pain ...

I shot one at a hard quarter and barely clipped a lung. After going miles, we finally lucked up on him and shot him again. It sucks losing one, but part of hunting. That deer might make a full recovery who knows.

What gun and ammo were you shooting?

I shot one nearly the same this year and busted the shoulder and only got one lung. Thankfully I was shoot a 150 grn Fusion and it held together and traveled the full length exiting low in his gut. Two holes, and the secondary damage through the body helped put him down in about 80 yards.

You did all you could do on the shot and looking. Still I would love to know exactly how that deer was hit and how the bullet performed. It is exactly for this reason that I want a bullet that will retain it's weight and penetrate.

I was shooting hornady american whitetail 7mm08 139 grain. I wonder as well if the bullet came apart on impact and didn't penetrate.

I shot and killed 3 with that same ammo this year but i won't be using it next year. It grouped well out of my gun but bullets fragmented all to pieces. I made two hits on two of them and one was a one shot kill. I found dozens of pieces in the deer and none were larger than 1/10 of the bullet. I had shrapnel that traveled over a foot from a broadside shoulder shot.

I also lost one deer that I shot with that ammo. Blood just gave out after a couple hundred yards but I may have hit some brush first on that one. Next year I'm either shooting Barnes or Accubonds, or Fusion if I shoot a factory load.

I shot one just like yours facing me slightly quarting with a 150 grn 270 Fusion and it retained over 80% of it's weight and traveled the full length of the deer. It entered the front right shoulder and angled through and exited low in the left side gut. Then it entered the hind leg breaking and lodging against the bone in the left hind leg. Deer went around 80 yards but I'm convinced would have gone a lot farther without the secondary damage through the body. The shock wave was strong enough that it blew corn to the outside edge of the entry hole in the shoulder.

Here's the bullet after going full length of the deer.

This year I have heard very mixed reviews of these bullets. I am more inclined to blaim myself, not the gun or the bullet but I am thinking about swapping for sure.

Only thing I might have suggested is aim a little higher for the neck/spine junction for a frontal shot. Sucks to lose one no doubt.

Southwood , i don't like that weight in a 7mag either .