That’s true……statistically speaking 1 out of the 2 probably was unrecoverable……The thing about a good tracking dog is that they can give the situation a conclusion and are usually able to tell you one way or the other……There’s quite a lot of calls where people just want the peace of mind of knowing they did everything they could to recover the animal. What anyone does about their neighbor is everyone’s own personal choice……Just remember that what comes around goes around

sorry but 80 deer in 45 years aint a lot of shooting .

Big money tracking dogs. Do ya pay taxes or fill a 1099. Vet bills gas dog food gas bill gun license ammo cause most trackers put the final kill on. Then thentheredneck that can’t shoot post up pic like he did something. Ya pay taxes or no

.im starting to feel bad about the 7 ive lost , well i would have found two of those if they hadnt got into water , darn . lol

I've lost about that many myself......I gut shot a really nice one at about 200 yards following a doe a year or two before I got Otis.....Never did find him

i just find it odd just because a tracker is called the hunter is automatically a bad shot and needs to learn to shoot . now loosing 7 deer might seem bad to some but since ive killed more deer than most will in a few life times 7 aint to bad . just bad mouthing hunters with out knowing them seems a little wrong and a little quick to judge . from personal observation most who judge like that aint killed much .

Yep. I get tickled out of the guys who say this too. Obviously haven’t killed many. People are going to make mistakes. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t always attempt to give our very best effort, practice with our gear, and be prepared, but hunting scenarios are not like being at the range. I’ve killed several hundred deer, and my wounded and needed help with recovery rate with a firearm is .01%. It’s not the ones you kill that ppl remember, but you’d better believe they remember every one of the .01s. 😂

I’ve seen a handful of failure to perform as expected projectiles in my years hunting as well. Although rare, it happens.

I am pretty selective. Not a lot of shooting, just good shooting.

Yep, it seems like most of the folks passing judgement have very little experience with what they’re criticizing. I think I’m somewhere in the neighborhood of having tracked around 800 deer with dogs now….It gets a little frustrating sometimes listening to folks who have never tracked a single one tell everyone how it is or how it should be……not to mention the guys like the dog hunters who are on social media intentionally trying to distort the truth for their benefit.

I find I’m a way better shot now then when I was younger. I’m over the whole “ of I can see em I can kill em” attitude. As I get older I like them as close as possible and as easy to get to as possible. I’m gonna spit in the air and say that since I started this hunting strategy, I only remember 1 buck that I haven’t recovered. It was a low leg/brisket shot. Still bugs me today about that deer. I just rushed it and screwed it up.

I still say that good tracking dogs and handlers are the best thing to happen to deer hunting. We called on in for one of our guys guest last season. Great guy with beautiful bloodhounds and he explained everything the dogs were doing and he knew right away when the dogs ran the deer by him that the deer was not mortally wounded and called it. We had to beg him to take a donation and we made a new friend that afternoon. If I would ever need a dog and I don’t have Raven at the camp, he’ll be my first call. CNC I applaud you for helping all those people, especially the young kids. There is still a few things I don’t agree on that some trackers do, but I’m getting more understanding as the seasons go by. Also I don’t think the State should be involved in what y’all do. Anyone who tracks knows right from wrong. As with anything, the trackers should take care of the problems. Just my opinion.

I've seen that too . I had a box of Winchester 30 06 165gr pointed soft points that just exploded on impact . Throwed that box away . I've been sighting in and one fly way off over younder too . Like you said, rare but it happens .just more you do it the odds go up . Lol

Matt ,,, others might have forgotten but I sure ain't. Memory clear as a bell on my lost ones . You can do ever thing right and still lose a deer

I gut shot a huge 6 that I watched for months waiting on gun season, got stupid and shot at him with a muzzle loader instead of waiting a few more days. Didn't call a dog like an idiot and he got away. That one still sticks in my craw!!

There’s a few calls every year where crazy chit just happens…..I’ve seen one hit right behind the shoulder with a .243 and was still alive with its head up looking at us over 3 hrs later…..

I shot one with a 7mag when I was 18 right at dark. Fell down twice before getting out of the bean field. Preliminary look was tons of blood. Stopped at the woods and went to get dad and a couple of better flashlights. We picked up the blood at the edge of the woods... looked for an hour and never found that deer. That was the only deer I knew I made a good hit on with a rifle and never found. Dog probably wudda found it but this was well before folks had dog trackers on speed dial.. blood stopped 75 yards past the woodline. 7mm bullets will leave one hanging just like a 6mm will.

Did it's front end fall out from under it and it's chest nearly hit the ground when you shot?

30 years ago.. I can't remember the particulars. Best I can recall, When I dropped the rifle to look, he was in the dirt flopping. I thought he was going to die there. About 10 seconds of flopping, he gets up and runs as best he can for the woods. Drops again, then gets up and makes it to the woods and disappears off the face of the planet.

Sounds like you back-whacked him….…..This one was back-whacked twice with a 7 mag…..Killed in the same plot a few weeks later.