Shot in the head

Location: Lapeer State game area

Season: December Muzzleloader

Weather: Cold really cold!!

   Tom Frank's is perched up in his climbing treestand and is looking to kill a deer to fill his freezer. The evening hunt hasn't been productive and like most hunts on state land you see more hunters than deer. Earlier in his hunt he had hunters that passed by heading deeper into the state game area and Tom knew he was on a run that's productive most nights. It's that twilight time, prime time and the last half hour we all anticipate seeing that big buck. It's starting to snow so the forest floor goes from black to white in just a few minutes and Tom could here something to his left. Thinking it's probably the hunter leaving early as it's getting colder by the second. The sound gets closer he noticed a dark shape in the distance and it looks like a mature deer. It goes from cold to warm in a flash and difficult to swallow. Gloves comes off and anticipation for the shot is all Tom can think about. Okay where is a good shooting lane, is it a big buck or doe, shot distance to that spot? The dark bodied deer stays behind every tree or bush so all Tom could do is listen as the deer closes the distance!! Not knowing if it's a big buck or doe is killing him. The sound of the foot steps is so close he can almost hear to deer breathing. It's getting down to the wire as Tom looks at his watch and sees that he has 5 minutes of shooting time left and if he is going to get a shot he will need to make it happen the first chance he gets. Tom hunting with a 50 Cal muzzleloader that has a scope on it. The deer is less than 10 yards away behind some trees. Finally he sees the deer looking at him and noticed it was a doe!! All good as he has an antlerless tag. Tom waiting for her to take 1-2 steps so he can punch his tag. She isn't moving and time is running out. She is 10 yards and has his muzzleloader on a gun rest with the crosshairs set on his Target and take himself into taking the head shot. Going through his head (10 yards, 50 cal. Muzzleloader with 150 grains of pryodex and 200grain All call polymer tip TC shockwave sabot she will drop on the spot for a quick kill and less dragging as she probably would run back when she came from and that's the opposite direction from my truck. 

Tom and I grew up together so I can vouch for him about how much he practices with his bow, gun. He practices way more than the average Hunter and he is a great shot. Ideally a double lung shot is most everyone first choice. So as time is running out and this stare down had lasted to the last second of legal shooting hour he decides for the head shot. The large puff of smoke clears and Tom looking at the ground and sees her laying on her side and he is pumped!! Starts packing up his gear to climb down and he is about half way down she gets up and runs off!! As you can only imagine how is that even possible!! 

Tom looks at the shot site and theirs a large pool of blood and steady blood through the snow. He follows the blood trail and it's going left and then right and then left and back right she is weaving all over the place. Tom goes 50 yards then 100 more and he could see a spot she falls to the ground. Then the blood trail STOPPED!! He could see her tracks however they quickly disappear because in the dense forest the snow isn't covering the ground like it was where Tom was set up. So he looks for awhile with his flashlight and then the batteries go dead!! 

 Tom calls me and I said I'll be there at 11 pm and I've never tracked a deer shot in the head! Can't be good if she got up so maybe you just scared the hell of her and nicked her so that's why the bleeding stopped. 

Sypris follows the blood trail through the snow and quickly makes it to last blood and continues on through the woods we go about 150 more yards and I'm not seeing anything!! 

I say to Tom I don't think you killed her! 50 Cal to the head no way is she getting up from that shot! We come to a shallow steam about 10' wide sypis starts walking down the middle of it going with the current. 30 yards then 60 yards and about 100 yards down steam we come to a bend in the stream that goes to our left and it's full of dead trees that prevent us from continuing. The bank is well above my head so the only way out is to climb to bank or turn back. Sypris tries to climb the bank however it's straight up. At this point I see blood on the bank so I'm blown away that she followed him downstream and I'm super excited even tho I don't think this doe is dead. So I pick her up to put her on shore so she can continue tracking as I believe the doe jumped up the bank to exit the steam. Sypris is circling around and doesn't find anything and she goes back to the steam and goes down the step bank and back in the stream and heads back up steam so I tell Tom to keep searching because this doe exited somewhere around this river bend!

Sypris is at the point where she came into the steam and keeps heading up steam and I'm so confused to what she is doing. We go about 50 yards further and she exits the steam to my right and starts heading up hill and we crest the top and start heading down and that's when I see the doe laying there dead!! 

I'm freaking out that this deer is even dead and Sypris just pulled a Houdini. I'm saying out loud I just witness the most amazing recovery ever!! 

  After this epic recovery I'm thinking she can find every deer!! 

WRONG.. She was successful this night because the scent trail was only a few hours old, weather was cold and damp and more importantly protected by the dense canopy above. 

If we would have tried this track the following morning I'm not so sure she would have made it to the river bend down steam. 

Dogs are only successful when the scent is available for them to smell!! Scent is very complex and weather can really help or hurt your situation!! Something to think about this fall. When it's hot call sooner than later, when it's dry call sooner than later. When it's damp this keeps the scent active and will last longer. Heavy rain can completely wash everything away. If you have a massive blood trail and we get heavy rain I know a dog can still track. If the deer isn't bleeding and we get heavy rain it's extremely difficult for a dog. I have watched Sypris work after a heavy rain and the scent is completely gone where she can't even get started!!