re: What percentage of deer have you had to track after the shot?

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Oh and at that range if you shoot them high shoulder 99% of them will take a dirt nap right there.

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Good advice. If you miss the spine (a very small target), at close range a high velocity round like the 30-06 will still usually dislocate the spine resulting in same effect as a spine shot. I used to take this shot frequently but found out that at the reduced velocity of my handguns, there wasn't enough energy to reliably dislocate the shoulder. W/ this shot, it's possible to shoot higt enough to miss (or barely nick) the lungs, but low enough to miss the spine.

I normally shoot behind the lungs, 1/3-1/2 up from the brisket. W/ this shot I expect the deer to run up to 100 yards. I don't really think of that as a "tracking" job. The few times I had to actually track a deer was because of poor shot placement (e.g. stomach) or marginal caliber (6 mm). Be careful of your angles, especially if the deer is severely angled to you. When that happens, a shot behind entering behind the shoulder will end up in the entrails and prolly not exit. This happened w/ the 2nd deer my son killed. Deer ran 150 yds w/ VERY sparse blood trail.

A few tips:
1. If you think you didn't make the shot you wanted, wait at least 30 min before looking for the deer.
2. A wounded deer usually runs downhill and frequently goes to water.
3. It's very encouraging to have a big search party, but a big search party can also mess up a weak blood trail.
4. Observe the deer's behavior to the shot. A sudden, head long run frequently means a heart shot deer. A dropped tail usually means a mortally shot deer. Tail up frequently means a miss. A hard hit deer will frequently stagger at the shot. Listen carefully for the direction the deer ran; you might even here it pile up.
5. If it's nearly dark or if there's heavy thickets near the hunting area, consider shooting a deer in the shoulder(s). Yeah, you'll lose a little meat, but the deer will be easier to find.
6. Keep a role of survey tape or toilet paper to mark your blood trail. If the blood trail gives out, you can go back to where the trail stops and resume the search. Sometimes the marker will show you the general direction of the trail.

Enjoy your hunt. Using a 30-06, if you make a good shot you shouldn't have any problem finding that deer.