Last evening my dad walked a bit for me and pushed a group of deer to me. The gun just flashed for the first one that stopped, but a second deer stopped in exactly the same spot, about 15 yards away and exactly broadside. I dropped the hammer on it with the sights just behind the front shoulder. I knew immediately I had hit the deer because it looked like it was hurting pretty bad. As it was climbing the hill to my right it looked like it was almost dragging itself, then at the top it stood there for a few minutes, slowed down, and finally laid down. I reloaded, but before I was done it got up and followed the other deer up over the ridge and away from me. When it got up I noticed it was hunched up in the middle at the spine. We followed it about 500 yards. It bedded twice in that space, but there was minimal blood loss and we never recovered it. At the bedding spots we found there was no blood in the beds. My dad has suggested either a. I hit it too high and the ball went in between the spine and the vitals or b. I hit too far back and got a gut shot. Which of these sounds more likely to you guys and should I be up there this morning looking in the really heavy brush where we lost the trail to see if I can find this deer? For my peace of mind, thanks guys!

Gut shot or leg shot. It is impossible to shoot between the spine and the lungs without hitting one of the two. That deer is dead if it is a gut shot, which I think is the most likely scenario based on the description of his reaction. On questionable hits, it is best to back out. A gut shot can take quite some time to be fatal and usually they bed down quickly if not spooked from their bed.

So his front legs looked good but he was dragging his back half?

^^^This

I,d rule out spine damage after how you described how it got back up and left with the other deer.Sounds like a gut shot which can and mostly always leaves little to know blood.It is bleedin internally.

Yes,I would make every attempt to find the deer.Good luck.

Sure sounds like a dead deer.

My two cents...

Many gut shot deer travel fairly straight lines.
When they do bed, they often bed high, after circling back a little so they can watch their backtrail. (if there's not water nearby)

Good luck and I hope you find it!

Relay what I saw as far as gut shot mzl. deer a few years ago.I heard a shot about 9:30 am. one year not far across a creek.Fresh snow.Walked out to car at 10:00 past a set of tracks close by but nothing stuck out to me.Fast forward to about 2pm.I came back to hunt and looked closer at track.Saw small spot of greenish blood near them.Followed tracks for about 150yds.And found blood all over where deer kept getting up and laying down in small area.Followed tracks a short distance and looked under a pine and there was a buck looking at me.The wounded deer!Deer ran.I followed and it laid down again 15yds from me when I found it again.Almost on it's last breath.No buck tag.Just goes to show you how long they will live.Deer traveled at least 300-400yds and crossed a stream and laid in thick area.Don't think it was interested in getting a drink at that point, just escaping.

The deer wasn't dragging itself really... just running really low to the ground. And fast. I was thinking maybe I clipped the back of one of the lungs. I will probably head back and look some more. Thanks!

A gut shot deer can easily live for 12+ hours and that deer is most likely gut shot.If you have snow,back out and come back the next day.If the deer isn't down within 100 yards,it's most likely not hit in the vitals.