Shot a nice buck this morning and absolutely no blood trail ! Has this happened to anyone before ? He was about 40-50 yds and i dont think i shot over him .Any ideas ?
Muzzleloader hit no blood
- Thread starter TIGGREM2
- Start date
MickThompson
Well-Known Member
What bullet?
I rarely get much of a blood trail with a muzzle loader. They also don't normally go very far either. Do you think it was a good shot?
Bullet was a Traditions smackdown 50 cal 250 gr
Bullet was a Traditions smackdown 50 cal 250
Very very common with muzzy
How do you know you hit him if there was no blood?
Yep. Shot one once and all i found was a tuft of hair. Found him during grid search approximately 100 yards away. Perfect shot too. It happens.
backyardtndeer
Well-Known Member
What was his body language? Sometimes hard to see before the smoke clears, but maybe you saw how he reacted? Have seen a few over the years that didn't bleed right away, mostly deer my wife has shot. Best advice I could give would be to keep on looking. If you hit him good, you should eventually find some blood or the deer.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Had that happen several times with a ML.
Dropped his head and tail and ran into the woods . From where he was shot to the woods approximately 60 ft .
Yes i do believe that it was a hit .
I'd say that bullet didn't expand. Same bullet as an sst or shockwave. Almost sounds like possible gut shot tho.
Dennis
Well-Known Member
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- Aug 27, 2019
- Messages
- 822
I think you should follow the direction he headed for a couple hundred yards looking for blood or him.
I've had it happen with rifles too. Eventually they start leaking, but before they do, they can cover enough distance in the woods to make it tough.
philsanchez76
Well-Known Member
Dang I hope you find him man! Get you a hound!.
unfortunately ive experienced this quite a few times as well. This is the entire reason I switched to a smokeless muzzleloader. Most standard muzzleloader loads are going pretty slow (1500-2000 fps) and the projectiles don't seem to open up very well. Hasn't been an issue with the smokeless in the 2500-3000 fps range.
Keep us updated on this!
unfortunately ive experienced this quite a few times as well. This is the entire reason I switched to a smokeless muzzleloader. Most standard muzzleloader loads are going pretty slow (1500-2000 fps) and the projectiles don't seem to open up very well. Hasn't been an issue with the smokeless in the 2500-3000 fps range.
Keep us updated on this!
Been looking since 9:30 this morning. Shot him about 8:45 am and backed out didnt want to push him
killingtime 41
Well-Known Member
Get a dog if you have to. I'd say if he dropped his head and tail he was most likely hit no guarantee though. Maybe a liver hit who knows really. But peace of mind is worth whatever a dog cost is
backyardtndeer
Well-Known Member
Sounds like the shot may have been back. I would look close at the edge of the woods where he went in, bet you find blood somewhere on the edge.
