A grazing hit typically knocks clumps of hair from a deer rather than individual strands. Photo by Richard P. Smith.

In this particular case, the shot apparently caused some nerve damage because the buck was dragging his feet more than a healthy deer would. The buck was also favoring a front leg. Those characteristics were enough, along with the size of the prints, to stay on the buck's trail.

Because of the type of injury the buck suffered, teaming up with my brother was the best way to recover him. I concentrated on following the whitetail's tracks while Bruce paralleled me off to one side, constantly looking ahead for the buck. We knew a follow-up shot would be necessary to put the buck down for keeps.

We hadn't gone far on the injured deer's trail when I saw him ahead. Unfortunately, Bruce wasn't in position for a shot and the buck took off. We followed the deer at least another half mile when Bruce spotted a whitetail ahead of us in a thick swamp and asked me if it was the buck we were after.

Based on previous experience snow tracking wounded bucks, we knew that deer you see ahead of you isn't always the one you are following. Wounded whitetails will seek out other deer in an effort to throw trackers off or at least distract or confuse them. On a previous snow recovery effort, Bruce shot a deer that popped up ahead of us, assuming it was the right one. It proved to be a doe that had been healthy up until that point. Fortunately, we had a tag for that deer.

After Bruce brought the whitetail ahead of us in the swamp to my attention, I tried to see the deer's head, but couldn't do it from a standing position, so I crouched low for a different perspective. From a low angle, I was able to make out the buck's rack and told my brother to take him. That shot was on the money, ending what could have been a much longer recovery effort.

Bruce learned a valuable lesson that day that other hunters can benefit from. That is it is important to reload immediately when hunting with a muzzleloader, even when a deer drops in its tracks and you are confident of a good hit. By doing so, you can increase the chances of being ready for a follow-up shot if the first one does not anchor a deer. If Bruce had started reloading his muzzleloader as a precaution soon after he shot, he might have been able to put the whitetail down for keeps after it regained its feet.

Being ready for follow-up shots is also important for hunters using centerfire firearms and archery equipment. Even when a deer drops with a broken back and is unable to get up, a finishing shot with bow or gun is often required.