Rose the Nose: 1.6 Miles and Ten Beds Later
Rose the Nose connected the final dots on this one—but Merlin the Magician had already put in a full mile of work to get us there. This two-day recovery brought some valuable lessons about intestinal hits and knowing when to back out.
A thermal drone team had spent six hours searching without finding this buck. Once Merlin picked up the track, we found actual intestines along the trail, confirming a severe intestinal hit. That evidence on the ground told us far more about what we were dealing with than an unsuccessful aerial search could.
Merlin tracked the buck a full mile across multiple properties, roads, creeks, and even a pond before reaching what was likely his sixth or seventh bed. The zigzagging route and repeated barriers reminded me of a wounded deer trying to escape pressure. Could the extensive drone search have contributed? Possibly, but we cannot know for sure.
With the dogs exhausted and no reliable line forward, we stopped at those mile-deep beds. I spent another hour watching for buzzards in the 85-degree heat. Instead, a farmer mowing nearby bumped the buck—21 hours after the shot. More than a mile from the hit site, he was still alive and mobile.
We backed out and returned the next day with Rosie. She worked out the final stretch: the buck had circled back toward the pond, bedded several more times, and finally expired in what was likely his tenth bed.
Total distance: 1.6 miles. Even with a fatal intestinal hit, this deer remained alive much longer than many hunters would expect. Recognizing that he needed more time was a crucial part of finishing the recovery.
A huge thank-you to the hunter for trusting us and allowing us to share this recovery anonymously. Merlin followed the evidence. Rosie finished the story.
Need help recovering your deer? Call or text Send in the Hounds at 859-300-9693. We serve Kentucky, Southern Ohio and Southern Indiana.
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