Ideas in what may have happened?

[Droptine]

Tonight on my walk back to meet up with my buddy and go back to the truck I cornered 4 deer between my buddy's stand and where I was standing. They were 40 yards from me and my buddy in his stand. At last shooting light the buck came to 20 yards and gave me a good shot. I was standing on the ground. I took the shot and could not see where it hit the deer but it sounded like a good shot.

I found my arrow not far from the impact spot. It had good blood on the back half of the arrow. I trailed the deer in the now for about 75 yards and not a spec of blood on the ground. Some brown hair on the arrow and a small chunk of fat.

Any ideas of what may have happened. I am going back out first light tomorrow to start back on the trail after I let him lay overnight. I hope to find a blood trail before the snow starts.

 

[Bigslam51]

Could be the infamous no mans land. I hope not, and I hope you find him.

 

[Buckmaster]

At dark, sounds like a poke and hope.

Hope you find what's left in the morning. The coyotes will be eating good tonight. Take note of their tracks in the snow upon woods entry in the morning. They may leave you some clues.

Good luck.

 

[Bowhunter57]

I'd go back out around midnight with a red light and approach the area very slowly and very quietly. Keep listening while you're tracking and if you think you hear the deer moving, leave and come back in the morning.

Unless the shot was very questionable, I don't like leaving deer over night, in my area, as the coyotes will shred it in less than an hour. You know the area, so I can't give you an answer that's 100%, as there are too many variables.

* How did the deer react, when it was shot?
* Could it be headed toward thick brush?
* Could it be headed toward water?
* Did it run off with the other deer?
* Was its' tail up or down while it was running away? (a sign of being mortally wounded)
* While it was running away, did it seem to hang back and not keep up with the other deer? (another sign of being wounded)

I can tell you this...DON'T give up and good luck. :smiley_bril:
Bowhunter57

 

[Fullbore]

Well......... What did you find? Lol. Hope you recovered your deer. It sounded like you made a good shot, but I wasn't there. Hope the yotes left it alone.

 

[Droptine]

I am heading out right now. The new snow is not going to help things. I am hoping to be able to see a body now that it's light. I am going to comb the area thoroughly. I am sick about this. This is the second deer this year I may not recover. The first one was a high shoulder shot and that deer did not die. i have had several pictures since that happened. I had a good 4 year run before this with a 100% recovery record. Either way I am done hunting this year after this shot.

To answer bowhunter57 the deer kinda jumped and ran away fast when I hit him. His tail was down and all the deer scattered. He ran away by himself. I could not see him for long because he ran down a creek bank and turned the corner. When I was trailing him with his tracks it looked like one of the deer met up with his trail.

 

[Bowhunter57]

I am sick about this. This is the second deer this year I may not recover. The first one was a high shoulder shot and that deer did not die. i have had several pictures since that happened. I had a good 4 year run before this with a 100% recovery record. Either way I am done hunting this year after this shot.

Droptine,
Don't beat yourself up too much, over this. If you bowhunt long enough, it happens. Not that we should accept it and take a lazy route of not giving a damn, but rather it happens and try to improve upon what made the shot bad, so that it doesn't happen again. We're human and make mistakes, but don't have to keep repeating them...rather, learn from them to make us better.

To answer bowhunter57 the deer kinda jumped and ran away fast when I hit him. His tail was down and all the deer scattered. He ran away by himself. I could not see him for long because he ran down a creek bank and turned the corner. When I was trailing him with his tracks it looked like one of the deer met up with his trail.

I'm guessing that you'll find him. Your description of his reactions to the shot, sound like a mortally wounded deer. I just hope you get a full recovery without any loss to the coyotes. Wish I could be there to help in your recovery. Keep us posted.

Bowhunter57

 

[MK111]

I also say a wounded deer running away with a tail tucked down it's a dead deer. Most likely a liver shot. If so 100-150 yds. is normal. Not that much experience with bow shot deer but that's how deer react when gun shot.

 

[xbowguy]

Good Luck! If not a great blood trail in the first 10 yds or so, we usually go on to the house, take our time getting lights, spray bottle of peroxide, gutting bag, something to drink.......Then go back out. I hope we hear a BIG YESSSSSSSS! here in a bit!

 

[Ricer2231]

The best if luck to ya. Hope ya find him, hopefully intact.

 

[finelyshedded]

Good luck this morning!

 

[Bigslam51]

Any luck? I hope this delay in response means your dragging him out!

 

[xbowguy]

Any luck? I hope this delay in response means your dragging him out!

Was just thinking the same thing! Hope we're right!

 

[Droptine]

I wish. I just got in from grid searching the entire area since 8am. I couldn't find anything for blood or any sight. Doing some research online maybe the shot was high. The new snow cover didn't help. There is more fat than I thought once I got it inside and unfrozen.
I am going to try post a pic of the arrow shortly

 

[RedCloud]

Brisket shot deer leave a lot of fat on an arrow to so you may have shot lower then you thought. This is why I don't like shooting deer in the last couple minutes of shooting light. All you can see is a block of deer and not really a spot to aim at.

 

[Droptine]

 

[Droptine]

Is a brisket shot typically fatal?

 

[Bigslam51]

I thought you said he gave you a good shot.

 

[Milo]

I thought you said he gave you a good shot.

Shit happens sometimes. It just happens

 

[RedCloud]

Is a brisket shot typically fatal?

Usually they live and heal over. Buddy of mine did this last season or 2 seasons ago and we found the arrow and it was covered with blood and fat. We could not find much of any blood on the ground and never found the deer. We think we found it in the spring while shed hunting but the yote had it pretty tore up and we couldn't be 100% sure it was the buck he shot in the previous fall. If it was he lived for a while and made it about 3/4 mile from where he was shot but would have looped around making it a couple miles to where we found this dead buck.

Looking at that arrow I would say it is a brisket shot deer. Buddies arrow looked identical to that arrow. Fat clogged the holes and he is either filling up inside to die slowly or he will heal and be just fine. Hard to say but with that much fat, your not going to find any blood trail.