I reckon I know something!

[Joel]

Do you have an idea as to where you hit him? It sounds as though he isn't mortally wounded.

I couldn't say for sure. Others have guessed a muscle hit. There were droppings along the trail with no blood, blood I saw wasn't dark enough for a liver shot. The bed was still warm when I found it and there was blood but not a ton. Hoping he'll recover since I didn't find him. The tracks showed he ran from the bed and I didn't see any blood past the bed so hopefully he heals up and doesn't get infected. Dude lost a lot of blood but somehow made it through the night despite the cold. My phone said -22 at 5:45 this morning.

Worst feeling I've ever had as a hunter. I did do my part as I waited for a short range broadside shot with nothing in the way but blew it somehow. Took me many many hours of hunting to get that shot at a buck that big but that's life I guess.

 

[themedic]

I couldn't say for sure. Others have guessed a muscle hit. There were droppings along the trail with no blood, blood I saw wasn't dark enough for a liver shot. The bed was still warm when I found it and there was blood but not a ton. Hoping he'll recover since I didn't find him. The tracks showed he ran from the bed and I didn't see any blood past the bed so hopefully he heals up and doesn't get infected. Dude lost a lot of blood but somehow made it through the night despite the cold. My phone said -22 at 5:45 this morning.

Worst feeling I've ever had as a hunter. I did do my part as I waited for a short range broadside shot with nothing in the way but blew it somehow. Took me many many hours of hunting to get that shot at a buck that big but that's life I guess.

It happens, shrug it off and keep hunting. It will sting until you miss another one tho, I speak from experience.

 

[Joel]

Thanks man I'm ok now. I was ready to quit for the year this morning but I'll be back at it tomorrow. Dropping one with the crossbow before the end of the season will help.

 

[Diablo54]

I'm not saying you did wrong at all. But I think in these conditions I would have kept pushing him. If he was losing that much blood the only way he is going to stop the blood loss is being able to lay down and work his wound. With the snow tracking should have been fairly easy. I agree every bit on your decision to back out. But there are times where you need to run them to death when they are bleeding good on a muscle hit. My old man taught me that lesson this year on my buck. We ran that deer a long ways and finally got to put him out of his misery after a mile and a half track hot on his tail.

 

[Joel]

I see what you're saying but I had a few good reasons not to. There was no more blood, I didn't know who's property I was getting ready to cross onto, my leg was hurting and getting worse in the deep snow and there were deer tracks everywhere. Then there was the temperature and my job. I wanted to keep at it believe me. No choice but to give up.

If I had kept at it last night eventually I may have found him but not without fresh batteries in the flashlight and permission from several sleeping neighbors.

 

[Curran]

That sucks man. It happens though. Deer are amazingly tough animals that have the will to endure.

 

[dthbyhoyt]

That does suck ..