Broken Arrow

[Bills Custom Calls]

While Chris was taking this pic from the house I was just in the woods in the back ground of this pic I let this doe walk past me.Notice the different color of this deer and no white in the chest area



Along came a Nice bodied deer with a small rack 6 maybe 7 points.Darkest brown in color I had ever seen.
Figured on taking him so I draw the bow and let the arrow fly about 25 yards.Good hit he went right down I could see the blood shooting out of him so I figured he would stay so I just watched as he lay there and kicked around awhile and as I watched him take what I thought was gonna be his last few breaths I realized I frogot my knife so I took the long walk back home got the knife the camera and my helper (Chris) only to find a big spot of blood and a slight blood trail when we got back.Followed the trail and found my arrow





Now I know there is a deer out there hit hard with a broad head stuck in him but the blood trail ended and we searched and look under ever thorny bush and crook and cranny there was and haven't found him yet.My sister and her husband will continue to look tomorrow and if they don't find him till I get home I will look some more
This just makes me sick.This is the 2nd deer I have lost since I have been hunting and both have been in the last 3 years.

[FinsnFur]

Thats never a fun situation, but the more effort you put into looking for her, the better you'll feel when you do find her.

[Bills Custom Calls]

I will keep looking till I am satisfied that the Buck has moved on

[George Ackley]

Bill i have confidence you will find it or you will give it everything you can to find it..

I been bow hunting most of my hunting life witch is over 30 years and would like to maybe give you a couple things i have learned over them years .

loosing deer and bad shots are going to happen . it docent matter if your hunting 30 years or 3 years so dont be discouraged buddy.

first thing you do when a deer runs off is try and think about the hit , was it good ? was it bad ?
either way you always give the deer time if I hart shoot a deer and he falls in my line of sight i give him a hour minimum.
if i would have come back to find it gone as you did i would have look at the blood tying to determend what kind of hit made then I would have thought about the weather and how long it would stay good for in the woods if dead. then I would have returned home and given him all the time i could to lay up and die.

he is my thought, the deer never knows he is shot by a hunter. it just don't calculate like that in his brain.
what he knows it that he is no longer feeling the same . so his reaction after impact is that of being startteled
witch happen to them many time over there lives in the outdoors. they will just run off to they feel safe then bed down. arrows kill by blood lose , they will lay up, shot good or bad, then go into shock do to loosing blood and then die.
its all about time,,  and given them as much as you think you can.

what you did getting out of your stand was now put you into the picture and they do fear you . he most likely seen or hurd or smelled yea and got up and took off. then you most likely came back and got on his trail and pushed him again.

lots of time you will know your doing this because you will keep finding where it stops by way of larger areas of blood on the trail

if you finding spots of blood and then come across a spot with much more blood then you have been finding along the way tells you that this is where he tried to stop and then was pushed again.

the deer is now dead most likely, so i would get back out there in the mooring if you can and start your tracking over again from were you hit the deer  also mark the trail so you can keep looking back to see the direction it is taken yea.
get to you last blood and look for more, spend time looking for sign of witch way he went. if your markers are telling you he has been running strait north then direct you attentions that way if blood isn't picted back up.   you go to last blood and start making ever growing circles away from the last blood  you should pick him back up

take your time and get as much help as your can.

I am shore you will find him dead and with him facing looking back on his trail.

good luck pal

ps

bill if you already new all this  :biggrin:then i say good luck and hope you find him buddy

[KySongDog]

I would have put another arrow in him.    Then when you poke him in the eye with the end of your bow you know he is dead. 

Not good karma to let an animal suffer.

[George Ackley]

I would never put a another arrow in him most likely that would also get him up and running.
that deer had no clue what happened he didn't now that he was hit with a killing arrow or a stick falling from the ski or did he know he was dieing the secant arrow would have spook him and if the 2 arrow didn't kill him it would only startled him into a adrenalin rush run witch could have sent him off to the next county. a spine shot deer would get my 2 arrow and only a spine shot deer. i wouldnt even atemp a 2 shot on a gut shot deer with time he will die

the deer had no clue what just happened and would have died on the spot if hit good and not spooked

[KySongDog]

The deer got up and ran off after the first arrow so how does putting another one in him increase the odds of him running?      

You do it your way and I'll do it my way.   I do not like to sit back and watch an animal suffer.  I owe the animal a quick death.

As it now stands,  Bill has to go looking for a deer that is probably dead somewhere and spoiled. 

[George Ackley]

if you like to take a 2 shot as the deer exits then go right ahead

bill did have that opportunity he didn't see it leave, I thought he returned to just blood.

you right thou you do you thing I will do mine 

[KySongDog]

if you like to take a 2 shot as the deer exits then go right ahead

bill did have that opportunity he didn't see it leave, I thought he returned to just blood.

you right thou you do you thing I will do mine 

Bill saw the deer lay down but was still alive and "kicking around".

Good hit he went right down I could see the blood shooting out of him so I figured he would stay so I just watched as he lay there and kicked around awhile and as I watched him take what I thought was gonna be his last few breaths I realized I frogot my knife so I took the long walk back home got the knife the camera and my helper (Chris) only to find a big spot of blood and a slight blood trail when we got back.

My point is, George, I would not have left a live deer on the ground which was kicking around.   I would have killed it before going to get whatever it was I needed.   


But again, I ain't here to tell anybody how to hunt.   I just do things my way.  To each his own.   

[pitw]

  Fight you varmints  .  In my eyes the mistake was made in leaving the animal without making sure it was anchored and I have done the same thing just the once which taught me a lesson I haven't forgot.   I did find him after a search but if I had walked straight to him it would have saved me a lot of anguish and a few hours.

[CCP]

Sorry to hear Bill. Hope you find it.

Now go get you a 17HMR heard they anchor everything on the spot from 1 to 500 yards.

[George Ackley]

 No Fight ,just different opinions is all
my experience tells me do nothing to spook the deer ,if its a good hit let him lay there and die,
semps is different i am cool with that..

bill said he has been bow hunting for 3 years, that is still new to bow hunting,
just given bill my experiencs then it lead into discussion  with semp and thats what these sight are all about.

[Bills Custom Calls]

Ok

George I have been bow hunting for about 20 years and lost one deer 3 years ago and I am not counting this one gone yet

I have been out all afternoon since I got back from voting and I have more help on the way temps were in the 20's this morning and are at 50 right now

I have been hunting deer since i was 15 years old I have seen a few deer die in my time and this one sure looked like it was done in.When I left the deer it was done kicking around but still bleeding.

I haven't seen anything die with out doing some kicking or body tense up before it expires completely

[slagmaker]

I bet when ya went to the house for the kife and camera the chubacabra got it.

I have to agree with CCP a 17HMR would have nailed him to the ground with a bang and a flop.

[HaMeR]

Bill-- Go toward whatever water might be around.

[Bills Custom Calls]

After 4 of us searching this evening we found the spot where he bedded up for quite a period of time and he has moved on not leaving any type of trail for us to follow.

Glen
He went back the road to the pond then made a left along the fence and the field where VV you and I hunted crow went that way for a piece then bedded in the back side of the pines across from the pond so my guess is this buck wasn't hit as hard as I expected and more then likely I will get the chance to see him again

Yes this makes me sick that the buck was wounded and not recovered.This was a lesson hard learned

[HaMeR]

Well it sucks to lose an animal but it happens to all of us. I hate it too. They don't always tend to give up the ghost when hit. Even on a good shot. If I remember right those are the pines that are off limits for you too aren't they?? That don't help you any either. But if you can't get permission to look then you can't find him. If he's over there it's not your problem. Sad to say it that way.

[FinsnFur]

Until the neighbor calls and brags about the buck he just bagged under the pines

Actually that would be a little bit of relief, wouldnt it Bill
I wouldn't lose any sleep over it, nobodys perfect except me and I dont bow hunt, so I'm protected

[Bills Custom Calls]

I got permission from that amish man to hunt that corner the pines are moms but yes the property line kinda hits the edge of them

Yes Jim it would be a bit of a relief and no I am not gonna loose any sleep over this.Your right I am not perfect but I have patted myself on the back a few times in the past 

[vayotehowler]

My cousin is new to bowhunting and shot a nice 8 this year and we tracked a sparse blood trail too. never found it and You always hear wasted animal. From our point of view that is true, but nature doesnt waste , Scavengers , coyotes, raccoon, possum crow hawk all will feed on that animal, fertilize trees and the soil, I feel for ya dont mean it to sound like I dont . My brother shot an 8 a couple of nights and knocked on the door 8 pm was out till 1130let alone 5 min before he shot the 8 he had a 300# bear at the foot of his tree and we were looking in the dark with that bear. I am out of the woods well before last light and may miss big bucks but is two fold . dont wanna lose an animal trying to trail in dark , and dont wanna be up til 2 am processing (temps pretty mild here right now). I am sorry didnt recover but nature has uses for it