Lost One

[Bucky T]

This past weekend I shot a fat doe on Saturday afternoon. Well, I made a simple range miscalculation that cost me finding the deer. Hit her low, very low. The shot was right on the money until the last moment. The arrow did a nose dive and hit her it looked like just below her heart. The arrow didn't pass through. Another 2" and it would have shaved some belly hair off her.

We tracked her for nearly 600yds before all the blood gave out. I never found the arrow, not even a piece of it. She ended up being 35yds away from me, not 25 yards like I thought. I was hunting in planted pines and the depth perception in those pines always seems to be off to me, I guess because everything looks basically the same.

I tracked her well into Sunday and came up empty handed. We didn't pressure the deer at all and never even found a spot where she laid down. She kept moving the whole time apparently.

I hate it that we didn't find her, but we (my dad and a good friend) gave the doe all we had. I looked for 3 more hours after the last blood crawling on my hands and knees in a horribly thick reed cane thicket that she looked like she was heading to.

Maybe she'll make it. I'm not counting on it however.

Tommy

 

[Hunting Teacher]

Thomas,
I had almost exactly the same experience about three years ago. The only difference is as I released my arrow this big doe took a step. Hit her back too far. Same thing though. Just no blood to follow after 100 yards. I looked late into Saturday night and returned Sunday and looked for four more hours.Nothing!
I KNOW this one died though. It still really bothers me to this day. It may be a part of hunting but that doesn't make it any easier.
The important thing is you showed that deer the respect of giving it your all and then some! Nobody can do any more than that.
Teach

 

[Guy]

Only time will heal that wound for you and hopefully that doe. I did it last year with a rifle. Stupid 30/30! It was most likely my fault but we did have two dogs and still didn't find him. Tracked him for roughly 4-6 hours.

 

[redneck_georgin]

something like that happen to me but my arrow fell of my rest and did know it fell and when i pulled my bow back to shoot a doe and shoot with no aroow and it dry fired my bow im luck i didnt screw up my bow but it scard off my doe. ill get her next time.

 

[Mrbowdeadly]

Hello!

That is a drag. Had it happen as well. I would assume if you have been bowhunting long enough it has happened to you. I do have a suggestion. I got tired of "guesstimating" range, so I bought a pendulum sight. I love it. It works great. I upgraded to a tritium pin that glows. Doesn't need any batteries. You may want to invest in this type of sight, eliminates guess work. How long did you wait to trail her? Generally a wounded deer will bed up or go to water or both. Sometimes if you leave them alone for a while you can find them, or at least get close enough to jump them and see where the wound is. My buddy helped track one that was shot in the trouser snake. No joke. They kept jumping him and pushing him. He told the hunter that shot the deer to come back in the morning. Next morning he was recovered in the same area bedded up. You can find articles in GON and most bowhunting magazines that give approximate wait times based on the place the arrow hit the animal. Heck I am sure somebody here on woodys would know too.

Hope that helps!
MBD

 

[BROWNING7WSM]

I know you feel bummed out, we spend all this time practicing for the shot then to lose one.. Its gonna happen sometimes. When things like that happen to me I try not to make the same mistakes twice.. One thing I do while bowhunting is before the season I go around my stands and mark different ranges on tree limbs with different colored flagging tape. I choose colors that match my sight colors and put them at the according distances as my sight. That way I know my distance..Sorry to hear you didnt recover her, dont let it get you down.. Good luck...

 

[HT2]

Tommy.......

I know you hate it bud.....

If you bow hunt long enough.......It's gonna happen.......

Maybe she'll make it to live another day......

Now get you another one.....

 

[NotaVegetarian]

It happens during this season, you are not the first, and sadly you won’t be the last. I lost another large porker this past weekend. It was a clean pass through, good blood for about 100 yards, a small pool where it had stopped for a moment. Then not another drop. We spent all afternoon looking, and came up empty handed. It hasn’t stopped me from trying, or wanting to go. So get back out there and try again.

 

[duke13]

Like someone else said, if ya bowhunt sooner or later this probably will happen to ya. Even well placed shots sometimes result in lost deer.

I used to miss a lot of deer due to distance estimation. No matter how good you may think you are, estimation is very difficult. Buy a range finder. You don't have to go get one of the lazer $200 ones. I have a ranging that cost about $45. I get in my stand, check out my shooting windows and range them out so when the deer show up I know my distance.

Sorry you lost one. It sounds like y'all did all you could to find her. Congrats on putting yourself in the right position for a shot and you are to be commended for the effort you made to trail the animal!

Better luck next time!

 

[gtaff]

Duke13

Where did you find the range finder for 45$?

 

[How2fish]

Man I hate that for you! I've been there myself and it suxs!

 

[huntnnut]

That's a bummer, though it happens some times even with a gun. Just mark some known distances around your stand next time and you should be fine.

Good luck!

 

[duke13]

Where did you find the range finder for 45$?

Cabelas has the Ranging TLR75 for $48.99. Camo is an extra $10

This is NOT a lazer rangefinder but an optical dial in thingie. You calibrate it to a known distance then look thru it and you see 2 images. You dial it until the images become one image and it has a readout on the inside of the viewfinder of the distance. This would be for bowhunting only. The max distance it is good for is maybe 40-45 yards.

 

[huntaholic]

hang tuff

Hang in there TL SAME thing happend to me last year I shot at a doe an never found it,broke my heart sounds like you gave it your all an thats all any good sportsman can do. good luck on your nex hunt!!!!!

 

[Etter1]

It sux but it happens to everyone. I've only ever lost one. Grazed her brisket with a .50 caliber musket ball out of a flintlock. Found some hair and one drop of blood. Confident she lived a long time after that. Sorry man, but there's a chance she'll be okay. At least it's a clean surgical cut with a broadhead rather than a bullet that will break apart inside her. I've seen bears killed that had been shot before and had one lung totally collapsed!

 

[bobcat]

I shot a doe three years ago at about 15 yards and shot just a little high.We tracked her about 1 mile and never found the deer,went back the next morning and tracked her about another 1/4 mile.Found 2 spots where she bed down with lots of blood but never found the deer.Two years later a buddy of mine shot a big doe about 3oo yards from where I shot her.When he was cleaning her he found my broad head in her front leg/chest cavity area she bleed alot and still lived after loosing all that blood.It,s weird how they survive the things they do.

 

[Bucky T]

Thanks for the nice replies

It happens, that is all I can say. I've been depressed for a few days, but I'm ready to get back in the game again!!

I'm totally amazed how strong a deer is. How they can travel the distances after being hit like that. If a person was shot in the arm with a bow or gun, they'd flip over and start screaming!!!!

The spot is a good one, and the trail is traveled regularly. I won't be able to get in there until next weekend, but you guy's can bet I'll know where to put my pin if another nanny steps out in that opening.

Good luck to all of you and hopefully may it be better than mine!!

Tommy

 

[hpurvis]

bummer

Don't you just hate those times.

 

[Murdock]

I did it too!

Tommy, I hate to hear thta, but I did the same thing. As a matter of fact twice already this year. I hit one high Saturday at 15 yards. The arrow went completely through, yet, there was no blood to follow. I searched diligently for two hours solid and saw no blood or deer. I was sure I had made a solid hit. I had shot one at 30 last week at a different location and shot her through the chest with no blood trail either. Arrow was covered. I switched to Muzzy 100 grain 3 blades this year. I have been thinking about going back with Spitfire mechanicals as I have shot two over the last two years and recovered both deer. I practiced to make sure I was on the money and I am. I have hit a run of BAD luck. That is a sick feeling. I looked at hard as I could and even thought about retiring for the season.
Murdock