Lost my first deer

[Fehyd643]

The good news is, the rut is on in 8g!  Short version for those who don't want to read: Shot my biggest deer, tracked for 4 hours, did not retrieve!

 

 

So this is only my 3rd season with a bow (4th season hunting at all).  Took a decent 6 with a bow 2 years ago, and a nice doe last year with bow. Couple more does with gun.

 

So I am finally presented with a big rack friday morning.  I'm sitting in my stand and around 8am a doe walks by all nonchalant.  I wait for a chaser, and sure enough I see a big 12pt in the woods staring at her.  Doe carries on, and finally the big boy comes out of the thick stuff and starts following her.  Neck is HUGE and all puffed up.  Rack is ugly, but thick and big.

 

He's walking a trail that has about 2 clean shooting opportunities from my stand, so I wait.  He crosses the first lane kinda fast, so I don't take that shot.  He slows down and stops right in the second window. Perfect broadside at about 30yds.  I release and hear a nice thwack! I don't see the arrow hit, cause I forced myself not to peak during/after the shot.  I DO see him jump sideways and almost fold in half.  He stumbles, starts running kinda sideways and goes out of site.

 

It starts to rain, so I get down to just look for the impact site, checking for blood.  After looking around a bit, I see no blood so I get a bit discouraged.  I finally found the back 1/3rd of my arrow. It's got blood and hair on it.  Blood smells clean, and it's bright(ish) red!

 

I wait about a half an hour, then start sweeping the ground in the general direction I saw him run.  I don't want to wait too long because it's raining on and off.  About 100yds away, I find my first drop.  Not gushing, not a lot of blood, just a drop.  Over the next 3 hours. I track this deer.  I'm finding drops about every 3 feet, zig-zagging through the woods.  He didnt take any logical path and changed directions a couple times.  Eventually the trail goes cold.  I widen and widen my sweep, and finally find a few drops about 100yds from the last sign.  I find it on the border of a property I don't have retrieval rights for, and no way to contact the land owner.  Never found the front half of my arrow.

 

I know this happens, but this was my first.  it is absolutely gut wrenching!  I spent over 4 hours total bent over looking for single drops of blood in the rain.  I can barely stand up today, but I would have spend 10x that amount of time to find this sucker!

 

Pretty sure it was a good shot. Not sure why the arrow broke, not sure what the trickle of bright red blood indicates (was raining, so the color may have been diluted because of rain).  I assume the front half of my arrow is still in the deer, clogging the wound maybe?

 

I like to think I did everything I could, and I did everything right. Just having a hard time accepting that I left this deer to die and get eaten by yotes.    Going back out tomorrow, but I won't lie, I'm already feeling hesitant letting an arrow go.

[First-light]

It happens. I have done that in the past. You will get over it and shoot something else. Hopefully that deer makes it. We have gotten a few with arrows in them that were healed over. Good luck

[monkeyman2269]

Sounds like a shoulder hit

[UpStateRedNeck]

I did the same exact thing last year, biggest deer I've ever shot at or drawn on. First one I've not recovered, even bringing in the neighbors tracking dog the following day. Followed the blood almost 2 miles and never found the arrow either.

[growalot]

Why no deer search? ...Sorry you lost him..been there (even with deer search) ..though I found out a year later what happened to him...well at least someone got the rack

[HFBPA889]

Bummer...this has happened to most everyone. Maybe you should try deer search, it's worth a shot.

[Fehyd643]

I would have tried deer search, but the trail went to another property that I don't have permission to be on. Long story, but getting permission is not going to happen.  I searched along the property line for a while to see if maybe he crossed back, but came up empty. The way the blood was (tiny drops every 3 or 4 ft) I am just hoping he lived. 

[ants]

Sorry to hear but, It happens…Almost the exact same thing happened to me 2 years ago with a nice 8. Everything seemed right, clean shot…..Like I said it happens

[growalot]

Don'tknow circimstances on that but if you had contact #'s ...Deer search could possibly help with that...just saying..

[turkeyfeathers]

Don'tknow circimstances on that but if you had contact #'s ...Deer search could possibly help with that...just saying..

Said he didn't have nor can get permission  

[UpStateRedNeck]

When I described a very similar shot to deer search last year, they told me I wasn't going to find it, even with a dog. Guy had been doing it 20 years, knew what he was talking about. It's such a crappy feeling, knowing the coyotes were going to get him eventually.

[growalot]

 

Posted Today, 10:20 AM

growalot, on 07 Nov 2015 - 10:17 AM, said:

Don'tknow circimstances on that but if you had contact #'s ...Deer search could possibly help with that...just saying..

Said he didn't have nor can get permission 

 

I understood that...what I meant was the circumstances of why they would not give him permission...where as if he had contact #'s perhaps they would let DEER Search retrieve....I have to say I do not see how ppl can't seem to find the contact info on land owners these days...I have NEVER had a problem getting info

[turkeyfeathers]

I understood that...what I meant was the circumstances of why they would not give him permission...where as if he had contact #'s perhaps they would let DEER Search retrieve....I have to say I do not see how ppl can't seem to find the contact info on land owners these days...I have NEVER had a problem getting info

if he's positive the landowner wasn't ever going to grant him permission to ever search for his deer why would landowner ever give him their #  Basic math not Common Core

[Fehyd643]

I'm hunting the property as a guest of a guest. I do not own the land.  My close friend has permission to hunt the property, as well as the ability to bring one other person.  The actual land owners have had issues with the neighboring property.  I do not know the land owner personally.  The land I tracked the deer to is not posted (no contact info on signs) and is currently being leased to a farmer as far as I know.  Without prior permission, I will not step a foot onto that land.

 

Yes, I probably could have tried to get the land-owner's permission.  By the time I got in contact with the owner, IF he would have allowed a retrieval (which I have been assured that he would NOT do so) I may have been able to track the deer further.

 

Considering the frequency and size of the blood trail, the rain and the local coyote population, I decided that getting into a possible debate or pissing match with the land owner, as a guest of the property I was hunting, was not worth it.  Like I said, long story.

 

 

After doing a bunch of research, I am hoping that this was just a shoulder shot like MonkeyMan said.

[Five Seasons]

How does blood smell clean?

[First-light]

I imagine he meant it wasn't a stomach shot. 

[ants]

How does blood smell clean?

I think he meant no gut smell…...

[ants]

I'm hunting the property as a guest of a guest. I do not own the land.  My close friend has permission to hunt the property, as well as the ability to bring one other person.  The actual land owners have had issues with the neighboring property.  I do not know the land owner personally.  The land I tracked the deer to is not posted (no contact info on signs) and is currently being leased to a farmer as far as I know.  Without prior permission, I will not step a foot onto that land.

 

Yes, I probably could have tried to get the land-owner's permission.  By the time I got in contact with the owner, IF he would have allowed a retrieval (which I have been assured that he would NOT do so) I may have been able to track the deer further.

 

Considering the frequency and size of the blood trail, the rain and the local coyote population, I decided that getting into a possible debate or pissing match with the land owner, as a guest of the property I was hunting, was not worth it.  Like I said, long story.

 

 

After doing a bunch of research, I am hoping that this was just a shoulder shot like MonkeyMan said.

Don't listen to the Monday morning quarterbacks……..After I lost a deer 2 years ago, I was dumb enough to post about it and all the perfect people did nothing but give me crap about it.."Why did you hunt in the rain?? why didn't you call deer search?? why didn't you practice more??"  Blah blah freaking blah… Humans make mistakes and things go wrong even when you think they won't. Except for the perfect few of course… Try not to sweat it too much.. it  sucks but it happens…..

[Five Seasons]

Don't listen to the Monday morning quarterbacks……..After I lost a deer 2 years ago, I was dumb enough to post about it and all the perfect people did nothing but give me crap about it.."Why did you hunt in the rain?? why didn't you call deer search?? why didn't you practice more??" Blah blah freaking blah… Humans make mistakes and things go wrong even when you think they won't. Except for the perfect few of course… Try not to sweat it too much.. it sucks but it happens…..

And most of the perfects just never post their failures. Learning from mistakes and getting advice is what a truly humble and learned man will do.

[ants]

And most of the perfects just never post their failures. Learning from mistakes and getting advice is what a truly humble and learned man will do.

Meaning that they never openly admit to their failures….Truly humble indeed

[wheelieman]

Sounds like a shoulder shot for sure, Also sounds like you were pushing him a little, Go online in the am, Go to the county you were huntings website, Look under real property tax and find the parcel and get the info you need, They should have the landowners info even if its just a current address and you just might get your permission, Its cold enough tonight that the deer will be good if you find him, look for crows and while your walking little patches of white fur or the outline of the deer laying there, make a grid and work it both ways, some times you wont see any thing but when you come back through you will see it, Good luck

[jjb4900]

And most of the perfects just never post their failures. Learning from mistakes and getting advice is what a truly humble and learned man will do.

quite honestly, I've been around the block a few times and really don't need the advice or attacks of those who have the same or less experience then myself....tracked more deer then the majority, having had deer tracking dogs and having been a member of Deer Search for a few years, I'm fairly confident that I don't need to seek out help from others as I have probably seen every scenario possible....post a failure here for those less experienced to attack? I think not.

[wolc123]

This sounds like a good place to use "bloodglow" tonight. You might even find it before the coyotes do. That stuff is supposed to make blood glow in the moon or starlight, after you mix it with water. It was developed for crime scene use. I think the active ingredient is "luminol". The cost last year was $29 for enough to track (4) deer. They say it works even better in the rain. I bought some last fall but have not tried it yet for both deer I hit since have died within 40 yards. Where are you located?

Edited November 8, 2015 by wolc123

[Five Seasons]

quite honestly, I've been around the block a few times and really don't need the advice or attacks of those who have the same or less experience then myself....tracked more deer then the majority, having had deer tracking dogs and having been a member of Deer Search for a few years, I'm fairly confident that I don't need to seek out help from others as I have probably seen every scenario possible....post a failure here for those less experienced to attack? I think not.

Well I guess you're not open to advice because you've mastered it. I don't care how long you've hunted, we can all learn.

I'm not saying you should post all your failures, I'm just agreeing that most of the attackers aren't any more perfect than the rest.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ants]

quite honestly, I've been around the block a few times and really don't need the advice or attacks of those who have the same or less experience then myself....tracked more deer then the majority, having had deer tracking dogs and having been a member of Deer Search for a few years, I'm fairly confident that I don't need to seek out help from others as I have probably seen every scenario possible....post a failure here for those less experienced to attack? I think not.

I learned my lesson..