Good luck

 

You are not tracking it now?

 

It's dark now wife made me come in. Deer was shot about a 1/4 mile from my house.

 

Front to back where was the shot placed?

Following the neck the spine gets down pretty low with alot of meat/fat above anyting in the chest area just under the spine is getting vitals a bit back and you have liver, either way its a dead dear. High shot may have poor blood trail all the blood could stay in the body cavity, may have to do a grid search for that deer.

Could you give us the info on your set up?, second though does not matter, if 45% of the arrow was in there its moving as the deer moves and continuing to do damage, you have yourself a deer if your patient and diligent enough to put the time in tracking.

Good luck

 

My set up is a Elite Pure at 70lbs. Shooting a Gold Tip Kinetic Hunter 300 spline. The Broadheads are 125g Grim Reaper Razor Tips.

 

Oh yes the arrow placement is above the Lungs probably above the back quarter above the lungs.

 

Above the lungs and below the spine....here we go again.

 

I had a shot on a doe very similar to that on which was my last hunt of the year before I left on vacation around x-mas. It was a morning hunt and I backed out for about an hour and a half. Got a good blood trail about 30 yards from the shot and it was very easy tracking. Lots of blood first 100 yards. Still lots of blood the next hundred. I'm thinking how is this thing still on its feet. Still very easy tracking next 100 yards. Finally after another 100 yards of easy tracking and not being able to believe it wasn't just right there, I heard leaves rustling and knew she was still alive but not able to get up. I had brought my bow so I knocked an arrow. I circled around and she was there trying to get up a bank and cross a road but didn't have the strength. I had to shoot and then go grab and pull her away from the road before somebody drove by (paved road with a bit of traffic). Anyway the initial shot caught just a bit of the spine on the bottom (which initially knocked her down) and buried about 10" deep. The arrow was not in her but I backtracked the blood and found it about 25 yards from where I found her still in good shape. How she went that far and stayed alive I'll never know. From what I saw there is no void below the spine, only lungs. I'm no expert but from from this experience I would say you have a dead deer. Also when I hit her she dropped got back up and looked around a few seconds. Then she trotted off to 30 yards and started looking around some more for about a minute. I didn't have a shot from there. Then she ran off and disapperared over a hill. If you knick the spine it will temporarily stun them but then they regain themselves and are able to run off. If you know this already sorry but maybe someone will benefit. Try to get a second arrow in them if at all possible. I learned that the hard way last year. Good luck and let us know.

 

keep us posted.

good luck finding your buck.

 

I don't like your chances.

 

Nor do I

 

sounds like all back straps to me, good luck I hope you got some vitals

 

When I saw this deer walking off it had the arrow stuck in it, like a spear. showing on both sides, my guess it lodged into some bone. Hopefully I find it, it's cold tonight so it should preserve any meat if it dies.

 

If you did get it just below the spine then you did get vitals and probably did the right thing backing out, certainly not a ideal hit but fatal all the same just takes a bit longer, with a little luck the deer bedded down and either never got up or at least spread some blood around to keep you on the trial. Some say there is a void between vitals and the spine, this is inaccurate especially for multiple blades sticking out on three sides, you either got vitals or hit a bit higher than you thought and got the back straps and adipose tissue (hope thats not the case)

hope you get him, keep us informed.

 

I know how tough these desert deer are. Good luck man. What unit are you in?

 

Arizona... no snow? If not... probably going to be a tough bloodtrail.
Make sure that when you trail him in the morning, you keep real quiet and are really scanning ahead to spot him bedded down.
Two guys... one tracking and one scanning would be best.
If he's dead... great. No problem. He might very well be alive though. Probably will be, in fact, from the sounds of it. Seen it before.
If he's alive, he probably didn't go very far, but you need to spot him before he spots you.

 

No update today is probably not a good sign.

 

I hope you find it. I don't blame you for not tracking it at night. You step in a little blood and the next thing that you know you are being hunted. There are things in Arizona that will eat you.

 

That is no mans land and that deer will probaly live and be fine, I hit a deer there a few years ago and he lived. Hitting them high is not good at all. Good luck though!

 

That spot is the dead zone. I shot an antelope last august there from about 60 yards with a muzzeloader in that same spot. Lots of blood, I could see it from a long ways off. But It ran for probably 4 miles before i couldnt see it anymore. Never did stop.

 

"My wife MADE me come in"....that is one reason I'm glad I'm not married....

 

Lol, I got a kick out of that, too. Also, the 55% penetration. That's pretty damn precise, right there.

 

Okay after 2 days looking no luck. But wife saw a Mountain Lion in the area, possible it got the buck or it lives to be hunted again.

 

On the plus side there area 2 other nice 4x4 bucks in the area. Also some smaller ones.

 

post a pic of a deer, and put a red dot exactly on the deer where the arrow went in. Just curious.

 

More than likely you were above the spine and not below it

 

Yep folks don't realize how far the spine actually drops down by the shoulder.

 

I shot a whitetail in the same area last year and it went about 800 yards. The problem was the blood trail the only place I saw a large amount of blood was when it jumped a fence, other than that a drop about every 15-20 yards. I trailed it for about 500 of the 800 yards and lost track of it. My wife and I spent about 7 hrs. looking for that deer. 2 days later I found it I found it about 50 yards from my travel trailer on the lease, spoiled. I was sick I lost the deer, but that is part of the game. Just make a good effort to find it. There is no vitals in the area you hit and any blood loss collects the body cavity. Don't beat yourself up over it, everyone make a bad shot every now and then, it wont be your last.

My advice is go to the near water supply and look there.

 

There is no vitals in the area you hit and any blood loss collects the body cavity. Don't beat yourself up over it, everyone make a bad shot every now and then, it wont be your last.

My advice is go to the near water supply and look there.

There is no spot above the lungs and below the spine that does not have vitals. None.
And if you hit above the spine (most likely here) blood cannot collect in the body cavity.

 

I am just telling you what I experienced and witnessed. There was a hole you could stick your fist thru just below the spine, on one side the other side the arrow hit the back of the shoulder blade and did not exit. One lung or no lung the deer ran 800+ yards.

 

If you hit below the spine your deer is more than likely dead. There is no such thing as a void like some of these people are saying. There is a gap in between the spine and the top of the back though