[TXHillCountry]

Shot a doe the other day, double lung, arrow came out off shoulder and pretty much wiped the arrow clean as it came thru the muscle. Followed a little blood, then it went to pin drops, then couldn't find anything, kept looking and found her after a while. Perfect hit, 4 inches behind the shoulder and out the opposite shoulder. Sometimes they just don't bleed much, but then again, if you shot low, the crack sound could have been leg.

I have had the exact same thing happpen to me on shots like this. My deer didn't go far but I found very little blood. Keep looking, hopefully since you backed out he won't be far away.

 

[Tfox1]

If you have small black hairs and a pink tinged fat on the arrow, it sounds like you hit him low and through the brisket, that's about the only place a deer has black hair (unless you hit him in the ear) and the brisket is usually very fatty. I hit a buck this year at 30 yards, heard a crack, but watched the arrow hit the ground under the deer...He left a few drops of dark blood 30 yards into his escape run and that was it...The arrow had a greasy whitish film the full length with a few very thin streaks of blood on the vanes...I saw the very same deer 2 weeks later walking around like he owned the place.

Good luck in the morning...I hope you do find him!

My thoughts exactly and if you think about it,using the 30 yard pin in the lower 1/3 at 33 yards,that is exactly where you can expect to hit.3 yards is about 3" and subtract that from the lower 1/3 and a brisket hit is what you have.Should aim at the higher 1/3 in this situation.

I have 5 yard pin setting just for shots like this.30 at top of 10 ring for lack of better term and 35 for the bottom.


I doubt this deer is dead if the brisket is in fact where you hit.

 

[ONbuckhunter]

that deer got away and a word of advice i refuse to shoot at a deer with a bow unless i know for a fact i can drop the deer

Please tell me you are being sarcastic. Otherwise you have no clue about bowhunting.

To the OP, I bet you made a good shot , let it lay and you'll find him in the AM. Its amazing how long it takes for blood to fill the chest cavity. I bet you'll find it not too far from where you made your shot. Good luck, my fingers are crossed.

 

[harden13]

I agree with the likely brisket hit. 30 yard pin at 33 and aimed a little low would result in a very low hit which should result in either a heart and lots of blood or brisket. Give it a hard go in the AM and hope I am wrong and you find your deer. I know sleep will be fitful but tomorrow will bring the answer.

By the way, two years ago I killed a nilgai with an expandable that was a deflected shot. The blade cut the juggler and there was blood all over everywhere. The arrow had no blood on it whatsoever and the ground looked like there was a mass slaughter so while an arrow read can be an indicator, it is not always an absolute book on the hit. If I had just found the arrow, I would have thought it was a clean miss.

Good luck in the morning, and don't leave us hanging when the recovery is complete.

Marc

 

[ChrisH]

i bet you find him tomorrow. sounds like a good shot with some lung in there.
good luck and let us know!

 

[Biggs Little]

Going to drop my son off at school and then look for him. Got some bad news last night though. Somebody about hit a 10 pointer on the road about a 1/4 mile from here at the time I shot last night (in the direction he ran) (small ky town, everybody knows everybody). At least he's not hurt bad if that's him. I will let ya'll know what I find. Thanks for all of the advice.

 

[TAYLOR CO.]

Depends on how steep the angle was down hill..I shot a deer the other a.m. real steep downhill angle..deer was 40-yds. shot it for 35-yds..still hit high(clipped the spine) deer hit the ground right there..but as far as how I should have aimed maybe the 30-yd. pin.
I believe you will find your deer. Good Luck! I used to have similar situations when shooting the Wasp Jak-Hammers when I hit a shoulder, very little blood on the arrow..but generally found the deer.

 

[BrokenLimbs]

ukey:I shot a nice 10 pointer at 5:30 eastern time this evening. Just wanted to get your thoughts on this one. He was quartered away at 33 yards, had my 30 yard pin on the lower 1/3 right behind the shoulder. Sounded like a good cracking sound.

Cracking sound - hit some solid bone. You want to hear a fa-thump sound.
Right behind the shoulder? Quartered away, that pin should have been further back, unless you mean the pin was centered just behind the exit shoulder. If the deer is hurt bad, they usually head for water. Your deer ran uphill. A mad dash doesn't mean anything. Could have been a death run. But in this instance (tail up) I don't think you hit vitals. Black fir, could have been brisket. remember, there is also a void area above the heart, above the shoulder (just back a touch) that has no vitals or major arteries to catch. Don't think you would have heard a loud crack though. I lost a doe (first one ever) on what I though was a perfect shot. Watched the lighted tip on the arrow go right in. I think I must have hit her too far front in the void. No blood and no arrow after a "pop" sound. (not a thump, and not a crack) Only found 1 speck of blood about 50 yards from impact. Also one thing to consider: Healthy (well fed) deer have a lot of fat. It seals exit wounds even when low, which can seriously delay blood flow, even with a big hole shot downward at 40 degree down angle. (perfect exit hole placement from 15 yards distance) Amazes me... I've seen quartered away liver and one lung shot deer that just didn't bleed for the first 150 yards. (the same one above I was referring to) I knew I had blistered that deer.

Here is a valuable tip for the future: Always aim for where the arrow should come out, not go in. (And remember, the lower hits tends to bleed a lot more, but you're loosing your margin of safety.) I think in the real world of hunting, it's best to put your pin on the deer in a way that the arrow passes right through the center of the vitals. I "think my target as a 3-d round basketball" in the middle of the deer, right in the middle of that ball is where the arrow needs to pass through. This way you have the largest margin of safety. (IMHO) Nor do I believe you want to aim for the heart. Too dangerous, and too close to shoulder / leg. Going for a "perfect heart shot" is outright dumb. What if the dear jumps / leaps instead of ducks? A couple of inches to the side or low, and the shot is junk. (not to mention a "less than perfect shot" which alway seems to happen) The method I use works for me out to ~35 yards with one pin, at a past ~95% success ratio of recovery.

Hope you found that deer!

 

[antler fool]

Tail up

I have to agree with the tail up probably not hit bad. They almost always run with the tail down and tucked in tight when hit good. Has alot to do with their sirvival instinct. If the tail is down they are not visable to preadators, tail up warning to any other deer that something is wrong and lets get out of here. But by no means give up on him get out and tract all day if you have to. I shot one yesterday a seven pointer. It was a perfect double lung hit but because of the shot angle there was very little blood. I found him piled up 50 yards away. Don't go by how much blood is on the ground you never know. Good luck.

 

[BowmanPa]

At 5:30 in the evening last night I had some deer around me but I could not tell you what they were because of the darkness coming in. I would not have taken that shot at 30 yards unless I was in open woods or on the edge of a field. That time of evening in the woods just has too many factor of having a bad shot on a deer that far away. I'm not saying you had a bad shot or trying to piss you off but that is just my opion on that time of the evening. I hope you find him and if you do post some pics of him.

 

[FallVitals]

Its folks like fxjunter that has made me visit this forum less and less. Greatest hunter alive, he, and most here think. He wants adivce on the hit, not your opinion on shots to be taken.

Id guess you hit a bit far forward/low in the brisket area. Lots of fat there, black hairs. Hopefully it was a minimal wound and he will recover. Don't let it get ya down. Im sure your out looking right now either way, let us know what ya find! Hopefully when you check back its good news!

 

[copterdoc]

Your arrow passed through a lot of fat, and it basically "squeegeed" the blood off the shaft.

You either hit high, just below the spine. (Unlikely)

Or, you hit it low, in the brisket.

Go back to the place the deer was standing at impact, and look for HAIR! Every time a broadhead breaks skin, it also drops hair on the ground. Look hard enough, and you will find some.

 

[huntingfishing]

i think you hit low

 

[Biggs Little]

I failed to mention last night that he turned away and spun with his head going away at the shot. He was broadside at 20 yards but I didn't draw because I was afraid he would see me. I was on the edge of a field. When he entered the field he started to run and I stopped him while drawing back at 33 yards. I may have rushed the shot. I keep replaying it in my mind. I think I learned a lot in all of this. I think it was a brisket shot. Found total of 15 drops of blood this morning in a span of 250 yards. The last blood was a couple hundred yards from where a lady saw a big buck run across the road in front of her and she said he was gettin it. It was at the exact same time I shot and he was heading that direction after the shot. The wooded hillside was pretty open so I was able to cover about 60 acres pretty thouroghly this morning. I hope he's ok. I forgot how bad this feels. I haven't lost one in a long time.

 

[clintonduffy3]

that deer got away and a word of advice i refuse to shoot at a deer with a bow unless i know for a fact i can drop the deer

LOL.

Good luck anyways man; keep us updated.

 

[MNmike]

I know haw that feels.

I've hunted over a couple years.......

Had a simular shot. More broadside.

Got the brisket. Could tell by the sound it wasn't right.

Tracked lil' drops of blood until I could find no more. (over 2 properties and 500 yards)

Then grid searched the next property he was to enter.

Never found him, or anymore blood.

He never stopped or layed down that I could tell.

But the good news is that a hit like that is very likely to survive.

 

[gm09]

i had same shot last sunday. i hit the 6 point his tail dropped he jumped and went to top of hill approx. 80 yards and stopped. i could see his butt and tail was down. he stood there 20 minutes then hoped over a same fence and stopped again. i could only see his head then. after another 15 minutes he walked over the back side of hill and i lost site. i got out of tree and went to look for arrow. not to be found. no hair and no blood. i walked to were he stopped first and found bright red blood size of grapefruit. i went across fence to were he stopped again i found blood size of grapefruit. i looked to my left and there was my arrow covered with blood full length. fletches were rippled and covered with blood. i went another 10 yards and lost everything. looked all around have no idea where he went. its like he quit bleeding after arrow came out.

 

[southgaboy]

that deer got away and a word of advice i refuse to shoot at a deer with a bow unless i know for a fact i can drop the deer

Do what???

 

[RugerRedhawk]

that deer got away and a word of advice i refuse to shoot at a deer with a bow unless i know for a fact i can drop the deer

Great advice from the worlds only perfect hunter.

 

[zigoapex]

Great advice from the worlds only perfect hunter.

He must be william tell and green arrow dna sequence and cloned into the perfect
bow hunter!