# My first lost deer...



## Onion (Apr 10, 2004)

Well, it happens to the best of us...and I am certainly not the best.

Friday night I sat in my ground blind for a quick hunt in my backyard over the salt lick (Trophy rock) that the deer have been hitting for a few weeks. There is a doe that had been coming in every night for a few weeks and I had finally decided to take her to get rid of the 0 before gun season.

Around 5:00 a six point walked in and started feeding and hitting the rock. As I watched him I decided to take him because he was nice and symmetrical with good mass and he looked pretty gray, an older fellow.

It took me about 5 minutes to get ready to shoot because he was only 16 feet away and at the slightest noise he would look around for 30 seconds. I hit him a little higher than I would have liked but still believed I got lung. For the first time however I saw the arrow stuck in him as he ran off. I knew this wasn't good.

45 minutes later a buddy and I started looking for his trail. We found blood about 30 yards from where he entered the woods and followed it for 25 yards. Then we heard him crashing around and decided to come back the next morning. 

Saturday morning we went out after my friend got a couple hours in at his stand. We found a real solid blood trail and followed it for a hundred yards up and down hills, over creeks, you know the drill. The blood was pinkish with bubbles and I knew I had hit lung. We found the arrow (the broadhead was broken off somehow) and the blood trail got real nice...for awhile. We found two beds, both within 20 yards of each other, one with a good amount of blood and the other with just a few drops. After that we found no more blood. After searching for 4 hours with four people we gave up and went to watch the Buckeye game.

Sunday morning I went back and looked again to no avail for a few hours. Overall I want to throw up. I have never lost a deer before and I am just sick knowing that it is unlikely he lived after the amount of blood he lost and the fact that the broadhead is probably still in him. The neighbors are looking too but I am afraid it is too late.

The only good news is that I developed the pictures from my trail camera on Sunday and a big buck has been visiting my area late nights, hopefully I can intercept him this weekend.


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## lv2fish (Jun 23, 2005)

Bad deal man. Sometimes it just happens, glad to hear you put in the effort to try and find him. Some hunters would not have given that deer a 2nd day of looking. It does make you sick, just have to keep practicing and hope for a better shot on the next one.


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## oxmos (Apr 13, 2005)

Hate to hear that. It all happens tp us at some point. You may find him eventually. Have read of people finding a deer a week after shooting it. Keep yer chin up.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Anyone who sticks with the deer hunting long enough will have it happen to them at one time or another, regardless what their weapon is. Like you said it really bums you when it happens though. I admit that I have lost 3 in my years of hunting. One or two of them were still on the move after a day or many hours so I think they may have made it to another hunter to finish them off. Each one made me as disgusted with myself as the first one. It sounds like you worked hard to find him and it was not meant to be. I had a doe once several years ago that I hit high and sounded much like your scenario. The one thing I regret was that I went after her after only a couple or three hours rather than waiting until morning. We bumped her up and lost her trail. I often wondered whether she would have bled out in that first spot had I not gone in after her.


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## Onion (Apr 10, 2004)

That is exactly what I am thinking.

Since I saw the shot placement I should have waited till morning to even start looking.

Live and learn I suppose


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

Well maybe someone else foudn him & will use the meat to feed a family, look on the bright side, right?

I feel for you, I've lsot one deer in my life & it just happened to be the biggest deer I've ever seen in the wild. A logger found him after season, a 14 pointer whose head is hanging in a rental cabin  But it doesn happen to all of us. Good luck on the big boy.


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## littleking (Jun 25, 2005)

45 minutes? always wait an hour and if you can two.... he would of layed down and died had you waited... not trying to be mean about it but i learned real quick how important it is to just let them die, especially when your that excited.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

You definitely did your best to recover that deer and should feel no shame. I don't agree that he would have died in two hours as I shot a 14 pointer several years ago and followed a strong foamy blood trail after waiting an hour. Got off the trail at dark and went back the next morning. Found a bed with blood and then nothing. Spent 6 hours crossing the area and finally, like you, gave up.
Spotted that same buck in January.  Those animals are tough and can survive some nasty wounds. I have shot two bucks during gun season that were carrying broadheads in them. One in the shoulder opposite the entry side and one in the base of the neck, with the tip against the spine.
Good luck on collecting the other buck.


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## HOOFING (Nov 17, 2005)

Onion,
I too lost a deer this year I shot a nice 8 with a good shoot through hit. it was during a light rain and exactly after the shot the sky opened up to the biggest downpour of the year (as though it seems) and by the time i got down to track it had good blood it went into a swamp after about 5 min. lost all blood due to rain. i walked every inch of that swamp for 3 days solid with no prevail. after that i got a product called blood glow which is like luminol like on csi to make blood glow bright blue. It even works during rain when blood is washed away. as a hunter of 20 years I'm here to tell you it happens to the very best of us, and we make evey attemp and arm ourselves with everything in our means to ethicly take and retrieve our game.
Dont' be to down on yourself that is how you become more knowlegeable and ethical.


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

Littleking, not trying to disagree w/ you on purpose, but I gott agree w/ Shortdrift, you cant say that another 15 minutes would have meant the dear would have laid down & died.


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## ARGEE (Apr 5, 2004)

Look At It This Way,nothing In Nature Goes To Waste..vultures,coyotes,fox,and Like Animals Will Devour It In No Time.i Know What It Feels Like To Lose One Too..i Shot 1 One Yr Late Afternoon.i Went To Trail It And It Got Dark So I Went Back The Next Day..when I Found It I Had To Chase The Vultures Off..wasnt Much Left At All


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## Onion (Apr 10, 2004)

I have been watching for vultures but no dice so far. I hope someone took care of him but I doubt it. There just aren't that many folks that would do that around where I live.


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## littleking (Jun 25, 2005)

H2O Mellon said:


> Littleking, not trying to disagree w/ you on purpose, but I gott agree w/ Shortdrift, you cant say that another 15 minutes would have meant the dear would have laid down & died.



definately quite possible.. its so hard to say what works every time and what dosent, so unpredictable...


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I think I was the first to mention to Onion about waiting a while but I was not trying to be cricial but merely trying to add additional insight. I hope that was not taken as criticism.

I know myself how tough it is to leave a deer lay for a while when you don't know what is going on. It sounds like Onion went to great efforts to find him. As everyone has mentioned, sometimes that happens.

As far as the buzzards flying goes, I am not sure when they migrate out of here for the winter. I have not paid attention to whether they are still around so you may not have them around to help you out.


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## Fishpro (Apr 6, 2004)

I lost a doe on opening morning, and I felt the same as you do. Allthough you didn't find it, like Argee said, a bunch of critters out there did, so it didn't go to waste. Get back out there and get another one!!!


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

yes, we all agree that mother nature does have a way of handling things.


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## Gobi Muncher (May 27, 2004)

Has anyone ever used one of those handheld infared heat sensors? I too have lost a couple deer, but always wondered if those really work. Thought about getting one, but wouldn't it detect all heat in the area (live or just died)? Didn't want to get one and chase a healthy deer from woods to woods, not that I could keep up that easy.
Anyway, like has been said, you we above and beyond what some people would have done. It will stick in your mind for awhile, I even still have nightmares about it. So nock another arrow and go get the big boy!


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## Walter Adkins (May 20, 2004)

LittleKing and bigcheesie came up with a good idea. Chech out the Huntohio site. They have started a list of voulanteers that will come out and help with tracking a down deer. You may not be able to get one of us all the time but the more that we get to join this effort the more help there is out there. Some times an extra set of eyes that can look at the area with fresh eyes can be all it takes. I know my self I prefer to track deer in the dark.


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## littleking (Jun 25, 2005)

yup, we hope to help  thanks for the plug Walter


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## BigChessie (Mar 12, 2005)

To anyone that needs the help, We have a list of guys from all over that are willing to give a hand if needed. Hope that there is never a need to call someone but it does happen from time to time when it is tough to locate your deer. As stated before, hit up huntohio.net and the info is located in the deer forum under "Deer recovery list" Good luck to everyone and please hunt safe! BC


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I have to agree that you guys do have a very good idea there on your list of volunteers. I am sure many folks will appreciate that idea.


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## Header (Apr 14, 2004)

It was hard this year but we got what was hit. Mine was a 12yd shot thru the lungs. My 6pt went 60yds and laid down, that was it. My buddys 9pt jumped as he shot and hit it in the butt thru the thigh into the other thigh. By the time we found and retrieved him it was point - point approx. 4 miles, we figured he walked approx. 6. We got him out of the canyon, I'm serious it was 150 - 200 yds up either side. We walked down the creek about 1/2 mile and found him 80yds from a 30ft waterfalls and he did not go that way. This deer had to have fallen down the walls. We went to the down side of the canyon and came back up the creek another 1/2 mile. His deer was the same body size as mine 160-170lbs. That was a 6 hour tracking, he had laid down several times. Fortunately he must of hit an artery. We kept after him because he was not going up any hills only across & down, not working on his hind muscles.


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