# sleepless night



## HUNTorFISH (Dec 1, 2008)

shot my best buck ever tonight but felt the shot was high so i am waiting it out. shot him at 4:30 and waited till 6:30 to look for blood. have good blood, but my gut told me to back out. he knew something was wrong and was looking at me when i shot, and it seemed like his entire head was turned and he ducked my arrow before it hit. didn't pass through and the shot was a high shoulder hit, so i am hoping that the broadhead cut him up inside when he ran. my buddy seen him about 80yds away after i shot and said there was a 6in wide blood spot on his side. so hopefully a birthday present (birthday today) works out and i find him right where i left off the blood trail! wish me luck and i'll be sure to post pics if he is found. got some buddies coming out tomorrow so if the blood trail stops the whole woods will be searched and surrounding fields. i'll post back tomorrow. (at least a large typical 10 point)


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## NorthSouthOhioFisherman (May 7, 2007)

Good Luck!


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## Fishstix (Aug 16, 2005)

Good luck...hope you find him.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

good luck keep us posted


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## tcba1987 (Jun 22, 2004)

AWESOME..............i hope you find your buck.............i stuck a decent 10 pt......... 3 years ago high in the shoulder and lost him.............ended up my brother found him about 4 months later dead with the arrow laying in the skeleton.............. and gave me the rack.............it was in good shape and i ended up doing a skull mount of the rack !!


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## ErieAngler (Apr 15, 2006)

the anticipation will kill you! Good luck and happy belated.


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## HUNTorFISH (Dec 1, 2008)

bad news.... no deer. feel awful. we followed the blood till it ran out. covered the entire woods, creek bottom twice and nothing. i know my shot was high near the no kill zone. my buddy had seen this deer after i shot and seen blood on the opposite side so what i think happend is went in through the top of the shoulder over the lungs and hit a rib. as the deer ran it cut the meat inbetween the ribs and came out. found my arrow 125yds into the blood trail and it wasn't broken or bent. so i doubt that it cut his organs as he ran. it's a sickening feeling but i did everything i could to find this deer. it happens sometimes no matter how hard you practice that you wound one, it's not something any of us want but part of hunting. hate doing it to any deer but ecspecially one like this. i'll be having nightmares for weeks prolly. looked for almost 8hrs with no breaks so we looked hard, so if you want to bash me for something then keep it to yourself.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

Those deer are tough critters. The is a good possibility that he will survive the wound. Have you ever seen the article regarding how many deer are known to have survived self inflicked wounds where they drive various objects into their body (MOSTLY TREE BRANCHES) when running from dangerand survive the ordeal. Pierced lungs and other organs and in one case a pierced heart! You did your best in trying to find the buck so your part as a dedicated and sincere hunter has been fulfilled. Let us know if you see this buck again in the future.


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## Boston30 (Nov 14, 2006)

I know the feeling. It's happened to me and almost every bowhunter i know. All I can say is that we all learn from the past and get better because of it. It happens, don't kick yourself too hard.


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## silverbullets (May 18, 2009)

I shot at a nice 8 point last year with a distinct rack, and my arrow ended up getting deflected from a small branch. I couldnt tell where the arrow hit the deer, but found the arrow on the other side of where the deer was standing when I shot it. The deer jumped 3 feet in the air, turned and ran off. I saw him slow down and stop on a ridge 100 yds away. He then took off and I heard a huge crash. I waited an hour and a half, went back in and followed the blood trail. I saw puddles of blood on both sides of the tracks as I followed. Some puddles had bubbles. Long story short I tracked the deer for a while along this trail, the blood trail eventually became weaker and weaker. I was on my hands and knees looking for the next spot. I hear something, look up and there is my buck mounting a doe 15 yds in front of me. I see a gash on his stomach right behind the front leg. I was busted by the doe as I tried to lift my bow. They both ran off. I searched the entire wood lot the next day, all day long with no sign of a dead deer. So, they do heal from wounds, sometimes quick. Obviously I never hit a vital on the deer, but it bled like crazy to start, then clotted quickly.

I was hunting on later on in the season last year, and actually saw the same deer with the wound on his side, but obviously healed over.


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## Fish-N-Fool (Apr 12, 2004)

Talk to a butcher - you wouldn't believe how many deer survive both bow and gun shots. They find slugs, broadheads, and evidence of passthroughs on a regular basis. 

Deer are darn near too tough for their own good many times!

Punch both lungs, nail the heart, liver, or a major artery and they go down fairly easy. Otherwise most of the time they survive.


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## mpd5094 (Jun 20, 2005)

It happens to everyone some time or another. Just go get the next one!


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## BaddFish (Jun 20, 2009)

I shot a solid 8pter at 30yds sunday night... i was on the ground and he was perfectly broadside.. He had his head turned towards me just in time as I let the arrow go.
I initially think it was low but he lunged down to launch himself away so I thought I nailed him- possibly in the heart. I did hear a solid "smack" the same "smack" i heard on my 13 pter last year that doubled lunged and lodged into the opposite shoulder blade.... so I thought i was good.

The deer whirled around and ran 30yds away and stopped and looked at me??? What the fudge? i thought I missed.. so I start walking at him and he whirls and runs off. 
I go over to where he was standing...there is a puddle of foamy blood as round as basketball! So I was stoked thinking that this guy was just?? stupid? 
I go and get help and we are back 40min later- the trailing was so easy blood was everywhere... then he beds down only 80yds away from where I spooked him... Ahhhhhh, This was my worse mistake!- We should of pulled back and waited till this morning... but the exitement got the best of me and my help and we kept pushing. The blood was very thin at times and we finally made it thru the woods and into a big high weed field (probably 300yds at this point) We went into the field maybe 20 yds and I called us off figuring we were just pushing him. 
I ended up calling off work today and was out there by myself at 6:30... worked the trail for another 200 yds and then he looked like he went into a bordering woods and the last puddle is fairly large right at the woods edge... For the life of me I can't find ANYTHING after that. i spend 4-1/2 hours looking just at this one spot 50yds in a circle around this last spot and just can't find anything.
I did the zig-zag search through the woods and even walked thru my known buck spots.
My gut says he left this block of woods.
During the last 200 yds I found 2 more bloody beds and some hair and a couple of "blow" spots where he was clearing his lungs...

My conclusion is that I just hit him low and only nipped ONE of his lungs. 
I just keep beating myself up over waiting longer and maybe even just waited until this morning.... Since he acted funny I should of known! (sorry this is so long- its good therapy for me to write this out) Never did find the arrow. I'll learn from this for sure.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

Yeah it sucks but it happens to the best of us part of hunting plenty more in the woods


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Sorry for all of your losses.

I am not saying this happened but ALWAYS backtrack your blood trail when it just suddenly stops and there is no more, especially when it stops at a fence or ditch or transition from thick to open cover.

Many, many times while following a blood trail the deer apparently starts to become weaker or something, comes to an obstacle and for whatever reason backtracks the way it came and then cuts off to the side in a new direction normally to be found dead within a short distance from where it cut off of the trail.

When the blood stops, especially one that is bleeding well or has bubbles always backtrack and look for where the deer may have backtracked cut off to the side. It most likely didn't just stop bleeding, but what you think is the end of the blood trail is actually just a u-turn and change or direction.

I have experienced this personally on a least a dozen deer over the last 30 years on my or friends deer.

Just a suggestion that may save some sleepless nights at some point in your deer hunting years.

If anyone ever needs some help trying to find their deer I'm sure there are a lot of members that would be willing to help, schedule allowing, including me. I am color blind so I have to track very slowly to indentify blood, but my vision handicap maybe allows me to see some other clues more readily.


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## Fish-N-Fool (Apr 12, 2004)

Very good tip by Lundy - I've seen this more than a few times also. A badly wounded deer doesn't want to travel - it wants to bed down. The most important thing to do is to give them time. If I don't see them go down or hear them crash, I wait 3 hours minimum - even with obvious sign of a lung hit. If you know you made a marginal shot - give it overnight.

I also NEVER bring others along until my serach is fruitless. More people on the trail often means more interference with the sign and certainly a lot more noise and distraction. That's just MHO.

It is hard to spend the night in bed after a shot - been there. But it is worth it the next day when you recover your deer.

Good hunting!


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## BaddFish (Jun 20, 2009)

Fish-N-Fool said:


> Very good tip by Lundy - I've seen this more than a few times also. A badly wounded deer doesn't want to travel - it wants to bed down. The most important thing to do is to give them time. If I don't see them go down or hear them crash, I wait 3 hours minimum - even with obvious sign of a lung hit. If you know you made a marginal shot - give it overnight.
> 
> I also NEVER bring others along until my serach is fruitless. More people on the trail often means more interference with the sign and certainly a lot more noise and distraction. That's just MHO.
> 
> ...


Amen brother- the excitement got the best of me even when my gut was telling me "give this deer more time" 

Lundy- Excellent points... i did double back or I tried but there was a 50yd gap between the last 2 good bloody beds and the last blob next to the woods. I figured since he bedded down twice within 10ft of each other he was really hurting... I've come to really hate low cut hay fields!


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## MuskieManOhio (Jun 29, 2008)

Hey man dont worry about it you'll probley get a buck 2 times bigger than that one. Look on the bright side you could be like me and never even hit a damn deer with a bow!


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## saugeyesam (Apr 20, 2004)

About 15 years ago I was bow hunting and shot a massive 10 point im guessing it would have scored 180 anyway I took the shot at about 25 yards he was following a huge doe. after i shot him he jumped and turned back towards the corner of the woods where they come out of. I could see blood spraying out both side of his body as he struggled away. So I though he aint going very far. I got down from my stand and went to get my dad. By the time we got back to where my stand was it was close to being dark. we tracked him to the wood line easily, so much blood it looked like a B Horror movie, that deer made about 5 different turns before we lost the blood trail. We quit and went home after spending the night pacing a rut in my bedroom I went back the next morning with my buddy Steve we went back to where we marked blood last and found a few small drops, so we start following again the further we followed it the blood started getting heavy again, we trailed it back towards where we parked our truck. Steve was joking about having a short drag to the truck when we found it. About 10 yards off the road just inside the woods, a giant gut pile. I actually quit Bow hunting for 5 or 6 years after that happened. But i did find comfort in knowing that the deer was dead and not badly wounded and suffering. I was disgusted with the fact that someone had taken the deer. Had it been a doe I doubt anyone would have bothered it. But since this deer was sporting some serious headgear I see why they took him.


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## Ozdog (Jul 30, 2007)

That really sucks! We've all been there though. I've lost 3 in 25 years of hunting deer. I also know people that have wounded 3 in one season. Keep on the practice and keep your head level about where and when to shoot.
He may have pulled through, a high hit possible one lunger hit the deer has good odds of making it.

One thought:
You can never plan on what a deer will do when you shoot at him while looking at you but you can plan on him reacting somehow. Real close shots he wont have time to move too far those 25+ yarders it's hard telling what will happen.


Dave


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

I killed a doe sat morn and she jumped the string on me when i shot still got a decent shot but not what I wanted funny thing is she jumped landed and just walked away I could tell it was a lung shot cause she had her mouth open panting heavily went about 30 yards laid down and that was that was really weird though jumped up and when she did this i thought she would take off but no just casually walked off as if nothing happened at first I was like WTF then I could see blood and hole on her as she was walking so I knew I hit her was just weird


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## HUNTorFISH (Dec 1, 2008)

Lundy... good points and i do think that he backtracked because i followed the blood back and seen where there was a point where he crossed his path, but ended up being a circle. searched hard there. i looked in this woods again today, thinking if he was dead that the coyotes would have him tore up and smelling, and do the right thing and put my buck tag on him since i shot him. no such luck.


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