# i screwed up the big one



## WISH IT WAS YOU (Jul 25, 2006)

ok well last night was a fun night for me and my dad i got in my stand about4;00 and didnt see any thing till about 600 and i saw this 3 pt coming strait at me it got about 5yrds and i let it pass so about idk 3 minnets left of light me and my dad git out of our stands he is about 60 yrds away from me and as soon i git down i hear a bunch of runing and then i heard my dad shoot at this fully matrue doe and missed but let me tell that doe was 20 yrds away and he could barrly see it and out of know where this buck that must have been a 160-170 buck come 20 yrd away from me as i am on the ground so i had to look at the deer and back through the scope cuz it was to dark to see through it and after i felt confindent that i had it on him i shot and we could not find any thing so we went home and this morning we went out to look if i hit it and found my arrow coved in blood and white hair=gut shot we tracked little hair by hair for about 70-100yrds till we found blood and it was only a speck then anthor 100yrd we find good blood and then about 50-70 yrd it just stoped i have never seen i deer so big in my life it had to weigh about 300 undressed but it g4 were so big imeen they were about a foot long mabye biger it was probly the biggest buck i will ever see in the woods it was like a 10-12 tipical srp cant spell but i have never been so bumbed in my life over a deer i swwear it was like one of thoughs big ass bucks in a magazine i cant even discribe it i just would like your opinon if you made a far back gut shot on a deer do you think its possable its still living ? SRY FOR SUCH A LONG STORY I DONT EVEN THINK IT MADE SENCE but w/e


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

There are so many things wrong in that story I wouldn't know where to start. A gut shot deer is a dead deer.


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## williamonica0214 (Aug 1, 2006)

That deer is dead somewhere for sure. If it was that low of light that you can't see though your scope you should have never shot. Now you have no chance at ever making a clean kill on a dream buck. Also in that low of light and shooting that is how people get shot . Just my 2 cents . No trying to be harsh but safety is very important for all in the woods .


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

M.Magis said:


> There are so many things wrong in that story I wouldn't know where to start. A gut shot deer is a dead deer.


I agree completely.

If you can't see a deer through the scope and you still shoot how can anyone justify taking the shot? Judging by the description that you gave I would say your title of the thread is appropriate. You screwed that one up big time. You should have let him walk as you may have gotten another shot on another day. It sounds like that second chance is gone. I hope that you take this experience as a lesson for the future so that you choose more wisely 
the next opportunity that arises.


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## BassCatcher12 (Jun 24, 2005)

Wow....Too dark to see, was it even legal shooting Hours? Not Cool.


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## ODNR3723 (Apr 12, 2007)

I am with everyone else that has already responded. That shot should have never been taken let alone addressing the legality of the situation. My first buck I killed with a bow i hit 2 far back. I tracked him for over a mile and a half. 7 hours of tracking later a neighbor hunting found him under a stand. If i were you i would be scouring the woods for that deer cause he is only going to be coyote bait. On the upside, we learn from our mistakes.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

That is a good point about not giving up on recovery that I failed to mention. I suggest that you get a few buddies and do a thorough search of the place. If you get lucky he may have holed up within your search area and you will find him. But failing to continue the search at this point would be another mistake. It sounds like you only tracked him that night so if you have not tried in the daylight then you better do so.

Also, if you hit him with what you thought was a poor shot you should let him go for several hours before trying to retrieve him. Even on a good shot you should give it some time unless you saw him go down. What can often happen is that the deer will go a relatively short distance and lie down to try and recover from the wound. If left alone they will often die in that spot. But if you follow the trail too soon you risk pushing the deer further away and often times the blood trail is not as good on that second encounter which can increase the odds that the deer would not be recoverable. It is not easy to convince yourself to wait when you hit one but in almost all cases it is the right thing to do.


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## Papascott (Apr 22, 2004)

If you had blood covered arrow it was not a straight gut shot! What part of the state are you in? If you are close and want some help in trying to find it let me know. I have lost deer too, everyone that has hunted enough has but do not give up yet! It is great that you understand what you did wrong now make it right and go find it, it is laying dead somewhere.

Scott


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## littleking (Jun 25, 2005)

hunt ohio has a deer recover list with people willing to help track deer - http://www.huntohio.net/index.php?t=msg&th=158


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

I'm willing to help if you are in Central and did not booger up the area right after you shot. It is worth finding, even if most of the meat isn't good! As you mentioned, screwing up is horrible. It is never good to shoot in low light, but now you know how bad it feels when you take that risk. Let me know if you need any help though.


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## mirrocraft mike (Mar 17, 2006)

Sorry to hear about this. Don't beat yourself up to much over it. Yes it was a bad idea to shoot at that hour. The deer is dead no doubt about it .Nothing you can do now expect go find it. I do agree with pappascott sounds like you got a little more than gut with all the blood you speak of .TAKE the GREAT ADVISE of the others and learn from it .Maybe by you posting this others can learn before they make the same mistake. Thanks for posting your story.


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## hunt-n-fish (Jun 19, 2007)

WISH IT WAS YOU said:


> ok well last night was a fun night for me and my dad i got in my stand about4;00 and didnt see any thing till about 600 and i saw this 3 pt coming strait at me it got about 5yrds and i let it pass so about idk 3 minnets left of light me and my dad git out of our stands he is about 60 yrds away from me and as soon i git down i hear a bunch of runing and then i heard my dad shoot at this fully matrue doe and missed but let me tell that doe was 20 yrds away and he could barrly see it and out of know where this buck that must have been a 160-170 buck come 20 yrd away from me as i am on the ground so i had to look at the deer and back through the scope cuz it was to dark to see through it and after i felt confindent that i had it on him i shot and we could not find any thing so we went home and this morning we went out to look if i hit it and found my arrow coved in blood and white hair=gut shot we tracked little hair by hair for about 70-100yrds till we found blood and it was only a speck then anthor 100yrd we find good blood and then about 50-70 yrd it just stoped i have never seen i deer so big in my life it had to weigh about 300 undressed but it g4 were so big imeen they were about a foot long mabye biger it was probly the biggest buck i will ever see in the woods it was like a 10-12 tipical srp cant spell but i have never been so bumbed in my life over a deer i swwear it was like one of thoughs big ass bucks in a magazine i cant even discribe it i just would like your opinon if you made a far back gut shot on a deer do you think its possable its still living ? SRY FOR SUCH A LONG STORY I DONT EVEN THINK IT MADE SENCE but w/e


One thing you can say for sure about gut shot deer is that, 1), they have a tendency to go to water. It was explained to me that it's a burning sensation the deer gets after being hit there. Whether it does or not i can't say for sure, but I have helped find alot of gut shot deer near or very near to water sources, and some actually found dead in a nearby stream.

2) This type of injury will make the deer want to go on a course of least resistance. Down-hill rather then up-hill. Not necessarily travel through heavy cover, but if water may not be near, then into heavy cover along a easy travel route. 

This info has helped me in the past with deer I've help find.


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## WISH IT WAS YOU (Jul 25, 2006)

and my dad looked the whole proporty and a fellow said he will walk his dogs through their to see if ythey go to it so we are looking but thxs for all the comments i know i shoudl have never shot it was a bad mistake that i most likly will have to pay for the rest of my life thxs for all the offers i will let you guys know if i need any help and i live in north east ohio in mahoning county


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## peple of the perch (Sep 13, 2004)

reminds me of a funny story my cousin told me. that was all he talked about was how big this deer was that he shot with a crossbow. He ended up finding it two days later. it was just a average 8 pt buck. but the story he was telling made it sound like it was a new state record. Hope u find it.


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

i NEVER look for a deer i have hit with the crossbow in the evening. i hit one last year right before dark, i watched it run away and i followed for about 50 yards and didnt find it, i retraced my steps back to the stand and took the long way out of the woods. i worried all night about finding that deer. i knew i had a good hit because i saw the bolt sticking out of it as it ran off. i returned in the morning with my hand held gps and planned on doing a grid search. i found that deer within 10 minutes of looking. my point is anytime you hit a deer give it time. let it lay down and die. if you chase it, you will only push it farther away. if i were you, id be out looking for that deer. i would have spent all day looking and not sitting there typing about losing a deer. i know your young and inexperienced, so dont let this bother you too much...just dont do it again. an arrow is just like a bullet, once you pull that trigger, you cant take it back. good luck.


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## xtrema (May 31, 2007)

That deer is for sure dead. Go out and do some body searching. You'll find him. If this deer is as big as you describe I wouldn't even have time to write this story because I would be out looking for him. Don't give up man...he's there.


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## theprowler (Jul 14, 2004)

Keep looking, I agree 110%.
Learn and find that deer...


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

It's been a couple of days now. Pay attention to any buzzards that may be circling in the area. They may have found it and could lead you to it. Obviously there is no meat value to it anymore but you can still locate the deer to tag it and get the rack.


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## mirrocraft mike (Mar 17, 2006)

Good Point Brian


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## marshal45 (Mar 8, 2007)

This is my first time on the bowhunting site as I always am on the fishing section. This is not the way I wanted to enter. After reading the story I was pretty upset. Your dad was launching arrows at a doe and you could barely see a buck but you shot anyways. This frustrates me as I go after large wall hangers and in the past year I have some monster pope and young bucks come within shooting range in which most hunters would take the shot but I was not comfortable due to a low hanging limb, or other factor. In fact a monster that I was hunting last year dissappeared after a couple of hunters were on the property I hunted looking for a deer. He was coming right into me and saw them and ran off. I never saw that deer again thinking that those hunters shot it. Well, just last week I saw him. He came 12 yards from me but I wasnt comfortable with my shot just to watch him walk away. DO NOT SHOOT UNLESS YOU CAN FULLY SEE THE INTENDED TARGET. Not only is this buck dead but so is his bloodline. I limit myself to a 25 yard shot because I know I am dead on from there. I certainly wouldnt want to be in the woods you and your dad were hunting with the threat of being shot. We need to be smart in the woods.


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## Fishstix (Aug 16, 2005)

It is funny how Marshal and I are a lot alike. I don't like to take shots much farther than 25 yards either. The only time I did was at the buck I have hanging on my wall right now. I took a 30 yard shot at this buck, aimed a tad high, and nailed him. I normally wouldn't have done this, but it was the biggest buck I had ever seen and thought that I shouldn't miss this opportunity. Not to mention that it was a clean shot, nothing between me and the deer.


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## WISH IT WAS YOU (Jul 25, 2006)

well we looked and let me tell you he is not on the proporty we hunted so idk i def made a big mistake but i guess i will have to learn from this. i will still be looking for the rotien body and rack but dont think i will find it


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## marshal45 (Mar 8, 2007)

We live and learn. Nice job on putting in a hard effort to find that buck. This will just tick you off for the next 5 years, that it is not hanging on your wall. That will be a sufficient punishment. Hopefully you will be lucky enough to get another chance at a big one. Good luck!


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