# ANOTHER bowhunting horror story



## tcba1987 (Jun 22, 2004)

Went out hunting this morning with a friend of mine, it wasnt even 9 am when he came and got me and said i stuck a big buck. i asked him if he made a good hit and he said YEP right behind the front shoulder. well he took me to where he stuck the deer, the shot was at most 30 yds through OPEN woods. I didnt find any blood for around 30-40 yds and then i found a GREAT blood trail. the buck went about 100 yds along the hillside turned up the hill and started circling back to darn near the spot he was shot at. there was a good blood trail the whole way, i even found a spot where the buck had layed down and rolled around in the leaves. all of a sudden the blood started tapering off and got to where it was just a speck here and there every 5 yds or so, then NOTHING. i looked all over the hillside,doing the circles wider and wider and found NO more blood. i took a stick with a ribbon and marked the last blood spot which was right on the top of the hill,i came home to grab a sandwhich and im heading back out there !!! any ideas what i might try to help him find his buck. he waited one hour before he came and got me and like i said there was ALOT of blood. but how can i find a deer that stopped bleeding ??? my friend is a responsible hunter and he is sure it was a GOOD shoulder shot. what do you all think ??? i WANT to find his buck.


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## Papascott (Apr 22, 2004)

You left out a few key details. Were there any bubbles in the blood to indicate a lung hit? You say your buddy waited an hour to get you but how long did he wait till he started looking around himself? How far did the blood trail last? You say it was a good shoulder shot?????? I have never hit a deer in the shoulder with a bow and considered it a good thing!

When in doubt give it more time to die, as long as it is not raining. Get down on your hands and knees and find more blood, it is there. Track it slowly so you do not ruin any sign. If you absolutly cannot find ant more blood do a grid search but only as alast resort.


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## DaleM (Apr 5, 2004)

GO BACK OUT AND LOOK AGAIN!! GO BACK OUT!!!
Never give up if you had that much blood? He has to be curled up somewhere dead. Go back and retrace your steps. Start where you last saw blood, take some red tape and mark that area, then move out a little each time making a big circle each time. You'll find him if you look hard enough. Look for a dowm tree, water, a ditch anywhere he can hide. Your doing everything right, just keep looking- Good luck and as Click said please let us know.


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## ClickerCrazy (Feb 4, 2006)

Lets not start this on this post too.... He did say he was going back out, he was just getting some lunch. He is just looking for advice. Papascott's last paragraph is right on. If you have too get on your hands and knees, and I would try to stay to the side of the blood trail to try not to disturb the path the deer took. It's kinda like looking for those expensive arrows when you first loose one. You just keep looking over and over.

By the way, I feel for ya, last weekend I spent 6 1/2 hrs tracking a buck my brother "hit good", in the shoulder. So I agree, shoulder shots are not good shots. We did find the deer, but it had broken off one side somewhere in the 1000 acres we tracked him around. It would have been a nice 8, but nothing worth crying over. Oh yeah, after tracking him all day, he ended up within 60 yds from where he was shot!

Good luck tcba1987, let us know how it goes.


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## CHOPIQ (Apr 6, 2004)

Was it a pass thru with the arrow? The arrow will tell you alot on what type of hit, gut, lung, or fat on the arrow.. Also did he find any deer hair? Also check water, alot of deer head to water after they have been shot.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

If he circled back it sounds as if maybe he was trying to get back to where he came from. If you come up empty where you left off then you may want to head back toward where he came from if there is any idea on that. Perhaps that area is his core area and he went back in there to bed down.

Is the area that he was hunting a section that you may be able to circle the perimeter searching? For instance, if it borders a crop field it will minimize the places he can hide from you provide the crops are off.

Good luck to you guys. Hopefully he shows up just beyond the last sign that you had.


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## chase845 (Nov 2, 2005)

I think you'll get him. Sounds like he could have plugged his wound up. If you found a spot where he had rolled around in the leaves there's a good chance he won't drip another drop of blood out of that hole, especially if the arrow didn't pass through. I've also heard of fat plugging up the wound. You said a portion of his blood trail was great, so I think he's got to be dead somewhere close. Look for some blow downs, the seem to gather dying deer pretty well. Good luck. 
*He said it was a good shot "behind the front shoulder" (I aim there too?)


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## Fishstix (Aug 16, 2005)

That advice the guys is giving you is great. Best of luck and please let us know how everything pans out.


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## Lewis (Apr 5, 2004)

I hope you find him.
Sometimes with a shoulder shot,you dont get enough penetration to get both lungs.
This can be a long tracking job!
In the future,if you find an area with lots of blood and matted or kicked up leaves....quietly back out of the area for a couple hours.
It means the deer is attempting to bed down and die,and you could be pushing him.
When you run out of blood on a trail...start reading the leaves!
A wounded animal usually has an awkward gait and you can lots of times look at the leaves on the ground for an indication of direction of travel.


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## tcba1987 (Jun 22, 2004)

the shot was right behind the front shoulder, the arrow didnt pass through. the blood trail was as good a blood trail as ive ever seen even on deers that have died, for the first 75 yds or so and then tapered off. we didnt find him last night, we are gonna go out with 4-5 guys and do a visual search for the deer or the blood trail. i feel pretty confident that the buck is down and laying in a thicket. im praying to find this deer, the fellow who shot him is 67 yrs old and probably doesnt have many years of bow hunting left (he just had a quadruple bypass in Feb) keep your fingers crossed for him guys !! THANKS


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## Fishstix (Aug 16, 2005)

Keep us posted!


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## chase845 (Nov 2, 2005)

Yeah good luck, I'd like to see a picture!


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## ClickerCrazy (Feb 4, 2006)

Check the creeks too, My brothers tried to get under an embankment in a creek with deadfall.


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## luredaddy (May 25, 2004)

Skirt the law, take a good dog with a great nose for a walk. That deer is dead, if your description is accuarate.


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## gstrick27 (Apr 14, 2004)

luredaddy said:


> Skirt the law, take a good dog with a great nose for a walk. That deer is dead, if your description is accuarate.



Wouldn't need to skirt the law, in ohio it is legal to use a LEASHED dog to recover wounded deer.


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## Gobi Muncher (May 27, 2004)

They work!!! I have used my dog to find two deer so far.


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## hillbillybelownewphilly (Nov 16, 2006)

What ever happened tcba? Did you find it or did you just give up? I sure hope you didn't just give up.


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## Papascott (Apr 22, 2004)

I may be wrong but I am guessing that they gave up. In a post by one of his buddies they were both back out HUNTING the next day, I personally would have been looking for a deer???????

Scott


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## hillbillybelownewphilly (Nov 16, 2006)

I agree Papascott.


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## tcba1987 (Jun 22, 2004)

i/we went back out 2 other times and looked for the buck. i didnt shoot it, a friend of mine who was 68 yrs old shot it. we did everything we could to find that buck believe me, the bleeding just STOPPED. i really wanted this fellow to get his buck and it just didnt work out !!  YES i did go out hunting the next day some ??? not sure why i shouldnt have ?? we did everything we could to recover the buck, we searched every inch of the property and came up with nothing !!!


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## hillbillybelownewphilly (Nov 16, 2006)

I shot a deer this past weekend during the youth hunt and tracked it to the top of a hill. Then we to thought that we had lost the blood trial. I simply got down on my hands and knees and started to look. Sure enough I found the blood trail again and found the deer. We had to track him 4-5 miles. But the point is we didnt give up and just kept trying.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

It is obvious from TCBA's comments that they put a lot of effort into finding the deer. I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on that. I see no need to make further criticism about what should have been done. I am sure that there are far more folks here that have been in your shoes than we will ever know. I don't know if I personally know anyone who has hunted very many years and not lost a deer. Granted it really stinks and leaves a bitter taste but it does happen.

Too bad you were not able to help your older friend find him and I wish you better luck the next time.

By the way if I had to track a deer 4-5 miles on my hands and knees I believe the deer may die of old age before I found him. I have had to get down low to find a trail at times but if the amount of blood dropped is no more than that and he was able to make it 4-5 miles I would consider it like hitting the lottery that you were able to find him. Nevertheless, I am glad you were able to do so.


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## hillbillybelownewphilly (Nov 16, 2006)

i didnt track him 4-5 miles on my knees. Just to find the blood trail again.


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## kasting king (Aug 17, 2006)

Were you using a shotgun? If so where did you hit it that you had to track 4-5 miles to find it ??


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## Hoss5355 (Apr 9, 2004)

4-5 mile tracking job....


 

Keep up the good work, you could start a deer tracking service w/ those mad skills.


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## hillbillybelownewphilly (Nov 16, 2006)

I used a shotgun and shot him in the gut. I shot him from about 40 yards away. I was always told that they run for awhile if you get a gut shot on them.


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## tcba1987 (Jun 22, 2004)

yeah we did everything we could, i am SICK over not finding that buck, my buddy may not have alot of years left for deer hunting. he has been very sick and i am amazed that he hunts at all. i would never give up on a animal that i thought i could possibly find. i hate finding dead animals that have been wounded or seeing one limping around wounded after season is over.


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## tcba1987 (Jun 22, 2004)

man thats the problem if you gut shot a deer they will run forvever, you are are darn LUCKY you found the deer at all. did you get any pictures of it !!


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## hillbillybelownewphilly (Nov 16, 2006)

The only reason i got a gut shot was because i shot at it on the run!!


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## tcba1987 (Jun 22, 2004)

poor shot selection i guess, i personally wouldnt shoot at a running deer.  they do too many strange things when they are on the run. maybe spend more time sighting in too !!  i have found numerous gut shot deer laying dead after gun season, which from what ive read is a slow horrible way for a deer to die, pick better shots and you wont have to track them 4-5 miles on your hands and knees


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