I shot my first deer ever around 4pm.... he was chasing a doe around. 18-20 yards slightly quartering to. Arrow didn't go all the way through. Saw it sticking out as he ran. Waiting for my uncle and dad to come help track it... updates to come
First Deer
SFarmer1023
41 - 60 of 60 Posts
Joined
·
10,447 Posts
Dogs track smells that you can't see and don't know are there. That's why you get one. Just because you don't see anything doesn't mean that a dog won't pick up the trail and go right to the deer. Did you make large loops out in the direction the deer went?
Joined
·
1,971 Posts
And the owners of these dogs will not come out unless you have the arrow. Just sayin
Joined
·
565 Posts
How's it going?
Joined
·
96 Posts
Yeah we made small loops, there was three of us. We even headed down deer trails and routes that made sense a wounded deer would take
Joined
·
96 Posts
Yeah, don't rush the shot (not that I feel I really did that though) and gonna shoot again before I go out. Shot a few weeks ago was on point. Not too sure why I shot high... try to watch the deer more closely after impact... I did watch, he got out of sight pretty quick though...
Biggest thing I learned which helped me recover deer was just patience during the shot. An experienced guy told me once,
"If you're patient, you'd be surprised how many good chances a deer will give you to kill it".
You just have to wait for the perfect shot opportunity (i.e. Broadside or slightly quartering away). It sounds like you got excited and shot in desperation. Which is okay just be aware that when you do that you increase your chances of bad shot placement. This year I passed 3 deer just because the shot angle/yardage wasn't perfect. There are guys here that also pass a ton of deer because of the angle. It's the right thing to do.
Also, rages are fine. I've been guilty of bashing them, but when you center punch a deer in both lungs with a pass through, that deer WILL drop in sight.
The problem is that you hit the deer in the shoulder. That shoulder is extremely good at protecting the vitals. Sounds like you hit him high as well which wouldn't add for a very good blood trail or penetration.
Also good rule of thumb is to give the deer time if you don't see them drop. I started implementing that and it is working out for me thus far. And when I say time I don't mean 30 minutes. I'm talking about a couple of hours if not more. It sounds like you got down too fast and started disturbing the woods which probably pushed that deer. When a deer is wounded, the last thing they want to do is over exert themselves so they'll bed down relatively close from the location of the shot. If you push them they'll get a shot of adrenaline and you'll find yourself tracking in the state over.
Lesson here:
1.) wait for PERFECT shot
angle. If it's not perfect
don't take the shot.
2.) if you don't see the deer drop in sight and don't have GREAT Blood or pass through WAIT.
Just my $00.02, I hope that helps you out!
"If you're patient, you'd be surprised how many good chances a deer will give you to kill it".
You just have to wait for the perfect shot opportunity (i.e. Broadside or slightly quartering away). It sounds like you got excited and shot in desperation. Which is okay just be aware that when you do that you increase your chances of bad shot placement. This year I passed 3 deer just because the shot angle/yardage wasn't perfect. There are guys here that also pass a ton of deer because of the angle. It's the right thing to do.
Also, rages are fine. I've been guilty of bashing them, but when you center punch a deer in both lungs with a pass through, that deer WILL drop in sight.
The problem is that you hit the deer in the shoulder. That shoulder is extremely good at protecting the vitals. Sounds like you hit him high as well which wouldn't add for a very good blood trail or penetration.
Also good rule of thumb is to give the deer time if you don't see them drop. I started implementing that and it is working out for me thus far. And when I say time I don't mean 30 minutes. I'm talking about a couple of hours if not more. It sounds like you got down too fast and started disturbing the woods which probably pushed that deer. When a deer is wounded, the last thing they want to do is over exert themselves so they'll bed down relatively close from the location of the shot. If you push them they'll get a shot of adrenaline and you'll find yourself tracking in the state over.
Lesson here:
1.) wait for PERFECT shot
angle. If it's not perfect
don't take the shot.
2.) if you don't see the deer drop in sight and don't have GREAT Blood or pass through WAIT.
Just my $00.02, I hope that helps you out!
Joined
·
96 Posts
Yes, thanks. I've passed up plenty of deer this year, because they stayed outside of my 30 yard range. I thought everything was going fine last night. I knew the deer was in my effective range, I thought he was at a good enough angle. I sat still and waited for his head to get behind a tree, stood up drew, put the pin where I wanted it, saw he was looking at me again so I squeezed the trigger on my release.. only sense that it was rushed was I knew he wouldn't be there for long since he was harassing 2 does...I waited about an hour before I started tracking. Definitely will learn from this
Joined
·
3,141 Posts
You sure you didn't miss and your arrow is in the dirt? With all the rain the ground is soft, arrow could not be visible. You would have found some blood and the arrow at some point. If it was sticking 3/4 of the way out it would have broken off or fell out.
Joined
·
6,025 Posts
Sorry to hear. It happens to everyone sooner or later. Take it as a lesson learned. You'll get one !
Joined
·
96 Posts
Yes, the arrow was definitely visible as he ran away
Joined
·
3,718 Posts
Don't let it get you down, it definitely happens to all of us at one time or another. Just get back out there, and keep trying. The first one is the hardest to get, then they go down like dominos.
You probably hit high because you were not aiming for the exit hole. Assuming you were in a tree stand, shooting down at an angle. Also, as stated, avoid quartering to shots with a bow. It's really not an option. It's pretty hard to believe that you didn't find ANY sign of this deer. It's THERE.
Joined
·
1,921 Posts
"rages suck" "lumenoks didn't turn on"
what about bad shot? you can't shoot a shoulder and expect to luck out and get through it every time... I'm 4/4 with rages this year and all pass through shots
what about bad shot? you can't shoot a shoulder and expect to luck out and get through it every time... I'm 4/4 with rages this year and all pass through shots
Joined
·
96 Posts
I'm definitely taking it as a learning experience... I keep playing the events over and over in my head. I'm not blaming the products. I know my shot was off. As for signs of the hit I am disappointed we didn't find anything. I had two seasoned hunters come out with me to help track. I didn't even get down out of my stand until they got there. I will not ever forget that day that's for sure and will learn from my mistakes. It's just tough you know. Especially since he was a pretty big boy. Thanks everyone for their advice and suggestions I appreciate them all greatly
41 - 60 of 60 Posts
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
