[mysticguido]

Well last night I shot a nice deer. I got in the woods around 5pm and sat in my #1 spot, about 6:30pm or so the deer started to move. First a nice DOE & 2 Fawns came in. I was waiting for a buck but if another DOE came in I would take it. All 3 deer where popping their heads up and looking hard in the woods & brush. After 10 minutes no deer came from where they where looking. Then around 6:45pm 1 deer was coming down the ridge. It was a nice buck to have taken with a long bow & I needed more Venison too. Anyway.... When the buck came in the DOE droped low, then walked off. The buck then walked under my stand as the DOE went back to eating with her fawns. This was all in 5 minutes or so then the buck walked to the bait pile and moved off the DOE & Fawns. I get up and drew my bow...picked a spot..... loosed my arrow... The buck truned... looked... and droped just as my arrow reached him... A good quartering away shot, the buck droped just enuff to have my arrow just under it's spine and sticking out on both sides. I marked the first sign of blood and left for the night. Today Oct 20, 2005 @ 7:00am I went back to trail the buck I shot. It was a long 6 hr trail. Snaking over what felt like 400yards, but really only 50yards then at the lost place I found blood ( 11:00am ) the trail stoped. I looked all over for another 3 hrs. But no luck the buck was uncovered. This is a sad day for me. I take it hard when I can't find a game animal I have shot.

 

[Guest]

SAL, sorry about the buck, but you did your job by tracking it, be proud of yourself[up]

 

[yoda4x4]

Sal,

Sorry to hear about that. It really stinks when that happens. This is the reason why we're all hunters and not killers. Killers wouldn't care what happened afterwards.

David

 

[buckfever]

sal,you showed great respect for the animal and the sport of hunting.keep that chin up.[up]

 

[Matty]

Depending upon how high and how far back, you may have hit the deer through the "dead zone" just above the lungs, below the spine, in front of the kidney and above/behind the liver. No major arteries in that area either, so no chance of recovery. If this is the case, he will probably break the arrow off as he continues to walk around, and he will heal up and live to see another day.

If you think the hit was fatal, get back out there while you still have some light left (unless you have other commitments). I know its disheartening, but its been really cool out all night and today, the meat is probably still good.

Come to think of it, quartering away from a stand. You still might have gotten the liver and a lung. Thats fatal, but it takes a while for them to succumb.

Ive always found that big bucks are the hardest to fall. Even on great hits, they always seem to make it further than most deer. They are just such a hardy, resilient critter.

If you can have someone help you grid search the area (looking for blood or the buck) do that. If you can get your hands on starlight bloodhound, go in at dusk and mist the ground around the last spot of blood. It glows blue when it hits blood. Either that or fresh Hydrogen Peroxide. That bubbles up white, and it helps you pick out the tiniest drops you wouldnt otherwise see. this may lead you in the right direction.

If thats the extent of your search, and you can say you did your best, then thats all you can do MG. No one here is gonna say you didnt try. I also know theres nothing anyone can tell you to ease the hurt, but thats just the way it goes.

Hopefully you can get out there and find him, if not, keep your chin up it happens to the best.

 

[Cheese]

Mystic that stinks, but you did your best to find it spending all that time in the woods. Keep hunting.

 

[Guest]

Matty the shot you mentioned happend to me back in November 2001. I took a shot at a huge 8 pointer 24" spread, well over 200lbs., he ran 30 yards, went up on his hind legs twice like a horse would, the 2nd time he just slowly fell over to his right. 20 minutes went by, and then he gets up, walks away like nothing happened. BuckFever, Brownstones, few others and myself went back looking for him the next day, but never found him. Till this day I'm so pissed off when I think about it, I also still have the arrow[mad][down]

 

[mpemt24]

Mystic you did what you could. Sometimes you just can't find them.

 

[JJoe]

I does sound like the dead zone. I too hit one like that a long time ago. I did all I could to find this deer. Nothing.

 

[jrhunt]

I hit a 8 pt Buck in Mendham in the ("Not" dead zone)a few years ago.He ran 20 yards and stopped. Stood there for 20 minutes and walked away grazing on acorns.Hopefully he survives.

 

[mack]

sorry to hear that mystic! this just means the next deer you get will be a big one!!! [up]

 

[mysticguido]

I got a call late last night... The deer was found, but it was being eaten by yotes. My friend heard the yote and walked out in the woods and found it 20 yards in the woods from his back door...It seems that the deer walked back there and layed down and died.

 

[Stealthy_Bowman]

Glad you found your deer! Was any of it salvageable?

 

[pla930]

dead zone" just above the lungs, below the spine, in front of the kidney and above/behind the liver.

Matty - I laughed when I read this on the bowsite yesterday too.

It is not a dead-zone - it is a vital zone. The lungs would be hit. If the arrow glances off the spine (which is probly what happens with these shots), you would get a nice spray of blood but ultimately a deer could survive or die further away than imagined. If the arrow enters this cavity - it would ultimately cut lung and Pulmonary Arteries.

Sal - sorry about your deer - I hope you can pick up the trail again and find this deer. If not, we are only human, our senses can only take us so far.
Keep on huntin and doin it right!

 

[buckfever]

sal,glad you found your deer.very happy for u.[up]

 

[pla930]

I got a call late last night... The deer was found, but it was being eaten by yotes. My friend heard the yote and walked out in the woods and found it 20 yards in the woods from his back door...It seems that the deer walked back there and layed down and died.

Glad it was recovered.

Keep on hunting!

 

[mysticguido]

I went to get the deer today and the yotes had it all. Some meat and skin with the bones was the only thing left...Well now I know the yotes are back in my area, I need a good yote pelt.....


BTW... Buck was a 11pointer, and my friend has the rack.

 

[pla930]

Damn yotes!

 

[Dragthor]

photo?

 

[Cheese]

A little to late, but at least you found it. The yotes got an easy meal.