<img src=icon_smile_dissapprove.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_dissapprove.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_dissapprove.gif border=0 align=middle> Saturday morning I shot what was to be my best buck with a bow to date. He was a perfectly typical 8 point that I estimate high 120's to low 130's. He came in broadside slightly quartering to me at less than 20 yards. I was hunting on the ground so elevation did not come into play. I executed the shot perfectly, anchored perfect with the kisser in the corner of the mouth and string touching the end of my nose, probably the best release I have done while hunting. At the shot he slightly lunged/wheeled to his right (right side was facing me) and took off. I could see the arrow buried in a cedar tree where he was standing. As he was running off he appeared to be favoring his right shoulder/leg. I waited about 15 minutes and went to check the arrow. When I walked up to the arrow, my heart just sank, it was covered in nothing but stomach matter. I returned back to my ground blind and waited about an hour and a half. Then I went to folow the blood trail. At the time I didn't take my bow or anything with me. the blood drops were about the size of dimes and sporadic. I was easing up a hill when I happened to see he was bedded down facing wdown the hill. I went back to my blind and got my bow and stuff and stalked up behind him. It took me about another hour to stalk to within 40 yards of him. When I was about 40 yards away, he stood up and began walking straight away from me, but bedded down about 50 yards later. I ran to get behind a big cedar just as he bedded down again, but this time he was facing me so I was stuck. He was within range but was facing directly at me. Finally about an hour later he stood up again and began walking away from me. I tried to follow him but ended up losing him in the cedars. As I slipped around I jumped him again and he took off down the hill. I could only find a couple of small blood drops where he landed after jumping off the hill. After that nothing. I tried to find him for 3 more hours but no luck. I even looked for buzzards the entire next day but saw nothing.

Given what I have told you do you think he might survive? Based on the angle of the shot and the way he appeared to be favoring that front shoulder, I would have thought I hit at least one lung and the liver. All the signs told me otherwise though. There was not even much blood in the places he bedded down.

On top of all that, I missed a doe that afternoon. She &quot;jumped the string&quot; on me and I shot over her back.

So needless to say I am very bummed right now. I just hope the buck survives and doesn't die a slow horrible death. I have been bowhunting for 17 years and this is only the second deer I have lost and I absolutely hate it.