I'm so angry and disgusted with myself that I feel sick. Tonight I shot my second doe with my bow, and for the second time I was unable to recover the deer. The first time was three weeks ago. Thought I had a good solid pass-thru hit at about 15 yards. The arrow was coated with dark blood but there was no evidence of a gutshot. I was able to follow a scant bloodtrail about 40 yards before it just stopped. My wife and I circle searched for hours until it started raining with no luck.

Tonight, I had a perfect broadside shot at about 22-23 yards. I stopped the deer and shot and thought again that I had made a good shot, but the deer ran off like it wasn't even hit, but I watched the fletching go through the deers chest where it should have been at least a single lung hit. The deer ran about 100 yards before it jumped a fence. I also did not find the arrow and found NO blood whatsoever. I searched until an hour after dark just to find the start of the blood trail and found NOTHING. I KNOW I hit that deer, and I'm 99% sure that she's got an arrow in lodged in the ribs, and she's out there dying right now and I don't have a clue where.

I'm pissed off at myself for not only not making better shots but also because I can't track these animals. I'm starting to think that I have no business in the woods with a bow. On a target range and 3D course I'm a very good shot, but I can't hit the vitals on a real deer to save my life. And I also know that if those shots were taken with my muzzleloader those deer would have gone down within 50 yards and would be in my freezer.

One time I could accept as bad luck and write it off as something that eventually happens to almost everyone, but twice in a row and I have to question the wisdom of risking a third. Every deer I've shot with a ML has died within 100 yards and was easily tracked (if it didn't die withing sight).

Mike

Mike