I shot a buck in early November with my bow. I knew he was a good and really tall buck, but we could never find him after several 100 yards of tracking (broadhead issues, but thats a WHOLE different story).

Anyways I was shotgun hunting Thursday morning and I had to get down an hour after dawn. Well go figure it gets to be that time so I start packing up and I see a deer coming my way. It just so happens I notice a really nice looking 3.5 yr old 8 pointer coming. I'm checking his rack out and notice he is about 130 inches maybe drops into high 120's.

As he comes closer I check the time and know that there is no way I can shoot him as I would not have time to track him, field dress, etc... Instead I just continue to watch him. As I notice closer I see he is walking with a noticable limp on his front right shoulder. I grab my bino's and check him out closer and can't believe it's the same buck. There was what looked like a scabbed over hairless black spot on his side about where the rib cage ends, in the middle of the body. (Thats the broadhead issue). I keep watching him and he is limping pretty badly and I see him bed down eventually about 250 yards away.

I came back that afternoon and he had since left, but I am wondering that this buck has survived this long. He should be a great one next year and I really want to know if he is going to be alright. The shot should have been lethal had proper penetration taken place, however when we recovered my arrow from him only a few inches were really in him and the arrow had not been in him that long. Maybe 40-50 yards. I'm still hating the fact that he is walking around out there hurt because of me.