I'll try and keep this short....which is hard for me.
Been hunting every day for the last 10 or so. Been holding out for a big 140"+ that I have seen several times. Thursday morning I had an opportunity when he was facing me at 40yds, and I'm locked on him at full draw. I decided to pass in hopes of him turning broadside. He was hot on a doe, so as soon as he moved to chase the doe he never stopped his fast aggressive chase. Before I knew it he was gone.
Friday was hot....in the 70's by mid-day. I saw 2 nice buck chasing a doe at 5pm, but they never came into range.
Saturday was last day in PA. I saw a large 6pt in the am, but its not legal in our area to shoot a buck with less than 4pts on one side. I left my spot and headed for my other on the other side of the property with my stand on my back. I made the 1/2 mile hike only to find some other dude up in my tree. Its my buddies land, so I didn't know who he gave permission to. Instead of messing his last evening hunt up too, I decided to head back to to my truck and drive back to my am spot. By the time I get there its nearly 4pm. I decide with the late arrival to leave my stand and hunt from the ground (shot my last 4 buck from the ground in this spot during the rut). At 4:30 I heard a lot of racket, to my left. It was the big buck and another 8pt chasing a hot doe. They settled into a thicket about 50yds from me. I grunted, and within a few short minutes the big boy chased the doe out over the hill and down into the far valley. He wanted to get her out of there all to himself. The woods are loud, and I could tell the deer was close to 150yds away now and light is fading fast. I put out a few grunts, and the 8pt comes straight at me.
Now all season I have been holding out for the big boy. But in the final hour of the last day, I told myself that if this buck comes into range I was going to take him. I grunted 3 times and watched the buck come straight at me. With his head behind a tree at 8yds I come to full draw. He walks past the tree and turns broadside in the process as he follows the trail. I grunt and he stop short with a 3" sapling right behind his shoulder. I'm at full draw, and steady as a rock. I lean right and theres no shot. I lean left...and see my shot. Using my 20yd pin I put an arrow around 1" left of the tree, and it smacks the deer high. It looked like I hit him just above and behind the shoulder. He runs below me and I hear him stop at 70yds or so. Then nothing for 15 minutes. I pack up my gear, and head over to retrieve my arrow. It was laying loose on a fallen tree just behind where the deer was standing, soaked with blood.
I look over the surrounding area throughly for the next hour, and cannot see any signs of blood. I make my way over to where I last heard the deer stop, and zig-zag up and down the hill across the trails looking for any sign. Nothing. At this point I feel its best to back out and try again in the am when its light.
I'm back in the woods Sunday at 6:30am. Theres a rain storm coming, and I have little time to find the blood trail. I spend 2 hours zig-zagging up and down the hill through my 150yd wide funnel looking for the deer. Nothing...and its starting to rain. I call my buddy, and he's there by 9am. We went through every yard of those woods where the deer could be....thicket, valley, backtrack though my entire hunting area...everywhere. By 12:30 I called off the search. The rain was coming down hard, and I was both physically and mentally exhausted. I have NEVER hit a deer before and not found it. I lost a Buck a few years back and found it a couple days later, which gives me hope. But we went through everything...places I hadn't thought of for that last buck. I plan to head back this weekend and look again to see if I can find him.
My buddies friend had the same thing happen to him on Saturday am. He made a similar shot as mine, and 4 guys searched for his all day Sat & Sun and couldn't find it either. I have heard so much about the "Dead Zone", and I'm certainly a believer now. Apparently there's a small area right above the lungs but below the spine that has nothing. And because of the high hit, it causes the deer to bleed internally instead of bleed out and leave a trail.
I wont take a shot that I'm not confident will quickly and ethically kill a deer. This is the last thing I wanted...I would rather watch a buck of a lifetime walk by and not shoot than to wound him. Wish me luck, but its not looking good. My guess is he's back to chasing does, but if he is wounded I pray he recovers quickly.
Don