Guys can you give me an idea on this one. Was out this morning and got the picture perfect broadside view with head turned away from the deer. Now I centered up for the heart/lung region and squeezed the release. Unfortunately I did not see the arrow contact and concluded that I missed as the deer did not hang around. About two hours later I climbed down to retrieve the arrow. Found it lying in the tall grass just past the deer's location. It was covered in dried blood! I smelled the arrow since I previously thought I missed. Okay there was no smell of gut or bowel on the shaft. There was no hair on the shaft. The shaft was coated from the broadhead to the nock. I conclude that 1) I hit him. 2) He was hit someplace other than the gut. 3) The animal must be closeby on the ground (remember this is two hours later).

I covered the little creek draw for several hundred yards each direction. Went and got help from our hunting buddies and stood at the last place I saw the deer. They worked increasingly larger concentric circles around me from 5 yards to 400. We found no sign, blood, hair nor hide......or deer. Brisket, tenderloin, what? Makes me sick to shoot the animal and not find him.

Any ideas on the hit?

Sooner
It is hard to say where you hit. I have had 2 deer in my life that did not leave a blood trail of any kind. I hit both in the lungs but in my case I did not get a pass through so I think the arrow may have kept the holes closed. Fortunately I was using a game tracker back then and it led me right to the deer. Keep searching and check all nearby trails for any signs of blood

Thank you. Probably hit him high in the lungs. Will look some more but am not too hopeful. Did find this though: http://www.braggingpost.com/Links/charts_and_game.htm

Sounds like you were in the chest area somewhere since you had a pass through and didn't hear any bones when the arrow hit. You were at least 2 hours behind the deer which is good, poss. that it was a liver hit (dark blood) Lack of smell is a good sign and usually there is some form of stomach contents on a gut shot. Liver hits will take awhile for the animal to expire and they can cover a large area. Don't over look the possiblity that the animal circled and is in the opposite direction of what it ran off in. Wounded animals often circle back and hide especially if they don't know what hurt them.

" Anyone can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a Dad"

not too hopeful....

sooner my friend, am I hearing this right?

I wish you the best in finding this critter! Hopefully the "fanning" party didnt wipe out what little evidence there is, but I would bet their is a speck or two of blood here or their!

Look at the terrain, the direction the animal went. Also even if it was dried, you probably could see bubble marks on your shaft. Start where the animal was standing, then look off to the direction of travel, and get on your hands and knees.......if its fatal, its a dead deer. You gave sufficent time to not be pushed even with a marginal hit, before climbing out of your stand, so it shouldnt be far! Go slow, be patient, and use some creativity, you'll find it! But dont give up the faith.....

http://www.geocities.com/tradbow007/...dventures.html

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I agree with Lil. Get on your knees where you last saw the deer. The sign is there you just have to look harder and smarter. Crawl in the direction the deer went and see what it sees. Check all trails you come across from your knees in both directions. Look for upturned dirt and leaves, broken branches pointing in the direction of travel, anything that could direct you till you can find better sign of the hit. Its first moves will most likely be right through bushes and undergrowth and you need to stick your head in those too. Lots of times you can almost invision the route these things will take when your at their level. KEEP LOOKING

Thx to all you guys. By the way, my fletchings are flourescent orange and green and the nock is a flourescent green. They really shine. Just simply did not get a glimpse of the arrow which I usually do.

The deer did run immediately rather than the mulekick or the hunchback thing. I did check the Johnson Grass on both sides of the trail high and low. Yes on the knees too. Yet to see it. I miss the meat for sure but hate it more cause I was raised to take care of the resources. Leaving one dead somewhere doesn't cut it. I will check again this evening.

If you hit the brisket or some place like that you'd have heard a lot whack. Briskets don't bleed a lot. I say you plugged him and he's not far away. The only other spots that might yield so much blood on the arrow but none on the ground are the back leg or a hit through the tenderloin. The The back leg would likely leave more blood on the ground than the tenderloin. A front leg shot would also leave blood on the ground... at least for a little ways. If there was a lot of tallow along with the blood I'd believe brisket... but it doesn't sound like it. Tough call when you're there looking at all the evidence sometime. It's really hard over the internet.

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