Trying to figure out what happened
10-03-2005, 11:40 AM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Southwest PA
Posts: 1,244
Trying to figure out what happened
Guys I need some input from everyone's experience. Now let me start this off by saying I hate as much as the next hunter to hear stories about the deer that got shot that was never found. I wouldn't post this but I need some thoughts/theories on what happened. I also apologize for this being long winded.
Saturday afternoon we got in our stands and about 3:30 my buddy calls and says 'I just put a nice shot on a doe.' My Dad responds by saying 'I can see her walking up thru the brush with her tail out.' My buddy says, 'She was about 10 yards broadside when I took the shot. I can see her standing out there and see the hole in her side. It looks good, a little low but behind the shoulder' Finally the deer walks off and they think they hear her crash.
So we waited. About 30 minutes later he gets down and finds the arrow sticking straight up in the ground and radios, 'this is really odd. I found my arrow and it is completely dry. yet I've got blood everyone. If I didn't see the arrow, I would have said I missed her.' So we waited and joined him about 30 minutes later.
The blood was all over for about the first 50 yards. dark red in color. Not pink like a lung and not bright red like a heart shot. when I say all over, there were sprays of blood, entire leaves covered and areas about a foot in diamater with blood.
After 50 yards, we were down to drops of blood every so often. We crawled and searched the rest of the evening. Never finding another drop of blood. Never find a place where the deer bedded down. Nothing, she just dissappeared. We walked the field, headed for the water source that we knew of and looked everywhere.
Now back to the arrow. It was completely clean except for 1 white hair. the broadhead and first 2-3 inches of shaft were covered in dirt. Nothing on the shaft or the fletching. It wasn't sticky or wet and had no odor to it. Yet my buddy was sure he could see a hole in that deer.
Now here are some other strange events. I was about 100 yards downhill in an orchard from him and had a guy walking around (no camo and didn't look like he was hunting.) banging limbs, looking around lifting branches up etc. When we were getting ready to meet my buddy, I heard some voices which sounded like 'let's go' and then a truck start up. The truck then drove down the road between us and was gone. This truck was somewhere in the field to my left andis about 30 yards from the last drops of blood we found. On the other side of the field was a small creek.
So I am trying to figure out what happened. I've got 3 theories on this.
1. Because the angle was so high, he was up about 16-17 feet and the deer was around 10 yards, maybe he just grazed the skin under or on the side of the deer.
2. The deer was shot before it got to him and he missed. I never thought of this until this morning. We never looked where the deer came from only after the shot. This would also explain the guy wandering around by my stand.
3. He did in fact hit the deer and the guys who left ina hurry in the truck found it and tossed it in the back and left. I never thought about this one until I was replaying the events in my mind and remembered hearing a voice say 'let's go' or something to that affect.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading and I look forward to your thoughts.
Saturday afternoon we got in our stands and about 3:30 my buddy calls and says 'I just put a nice shot on a doe.' My Dad responds by saying 'I can see her walking up thru the brush with her tail out.' My buddy says, 'She was about 10 yards broadside when I took the shot. I can see her standing out there and see the hole in her side. It looks good, a little low but behind the shoulder' Finally the deer walks off and they think they hear her crash.
So we waited. About 30 minutes later he gets down and finds the arrow sticking straight up in the ground and radios, 'this is really odd. I found my arrow and it is completely dry. yet I've got blood everyone. If I didn't see the arrow, I would have said I missed her.' So we waited and joined him about 30 minutes later.
The blood was all over for about the first 50 yards. dark red in color. Not pink like a lung and not bright red like a heart shot. when I say all over, there were sprays of blood, entire leaves covered and areas about a foot in diamater with blood.
After 50 yards, we were down to drops of blood every so often. We crawled and searched the rest of the evening. Never finding another drop of blood. Never find a place where the deer bedded down. Nothing, she just dissappeared. We walked the field, headed for the water source that we knew of and looked everywhere.
Now back to the arrow. It was completely clean except for 1 white hair. the broadhead and first 2-3 inches of shaft were covered in dirt. Nothing on the shaft or the fletching. It wasn't sticky or wet and had no odor to it. Yet my buddy was sure he could see a hole in that deer.
Now here are some other strange events. I was about 100 yards downhill in an orchard from him and had a guy walking around (no camo and didn't look like he was hunting.) banging limbs, looking around lifting branches up etc. When we were getting ready to meet my buddy, I heard some voices which sounded like 'let's go' and then a truck start up. The truck then drove down the road between us and was gone. This truck was somewhere in the field to my left andis about 30 yards from the last drops of blood we found. On the other side of the field was a small creek.
So I am trying to figure out what happened. I've got 3 theories on this.
1. Because the angle was so high, he was up about 16-17 feet and the deer was around 10 yards, maybe he just grazed the skin under or on the side of the deer.
2. The deer was shot before it got to him and he missed. I never thought of this until this morning. We never looked where the deer came from only after the shot. This would also explain the guy wandering around by my stand.
3. He did in fact hit the deer and the guys who left ina hurry in the truck found it and tossed it in the back and left. I never thought about this one until I was replaying the events in my mind and remembered hearing a voice say 'let's go' or something to that affect.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading and I look forward to your thoughts.
10-03-2005, 11:44 AM
#2
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Tn
Posts: 286
RE: Trying to figure out what happened
Makes sense that the other guy may have shot her. Only because you say he was walking around behind your stand and the deer didnt run off when you shot. If the deer had already been hit, it may have been in shock from the first arrow. Did you ever find the deer?
10-03-2005, 11:51 AM
#3
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Michigan/Ohio
Posts: 11,682
RE: Trying to figure out what happened
What type of BroadHead was he using Fixed or Expandable?
About 7 years ago I though I drilled this doe, she was right below me. I saw the arrow go in right behind her shoulder next to the spine. Deer went down hit the tree hard, I thought I spined her. She got up ran off 30 yds and walked away. Same type of blood trail you had. Only difference was my arrow was bent(alum in those days) and had a lot of fat on it. My best guess is I shot to close to the should and the arrow bounced off the shoulder then out the same side.
It happens and it sucks
About 7 years ago I though I drilled this doe, she was right below me. I saw the arrow go in right behind her shoulder next to the spine. Deer went down hit the tree hard, I thought I spined her. She got up ran off 30 yds and walked away. Same type of blood trail you had. Only difference was my arrow was bent(alum in those days) and had a lot of fat on it. My best guess is I shot to close to the should and the arrow bounced off the shoulder then out the same side.
It happens and it sucks
10-03-2005, 11:55 AM
#4
Typical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Chambersburg, PA
Posts: 812
RE: Trying to figure out what happened
very interesting to say the least. Go back to see if there was any other blood trails before he hit it. If so i'd have to say that it was the other people you saw and they found her.
10-03-2005, 11:59 AM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Southwest PA
Posts: 1,244
RE: Trying to figure out what happened
I believe he shots thuderhead 100's. My Dad is hunting the spot tonight and is going to check to see if there was a trail before she comes to his stand.
I wish I had the camera with me to take pictures of what we saw. Has anyone ever grazed teh side of an animal before and how much blood would you expect to see?
Honestly, when I first saw the blood, my Dad said to him, 'come on, let's go get your deer.' I was sure she was just over the hill.
I wish I had the camera with me to take pictures of what we saw. Has anyone ever grazed teh side of an animal before and how much blood would you expect to see?
Honestly, when I first saw the blood, my Dad said to him, 'come on, let's go get your deer.' I was sure she was just over the hill.
10-03-2005, 12:14 PM
#6
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Kansas
Posts: 6,598
RE: Trying to figure out what happened
Sounds like your friend was shooting at a wounded deer. If an arrow goes thru the side of a deer it isn't clean with one hair. Only thing that puzzels me is why didn't someone trailing that deer walk by following the blood trail.
10-03-2005, 12:14 PM
#7
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Michigan/Ohio
Posts: 11,682
RE: Trying to figure out what happened
My grampa help me track mind deer and remeber when we started he said this will not take long. The further we went the less blood we fond. Were I shot her it look good.
10-03-2005, 01:10 PM
#8
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Bessemer, MI
Posts: 220
RE: Trying to figure out what happened
I'm guessing you shot and missed a deer that had been previously shot.....perhaps by those other guys. Your arrow probably picked up a hair dropped by the wounded deer when shot at.
10-03-2005, 01:18 PM
#9
Site Bouncer
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Illinois
Posts: 4,099
RE: Trying to figure out what happened
ORIGINAL: legacy22
I'm guessing you shot and missed a deer that had been previously shot.....perhaps by those other guys. Your arrow probably picked up a hair dropped by the wounded deer when shot at.
I'm guessing you shot and missed a deer that had been previously shot.....perhaps by those other guys. Your arrow probably picked up a hair dropped by the wounded deer when shot at.
10-03-2005, 01:23 PM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 3,236
RE: Trying to figure out what happened
Did you try to backtrack the deer's travel prior to your stand? I would say that if it was shot by another hunter that the blood would preceed the deer's arrival to your stand. No?
As far as hitting a deer, seeing blood and having a clean arrow, I can sayI have seen it once. If your arrow hits far forward and low it can sometimes catch the breastbone at the brisket. The broadhead slits the hide but the blade rides along the breastbone and the shaft fails to enter, thus producing decent blood at first and a clean arrow shaft. The buck I saw shot this way recovered and was seen later in the season.
As far as hitting a deer, seeing blood and having a clean arrow, I can sayI have seen it once. If your arrow hits far forward and low it can sometimes catch the breastbone at the brisket. The broadhead slits the hide but the blade rides along the breastbone and the shaft fails to enter, thus producing decent blood at first and a clean arrow shaft. The buck I saw shot this way recovered and was seen later in the season.