Legacy357

Opening day bow season in PA found me in an old tree stand that I had a shot a buck out of a few years ago. At like 7:30, a nice 6 point buck passed by my stand and i drew on him at like 15 yards but couldn't get him to stop. He walked off and worked a tree just out of my sight. 10 minutes later i caught movement out of the corner of my eye and he was about 35 yards away. Another hunter have gotten up to take a piss and jumped the buck back to me. I ranged a huge tree he would pass by at 34. I didn't check whether it was 34 yards or meters. It ended up being 34 meters which equals 37 yards. I am very confident out to 40 yards and it was a clearing with no branches or anything in the way. I grunted and stopped in broadside exactly next to the tree. i took aim and let her fly. i thought that i had missed the buck but waited about 1.5 hours and went down to find the arrow. When i found it, all i found was a small patch of white hair and the air looked like it was covered in fat....not a drop of blood on the arrow, not a drop of blood found. i went back, had lunch and went to look for the deer at 2 pm. Ijust zig zaged the area where he ran after the shot but nothing..........so my question is do you think this deer will live? Where did that arrow hit? i thought that i missed him so i am guessing extremely low below the chest, just enough to make it through the hide....what do you think? thanks

jackjack

No question he'll live, with the white hair, you either grazed the front of him or the bottom. I shot one with a muzzeloader .50 right in the right shoulder, it went in all the way through his brisket and stopped just short of coming out near the left front chest where it hits the neck. The deer went directly down then came to and ran off. There was of course blood but it eventually stopped and we could not find him. I shot him 3 weeks later in rifle season, he was not using the wounded leg, but otherwise was fine, he had been eating and was going about a normal routine when I shot him. Deer are resilient, without much blood, it does not sound like you did anything but graze him.

Legacy357

thanks for the reply....i wish i had the chance to hunt the stand/property again to see if i would see him again...oh well thanks....anyone else have an opinion?

PA Bow/Flinter

Sounds like a low shot to me too. I'd say he is alive and well.