Well my friends and I went back to a small farm that we have hunted about 4-5 times this year and ALWAYS seen this buck come out at sunset. My friend has missed him twice and 5 days ago I didn't take a 35 yard shot at him because that's past my personal comfort zone.

He came out again tonight and was eating some cut corn for about a half hour while we watched, grunted, bleated and then just decided to watch him eat. He began to walk our way around 5:00pm and went right towards the spot where I didn't shoot at him before so I figured we were in for the same thing.

At the last second he makes a quick left and he is coming right across the front of my stand at 17 yards. I quickly come to draw and give him a mmmeeeeeeeaaaaaa. He stops in his tracks and I let the arrow fly. I saw my arrow fly and I heard a hollow thud like someone slapped me on the back, but it was a little dark and I am not POSITIVE where the arrow struck. From all information that I have I would say it hit the chest cavity because of the sound and when it hit the deer did not hunch up like a gut shot. He just quickly made a U-turn and trotted away, stopping at the field edge before going in. When he stopped his tail was down and twitching from side to side if that helps??

By the time I got down it was DARK. Checked for but did not find the arrow, or any blood for that matter. Because I am not 100% sure of the hit I figured being a small piece of land it would be best to let him bed down for the night and return first thing in the morning to retrieve him. We plan to hunt until 8:00am and then begin the search.

I can barely sit still so I have no idea how I am gonna get to sleep tonight. I did however want to post this so I can get any last minute advice or help that could improve my chances of recovering this deer.

This is the first deer I have ever shot with a bow so I really hope that this story has a happy ending.


Thanks in advance.

First of all, you should not be hunting again until you either recover the deer, or have given every possible effort into recovering him. If you're hit was a little high, that would explain the lack of blood, and with no exit that will also hurt the blood trail. He shoot start bleeding in a little, and from there the blood trail will be good. Good luck finding him, and don't shoot another deer until you recover this buck.

OlMossyHorns said it all, never hunt until your game is recovered or you can see it down and out if you hunt in an area like I do where you are allowed more than one a day. Once again all hunting stops until you know it is down and out or recovered.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

I always find it amusing at how much faster people here are to critisize and find even the smallest negative in a story then they are to offer solid helpful advice.

Come on guys..........I lay out a whole story like that in hopes of getting some advice to help me recover my deer and what do I get??


FYI......I will not even have my bow with me in the morning. I will be sitting in my tree with friends close by so they can get in an hour or so of hunting before they help me search.

Sorry I didn't give all the minute details of my morning plans. Silly me, I was more concerned with getting all the details of my hunt story correct.

Before you go calling the ethics police let me assure you I will not be "Hunting". I will be watching while others "hunt" Then I will go and find my deer.

GEEEEEESH!!!!!




Anybody have anything to say about the deer or the morning search to come??

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By the sounds of the shot you describe, I would have to say it sounds like a gut shot. Every deer I have ever hit through the lungs has took off like their tail was on fire and their ass was catchin. That's not to say that every deer ever shot in the world will do the same though. ALso what makes me think this is the fact he stopped and stood for a while while swishing his tail. Not too long ago, about 2 weeks ago, I took a shot at a nice mature doe. Just as he triger on my release tripped, she lunged at another doe and I caught her just behind he last rib in the gut. She only ran about 30 yards and stood there looking around and wiggled her tail a few times then walked off. I heard her go down, but not hard, kinda like she bedded a little harder than normal. It was early so I just stayed in my stand. I gave her an hour and then I heard her rolling and a bunch of gurggling. I eased out of my stand and headed back to my truck for a drink and a fresh chew. After a couple hours I figured she was dead. I headed back into my stand site and took up the trail. It was still broad daylight so I nocked another arrow and started to ease in, hoping to find her dead or too stiff to get up and put another one in her. When I got to the spot i last seen her she jumpped up and took off. I watched her go another 40 yards and then she turned and went aboutanother 20 yrds and I heard a crash and then silence. I backed out and waited until after dark and came back with my hunting partner and my brother and we found her dead where I last heard her crash. I think you did the best possible thing by letting him go over night. If the shot was a little back and you never pushed him you should find him within 150 yards. I find most deer will stay on a main run until they die or just before they die they will leave the trail. Also a lot of times a deer will head back the way they came as they know they were safe up to this point. Good luck on your recovery.

LIVE TO HUNT,HUNT TO LIVE.

atlasman I hope you find him this morning. Good that you waited over night. I pushed a my first deer to early and we did recover it, but we ended up pushing him to a peninsula where he had no where to go. Looking back I should have waited over night. I learned from that and again I think you made a good choice in waiting and hope to see pictures. Good Luck!

Well I have good news and bad news.

The good news is I know exactly what happened last night as I found my arrow at 8:00am right where I shot at the buck.

The bad(good)news is that I missed him completely. I still do not know how this is possible because my arrow was sticking right in the bush I had rangfindered at 17 yards and I waited for the buck to get right there until I shot.

The thud that I heard was an old thin tree root in the ground that my arrow struck.


It appears that he walked away like he wasn't hit because he wasn't.

Oh well, He will be back. This deer has more lives then a cat but they will soon run out.


Side note-----I am VERY disappointed in the performance of my MUZZY 90 grain 4 blade head. It was bent very badly by a thin tree root and I just don't think they fly very consistently. I have drilled arrow after arrow in the 10 ring but out of no where I would get a flyer or two or three. I don't know how to explain this. My bow tune is perfect and I was willing to accept flight not AS good as my field points but I was never really pleased with the consistency the Muzzy's gave.

Bad to the bone??? Mine was destroyed by an old tree root the size of my little finger.


Just my experience

If you get one or two flyers, maybe you have an arrow that is bent. Mark your fletchings, so you can track which arrows are flying badly and I would suspect that you will find it is the same one. Otherwise, you might be peeking while shooting which causes arrent arrow flight.

A lot of people find the negative in a story and really hound you about it. But just ignore them. That's the only way to stick around here. Ignore the "perfect hunters" and only pay attention to the one's that actually want to help you.

High Country Archery - "Driven to greater heights..."