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bummer...but it happens so dont let it get ya too down

Ive lost one so far *knockin on wood* and to this day I couldnt tell you waht happend. Shot a wide racked buck at daybreak....15 yards...it was snowing changing ro drizzle. Got my buddy from his stand and we tracked it for what I would estimate to be close to a mile. The blood trail was not heavy but it was steady and very easy to follow at a steady walk. Then it just vanished and even with the aid of 2 more people we could not find it.

at a close range of 10 yards from a treestand it is easy to ONE lung a deer due to the steep angle. To my knowledge one lung is always fatal but the deer can go a long way.

hopefully ya just gave him a good flesh wound and he will be back to chasing does again next season

** I almost got him but I refuse to take a marginal shot **

I know it is a horrible feeling to loose a deer I lost one this weekend as well. Look everwhere you know & then look some more but it just doesn't work out sometimes. Pray that it wasn't a lethal shot and get him next time.

I had almost the same thing happen to me last year, except I was on the ground. I grunted an 8 point in and shot him at about 30 yards. When I went to look at my arrow it had only penetrated 5-6 inches. I marked the spot and gave him about 3 hours and went buck. As I started to look I saw a buck across the field that slowly walked into the woods. I tracked him for about 40 yards on small puddles of blood, and then the next 20-25 yards were huge puddles, then back to small puddles for another 30 yards then I lost him after about 10 yards of little specks, I backtracked and then called it a night. I returned the next morning and combed the woods in grid searches, and circles with my friend. After looking another 2 hours and covering all the property we had permission on, we sat down on a fallen log to have a drink, and right in front of my boot was a little blood..wow talk about luck. I tracked him for 10 yards and lost the blood again. We looked for another hour in the direction he headed but nothing. Overall from the 1st blood to the last was probably 250 yards. The thing is, where we found the last blood is where we saw the buck in the field the night before enter the woods. If I could of done it all over again I would have pulled out right then and went back in the morning. Luckily the buck survived, I saw him the last day of the season at 20 yards, after I had filled my tag in the morning.

Shots that are True....Pass right Through!!!

Keep looking!

Your story sounds awfully familiar to mine last year. Only difference is that deer was almost right under me. maybe 3 yards from tree. The blood and hair sounds exactly like your story. I waited about an hour and a half and right as i headed to the woods it started pouring out. crap, that sucks.

anyway, I just skinned the deer. I have lots of trail camera pictures of the buck. I was very familiar with this buck and as soon as I saw the pictures i knew it was him. just took a little patch of skin off his side. I felt awfull and spent the entire next day looking for him. I think i have pictures of him this year too but haven't been able to get one of the spot with the missing hair to confirm it.

anyway, i still think you should keep looking. It sounds like you hit him pretty good. Look in the thickest lowest spots you can find. I found a dead button buck this saturday in a very very swampy area.

again, keep looking you just might find him.

Rain is a very real consideration when hunting, and especially so when bow hunting. You need to be aware of the forecast, and realize how dark it is getting. I probably wouldn't shoot a deer late Sunday night as I know I wouldn't have the next day to search for it if I had too. I shot a doe during muzzleloader, and between rain and the the darkness, the yotes got to her before we found her. At least I know what happened to her. But the point is you have to think about after the shot, before the shot.

--Jim

Sorry to hear about that. That is the reason I don't bow hunt in the rain. Better luck next time.

Brian