Greg / MO

Striper, for what it's worth... I've never had a hit deer snort at me. Others in the herd maybe, but never one that I hit.

I agree that you probably missed her.

Saxman1819

You missed dude. I hope you could recover some arrows or broadheads. My first year out I put a broadhead into a tree then like a FOOL I went over to it and started pulling. I pulled out the insert and split the arrow. Lesson learned. :-) Good luck getting your equipment fixed and shooting well again. Don't lose any more sleep over it, you missed.

Dr Andy

The snorting or wheezing was a sure fire sign you didn't hit it. They do that to intimidate,usually right after stomping a front hoove, and again when running away. I've heard it many times in the spring while hunting for morels! Imess with them all the time I stomp my foot and snort back at em.

Striper Phil

Thanks for the snorting info, that was what Iwas looking for. When northeast rifle hunting I usually only have dead deer after a shot. Bow hunting in the jungkles of oregon is a whole different situation where you can't see 20yards. its not sitting in a tree stand where you can have shooting lanes and wait for the perfect shot that i have arranged for in the past. Picking a hole in the wooded lane between you and the deer
seems to be the best that can be accomplished. By the way the field fix worked since when i got home the bow was on target. With the snorting info I was looking for I slept better knowing a complete miss was most likely. Must have caught a small branch or something.By the way I have since heard that Blacktails are more likley to snort. Oh yea i don't have much expierence with missing.Thanks again.

HuntingEd

Sorry your equipment failed, we all feel your pain. There is nothing more dissapointing than that. Hopefully you can easily fix it. IMO you cleanly missed the deer. Hunting is a tough sport and we all make big mistakes w/ great equipment. Not to mention what happens when equipment fails. Ive lost a few deer due to making some big mistakes, hopefullly we all will learn the lesson due to your story: check your equipment when you get in the stand. Good luck next time and go out and practice to build your confidence up. Keep us posted.

rybohunter

Well I'm thinking the moment you realize an equipment failure, you should stop shooting at the deer.
Hopefully your last shot also missed. I've never heard a wounded deer snort?

huntingson

Phil, sorry to hear about your luck. Bad things happen. I commend you on the effort you made to ensure that if the deer was hit you would have found it. Best of luck to you in the rest of the season.

C-WOODS-SHOOT

Phil, it sounds like you're confident that it was a clean miss and my post is not meant to change that. I just wanted to share with everyone reading this thread that a deer I shot did snort or blow after I shot it and just before it went down. Just to make sure we are on the same page, I'm talking about the noise a deer makes when it is alarmed and trying to warn other deer, usually accompanied by the stomping of its front hooves. The deer was a mature buck, the shot hit heart only, the deer ran about 50 yards and snorted as it slowed and then collapsed. I've never heard another deer do this after it was shot, but most of the other deer I have killed were shot through the lungs and i'm guessing this noise would be impossible to make with collapsed lungs. Just thought I would share this so others reading this who are inexpierenced woudn't give up on tracking a deer prematurely just because they heard the snort.

Pro-Line

Phil...I'd bet my bow you missed. Don't worry about the "I know everything...and you don't" responses. That's one reason I don't post in this forum much anymore.

I've never hit or seen a deer hit that snorted. BUT, I've never hunted blacktails, either.

Good luck!

davidmil

I could make some smart remark about the only black tails I ever hunted were down in the hood on a Friday night, but I won't.[8D]