Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

A tale of woe, Opening day for deer in Oregon today and I was out bright and early with lots of bow practice under my belt To keep this short I heard some deer about 70 yards or so behind me and moved along a quiet dirt path towards the apparent crossing. It is really thick here less than 20 yards mostly. The deer worked their way down hill to me and one presents a broad side at 10 yards with a small bit of brush close to her and about 7 yards from me. I am surprised to get my bow up aimed and let fly thunk I hit a tree about 6 feet out and 2 feet to the right of the aim path. I’m thinking what the *** and manage to fit another arrow and let fly, thunk another tree to the right. Looking at the bow I notice the left of 3 arrow guides silencer rubber tube is about off and apparently guiding my arrow severely to the right. I push it back on and the deer is still looking at me broadside at 10 yards which amazes me. I shoot again and the deer moves off. Oh the rubber guide is now gone. The Blacktail deer snorts back from 30 yards or so, at which distance I can’t see her. Snorted ad longer and longer distances four more times. I say snort but it sounded like wheezing and I figured she was coughing up blood. Any way after 3 hours of trailing no arrow no blood and no sign. I used all the wood craft of 56 years and still no sign. Any thoughts? What about the snorting is this normal for blacktail? The snorting gave me a pretty straight line of travel to follow and I hit all the trail forks.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

I've never known a deer that was "hit" to snort or neccesarily stay on "the trail"

If the deer was hit hard enough that she was moving slowly and coughing up blood surely some blood would have been found

Hopefully, you never hit that deer. It would have probably been best not to shoot (after the first two times) until you made sure your equipment was again functioning properly on a non-living target.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

That wasn't a snort it was laughter. No offence man but make sure your stuff is right as soon as you get in stand. No blood = no hit.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

Holy cow.....these are starting already? Good luck.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

sounds like you didnt hit her....arrow probably burried in the leaves or brush somewhere...id go back and look for it for reassurance. i agree after 2 bad shots and then finding the problem i wouldnt shot again..but would probably threw my bow at it. i know the temptation of a 10yd shot was there.

mobowhunter....im dying at your comment. i didnt wanna click this thread..we all read enough of them...but who knows...maybe ill have to post one of these....maybe you guys can help me(or anyone) find a deer some day...hey atleast the guys that post these are TRYING. although we all hate to read them we can atleast try to help....

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

I wasn't asking for condensending opinion. After 70 or so deer i had checked the equipment before leaving or was a 100 or so shots this week not enough for ya. Thought I had fixed the problem. I really would like you to be in the same shoes and then tell me to not shoot. I wonder why i got back on this site after years of help and helping others please keep cheep shots to your perfect selves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

I agree with Phil
As one of the first members on this site, I can remember a forum that would lend its "ear" to a poster who made a mistake and was asking for help...now it seem as if you dont make the perfect hit on the perfect hunt, you shouldnt post here????

To put it simply, hearing about someone elses mistake may prevent me from making the same mistake...

Lets not start another season of slamming the folks on here for coming here for help....

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

OK--then what advice do you offer???

-Look Hard
-try to find blood
-look harder
-exhaust all options
-go home


I did not mean to be condescending (if it was perceived like that). From the story,I was unsure of Phil's experience level and actually thought he was a beginning bowhunter. Now I think he just had "doe fever":D:D:D

Plus itsounds like the arrow probably did not connect from the description as he did not mention seeing the deer actually "hit", and everything else he mentioned.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

I don't knowthat I'veever heard a deer snort or wheeze after it was hit - I have heard others snort close by afterIhitone any chance of a different one snorting and the one you were shooting at going a different direction - you did say it was pretty thick.
But if the one you were shooting atwasstanding there snorting, wheezing or whatever, you would have found some blood if it was hit.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

I think you missed.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

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.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

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.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

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.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

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.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

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.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

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?

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

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.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

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.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

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!

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

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]

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

Thats Bowhunting. Better to miss than make a bad hit. Sh*% happens to equipment. Better luck next time and be safe!

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

Thanks again for real answers. By the way some seem to think from my post thatI was in a stand where you have a better ability to fix things in the heat of battle. I was on the ground standing face to face with the young lady at 10 yards or less.Bow fixed and on target and I am just wasying a few minutes before headding for the woods. Once again it is thick thick thick here in Oregon. Stands are uselessin most situations that I have found. At 15 feet up in a tree for the most part it would be hard to see the ground ten or twenty yards out without MAJOR pruning. Even then you can't see anywhere to see animals movingaround little less find a shooting lane.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

I would say you missed but honestly I would have gone home after hitting the treeon the first shotknowing I had some accuracy issues because of equipment problems. Thats just me, not saying its right or wrong :) Some people probably would have tried a few shots as well or tried to fix/compensate the problem right then and there

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

I agree. The only deer I've ever heard snort after a shot was a clean miss.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

I dont blame you I would have tried to fix the problem as quick as possible and tried to get another shot. As long as the deer where standing there i would have shot till I ran out of arrows.. Cant blame a man for that. If you could recover the last arrow you shot and it didnt have any blood on the fletches then it was more than likely a miss. I was hunting with a guy who shot at a deer and thought he missed, I said let me see you arrow, when I looked at the fletches I noticed a lil blood. I said man you hit that deer, he couldnt believe it. We never found it but there was blood on the arrow. None on the ground. I am thinking it was a flesh wound..

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

I would have switched modes to my buck knife. If that wasn't handy, I would have taken her down with my bare hands and bad breath. I may have farted on her for good measure.

You missed, better luck next time.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

I really don't think deer ever do that to intimidate. I think they do that to warn other deer. But, I do agree, it probably is a sign that you missed.But...

No blood doesn't necessarily mean 'no hit'. I found no more then a drop or two of blood with 2 of my 9 bow kills. To other people that could have been 'no blood'. I just happened to find a little bit. Also, the buck i got gun hunting last year hardly bled at all for the first 100 yards. I hit the deer 3 times with slugs and All i found was a handfull of drops of blood! After about a hundred yards blood was everywhere! If the woods are as thick as you say they are could you not be on the trail of the doe? My guess is it's a little hard to track a deer in woods like that without blood.

If there WAS only a couple drops of blood in the first 100 yards do you think you would have found it? I guess I'm not as confident as everyone else that you missed. but, being that you would have missed the broadside of a barn on your first two shots, you probably missed on your third too.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

I still think that the sound that you heard was laughter.:D:D:DJust joking I'm saying clean miss.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

YUP! If you'veshot 70 or so deer hard to believeyou never heard a deer blowing atyou before, which is what it sounds like that one was doing, just be glad she wasn't wounded and you didn't find her, I personally believe you missed bro.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

On a trip to Nebraska a few years ago I watched a buddy shoot a buck straight across an alfalfa field from me. It was a clean pass through and the deer ran to within 20 yards of me. He stopped and made two "snorts" prior to tipping over. I had never heard of this happening before and would have been skeptical if I had not seen it with my own eyes. The deer was hit in the lungs. I guess my pointis you shouldnever say never. It sounds like you did everything you could to search for the animal and that is what you owed her and yourself. Probably a miss. Best of luck with the rest of your season.

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

I agree with everyone i think you missed

RE: Tale of woe lost deer, help
 

I have to agree.Their's somethings I just wont post herebecause I don't want to be criticised about it.If I missed I feel bad enough as it is.I don't want to feel like I made the whole forum mad at me.I know i'll probably be hammered about this post.And I'm suremost will say they do it to teach me a lesson so I wontdo it next time.The lesson I learned was watch what you post.I'm not trying to heat things up,just giving my opinion.I commend you for giving an effort in looking for the deer as well and I'msorry to hear that you missed.
JE