standsleeper

I need you all to understand one thing about me, I'm not a horn hunter by nature. I have limited time in the stand so most times I harvest a deer for meat. The bucks I have shot in the past were nothing to write home about. I have one fact that I WAS very proud of though. Until two nights ago I had never had a deer travel more than 50yds after the shot. Until saturday evening I had never caused a deer to suffer needlessly. I saw two good bucks walk out by my stand and start sparring[ something I had always wanted to see.] I waited until I had a shot that I was sure I could make. I let loose and watched my luminok fly to the deer. I hit far high and back . I knew instantly what I had done. He wasn't gut shot and I shot to high to hit his liver. I hit over the liver but under the spine. I tailed him into the woods and left an arrow to mark the blood trail. I thought I shouldn't push him[maybe he would lay down and bleed out.] I went back at first light to start the search[I couldn't sleep anyway]. After about an hour my father in-law showed up to help me search. We tracked him for about a mile or so[ it's hard to tell in the woods] He had laid down twice that night. We found very little bloodin the second bed,and no blood after that.We lost the trail not long after.Now it sickens me to think that it is very likely he will die a very slow death from infection. My instinct was to stay after him and keep pushing him but the neighbor who was hunting near by said that we should let him lay down . Right or wrong I can't get that deer out of my head . Ihope I can shake this feeling soon or my season is over. Any advice from hunters who have been here before would help.







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LaHoytguy

Know anybody with a dog you could use?

standsleeper

[/align]No, I live 2.5 hours away. It's out of my hands now. My father in-law said he didn't think I hit him good enough to kill him. I think he will die from infection anyway. I can'tdrive up there and look for him because I need to go to work.I wouldn't havestopped looking for him if I didn't have to come home.

bullet_head

well then stop hunting before you wound anymore deer. then when you un-suck, start again.

buttonbuckmaster

here we go

It sounds like a nonfatal shot, whether or not he dies later, none of us can tell you that. I think its good that you do feel bad, it shows to me that you respect the game you hunt. Bad hits happen from time to time, just learn from it and move on.

wis_bow_huntr

Bullethead that was plain out rude of you adn very idiotic of you to say something like that. I know what youre going through, but try being in my shoes i lost a 200 class buck 4 years ago and to this day i look for hie remains. last year I lost two bucks but got a 170lb doe and a nice should have been 8 pointer. Bad shots happen to all of us. Its to be expected from time to time especially when bowhunting, its a risk we all take everytime we let that arrow fly whether it be at a target or in the woods. it happens, just remeber this, the meat wont go to waste no matter what. It will bug you for a while and trust me you might get sick and lose sleep over it, let it. Cause theres no way to stop it. im sorry about the loss i know all to well what youre going through as well as im sure there are hundreds on here as well that know what youre going through. Mother nature will put that deer to very good use. You dont suck, you just had a bad nite. We all do eventually. goodluck, and get back out there.

livbucks

Stop pushing him. Find where you think he likely beds and do a grid search starting there, after a day or so. You're not the first, nor the last. When a hunter makes a bad shot, there is no greater punishment than the one he imposes on himself. You've already served your sentence. Now forgive yourself and get back out there. You have just learned a valuable lesson.

standsleeper

With the exception of bullet head, thank you for the support. Don't be to hard on Bullet head though. He's just voicing his opinion[ however narrow minded it is]. I take hunting very seriously and consider myself a good hunter. I know it was just a fluke [I pulled off or flinched or something] but it's hard not to feel like it could have been avoided somehow. I have one question though. Should I have pushed him or wouldit have made a difference?


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livbucks

I'd say, having known it was a bad shot, you made a mistake in pushing him. If you leave him be, he will return to hiscore areato bed and die. I hope you have some ideas as to where that might be.

MichaelT.

I would not say that he definitely died. Or will die. Several years ago my -( now )-ex uncle-in-law shot a buck in the neck with a 30.06. It was his favorite shot on a deer. The buck ran off and the entire family looked half the night for him with no luck. About 5 days later, my ( now ) ex - mother - in - law, shot a good buck which ran off into a thicket and died. We drug the buck out and low and behold, the buck had a chunk out of it's neck, which had already begun scarring over nicely. The deer was very healthy ( before she killed it that is ) , and showed no signs of injury prior to her dropping a cap on him.

So it could very well be that the buck will live and be fine. I know the feelings you are having, been there done that, but sometimes stuff happens. You try your best, but noone is perfect, and you shouldn't beat yourself up over this. Use it as a lesson, forgive yourself, and get back out there and find that buck again and drop him. Then you can find real peace. You will know his outcome, without a doubt.

Good hunting and God bless