Sunday night I was out hunting and I was really bored and wasn't hearing anything, in fact I even fell asleep in my blind (the first time ever). Shortly after waking up I hear this grunt, and I instantly picked mine up and grunted back. By then I noticed there was a doe and a buck coming in downwind of me. So I was thinkin theywere gonna bust me or something but for some reason they didn't and I ended up with a good 20 yard shot at him. As soon as I drew back the doe saw me and flipped out alittle, so just as I release my arrow the buck starts looking over my way and probably sees me release. I believe he ducked and I shot a little high, cause my arrow zipped right through his backstraps. []It was perfect left and right though. long story short it was my first shot at a deer and I didn't get him... he was a 3x5(neet shape with his fifth pointbeing a2inch kicker)about 16" wide, we've got much bigger deer but I was really itchin to shoot. We tracked for about 4 hours, and only found the arrow and two drops of fatty blood. Next time I'll get 'em.Good luck to all this season!

How do you know your arrow "zipped through his backstraps"?

I'm guessin your shot may have been a little off. Nine times out of 10 if you hit him where you dsaid, he would've never moved and you wouldn't have been tracking

snake...i beg to differ. if he hit high...above the lungs he probably hit above the spine as well. many hunters do not realize how low a deers spine is in the shoulder/vital area. theres a good hunk of meat there to hit..nothing more then a flesh/muscle wound. heres a page i found...good pics and a guy on the 5th page diagramed a deer. granted it was 220lb field dressed buck...but they all seem to agree that theres a pretty large area ABOVE the spine to hit. alot of guys swear theres a void ABOVE the lungs and BELOW the spine..thinking the spine runs pretty much right under the skin..that aint so...heres the link.. http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimate...7344;p=5%C2%A0

not trying to be a smart @$$...just passing on what i learned. if he hit above the lungs and the deer didnt drop(spine not hit) i bet he hit above the spine...i didnt know there was such an area till monday night..i dont think too many hunters actually know that a deers spine is so low in that area...

Sounds as if your buck will live to see another day. Maybe youll get lucky and hell be the second chance buck. I remember one buck I shot i think my second year bow hunting I shot him, a fletch came off the arrow in mid flight, hit him in the leg. he ran about 20 yards came back took another shot, hit a branch, hit under him, he trotted off about 10 yards and came back again and I smoked him!!!! Talk about luck.

How couldnt you drop the deer if you hit his backstraps? The backstraps are right by or infront of the spine. If you hit the spine your going to drop that deer. maybe you hit him a little lower than wat you thought.