While bow hunting on Sunday, October 29, for my first season using a cross bow, I had a 8 point buck rubbing a small tree immediately over my right shoulder. He was aggressively rubbing which gave me the opportunity to turn sharply for the shot. I had to make two separate, strained, turns to get in position and never thought I would be able to even get a chance given the moves I had to make. To my surprise, he was still rubbing like crazy and I took the shot. I made the hit and in my excitement, and inexperience, I only waited a few minutes before climbing down from my stand. Once my husband arrived, we tracked him for about 2 hours following what was a good blood trail. We finally gave up for the night and like a kid on Christmas morning, I got up early the next morning and drug my husband back out to help me track more. The two of us, and a friend we called in for additional help, searched again for about 3 hours. We lost the blood trail and were forced to give up. For the next few days I was desperate to find the buck as it would be my first ... but no luck. To our surprise, ten days later, the buck has appeared at our feeder -- arrow sticking out and all and was eating corn. The fletchings are still in good shape and we can only assume the arrow is stuck in a rib or bone and he cannot reach it. Thanks to the trail camera I at least know he did not die in the woods and my first potential mount was lost forever!

I have tried (SEVERAL times) to post the photo ... keeps saying file is too large but it's only 32KB ... any suggestions??

Go to Photobucket and open and account, you can resize photos and post them here. IT is FREE. Upload your pictures to Photobucket, then use them to host your pictures to upload to web sites. It's the easiest way.

Wow.
That's really something being able to see proof that he's still out there.

Good luck taking him down soon.
Can't wait to see the pic.

please please please post the pics im dying to see it. not often you hear of a deer with the arrow still in it and ive never seen a pic of one.

Here's a pic of one...

thats one tough deer

Now that is one tough deer!

welcome to the forum and that;s one tough deer. That looks like a aft lung shot are a liver shot should have been dead!!

Thats a good picture,but he will probably set up infection and not make it..In rifle season last year i seen a fat little buck eating acorns and noticed something sticking out of his throat ,it was an arrow shaft and the hole had been walered out as big as a softball,and white puss was dripping off of it .So i put him down but when i got to him the infection was so bad and smelled like nothing i have ever seen i was not gona be eating that deer so i took his horns and left the rest.PS the wound looked to be a month old.so if you get a chance to finish your deer even if its with a rifle it needs to be done.

How long are your bolts, how much of the bolt is in him. What poundage are you shooting. You should have gotten more penetration than that. Ribs are not that hard to bust thru.