sad story, lesson learned
01-09-2007 | 01:44 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 338
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From: WI
sad story, lesson learned
About 10 years ago, in early fall, I shot a big doe from a tree. It was about a 5 yard shot, and I slam dunked her low behind the shoulder. She bolted off about 10 yards, stopped and stood long enough for me to reach for another arrow, then she walked off unsteadily. I got down, found the arrow sticking in the ground, no blood on it, just clear stinky fluid. That didn't seem right, very confusing. Couldn't find any blood on the ground either. Went to where she stood, couldn't find any blood. It was an evening hunt, with over an hour of daylight left, but temps pushing 70. I backed out, came back in the morning, and discovered that Ihad been looking in the wrong place where I thought she had stood. In fact the shot was as I called it, she bled alot where she stood, and there was an excellent blood trail about 100 yards long. I believe the arrow passed through the esophagus, wiping it clean. I found her dead in a pond eaten by preadators.I'll always regret that hunt, one of my worst.
01-09-2007 | 01:51 PM
#2
Dominant Buck
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 21,043
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From:
RE: sad story, lesson learned
I'm a freelance deer coroner (only conducted 20, or so).....but I can't for the life of me imagine this occurring.
I'm not saying it didn't happen. I'm saying if you hit where you say you did.....and theesophagus is where I KNOW IT IS......I'm having a hard time understanding why there was no bloodon your arrow.
I'll defer to the experts on this one.....
I'm not saying it didn't happen. I'm saying if you hit where you say you did.....and theesophagus is where I KNOW IT IS......I'm having a hard time understanding why there was no bloodon your arrow.
I'll defer to the experts on this one.....
01-09-2007 | 01:57 PM
#3
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,415
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From: Wisconsin and Canada
RE: sad story, lesson learned
Edited: I had confused myself when reading the post and didn't think it through too clearly. For some reason I was thinking about the wind pipe and not the esophagus. A PM from waiting cleared my thinking.
On that note.....
The last day of WI season, Sunday, my nephew made a "perfect" shot on a doe. But on the arrow there was only a little slime. 100 yards and a great blood trail later we found her. He hit her right behind the shoulder, but low. The arrow caught the end of the liver and "the guts." At first I thought it was the stomach and never really looked at it much more than that. After reading this post and thinking a little more, he actually may have hit the esophagus and not the stomach or guts.
I believe that waitings shot was probably about the same and he nicked the liver as well, hence the good blood.
On that note.....
The last day of WI season, Sunday, my nephew made a "perfect" shot on a doe. But on the arrow there was only a little slime. 100 yards and a great blood trail later we found her. He hit her right behind the shoulder, but low. The arrow caught the end of the liver and "the guts." At first I thought it was the stomach and never really looked at it much more than that. After reading this post and thinking a little more, he actually may have hit the esophagus and not the stomach or guts.
I believe that waitings shot was probably about the same and he nicked the liver as well, hence the good blood.
01-09-2007 | 01:59 PM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,061
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From: wisconsin
RE: sad story, lesson learned
Hate to hear that,but now you are ten years smarter.I dont know where you lost the blood on your arrow,but it happens sometimes,and now you can teach a bunch of other guys not to give up if theres any sign of a hit.
01-09-2007 | 02:15 PM
#5
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 338
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From: WI
RE: sad story, lesson learned
My mistake was placing too much stock in the clean arrow. The solid evidence was shooting the deer at close range and hitting it nearly perfectly. I also failed to clearly peg the spot where she stood. It was only 20 yards away, and right by a trail, seemed like a no-brainer.
01-09-2007 | 02:51 PM
#6
Fork Horn
Joined: Aug 2005
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From:
RE: sad story, lesson learned
It can happen. I have seen it. But you can't be down on yourself for leaving the deer over nite and the coyotes getting a free dinner. That's a risk that is taken by leaving one out there all night. It happens often.
MC
MC
01-09-2007 | 03:13 PM
#8
Fork Horn
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 243
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From: Woodstock, ILLINOIS
RE: sad story, lesson learned
I know the feeling. seariously I go into work alot with a no-sleep hangover, I wait three hours, usually to the second.....I left one to the night and the same thing happened. I will never do that again.
If I shoot in the evening I look to the morning...just my code
If I shoot in the evening I look to the morning...just my code
01-09-2007 | 03:44 PM
#9
Dominant Buck
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 21,199
Likes: 1
From: Blossvale, New York
RE: sad story, lesson learned
Waiting... you describe exactly myfavortie saying, stuff happens. I had a near identical incident about 25 years ago. I had a deer come right close but I knew I could make the shot. The deer was angled slightly away. When I released I saw the spot appear about the 5 rib up. I knew, dead deer. On checking the arrow I found it covered with green slimy crap. But I knew where I hit the deer. I knew it was some sort of food pipe or something. I went and collected my buddy to help me drag out the deer. He said, "You gut shot him". I assured him I had made a good hit but he still didn't believe. I ended up literally on my knees looking for sign. We found maybe a tablespoon of blood in 100 yards. My buddy said, there he is. I looked up ahead and saw no deer. He said "NO, right beside you". I was 5 feet from the deer before we saw it. the arrow did exactly what I thought. It caught one lung hi and one lung low exiting under the off side shoulder. Between the chest wall and the hide was a glob of half chewed up green food. The arrow had indeed gone through the food esophogus. The deer was probably pushing up a cud or something and all this green slime plugged the hole like cement. It was a perfect double lung autopsy...but the arrow was covered in green goo. We were real careful in our field dressing to see exactly what happened. His still my friend living in Georgia and we still talk about that deer. I've probably been in onsomewhere around300 deer dressings. I've learned, stuff does happen and what you see is definitely not what you always have.
P.S. He also blew green slime out his nose and mouth like someones picture is on here the other day. I figure he had a vomit.
P.S. He also blew green slime out his nose and mouth like someones picture is on here the other day. I figure he had a vomit.
01-09-2007 | 04:53 PM
#10
Typical Buck
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 668
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From: South Louisiana
RE: sad story, lesson learned
ORIGINAL: davidmil
Waiting... you describe exactly myfavortie saying, stuff happens. I had a near identical incident about 25 years ago. I had a deer come right close but I knew I could make the shot. The deer was angled slightly away. When I released I saw the spot appear about the 5 rib up. I knew, dead deer. On checking the arrow I found it covered with green slimy crap. But I knew where I hit the deer. I knew it was some sort of food pipe or something. I went and collected my buddy to help me drag out the deer. He said, "You gut shot him". I assured him I had made a good hit but he still didn't believe. I ended up literally on my knees looking for sign. We found maybe a tablespoon of blood in 100 yards. My buddy said, there he is. I looked up ahead and saw no deer. He said "NO, right beside you". I was 5 feet from the deer before we saw it. the arrow did exactly what I thought. It caught one lung hi and one lung low exiting under the off side shoulder. Between the chest wall and the hide was a glob of half chewed up green food. The arrow had indeed gone through the food esophogus. The deer was probably pushing up a cud or something and all this green slime plugged the hole like cement. It was a perfect double lung autopsy...but the arrow was covered in green goo. We were real careful in our field dressing to see exactly what happened. His still my friend living in Georgia and we still talk about that deer. I've probably been in onsomewhere around300 deer dressings. I've learned, stuff does happen and what you see is definitely not what you always have.
P.S. He also blew green slime out his nose and mouth like someones picture is on here the other day. I figure he had a vomit.
Waiting... you describe exactly myfavortie saying, stuff happens. I had a near identical incident about 25 years ago. I had a deer come right close but I knew I could make the shot. The deer was angled slightly away. When I released I saw the spot appear about the 5 rib up. I knew, dead deer. On checking the arrow I found it covered with green slimy crap. But I knew where I hit the deer. I knew it was some sort of food pipe or something. I went and collected my buddy to help me drag out the deer. He said, "You gut shot him". I assured him I had made a good hit but he still didn't believe. I ended up literally on my knees looking for sign. We found maybe a tablespoon of blood in 100 yards. My buddy said, there he is. I looked up ahead and saw no deer. He said "NO, right beside you". I was 5 feet from the deer before we saw it. the arrow did exactly what I thought. It caught one lung hi and one lung low exiting under the off side shoulder. Between the chest wall and the hide was a glob of half chewed up green food. The arrow had indeed gone through the food esophogus. The deer was probably pushing up a cud or something and all this green slime plugged the hole like cement. It was a perfect double lung autopsy...but the arrow was covered in green goo. We were real careful in our field dressing to see exactly what happened. His still my friend living in Georgia and we still talk about that deer. I've probably been in onsomewhere around300 deer dressings. I've learned, stuff does happen and what you see is definitely not what you always have.
P.S. He also blew green slime out his nose and mouth like someones picture is on here the other day. I figure he had a vomit.