kgkoon

Ok, hit a doe today right before dark and need some help. Shooting Gator 100 mechs. Doe was 25 yards away, broadside, slightly below me (I was hunting from ground, doe was standing in low spot). Clear shooting lane (she was in a field). Heard unusually loud thwack when arrow hit deer. Arrow appeared to be hanging from deer either above or slighly behind and above shoulder. Followed good blood trail for 20 yards to edge of woods where I found arrow.
Arrow is covered in blood, hair, and white and pink tissue for about 6 inches. Lots of pink tissue inside broadhead. The hair is mainly white. Blood is dark red. The "left" blade is missing, and a small dent is in the arrow on the "left" side about 4 inches back. I would guess I hit the shoulder blade or possibly the spine, causing the blade to break and the arrow to dent. I am not an experienced bowhunter. I feel sick about the lack of penetration; I had an excellent opportunity and it looks like I didn't make a good shot.
Decided to wait til morning to continue blood trailing as I didn't want to push the deer. Am I likely to recover this deer or was the shot likely non-fatal? Thanks for your help and I will report back.

Belle Island

Really, I think we need more information. However, based on what I hear you saying this is what I think. If you have pink blood, you've got some lung, which is great. But, with dark red blood it could be a number of places. Sounds like a shoulder hit with only 6inches of penetration. Sounds to me like you will recover this deer. If you have good blood for 20 yards that at least tells you the shot was not too high. With my experiences a high shot yields very little blood. My experiences with shoulder shots with little penetration is that the blood will be heavy for about 75 to 100yds and then begins to get faint, however, if you penetrated far enough to probably got some vitals. Stick with it and you will probably find this deer. By the way, did you hear the deer crash around alot? Not just running, but thrashing the ground? If so, she probably is not far inside the tree line. Good luck and keep us posted.

Hunt the thickets

kgkoon

Belle Island, thanks for the response. Not sure what other information you need, but will answer any questions you have to help you form a better opinion. No, I did not hear the deer crashing. There were 2 other deer with the one I shot, and they all took off into the woodline running. It did sound like they stopped about 30-40 yards into the woodline, but I don't know for sure. The thing that is befuddling me is that the hair on the arrow is almost all white.

Antler Eater

...Hmmm it sounds to me like the evidence is contradicting what you think you saw. "Arrow appeared to be hanging from deer either above or sligh(t)ly behind and above shoulder." Unless you've shot an albino or piebald there shouldn't be any white hair in this location (sometimes a single strand could appear white in the right light).

Could she have possibly been at a steeper angle and the shot ended up in her neck whereby the broadhead came out her throat patch (hence the "white hair&quot? From your description it doesn't sound like she was standing far enough below you to catch belly hair.

Dark red blood doesn't sound like lung blood. However I have seen neck shot deer bleed dark red blood from a severed artery. If that is the case there should be lots of blood somewhere.

If she was in fact at a steeper angle you could have glanced off the scapula into the neck. In low light at an odd angle it could appear that the arrow was sticking behind the shoulder. Unless you find her we will never know.

You did the right thing by not pushing her immediately following the shot. I would suggest getting some help and get out there tomorrow and do a through job of trailing. Don't get discouraged and don't give up. "Leave no stone unturned", as they say. There is a good possibility you will find her.

Good luck and keep us posted.

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Natty Bumpo

Sounds like that 'unusually loud' thwack was a shoulder (scapula) hit. After that your arrow may have changed direction either up or down the white hair had to come from the belly or the throat. If the pink tissue is lungs that deer is dead. But with only one lung hit she could go far. You did the right thing not pushing her.

What pound pull is your bow?

Go get her in the morning, good luck.

dick_cress

Isn't there usually tallow on the arrow on a briskit hit.

I would expect a shoulder hit that penetrated into the lung. A single lung hit deer can survive but if you go to the last blood of the trail get on your hands and knees with another pair of eyes and mark your finds with surveyors tape. I would think you'd find single drops of blood every 5 or 6 feet. Be ready for another shot cause I bet this animal will bed down not far from where you shot it.

Contrary to old wives tales, wounded animals will not stiffen up.

Bowhunter

dick_cress

Isn't there usually tallow on the arrow on a briskit hit.

I would expect a shoulder hit that penetrated into the lung. A single lung hit deer can survive but if you go to the last blood of the trail get on your hands and knees with another pair of eyes and mark your finds with surveyors tape. I would think you'd find single drops of blood every 5 or 6 feet. Be ready for another shot cause I bet this animal will bed down not far from where you shot it.

Contrary to old wives tales, wounded animals will not stiffen up.

Bowhunter

kgkoon

Thank you everyone for your replies. I am 99% certain the arrow was not hanging from the neck. I could see the shaft of the arrow hanging from the deer's side. I may be off on the exact location because it was low light, but I am positive it was hanging from the side, not the neck. I have examined the broadhead again and it must have hit something pretty hard as the left blade is broken cleanly about 1/4" from the base. There are a few brown hairs, but a lot of white hairs all over the broadhead and shaft. Will be looking for the deer bright and early in the morn.

IL Trophy Hunter

Good luck finding her maybe you'll get lucky. Buy some Muzzy's before next year!