Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

I shot a mature south Texas buck at 7:00 a.m. Tuesday with a 27" Beman Realtree H.I.T. arrow tipped with a 100 grain Hellrazor. It was a 20 yd. shot perfectly broadside from a brush blind. The arrow entered mid body elevation and windage was back around the liver area or even further back in front of the ham area. The buck kicked his back legs extremely high and almost fell when they came back to the ground. He ran like a bat out of hell crashing through the brush for 10 or 15 seconds and then I heard nothing but silence. I glassed for my arrow and only found the nock/fletching(2" blazers) end broken off from the rest of the arrow about 2 inches from the bottom of the vanes. This part had evidence of blood but I do not understand how this was broken by the deer. We all know how difficult it would be to break a carbon arrow at this point. I began looking for blood after a 3 hour wait and did not find a drop of blood. I have been looking ever since. I sure could use some experienced analysis and opinions regarding this situation......

RE: Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

Well.....did you go looking for the DEER after 3 hours? If you didn't find blood......ya think it might have been a gutshot?

RE: Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

I think that could be a real possibility. How do you explain the nock end of the arrow being broke off? I would think that would cause some major damage.

RE: Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

The knock end of the arrow was still sticking out the near side and broke off when it caught on brush or something. That is how it broke off so close to the end.

As for the deer, it is dead with such a hit as described, you just have to find it. Btw,next time you should wait at lease 9 hrs when you suspect a hit in the stomach/intestines area. There is a good chance the deer was still alive and hemoved further when he heard/saw/smelled you.

RE: Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

Agree with Joe....which is why I asked what I did. I agree with his assessment, too......and if temps allow.....overnight or 12 or more hours isn't out of the question (to wiat, before tracking). I've had several arrows sheared off inside a deer's body. that part isn't surprising AT ALL.

RE: Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

That shot required 12 hours minimum.
If you had of waited you would have found him not far away IMO.
He is dead....somewhere



[/align]

RE: Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

Its down to a needle ina haystack at this point. Good luck.

RE: Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

Follow the trail that you heard him run....look for beds as gutshot deer bed down quite frequently due to the discomfort/lack of strength....Not sure how the Florida woods are these days, but if you have alot of red/yellow changing leaves, it can make finding blood fairly hard....find one bed of blood and start moving slowly in the direction you heard him run or believe he might have used to escape....next time maybe weight 8 hours, then walk in real slow, stopping every 20 yards or so. Use your binoculars if you have them to scan the area...if you see him/or her still alive, mark the spot and back out again....then return in the morning and you will find that deer dead fairly close.

Also, if you have any water sources near thick stuff in the direction he ran..check that up and down...I unfortunately gutshot a buck 5 years ago...I could not find any blood after 40 yards...I started looking after 2 hours...big mistake....I found him the next day, 10 hours later laid up underneath a tree by a creek...I could barely see his antlers as they looked like sticks...I almost never found him. He was a special deer as he was the first deer I ever shot with a bow.

shadow

RE: Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

I shot the deer in south Texas brush and the nock end was broken off at the point of the shot with no trees or bushes present. We found no beds and he ran like he was on fire and no blood on the trails that we think he took out to 100 yds. Do you think we are far enough out to see blood since he was moving so fast?

RE: Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

Start from the perceived point of impact and work your way out. Gut shot deer will leave traces and even pools of brownish clear bile liquid, so keep an eye open for that(if its not too late). If you didn't push him, he wont be too far. I had a gut shot deer live for almost 24 hours last year. I found him 2 days after I shot him and 1 day after I last saw him alive and backed out. He was approx. 125yds from where I originally shot him and 50yds from where i last saw him alive.

RE: Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

The arrow was probably broken by the buck in a frantic attempt to vacate the premises. The hind legs came forward at the shot and broke the shaft off as the leg muscles bent it against the ribs. A lot of the time you will actually hear the arrow snap as it breaks. It will also happen with the front legs. This is not the issue though, the deer has a fatal wound and will die. Gut shot deer will lay down very soon, within 100 yards, after the shot but they may get up and travel again due to the discomfort or from being pushed because of tracking too early. You can usually find blood and stomachor intestine contents though! I found a buck several years ago after tracking 12 hours and finding very small drops of blood on vegetation. Mark your backtrail with toilet paper to make it easy to come back to the last blood found. Move forward, sometimes on hands and knees, to find the next blood drop. Keep it up if it's not been too warm. Good luck!

RE: Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

Find someone with some bloodhounds. Get him out there as soon as possible. Pay him well.

RE: Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

I have found it hard to find blood when they leave real hard. I always watch the best I can antry to recall thesame path thathe took. I look for trees that they ran by an try to establish the path he took an look about 30 or 40 yards from where you made the shot. That isabout the time they start to slow down an the chances of finding blood is increased greatly when they slow down.

RE: Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

He is dead no doubt. As stated by others anytime you suspect a gut shot, wait, Wait, WAIT!! There is no excuse for losing a gut shot animal barring rain if you follow the proper recovery procedures you will have an excellent chance of recovering your animal;)

Dan

RE: Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

he is dead go back and search hard for him . like most said it sounds like a gut shot

RE: Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

There may not be much if any blood from a gut shot. The guts themselves do a prettyy good job of plugging up any hole made by a broadhead. And add to that any food matter that was in them and you may never find a drop of blood.

Try trailing him by his tracks or do a grid search.

RE: Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

I am definitely not going to give up I promise you that. I have always been told that a gutshot deer does not kick up and run fast after being hit. Is this true? I am so upset over this that I'm almost desperate for answers...Sorry

RE: Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

Kicking up is pretty normal. Kind of a reaction to getting slammed in the Gut I suppose. I would say your best option at this point is to do an intensive grid search and keep widening it as much as you can. Sometimes knowledge is come by the hard way, and I'm sure several of us have been there. Keep your Chin up! and learn from this. I wish you all the Luck in the world.

Dan

RE: Need Shot Placement Analysis!
 

Thanks Dan....