Geronimo

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......

GMMAT

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?

Geronimo

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.

JoeRE

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.

GMMAT

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.

shtr.

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



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rybohunter

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

virginiashadow

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

Geronimo

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?

loogout1

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.