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Recovery, What To Do After the Shot.

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Recovery, What To Do After the Shot.

Old 09-18-2010, 07:14 PM
  #91  
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Wow, first timer, this taught me alot. thanks much
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Old 09-30-2010, 09:48 AM
  #92  
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Thanks for the thread!

Good read. A+ Info
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Old 10-11-2010, 09:02 AM
  #93  
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This has probably been mentioned, but it's worth telling again. You always hear about "it looked like my arrow was dunked in red paint". In my experience this is never a good thing. When the arrow passes through the heart/lungs you are coming in contact with oxygenated blood. The blood is lighter and some what thinner. When your arrow passes through, you will have what I call "whispy" blood on the arrow. The blood will cover the arrow, but your arrow will have a red tint to it not totally red as if dipped in paint. The blood will also be very runny. I shot a doe several years back through the top of heart and lungs and found the whispy blood on it. I stuck the arrow (straight up) in the ground to mark where I found it, and when I came back to track (30 mins later) my arrow was almost completely clean. All the blood ran off.

To counter this, I made a shot on a doe that I thought was great. I checked the arrow and it appeared to be dipped in a paint can. My initial thoughts were deer down quick (early on in my hunting days). However, after I tracked I found her several hundred yards away. Turns out I went through the liver and only caught the tail end of one lung. Most of the body's blood is stored in the liver, and the blood is not oxygenated. The blood will be darker and thicker, kinda like a paste. Liver blood has a tendancy to stick to the arrow. I had to spend an hour washing the arrow from the story I just told.

Always look at the arrow if you can find it. If you don't wait at least 6 hrs. You may have hit both lungs, but you can't be 100% positive.

Also, smell the arrow. Sounds weird, but there is some truth to this. If you have gutted a deer you know how they smell. Imagine opening up a deer that you didn't hit the guts on. Remember the smell? Can't really explain it. Now think of a deer that has been gut shot or you cut the guts while cleaning. Remember that smell? Pure bile. An arrow passing through these areas will pick up the smell on the blood. Heart/lung shots will smell like that part of the body, and liver/gut shots will smell like guts.

Use all your senses before you track. Watch your arrow flight, how the deer reacts, listen for the deer falling and or plowing through brush. Smell the arrow and or blood you find on the ground. Know the difference between heart/lung, muscle, liver blood. Prime example. I shot a deer at 10 or less yards. I saw the arrow go into the lungs. The deer kicked and took off fast. I had a pass through. When I climbed down I discovered that my arrow was brown. I could not blieve that I had made a gut shot. I just couldn't believe it. I immediately backed out and went back to camp. During the ride back the scenerio didn't make sense. I knew where the arrow hit, and the deer reacted as if hit in the boiler room. When I made it back to camp, I started looking at a deer anatomy overlay. And that's when I saw it. The tube that runs from the deer's mouth to the stomach. The tube passed right through where the arrow went.

Now I had a theory. The deer was eating when I shot. Food was being passed through the body. It made total sense to me that if my arrow centered the tube it may come out brown as if hit through the guts. Should mention that the arrow didn't smell like bile. I saddled up the crew and we went tracking. Sure enough, we found the deer a lil over 100 yards from where she was shot. I infact did hit the lungs and the tube. She died on her feet.

This is getting lengthy and I will try to finish it up. A mortally shot deer does not always bed down to die. Sometimes they die on their feet. I shot one deer through the heart that for whatever reason didn't bleed well. To track him I had to rely on sign other than blood. Watch for kicked up leaves, broken branches and tracks. I had to get down on my hands and knees and feel for tracks of a running deer. After 120 yards or so there was no blood and the ground was too hard to find tracks. I rationalized that the deer must be close to death by now if not already dead. I further thought that the deer must be running on adrenoline (which they have been known to do). I obtained a line of sight and saw that the deer was headed straight for a tag alder thicket. When I stuck my head in the thicket I found the deer laying 10 feet inside. The deer died on it's feet and plowed through the brush. Once inside all the blood ran out of the body.

Hope this was an informative and enjoyable read. Good luck to yall.
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Old 10-15-2010, 04:06 PM
  #94  
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Originally Posted by falcon10893j
Wow, first timer, this taught me alot. thanks much
Originally Posted by MyName1sMud
Thanks for the thread!

Good read. A+ Info

Thanks guys.
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Old 11-06-2010, 12:06 PM
  #95  
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all the deer i have shot have went no more then 25 yards, but a nine point this morning! liver shot i gave him 10 min cause i saw where he layed down and he died
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Old 11-17-2010, 02:46 PM
  #96  
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Rob, What an informative article. Been bowhunting since 89 and the advice you have give here has changed my approach after the shot. I have shared this article with several people I hunt with and this year I put it into action with an 11 pointer I shot.

Thanks
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Old 11-17-2010, 05:43 PM
  #97  
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You can tell what direction a wounded deer is traveling by looking at the blood drops. The drops are narrower in the direction of travel.
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Old 01-10-2011, 10:47 AM
  #98  
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All very helpful information. Thanks for posting

Last edited by jacob321; 01-27-2011 at 05:27 PM.
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Old 03-21-2011, 06:39 AM
  #99  
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I just started to bow hunt and have been out trying to bait wild hogs. I never even thought about waiting after a shot. Great article!!! I will be sure to take your advise. Thank you!!!!
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Old 03-25-2011, 06:33 PM
  #100  
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Thanks that will help me if I get something this year. First time bow hunter so thats great info.
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