Copper31

It might be a little to late but the use of hydrogen peroxide works wonders when the blood runs thin. Put it in a spray bottle and it helps. Given the location of the hit it may be hard to find blood. Listen for the birds over the next couple days. Good luck the rest of the season.

mauser06

i know your pain....all too well.

my first shot at a deer with a bow was VERY similar...only i shot at an alert buck that ducked to run at the sound of my bow...i watched the arrow flying as he was ducking...it was like a slow motion bad movie....

i searched for hours...in the dark...following a terrible trail...arrow was busted off with 2-4 inches of shaft missing and some blood on the shaft i found. only decent blood i had was when he bounded a log jam...10yds later it was back to pin drops...300yds later we lost the pin drops...took us a couple hours to get THAT far...next day i rounded up the crew and we searched for hours in the pouring rain leaving no leaf unturned...im 10000% confident he didnt die from my arrow.

did some research online and found a trad forum talking about high hits and no dead deer....there is about 4-6" above the spine that you can hit the deer and not hit anything but bone and meat...right above the vitals there is a pretty decent sized mass of backbone and ribs and shoulder above the spine...im confident thats where i hit....and sounds like thats where you hit....gimme a couple minutes, i'll try to find the link....it made me feel 10000% better....

dont give up! stuff happens...as long as lessons are learned, you'll become a better hunter(not saying your a bad hunter now...but there ALWAYS something to learn!) i literally had pics of my bow to list it for sale online...i was S I C K. i didnt hunt for a week or so...maybe more. i was crushed...guys on here talked me outta saling my bow. im glad i didnt. didnt get another shot that year, but the next year(last year) i did...and he went down quick and hard...dont give up!

maybe you can round up a couple friends and do a big body search tomorrow...i know it helped ease my mind..i had like 8 guys and we searched for hours...helped me to know that i did ALL i could possibly do and helped me be confident he was alive...

solocamcan

That shot doesn't look to be fatal...BUT if it happens to be, if there is a water source close by, I'd look around it really good, and also look for crows in the next day or so. But I really think all you got was back straps and a bunch of muscle blood at first, then it cloted up. Get back out there, you'll be fine, it happens to everyone.

mauser06

sorry no luck with my search....my team thread from that season is MIA...thats the only place i know to look...new pc so its not bookmarked on this pc....

WesternMdHardwoods

Jenna,
I know it is hard to not be down on yourself, but the best thing I can tell ya is to keep your head high! I have only messed up(injured) one deer and it will be a deer ill never forget! It was actually a solid 160" 8-10point in southern MD! I have never said anything about it on here, because it really is SICKENING to think about but you have to keep your head up like I said and get back out there and hammer away at them deer!!

Ohh if it makes you feel any better that buck I managed to hit square in the Ass was also due to a damn branch/twig[:@][:@]!!!

wis_bow_huntr

Hey Jenna im Ronnies best friend, he told me right away when you shot it and were having problems tracking it. Go back in the mornign once youve rested and start over. Dont be discouraged. Did ROn ever tell you about the big one that I lost??? I still look for his remais to thsi day and that was 6 years ago or so. Ive lost deer and so have many others on here, hate to say it, but its a part fo hunting and its goign to happen. Hang in there kiddo. Get some rest.

youngbuck

No worries... I know the same passion for hunting, and how it really can put you in a bad spot when something like this happens...Just remind yourself that it happens even to the best, I've only had it once, and you need to tell yourself, that the deer is either dead, and out of it's pain, or going to make a complete recovery... I give ya credit for sticking with it!
Gerard

wis_bow_huntr

Oh jen, from your pic, ive actually shot adeer in that same spot, i got her 2 days later when she showed back up, you got nothing but muscle there hun. hang in there.

Brett/IL

Jenna-If your entrance was where you put the red dot, then you hit above the spine. If you got poor penetration, it is probably because the arrow lodged in the loin and the cartilage behind it. I killed a buck last year with an arrow sticking out of his back. The broadhead had gone through the loin, over the spine and out of the other side. He was perfectly fine, running around chasing does when I shot him. Keep your chin up and learn from what happened. I'd say there was something wrong with you if didn't feel awful about what happened. The sick feeling in your stomach will go away and all you can do is push on and keep hunting.

wapatti1

Anyone that feels sadness about a possibly wounded animal is the people that we need in the sport of archery. If the animal perished, and we did not retrieve, natural predation would feed the food chain. I have had similar feelings, wanted to never harm another deer needlessly. Last year I hit a deer in a similar area, later saw him in my trail camera 2 weeks later. Made me feel a little better, but still a little sad. It will make you a better person to know that you can learn and can pay more attention to your surroundings ,if possible. Just today, I trimmed away the "no see-um" twigs for the 4th time before the season opens in a couple weeks. Hope I shoot only close and only have good results. I am truely glad you care. The other idiots, should hang up their gear.