Recovery help asap
 

Ok I need to advice, this is the first time I haven't recovered a deer the same day it was shot. Tonight I arrowed a good buck. He jump kicked when hit like a good lung hit. When he ran past me at about 10 yds, I think I could see where my arrow hit, mid-way up and down but a little back but still in the rib cage area. The arrow came out after about 20 yds but the blood was thick and dark, maybe stomach or liver, but the broadhead had clearly hit a rib as one blade was buggered up. The main problem it no blood trail. I did find 2 drops after about 20 yds, but that is all. I saw the path he took for about 30 yds.
Thinking maybe it hit the liver, I waited an hour and took up the search to no avail for the next 2 hrs in the dark.
Few questions:
I was on the edge of a thick grown up ravine next to a corn field and some open woods. To get to either, he would have had to jump a barb wire fence.
Do you think a deer hit like that would jump a fence or take the easy path and head back into the ravine?

I know that they will often head for water. The only water I know of it a small pond on the other side of the ravine about 1/4 mile away. That will be my first search point tomorrow.
I can't figure why no blood when I had a pass through.
Final question. It will be in the mid 50s tonight. The meat will probably be spoiled if I even find it, don't you think?

Thanks for any help.

RE: Recovery help asap
 

i'm no expert on tracking, but from my experience a hard hit deer will usually take the path of least resistance. its hard to tell because every deer can be unique and do different things, but if i had to choose i'd say he took the easier route back into the ravine. if you had been shot you wouldn't feel up to jumping over fences would you? :D

RE: Recovery help asap
 

The meat will be ok.

He can go under the fence too. I don't think he will go far with the liver/stomach hit (< 300 yds) unless he jumped from his first bed. Probably could/should have waited until morning to pursue.

Get some friends. Go back. He will be dead in the morning.

RE: Recovery help asap
 

Deer shot in the stomach and intestines do not usually jump kick and take off like that. I don't think you hit quite as far back as you may think. I think you probably got the liver mostly. I don't understand though, how you got a pass through, but the deer carried the arrow 20 yards?

Hard hit deer typically take the path of least resistance. Last night, I helped a friend track a gut shot deer (so I found out later... got some bad intel from him initially) and that deer went into a ditch we had to slide down in, and then went back up a place I wouldn't expect a healthy deer to normally travel. The deer laid up in the creek... if you didn't bump him... a liver shot deer will usually bolt like you described, and lay up inside 80 yards. If you don't fool with them, they will usually die in less than an hour. If you bump them, they can and will go several hundred yards. I would look in that ravine and other low lying areas... blowdowns etc..... there is an excellant chance the deer did not travel far, and bedded up and will be dead in short order.

RE: Recovery help asap
 

First off, don't worry about the meat; it'll be fine. Plenty cool enough.

Liver shots need WAY more than an hour... I'd give them closer to 4-6, because you never know which extreme you'll end up with them: they can be extremely lethal very quickly, or take up to six hours or longer... sometimes much longer. I wish you hadn't went after him at all tonight after describing what you did, but what's done is done. I'm glad you're back and waiting 'til light.

He could VERY easily jump the fence on such a hit. The good thing about it is it sounds like you've really got two directions to focus on... Search out the most plausible one in your mind tomorrow morning, and then go back to the other. If I were you, I'd spend the majority of the time searching for a blood trail to follow in the sunlight, then search one area pretty well and if needed, go search the other one with a fine-tooth comb. If you STILL haven't found him by then, then it's time to go back to the first one and leave unturned there either.

RE: Recovery help asap
 

The meat will be fine, explore all your options, there are no rules when it comes to which path a deer will take

RE: Recovery help asap
 

I'm about to take my son to school and then go take up the search again. To answer a few questions, the arrow obviously hit a rib and deflected back some. It did fall out the other side, but only after probably closer to 15 yds. There was blood all the way past the nock.
I was on the edge of a ravine that is thick as can be. The path he was headed in would take him to a fence with much more open woods on the other side. I don't feel he would go that way, especially since there is a main trail leading down the edge of the fence into the ravine.
If he jumped the fence, there were actually 2 ways he could have gone, into the corn or into those open woods, which happen to belong to a hunting club or something.
I will search all the underbrush near where I shot him and all the trails leading out and back the way he came. I know that deer will often circle back given the chance.

RE: Recovery help asap
 

Good luck this morning! Hope to see a picture of him today!

RE: Recovery help asap
 

Great advise!! I agree with Greg. Here's my take as listed below........





A deer could easily clear a fence when facing death with any wound. I've seen deer do some crazy things one would not think. It depends on that particular deer. They might also take the easy path. Keep your eye's peeled.


The meat will be just fine.

RE: Recovery help asap
 

If the deer entered the corn there will be blood on the corn stalks maybe not a lot but it will be there. It might just take some time for a blood trail to develop but if you put an arrow through a deer he will bleed.
Take your time and you will find your buck,he won't go far .
This months "Bow Hunter magazine has a story about recovering deer and the author found his buck will the aid of his GPS by using the tracking feature while he searched after several hours he looked at the screen to see where he had not searched,thats where he found the deer.

Good luck,Jim