It's a mystery to me....
 

Sorry this is so long....here it goes. I am looking for answers and hope somebody can help. I had a nice 5 point at 20 yards on Saturday at 11:45. Standing broadside, I wait for the buck to move his left leg forward so I can get a clean shot at his vitals. As soon as he takes the next step, I shoot and hear a very loud whack! YES…I think nailed him. Being 48, my eye sight isn’t that great and I have a very hard time following my arrow (even with both eyes open). At this point, I know I hit him, just not too sure where. He ran off about 20 yards and laid down for about a 1/2 hour. I’m watching him with binoculars the whole time. His head is going up and down like he is going down. I thought he was dying!Shortly after he gets up and slowly limps away on three legs. Left leg is in the air. I couldn’t get another shot because he was way out of bow range at this time. So I waited another half hour before I get down looking for blood and my arrow. I did not find my arrow, but there is blood. I mark it and l then head back to camp to get help. Fast forward 2 hours later. Buddies posted around the property and three trackers. We decided to look for the arrow and go to where he was first laying. I go back into my stand to direct them. My arrow is no where around the area and there is very little blood. The blood was dark red. After about an hour of circling, one of the trackers kicks him up and off he runs off the like nothing is wrong. I could not believe it as I watched him run straight across our property. We check where he was bedded and there is NO blood. Even where he was running there is no blood trail. I am using a 2 year old Diamond Triumph bow at 60lbs draw. My arrows are Beman ICS hunter 400 with a brand new 100 gr. NAP Crossfire fixed broad head. We searched the rest of the area to see if he bedded again but never saw him again. Also, I searched Sunday for a couple hours for my arrow without any luck. I didn't realize an arrow would not penetrate the shoulder....at least that is what we are figuring.Has anybody had this happen? Any suggestions?

RE: It's a mystery to me....
 

"Hard sayin', not knowin'..."

May have hit the apex of the shoulder or just the leg. They can be hit pretty hard but still run off like nothing happened when motivated.

RE: It's a mystery to me....
 

I'm thinking perhaps you hit the leg below the shoulder causing a more superficial wound that bled initially but then clotted. Then again, with the loud smack and all...(?)

There's no telling really. One of those things I guess...

RE: It's a mystery to me....
 

Sept. 12, 2006.....I'll never forget it. I shot at and clipped a good buck. I watched him leave my set with his right front leg held high like it was broken I would have sworn I smoked him.

I searched until 3:30AM with my son and a friend.....and looked the next day and the next in the pouring rain. Nothing.

The night he was clipped.....he made a big circle and we could follow a sparse blood trail until it ran out. Then....nothing.

I saw this deer that same year.....day after Thanksgiving.......looking no worse for wear. I killed this same deer last year as a 4.5yr old. He's on the wall, now.

I hope yours has a similar ending. Keep your head up.

RE: It's a mystery to me....
 

Are you sure the buck you saw take off was the same one? To go from sounding very badly damaged to running like nothing wrong...could be a different deer.

As you've learned, and this is more for others reading this, NEVER figure on a head penetrating a shoulder... yes sometimes they do, but enough times they don't.

RE: It's a mystery to me....
 

For future reference.........a loud WHACK!! is not a sign of "I nailed him".

Were you purposely aiming at his shoulder?

RE: It's a mystery to me....
 

If the Whack comes from the offside shoulder, I'd think you nailed him, right? I WHACKED my buck this year and he barely made it 50 yards and it looked like he had dipped his nose in red cotton candy. Just to clarify, not arguing.

RE: It's a mystery to me....
 

When you hear the Crack of hitting the nearside shoulder blade you won't confuse the 2.;)

RE: It's a mystery to me....
 

I'm a novice only taken about 20 or so deer with a bow, but stupid question, is there a distinguishable sound from the two? I'd assume much louder since all the KE is being delivered to the impact point(front shoulder). Just curious, b/c when I shot my deer this year it sounded like someone smack a 2 x 4 from 33 yards and I'm not going to lie I was a little worried until I topped the hill and there he was, THANK GOD. Obviously a complete pass through would be ideal, but when the arrow hits the offside shoulder, unless it lodges in, would it not do more damage as it grinds in the chest cavity of a well hit deer as her runs (I know we could argue that a well hit deer wouldn't hit the off side shoulder)? Causing more damage to major organs and arteries until it's pushed out or breaks off. The only bad thing is that it doesn't leave a very good blood trail. Please Matt don't think I'm looking to argue, just a mere discussion that I intend on learning from. Thanks in advance.

RE: It's a mystery to me....
 

Matts got that one right, I whacked my buck in Illinois and never found him, I smoked my doe this year. THere is a huge difference in sounds. I dont know how to explain it without it actually happening.

RE: It's a mystery to me....
 

I don't think you're arguing at all. LOL

It's only common sense that an external hit on the nearside shoulder blade will be considerably louder than the off side leg. (You can't hit the offside shoulder blade unless you are on the ground)
The nearside shoulder blade is so shallow in the body it's basically like shooting into a piece of plywood with some hair over it. You may have actually hit the outer edge of the shoulder paddle as your arrow went through. Bone is bone and hitting one that shallow in the deer's body will Crack like crazy no matter which section you hit.

My buddy Frank it one in the shoulder paddle a few years ago and he said the sound was actually startling how loud it was.
Luckily his arrow busted through and got enough to kill the animal within 100 yards...but it didn't come close to passing through.

If you hit the offside leg bone on a quartering away shot you still get that initial hollow "thunk" and the smack of hitting solid bone on the opposite side has to be muffled.

I have never bought into the theory of an arrow causing more damage as the animal runs or "helping" the blood trail or downing an animal faster.
What's done is done IMO when the arrow stops.
Like you said 2 holes are ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS better than one.

I could never picture a scenario where I would only want an entrance on an animal that runs off. NEVER.

RE: It's a mystery to me....
 

Ok, CRAAAAAAAAAACKKKKKKKKK First thing in my mind was "What freakin tree did I not see and hit" That is the best way I can describe it

RE: It's a mystery to me....
 

I will say, it sounded louder than normal. I was surprised how loud it was. It was louder than I have heard on a pass thru shot.

Matt...no I was not aiming for the shoulder.I must have hit a little more left than I was aiming. I waited for that left leg to move forward before I shot. I've even wondered ifsince I was focusing on it, without realizing, maybe I was aiming too far left. Really not to sure because it happened so fast but I thought I was aiming just behind it for a pass thru shot.

Also, I know it was the same deer because I watchedhim run away.