Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

Hello everyone, my name is Jim. I've been reading the forums for about a year and decided to join in on the fun today. I hate to start off with just a negative post, but I was hunting yesterday morning and had a buck coming in. I manage to get him to stop about 25 yards away very slightly quartering away. I shot and hit him high and forward more than I ever wanted to. The arrow stuck in him. He went over the hill, then I lost sight of him. I waited 4 hours then started trailing him. I found some blood for about 20 yards, then it shut off. I searched and searched, but couldn't find anything yet.

I wanted to post a picture of the 'hit' and get some feedback. Do you think I was too high and forward to catch any vitals? Do you think he will make it. What are your thoughts. I plan to look some more tonight. Thanks, I appreciate it.

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

Depends on the angle of the shot .... was it downward from a treestand or stright on from the ground ????

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

Sorry, I was 17feet up in a treestand. Thanks

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

What kind of penetration did you get?

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

IMO, you would have gotten part of the right lung, missing everything on the offset side. Will the deer make it, good question. There is another post on here about a 1 lung hit, much debate about how to go about tracking the animal, moreless if it is a fatal hit or not. Good luck and keep us posted.

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

you should have hit something.. I would suggest going back today and looking the area over again. Pay attention to near by water, and cover and deer escape trails. Also, pay attentions to voltures. I have found deer by watching the birds. sometimes the birds find em before you can even get out of the stand.

make slow moving circles from you last blood, id give it a good looking over before you give up, if you have a friend that can help or know someone with a tracking dog its better then doing it alone.

Good luck, keep us posted.

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

It looked like my arrow was 1/3 in him. Maybe 10 inches or so.

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

In that case you might have hit the top of one lung but I doubt it , chance's are the buck will live though it.
The shot was way to high to hit any vitals in my opinion .

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

What did the blood look like? Was it crimson and watery? If so, it could have been muscle. From your picture, it should have been spine or above though. You can see the crease from the shoulder blade right in front of the dot. At 25 yards, it's tough to pin point a hit though.

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

It was a real 'red' blood. Not watery, but not thick also.

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

Educated guess puts the shot here IMO, you probably missed taken that deer out by less then an inch (spine):

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

With a hit like that you are not going to get alot of blood. Find the arrow and do circles around it. Good luck.

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

From what I replay in my head, I woudl guess the entrance to be around here as it wasn't that close to being over his back....

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

Keep looking and dont worry. Don't rush it either, look throurough. As cold as it has been lately the deer will keep for you so there is not rush to find it. Just make sure you dont walk right past it.

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

I have no reason to argue, but your dot in the original picture is just behind the corner of the shoulder blade (as shown in my second picture. It is extremely common for people to believe that the spine sits much higher on the deer then it actually does, especially in this area. Many, many people believe they hit a "void" area when in fact they shot above the spine. The deer would have been dead if hit slightly quartered away as shown in your second picture with 10 inches of penetration. It may not bleed much though.

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

Not to put a damper on your spirits, but my personalexperience with shots like that has not been good. Its really hard to say if you got enough of something to put him down. Look until you've exhausted all options, then look a little more. Good luck, I wish you the best.

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

That’s a real tough one to answer. The spine dips pretty low up there. I’ve usually spined them on shots like that. Since you didn’t spine it, either you were a little higher & the deer lives or you were into the chest cavity and hope it was at an angle such to let you get both lungs. Otherwise things don’t look too promising. You’ll likely have a tough time even if catching both lungs with a high entrance and maybe no exit.

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

That's a tough one there!! Here's either right below the spine or right above It. I'm thinking above It but not 100% sure.

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

sound like a good muscle shot, im leaning towards wounded deer walking and will continue to do so.

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

I agree with this, since there is so much muscle and skin + fat to layer on this image of a skeletal structure of a deer, people ar not taking in the account for this.
So it does look like it is above the spine compared to the image with the dot and this skeletal image.
But i would not give up looking until it would be too late to recover anything of it.

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

With you being above him and your shot angled downward you very likely took out the front of the lung and possibly the trachea as well. Whenyou go back out to look for him, pay attention up high as well. Not all the blood makes it to the ground, especially when you get one lung. I just shot a buck last week in very nearly the same place and though I only thought I got about 10"-12" penetration, it was enough to lodge the broadhead in the off shoulder. I'd say he's dead somewhere.


Good luck!

GH

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

Lots of times we see 1/3 of the arrow sticking out....and don't think about it backing out when it hits something on the off-side. WORST case scenario is.....10" of penetration is WAY more than enough to kill the deer. Going on the person who shot the deer's diagram.....I'd say he's got a dead deer.

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

Update? I'm really curious about this one......[&:]





GH

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

So whats the story? Please don't ask for help then just leave us hanging.....

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

it appears to be really high but you might of nicked a lung. it looks a little high to me. good luck. i hope you find him

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

I would say you miss all he's vitals the buck should be alright might be sore for awhile

RE: Need Some Help on a hit Please.
 

Sorry if it was asked but where are ya located at bud?