HuntingNet.com Forums - Need the Pro's opinions

Had a nice mainframe 8pt come in to my can call about 20 minutes before dark this evening. He went behind a big cedar and I came to full draw. He steps out kind of quick and I did a quick baaa to stop him. Perfect slight quartering away heading to my left. He is at 23 yards and stops dead in his tracks. I settle my pin on him and hit the release. Things went really quick from there. Adrenaline pumping I guess.I thought I made a good hit but .....you know how that goes! I was so focused on my spot that I can't remember if he hunched up, kicked or what. I am thinking he might have hunched just a tad.

After the shot this guy spins quickly to his left, which is towards me, and runs like a bat out of hellback inthe direction he came from. I watch the path he ran before he hit the thicker stuff. His tail was down.

I waited for a bit and got down from the stand.I was only up about 14 feet. Wind was howling this evening.

I go to retrieve my arrow which is buried about 3 inches in the dirt. I examine the arrow and don't see much blood. There are streaks up the shaft and on the fletchings but not a great amount. The blooddidn't seem to bepink or dark red. Almost had alight and darkrusty colorations look to it. Now, I don't know if it was already drying up because of the winds or what. About 4-5 inches up the shaft from the broadhead, there are white flecks almost like scrapes for another 4 inches or so. They are more prominent on one side but do go around the shaft somewhat. I can run my fingernail across a couple of them and it feels like a small cut on some of them.These white scrapes or flecks are small and it seems I can scrape some off with my fingernail. There was nothing between me and the deer when I shot. The arrow was sticky all the way up. I had my wife and daughters smell the arrow and they said it smelled like blood. I can't smell worth a flip (sinuses) so I ask if they smell anything foul. They said it had a salty blood smell to it.

I went back with a flashlight to see if I could pick up a blood trail and didn't find anythingfor about 50 yards. This is when the heavier brush began. I decided to back out and look in the morning. My spot is only about 800 yards from my house. Temps are going to be in the high 30's tonight so he should be good if he is down.

My question to you fine people is ........what do you make of this arrow and my situation? I am racking my brain and not coming up with any certain ideas. Could the white scrape marks be bone scraping? The Muzzy looks good. No hair or blood on it at all. Of course it was covered with dirt and may have pulled any evidence off when I pulled it from the ground. I thinkI found one hair on the whole arrow. One fletch was slightly loose from the shaft.

I appreciate any feedback.