Gundeck

Sorry to sound like many other threads here, but I shot my first buck with a bow last night. It looked and sounded like a great hit. He jumped, did a little circle and ran for the far end of the field. I waited a half hour and then backed out to the house (opposite direction). An hour and a half later, my son and I went out to try to track him.

I knew where he was standing, so finding the start of the trail was no problem. I didn't see the arrow clear him and I couldn't find it in the area, so we started tracking the blood. It was a steady path, but not a lot of blood. We tracked it to the edge of the field (about 80 yards) and then lost it in waist high grass. (This was well after dark with flashlights.) After over three hours, we called it a night.

This morning (a little after five) we went back out and tried to pick up the trail. We started doing small circles from the last blood spot. About 15 yards away, I found the arrow. The first eight inches from the broadhead was clean (I think from the grass wiping it clean). The rest of the arrow including the fletchings were covered in blood. A few feet from here was a patch of blood and a clot about the size of a saucer. The blood trail was great from here. Bit spots of blood every couple of feet. We tracked this about another 150 yards.

This put us in a patch of shoulder high grass / brush and led to a coule of trees about 8-10 feet high. Under one of the trees was three large patches of blood (looks like he was laying here). From this spot.....nothing! Started doing some circles, but nothing. After three and a half hours, I had to head to work (late, of course). Any suggestions?

wallhangr

Sounds like there was alot of blood loss, I'd be looking in a downhill direction, towards water or thick cover close by. Doubt he went much further.

Gundeck

That is the problem. The brush here is so thick you can only see a few feet and it is relatively flat for a half mile in any direction.

*twodogs*

Can you get in the trees to look over and down on the area, granted they are small but if you can that may help. Tough searching area, ran into that once and called these guys they are located on NY, and they are great they don't charge but accept donations. I gave them some money to cover their gas and food.
http://www.deersearch.org/contactus.htm

Gundeck

That is a great idea. I can get in the treeline about 40 yards away, but I don't know how much that would help. Both Warsaw and Lancaster are a fair distance west of here, but thanks for the information. That is a great resource.

*twodogs*

I am closer to Syracuse and they came to me so I would think with you further West than me it would not be a problem, give them a call you have nothing to loose. When we found the one that went into deep grass, the deer was in a small finger of woodland extending into the grass. The tracker told me his experience has shown wounded deer do not hold in heavy grass if woodland and briars are close by unless they die in the grass. Check the fingers around the grass lands and places that hold water.