mathewhunter2014

I went hunting today and shot a doe at about 25 yards from my stand and hit it. I must have hit it on its underbelly because I saw white fur on my arrow and surrounding it.

What I saw was it ran about 50 yards away and started to slow down and stopped. I then waited 30 minutes and then went to my car to grab my tools, thinking that it was down. I still started to track it and me and my cousin tracked it probably about through 20 acres till we came to a creek where it had to have crossed because that is where the blood stopped.

There was a huge blood spot, probably about 3 feet in diameter, that was where I seen it stop at. I know it lost a lot of blood and it is probably badly wounded and I feel bad for leaving, but we searched the area where we last saw that spot at for several hours with no luck.

My question is stated in the title. When can I go back there and hunt again. I am not going to lie, we tried to talk lightly, but we possibly made a decent amount of noise treading through the brush. I was wondering if that was bad? I plan on going back there this next Saturday where it is firearms opening day. My cousin hunts a shotgun, I hunt with a crossbow. Is this ok?

Thanks for all the help.
By the way, this is my first year, and that was the first deer I have ever shot at.

ManofTheFall

You can go back out whenever you want, but giving it a day or two won't hurt.

lifesadrag

30 minutes is not enough time for that type of hit!

muzzlestuffer

if i were you i would go back tomorrow and look all day if that's what it takes go to the lasy blood spot and start making circles to see if you can pick up blood trail. you can start hunting whenever you want but you owe it to the animal to look as long as it takes to make sure she's not going to waste!! good luck!

mathewhunter2014

Thanks for all the info. I assure you that we went and looked as much as we could with now luck. I am hoping that when I go this Saturday that everything will be ok, and that I can still see some deer. My main focus this time around will be landing a good shot. Last time, my adrenaline was pumping so bad that I took the shot and I sorta aimed too quickly. It has rained her in Indiana so im hoping that helped.

Thanks,

GOOD OLE BOY

I agree 100%.You need to concentrate on this deer and not be concerned with wondering when to go back out huntin again.I think your idea of a thorough search and our idea of a thorough search is far from the same.

muzzlestuffer

yeah that's tough to loose an animal like that it has happened to most of us i presume although you should not forget it just put it in the back of your mind and every time you shoot at an animal you can remember what happened during different hunt's what went right and what went wrong it will make you a better hunter and human being !!