i know this has been disscused over and over....but.... i stuck one tonight. about half hour to sunset. which was about 40 min ago. i heard it hit, i saw the deer run, kinda like a scared dog. it stopped behind a bush and stood for about five min, then walked up the hill in the feild and then stopped for a bit, then walked into the tree line. i walked over to where it stood and found blood, alot of it. not bubbly or anything. just blood followed it for a about 10 yards. and i stopped cuz it was getting dark, puls i didnt want to jump it. its only about a 5 min walk form my back door. what should i do from here? should i wait another three hours? oh, and as i was walking back to my house, i saw a fox that looked like it wanted to stick its teeth in my neck. do fox eat deer? i know ther are no coyotes around here.

also, temp tonight is low of 42

P.S. is it normal to panic and think you' ll never find it?

Since it was walking uphill 5 minutes after it was shot, you need to give it some time. Three or 4 hours is OK, but I' d wait until morning with good tracking light. The deer won' t spoil in those temps.

1. Were you able to observe how the deer reacted when hit?
2. When the deer ran and walked, did you observe any indications the deer was severely wounded?
3. Did you find and observe the spot the deer was hit?
4. Any blood of any amount, hair, meat, tallow, etc, at spot deer was hit?
3. Did you find your arrow?
4. Did you look for your arrow?
5. Where the deer was standing after being hit, were you able to determine if any of the blood was pooling more in one hoof print?
6. Was the blood dark red?

Hard to say how long you should wait being you are unable to provide much that would indicate how bad the deer was hit and that you have not found your arrow to help determine how bad the hit may have been.

I have seen deer that were dead on their feet just meander away like they had not been hit. However, it appears that you might have clipped the deer or hit it in a muscle or bone and/or did not get much penetration. Hard to say.

I rarely leave the area of a hit. However, a 2-3 hour wait sounds reasonable.

PS: Just a constructive piece of advice being it appears you might have put the cart in front of the horse. You need to know all that you can learn about what you do and what you look for after you hit a deer. That is when the real work begins; and having the necessary tracking knowledge and skills are critical.

i heard the arrow hit, the deer ran about 10 yards behind a bush, it ran like a scared dog with its tail between its legs

when it ran, it looked like it was in a panic, then it stopped. but it just stood there. it didnt act normal. i stood up and walked out about 5 feet to get a better look and it saw me, but didnt move.

the spot of impact i saw no blood, however, i didnt look very thourgh. i wanted to see if there was blood were it stood for a longer period of time.

i didnt look for very long at the initial spot it was hit. i did however, find alot of blood in the spot it ran to and stood for a few minutes. i also found a good blood trail in the direction it moved. the blood train looked like drops and like it was pouring. lots of blood.

i didnt find the arrow, i figured i could look for the arrow in the morning in good light in the event this process was going to be drawn out. my main concern was to find blood, any blood... and i did.

i didnt notice any hoof prints with pooled blood, it was pretty tall and thick grass. everything happend so quick and i was trying to rememebr as much and take as many mental notes as possible, so this may sound crazy. but the deer looked like it wanted to lay down, or seemed like it was lost or just not right in the head.

the blood was, i dunno... red i guess. not sure that it was dark red. it was darker than if i was to just get a paper cut or small flesh wond. but again, it was getting dark and i saw the blood with the light of a flashlight.

i really dont think i clipped it. i heard a good smack when the arrow hit.


yeah, im completly aware of the details involved after making contact. ive been studying and reading and practicing and watching for months now, but every scenario is different. furthermore, its my first year bow hunting (from the ground, mind you. which makes it even more of a challenge), ive been out every single day both mornig and night, ive had opportunities to shoot but passed because of what may become of the situation after the shot. today i was presented a good shot, i took it, i did and rememebed what i needed to within the time frame i had to work with. give a brother some slack. my frikin hands are still shaking, the moment keeps racing through my head and im F%$#$#G stoked beyond belief, i just need to run the situation by some people to make sure im not forgetting anything and to get a litlle reasurance. no the cart isnt in front of the horse, just relax, smoke a blunt or whatever you have to do. just give a brother some props and show some love. after i find this deer, maybe you could come over and help me buthcer it and we could have a couple brews and ill teach you all you need to know about bow hunting from the ground! BAM!


P.S. maybe i should just go back out and look for the arrow? i need to do something, im going nuts here. i just went and got a can of chew in case i have to go back out tonight.

Get the grill ready for tomorrow and at first light go get him. He needs to be left alone for the night. then grill to perfection.

By the way when' s dinner?

Brian

Sounds promising Eastwood, stay persistent and best of luck.

Yep! Things have definitely changed.

the best information about tracking a deer came from this site, when you go don' t look for the deer, but to look for the sign it left, force yourself to find the sign, when i finally settled down thats what i did, he led into a soybean field that i was told not ot enter. it has torn me up not being able to recover him, my only hope is that it was not a fatal shot and he will recover, i wish you luck and go get him.

I' d wait till morning. It will be easier and DEAD! Temp sounds good, I' d wait! Keep us updated.........Good Luck!