So on Thursday night I shot a nice buck. Shot was a little high in the torso. I over compensated for the slope of the hill. Thinking top lungs. We tracked and found some blood but not a lot. Shot was 30 yards with a crossbow. The bolt broke in half on impact. Used fixed blades. We tracked him for roughly 300 to 400 yards without coming up with anything. Here's where last blood was located. Any idea where he may be laying. Any help.would be appreciated. It's super thick in here and really hard to see anything.

I have never tracked that far. What I do is leave something at last blood spot and not move on until next spot. But again never tracked that far.

do you think it may have struck shoulder then? That's what I'm kinda hoping at this point.

I dunno I wasn't there. Did you see anything in blood? Some wounds might close, I can't remember which..

no. Just bright red drops here and there.

I dunno. I doubt anyone here can. Sometimes you can guess on bubbles, non red colors, how bright of red. I am not a pro, just read stuff.

I give you credit tracking so far. I think you need to keep looking for blood, or just circle area. Though I have not had luck with that.

if you can't find blood, my guess is circle area of last spot. If he was going straight line, could keep going straight. When I have seen them turn, it was right away. But that may not be a rule. T

I kinda doubt you can guess looking at map. But I am guessing.

What did the last blood you could find look like? A high hit will start to run clear as it stops bleeding.

So it begins. The first wounded one thread.

Do I sound like a ******* for saying showing us some maps is joke or useless, comes down to lots of work, maybe lost one.

I feel ok .

A piece of advise that has been handed down through my family for many generations. If you are going to hunt with archery gear, and yes a crossbow is still archery gear, then you must do one of 2 things or even both, learn to track without blood, that means identify the hit animal by hoof and learn to crawl through all kinds of stuff, or get a good tracking dog. Tracking hit animals with a dog on a leash and no weapons on your person is legal in almost every state now. I don't care if you are Robin Hood, you will eventually make a bad hit as I think you have discovered.