DavidPaul007

With the blood he mentioned it's hard for me to believe he hit the shoulder blade square on. Isn't it possible he hit a rib square on and the pop he heard was the rip breaking? I've also heard of intenstines coming out the hole the arrow went in after a bit which in turn will slow the blood trail considerably.

GroundHunter

Why is it that everyone assumes a bad shot was taken?? I had a clear shot, and waited til the does stepped out of some brush for a clear shot. I have a 20, 30, and 40 yd pin.....I placed the it on the 30 yd pin right behind the shoulder and let it fly. Since when is a requirement of hunting be that you are an expert archer?? So let's recap.....about 10 minutes before total dark, 35 yards (verified after stepping off shot) and I was guessing 30 yds (I have stepped off larger trees in all directions from my stand for reference.), broadside, and no bush in the way. So I didn't make a perfect shot, who does everytime? That's why it is a sport. I feel fairly confindent of my shoot abilities up to about 40 yards, so I made the shot. Some folks on this board shouldn't be so quick to judge.....

Would I take the same shot again? HELL YEA!!!!!!!!

To answer the question about why we kept tracking...... we tracked for about 2 1/2 hrs. and the blood had all but disappeared. We did not have the adjacent land owners ph. number with us and the blood trail was spotty at best. It was futile as we would have just kept tracking til the next County (it obviously wasn't a kill shot). I have been a part of tracking 5 deer this year and this is the first one we lost and that is because she probably is not dead.

I'm not perfect, are you?

(BTW....I have already bagged 3 bucks and 1 doe with my rifle this yr., just haven't nailed one with my bow!! I enjoy bowhunting and find it extremely more challenging than rifle hunting.)

jimpok61

My only suggestion is with regards to the total circumstances regarding your decision the let fly. 35 yards I can understand, by your statements, is within your confident zone. I would just reconsider that the timing of the shot plus the waning light can often add up to a wounded and often a lost deer. You were fortunate that there were no tiny branches out there to deflect your shot. Most of us just find it real difficult to see those pop-up twigs at that distance under those lighting conditions. I only suggest that you look at the whole picture. I am sorry you had to go through this experience and am only offering this suggestion to help a fellow hunter. Good luck in the future and congrats on your gun season.

davidmil

Just for informational purposes. THe longest I have tracked a deer and recovered him was a good 600 yards. The deer turned at the 33 yard shot. The arrow whacked the elbow of the near side front leg, busted the bones into 3 or 4 pieces, slipped behind the shoulder, along the chest wall and out the front. It never did enter the cavity but I clipped the artery feeding the front leg. There was very little blood on the ground. When I skinned the deer there was a football size blood clot between the shoulder and the chest wall. It was an extremely tough track. I jumped the deer and watched him hobble to the next ridge. I sat down and watched him for an hour with the binos until his tail started quivering, he expired and rolled over on his side. If I had said 400 yards is enough I never would have got him. As long as there is blood it's best to keep going or come back and do it later. I don't fault you for taking the shot. If I can see my pins and get a sight picture I'll take the shot as if it were midday. When I can't see my fiber optic pins and quickly get a sight picture I get down. That's the way I keep myself from taking poor shots in bad light.

Legacy357

i shoot rocket sidewinders and they have not failed me. the buck i shot this year hit high but was going down and went broke through the other shoulder blade. i also hit one in the spine that dropped like a rock. it just happens some times

badshotbob

Groundhunter - I say you did nothing wrong at all. I'm sure you've taken 35 yard shots out of your tree to make sure you can do it. Nothing wrong with a 35 yard shot - and it's not in anyone's place to tell another hunter their max yardage. As far as the light goes, 10 minutes of light left is simply part of hunting. If we left our stands when there was only 10 minutes of legal light left, many of us wouldn't get deer, or shoot as many. It sounds to me that you are smart enough of a hunter to study your shooting lanes (what else is there to do for 2-3 hours), which helps with low light conditions - you know where the twigs are and where to shoot and not to shoot. I would have taken the shot. It sounds like it went wrong somehow - bad relase, string hit some clothing? Who knows. Sounds like it hit bone, and not the ribs. As for the broadhead coming out, like others have said, fixed come out the same way. I personally refuse to use anything with the word "mechanical" attached to it for a broadhead. The word mechanical also means possible failure. How can a fixed blade fail - fall apart in mid air? Not likely. JMO though.

stealthycat

Uh, because you are not an experienced bowhunter, and it shows because you didn't make the shot dude and blamed it on the broadhead !

I've made the same shot when I was inexperienced, except at about 25 yards. The shot hit high, right below the backbone. The deer ducked I am assuiming, bled for a ways and that was that. Poor shot selection ? A bit yeah, but more a failure in me putting the arrow through the lungs. The choice of broadhead means NOTHING if you hit shoulders and backbones. !


You don't know there wasn't with fading light and that distance - another indication of a not so perfect shot.

badshotbob - If the guy can make the shot, take it, I'll be the first to say that. My initial reaction though is a rookie bowhunter at dusk taking a 35 yard long shot at a deer thats been hunted for the past 5 months and is probably wired. That equals a lesser chance for success. But even at that, DO NOT BLAME the broadhead for failure to put the arrow in the lungs of the deer.

Bottom line, the arrow he shot did not hit where it was suppose to. Maybe not a terrible shot - but definitely wasn't well executed.

Deer902

There was blood halfway up the arrow. I don't think it just hit the shoulder and came out. And with good blood for 75 yards, you had to hit something more than bone. She isn't far from where you stopped. Is there any way to get on the adjacent property?

GroundHunter

Damn....I wish I was a perfect hunter and a perfect shooter like you!!!! If anyone would tell the truth we would never let an arrow fly "waiting" for the perfect shot. See, those don't exist in the real hunting world. If bowhunting is going to be reduced to taking 15 yard pot shots, then I'll quit and throw my bow away......Would I take the shot again? Yep......

Now back to the mechanicals......should I toss them?

Bees

All I posted was the fact that you didn't pull the shot off, so you blamed your mechnical broadhead. You said Damn Mechanicals they are in the trash now.

Seems like too many blame their broadheads for things that can and do go wrong.

Got news for all of ya. It usually is not the type of arrow head that matters... it's where you put that arrow head that counts. Learn it and learn it well..