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My first Bow Hunting experience
Hi All,
It is my first time that I went hunting with a bow. I have a raiders @ #65 and 29 inches carbon Eastern arrows with 100grm Spitfire broad heads. I shot a deer in a distance of 15 yards. I shot it on just a little bit left of the front foot and ~3 inches higher, I know that I was not dead center on the vital area but a little bit higher. The deer snorted and started running. After 2 hours I decided to go and track it down. I found the arrow broken, 3 inches of the arrow plus the broad head stayed inside the deer. I spent more than 4 hours trying to find it to no avail. I found a minimum amount of blood drops but then they disappeared. My hunting partner told me that he saw the deer running with the tail up approximately 300 yards away from the spot that I hit it. In his opinion if the tail is up the deer was not shot in the vitals. I am trying to do the aftermath and see what went wrong and such an animal got to waste. I am very surprised on how the arrow did not penetrate the deer in such a small distance. Could it be the broad heads that I was using? Maybe they did not open up and somehow got stuck inside? Did anybody else had a similar experience? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. John |
RE: My first Bow Hunting experience
Hate to hear about the loss, there is always a argument on which broadhead is better or worse, had two friends shoot big bucks last year the arrow went through the deer and the broadhead didnt open up, i like a fixed broadhead not a mechanical but each to his own, maybe she will live and i hope this helped, but the the broad head and a piece of arrow are still in the deer it probably wont
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RE: My first Bow Hunting experience
grkhunter - wow, I know how bad you must feel.
Last year I shot the biggest buck (gun season) I've ever seen in the woods during hunting season. Just under 100 yards with a Remington 7mm/.08. Immediately after the shot he went down behind a log. I was ecstatic. Then he got back up and went through some thick brush. 3 hours later I went to the spot where he went down. The blood was "wrong", and I found a chunk of bone - I hit his leg/shoulder - and it wasn't the gun, it was definitely me. I thought it was a good shot (or else I wouldn't have fired). We followed very minor blood drops for an hour or two, but then it stopped bleeding. Everyone told me "it happens", but it still makes me sick. |
RE: My first Bow Hunting experience
How unfortunate. I to know how you feel. This has happened to me.[:o] What I did was I decided not to wait and pick up my bow 2 weeks before the season. I now start shooting in March or April. I used to be satisfied with hitting the pie plate (9 inches) and thought that would be “good enough”. No more. Now at 40 yards I can get those 4 to 5 inch group pretty regular. That said I will limit my shooting at deer to 30 yards.
This is what worked for me and it may or may not work for you. I am in no way saying you are a bad shot. I just feel that for some the more you practice the better you will get. Mistakes will still happen. That small twig that you don’t see that deflects the arrow ever so slightly. That I thought it was 23 yards and it was 29. All anyone can do is their best. Nobody is perfect. Keep your chin up and good luck next time. |
RE: My first Bow Hunting experience
I shot it on just a little bit left of the front foot and ~3 inches higher, I think you need to get back out there and search some more. If you lost blood get some buddies and grid search, check all areas of water. |
RE: My first Bow Hunting experience
Sounds like you hit the shoulder blade and the arrow did not penetrate. Penetration is determined by speed and arrow weight and type of broadhead. If you did hit the shoulder blade it is very hard to get good penetration unless you shoot high poundage and beefy arrows with a strong fixed blade head. You need to practice shooting behind the shoulder on a 3D target.
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RE: My first Bow Hunting experience
well if you are hunting in new york the season dont open until oct 15 southren tier and spetember 27 northern tier. if this was last year then you need to tell us better where youu exactly hit the deer.
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RE: My first Bow Hunting experience
oniedaeagle I did call my hunting partners and we covered a lot of ground without any results. I believe that I did everything possible to my knowledge to try and recover the animal. |
RE: My first Bow Hunting experience
I too nbelieve you sunk a broadhead into the deers shoulder blade. I did the same exact thing on my first deer. You need to know the vitals better. Practice on a 3d target if you can, one with the vitals marked, from all different angles. If you did hit the deer in the shoulder, I think it will smart like hell, but theres a descent chance the animal may live.
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RE: My first Bow Hunting experience
grkhunter,
I'm sorry to hear of your unfortunate hunt. I missed two Sunday morning. I even had a range finder. This is my first archery season. And I was so nervous you'd think I saw the biggest two bucks of my life, but they were two does and the first miss was about a foot high. The second time the doe dropped below the arrow. Better luck next time for both of us. David |
RE: My first Bow Hunting experience
And so it begins:(
Sorry to hear you lost one. Seems like other than hitting it in the wrong spot you waited before tracking and put some effort into finding it. As far as the tail up thing and the deer not being hit in the vitals....nothing is in stone when it comes to a wounded deer's behavior. How experienced are your hunting partners with tracking and such? |
RE: My first Bow Hunting experience
I am pretty sure that the hit was on the upper side of the lugs. I am hunting deer with rifle for many years. This is the first one that I wounded and lost. My hunting partners are bowhunting for more than 15 years and I would comfortably say that they are experienced in tracking wounded deer.
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RE: My first Bow Hunting experience
The shot placement may have been the ultimate problem. I shot the Spitfires for 3 years, and this year I am going back to Muzzys for the reason you stated in your thread. I do not want to worry if my BH will open or not. Chances are you missed the vitals. There may be a chance the deer will survive. They can be tough critters!!!! Keep your chin up!!! Many of us "veteran" hunters have gone through what you are going through right now!!!!
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RE: My first Bow Hunting experience
I prefer to use fixed blades as well (Thunderhead 125). NOTHING stops these....not even the shoulder bone. Maybe it is my bow...or the weight of arrow that I am shooting...but these things will go through anything.
As for how tough deer are.... My friend is a taxidermist. He arrowed a deer last year and proceeed to prepare the head...He found a slug in the front of the buck's throat against the skin. It had come through the deer from around the shoulder area a year or so before. It was completely healed. The only reason the slug was recovered is because he was doing the mount. So, if you did have a poor shoulder shot.....the deer might live. I wouldn't stop looking for it just yet. |
RE: My first Bow Hunting experience
Well i have done that too, i must admit. Though for sure he was done but a flock of turkeys jumped him up and i couldnt find him...................i prayed and prayed to find that deer, and never did. My uncle found him the following year across a creek i overlooked. But i doubt it was the broadhead i have been using spitfires for years and only lost one buck due to looking in the wrong place.
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RE: My first Bow Hunting experience
i had somthing simular happen to me last sept 28th. I shot a doe right in the vidales a little high but enough to penitrate. The doe ran right by my friend and stoped. he had not known that i had shot the deer kand he drew back to take a shot and release his arrow but missed it. The deer ran for about another 200yrds and looked back at his tree and just vanished. we found tonz of blood. And waited a couple of hours to go find it but never did. What we think happend was it ran until it dropped and iv heard that if a wounded deer is "frightend' that they can run for miles until the drop dead. But i dont know
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RE: My first Bow Hunting experience
ORIGINAL: grkhunter Hi All, It is my first time that I went hunting with a bow. I have a raiders @ #65 and 29 inches carbon Eastern arrows with 100grm Spitfire broad heads. I shot a deer in a distance of 15 yards. I shot it on just a little bit left of the front foot and ~3 inches higher, I know that I was not dead center on the vital area but a little bit higher. The deer snorted and started running. After 2 hours I decided to go and track it down. I found the arrow broken, 3 inches of the arrow plus the broad head stayed inside the deer. I spent more than 4 hours trying to find it to no avail. I found a minimum amount of blood drops but then they disappeared. My hunting partner told me that he saw the deer running with the tail up approximately 300 yards away from the spot that I hit it. In his opinion if the tail is up the deer was not shot in the vitals. I am trying to do the aftermath and see what went wrong and such an animal got to waste. I am very surprised on how the arrow did not penetrate the deer in such a small distance. Could it be the broad heads that I was using? Maybe they did not open up and somehow got stuck inside? Did anybody else had a similar experience? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. John |
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