deadshot

primetime contrary to some people here we all have made the less than perfect shot, don't beat yourself up over this but rather learn from the exsperience, you said you saw the arrow hit if so did the deer go running with the arrow, did you get back in the stand and replay the shot in your mind if not try doing that and look at the angle in which you shot if the arrow missed you should be able to pinpoint where it is on the ground, remember shooting from a stand you can bury an arrow,, however this plays out take the good advise from the others here and as far as people condeming you forget them hopefully if you did hit the deer you will find him , but if you didnt then chalk it up to a lesson learned,, i know how you are feeling my 15 yr old daughter shot at a doe last year she swore she hit it in the vitals well 3 of us searched for over an hour and all we found was a arrow buried in the ground she was so excited that she missed completely and hadnt just wounded an animal i was actually proud of her that day because of her caring attitude, as well i bet your dad is over yours ,,

AND TO ANYONE THAT FEELS THE NEED TO SLAM THIS YOUNG MAN ALL I CAN SAY IS BITE
YOUR TONGUE WE ARE HERE TO HELP 1 ANOTHER NOT BELITTLE AN BERATE OTHERS i seriously doubt if a single person here can say that every shot at a deer or any animal for that matter has been perfect , the old saying goes if you live in a glass house dont be the one to cast the first stone nuff said larry

BobCo19-65

Yes, just remember that it is only based on a practice target. It's the little things that the hunter that can not control in a hunting situtaion on a live animal that also must be taken into account. Especially if you plan on shooting deer in the jugular.

prime, it sounds like this was something that you didn't mean to do, and that you regret hitting the deer where you did. That's important in itself. Good luck finding the deer, but I believe that you should have found much more sign if the hit was fatal in the neck. Do yourself a favor and get the book "Finding wounded deer" by John Trout.
Don't let others discourage you.

Ohio Bowhunter75

I could not believe some of the post on this thread.This young gentlemen comes looking for a few tips to help in finding the deer and posters just start slamming rude and poor info at him.
It is very possible the deer would not have bleed.As stated before that area has a low percent of recovery due to a lack of vitals.Go back and search again in the direction the deer ran off.Search the main trails leading towards the thick cover.Watch the sides of trees and tall vegatation for any blood.It is very possible the arrow could be knocked out by brush along the trails.This could give you a few more clues as to how vital the hit will be,and a more positive direction on the travel direction.You owe it to yourself,the sport and the deer to make every possible attempt to locate the deer.I know many hunters that take the attitude it was only a doe,no big deal.You took the shot,now do the ethical thing and spend a few more hours looking.Good luck.

silentassassin

What part of the deer did you shoot at? Was the deer broadside or quartering away?


Yea, everyone makes bad shots but I am having a hard time figuring out how you aim at a deers body and hit it in the neck near the head.

drop em were they stand

Ive shot two deer in the neck. Both made it no farther than 50yards and both had more blood than any other deer ive shot. You need to get back out there and find the place the deer was standing at the time of impact. Start making circles around that area until you find blood or your arrow. You can also go the last place you saw the deer. If you did indeed note that. It is VERY important to take note of the last place you saw your deer before he got out of sight. This will help tracking the deer. Get back out there and look look look. GL "primetimearcher"

JPruiett

What kind of broadhead were you using...fixed or expandable? My friend shot one in that exact spot with a mechanical...the head never opened and the deer wasn't found. Neck shots are almost always fatal...but there are some spots where you will hit nothing vital.[:@]

Charlie P

If the deer was never found how do you know the head never opened?

They do close back up you know.

Pat Curtis

How far was the shot? What poundage are you shooting? If it was a weak shot, and barely stuck in the upper neck....you might have just grazed it..but the arrow stuck in the deer.

Could you give us a full rundown of where the deer was standing..the angle of the shot..what did the deer do after it was hit...etc.....

CrabClaw10

Charlie P you took the words out of my mouth. Expandables do close after they decelerate rapidly. So to say they did not open would be inacurate. I guess the only reason I mention this is so someone who doesnt know this will still take up the trail on that deer even if the blades APPEAR to not have opened. And yes, I have missplaced shots for one reason or another, it sucks, but you learn and are more careful next time.

A deer is a wonderful trophy, buck or doe, just be patient, the shot will come, and if it doesnt, grab your camera and take a picture of it walking away, and hope you see him again.

rybohunter

1. Neck shots are NOT a guarunteed kill shot.
2. The shot went bad, anything we can tell you now about trying to find the deer is already written in the tracking thread. Go re-read all the info there
3. You need to figure WHY you hit the deer in the neck. Nerves? string catch on clothes? multitude of things.
I know the excitement of the moment is tough, but you need to focus and try and take in all details of the shot, the deer's reaction, where it ran everything. SOme people write it in a notepad while fresh. This is critical when something goes wrong.