RE: How many of you have had this happen?
 

all great advise. "DON'T GIVE UP' the animal is dead take some friends and spead out follow trails look for blood, look in or near water. I gut sot one last year and found her in a creek about 200 yards from where I shot her. Never push a gut shot deer!!!

RE: How many of you have had this happen?
 

Yep... ticked a branch I didn't see once on a nice buck which had literally ran in to my rattling bag. Fortunately, it deflected to right behind his ear and dropped him in his tracks. Took a minute to figure out what had happened after he dropped like a ton of bricks.

RE: How many of you have had this happen?
 

THis is always a good idea.

Don't give up.:)

RE: How many of you have had this happen?
 

Had that happen to me on the first shot I ever took at a deer. It was a nice little 4x4 chasing a doe. I took the shot and I saw my arrow deflect off a branch and then fly under his head. I'm glad I didn't hit him and wound him. Never did find that arrow in the snow.

RE: How many of you have had this happen?
 

Been there with the gut shot. Shot a doe but my arrow hit a twig that deflected it to her gut. Fortunately, she didnt' go but 15 yards and I put a second arrow through the boiler room.

RE: How many of you have had this happen?
 

Ive had it happen. Judging from past experience. Start looking around were you shot her at. I have trailed deer and lost the trail up to 300 yards +. and then we end up finding them less than 20 yards from were we shot them. GL dont give up

RE: How many of you have had this happen?
 

I had a bad hit this year. I'm not sure what exactly happened. I think the edge of the broadhead deflected off her shoulder. The deer was directly broadside and the entrance wound was perfect but the exit wound was way back. I found little acorn piece in the blood. She only ran about 20 yards and bedded down. I thought she was dead, so I got up close to her. When I realized she was alive I gave her another shot which did the job. Sometimes freaky things happen. You just have to find her! I thought I heard that especially w/ gut shots that they don't go far if you don't push them. I got lucky.

My new toy this year is a gps. I'm thinking the plotting feature (all gps's have) will work great for finding deer. It will help my be able to check every little nook and cranny.

RE: How many of you have had this happen?
 

Me and my 2 hunting buddies went out this morning, looked and looked and could not find her...I really don't know what to do. We walked along every trail that split off from where we last saw blood, my one buddy walked all throughout the woods (it is a small section of woods) and didn't see a thing, we found alot of bedding areas and there was nothing, we even crawled into thickets and were looking but she just wouldn't show up. We combed through every spot that we could think of. Is there any way she could still be alive? There was only one good blood spot, and then it slowly trailed into nothing. I feel horrible knowing that there is a deer out there somewhere, that I wounded.

RE: How many of you have had this happen?
 

-EDIT-

We tried not to push her lastnight, I just wanted to get a general idea of where to look in the morning. But my one friend did drive a 4 Wheeler down there, do you think that could have pushed her out of the section?

RE: How many of you have had this happen?
 

Sorry. It sounds like you gave it a true honest effort to find her, which is commendable. A deer hit in the guts will die. In a few days you may smell her and then can have some closure at least to where and how far she ran. It's hard to say if hte 4 wheeler scared her, depends on if deer are used to them and you were on a road they are common to. It is a bad feeling now, but time eases it a little, and you gave it a hard search.