HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HIT A DEER
 

OK I know it seems like a weird question and i have shot 12 deer but tonight right before legal shooting hours ended about 10 minutes to be exact a monster 6 point came in about 18 inch spread huge mass and long tines i put my 30 yard pin on him and squeezed the release75% sure i heard it hit the deer but then the deer just stood there raised its back then raised his tail then i reached for a second arrow shot and he bolted before the arrow got to him and the arrow flew right over his back. so I left and am going out in the morning its supposed to get down to 25 tonight so if i got him he'll befine but i guess the reason for this post is does anyof that seem like i hit him? well i guess we will find out after this sleepless night.

RE: HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HIT A DEER
 

The arching of the back definitely says it all. I find that most of the time when i hit a deer they will jump and arch their back and thats with a rifle but with a bow i find they just arch their back and take off. The first time i shot at a deer with my grandpas old 30.30 no scope i shot at it and it jumped and arched its back and all i did was give its belly a hair cut. So if in the mornin if you dont find an arrow right where you took the first shot you should have nailed him.

RE: HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HIT A DEER
 

any reply is much appreciated.

RE: HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HIT A DEER
 

I've shot a few deer with the bow (and I've missed a few). Everytime I shoot, whether it's a fatal hit or not, the deer react and move. Even there are more than one deer together, the one's i'm not shooting at react. Guess it's what they call String Jumping. I have a feeling if you had hit this 6 pointer that he wouldn't have stood there and watched you try to reload, he would have been gone. But, in my experience, there are a lot of unpredictable things with whitetails.

That being said, when you go out in the morning, you need to find your arrow. That will give you the answer. If it's not where you think it should be, then it very well could have been in the deer.

GOOD LUCK

RE: HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HIT A DEER
 

Learn to shoot with both eyes open and see if that helps you to see the arrow in flight.

More times than not a deer will tuck its tail when hit. Would you stand there if someone just shot you? More than likey not but I have also heard stories.

RE: HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HIT A DEER
 

Sounds like a gut or liver shot. Its critical to find your first arrow. Chest shot deer 98% of the time bolt before giving up the ghost. I shot a 10 pt last year that scored 147 5/8 Pope and Young. I hit the buck thru liver the diaphram and then part of gut. He hunched up run 15 to 20 yards and stopped. No shot of course. The buck slowly walked off with back hunched up like a cat.Set in stand for 2 hours before getting down and recovering arrow. As he walked off I knew I had gut shot but when I found my arrow it was blood soaked. I then knew I had to have hit liver. I then had to make a decission to wait or pursue. That morning was warm with temps. for the day upper 70's. I chose to wait until late that afternoon taking a chance on loosing the buck to spoilage. Best move made as I recovered the buck the next evening. If you got liver shot you need and or gut you need to back off and give it time. You are doing the exact thing I would do especially overnight with cold temps. The buck I shot had dark blood for about 60 yards then nothing. The gut contents plugs the animal not to allow external bleeding. He went about 300 yards from where I shot him before recovering. That was a long 2 days of tracking and looking. Again critical to find arrow. It will give you the tell tell sign on where or if you hit the buck. I always look for shaft unless I see deer go down. Hope this helps. Good Luck. Look for closes water as a Liver or Gut shot animal will pursue water.

RE: HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HIT A DEER
 

Were you unable to find your arrow? The arrow tells all. If you did hit him it sounds like a gut shot which of course a foul smelling arrow would confirm. Deerwill hunch their back up like thatafter a gut shot. It is odd for him not to have run a few yards though even with a gut shot but I have heard of a rare instance or two of it happening that way. You did the right thing by backing out till the next day but I would have ventured a look for my arrow. There won't be much blood but the toxins released into the abdominal cavity from a gut shot make the abdominal muscles become rigid and hard. The deer will not feel like moving around and should, if not pushed, bed down within a few hundred yards.

Good luck and give us an update on how this works out.

RE: HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HIT A DEER
 

Arched back says gut shot to me. Did it sound like a pop or slap? Ribcage shots usually sound like shooting a pumpkin. A hollow, squishy,thud sound.

The deer should bed down soon after being hit. Since you did not push it, you should find it in less that 100 yds.

Tracking may be difficult with the lack of a blood trail but go by tracks, up turned leaves, scuff marks, etc... Look in the direction of water. Also check out thick tangles or heavy brush.

Let us know!

RE: HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HIT A DEER
 

Ok everyone thanks for all of the input I went out about 7:40 so there would be much daylight, anway i looked for 2 hours couldnt find my arrow and then spent another 2 hours looking for blood didnt find a damn thing i followed the trail I saw him take no blood. And heres something i forgot to mention I couldnt remeber the exact spot ( i was confused between 2 spots) anyway one would have been a 35 yrd shot and the other would have been a 25 yeard shot and i used my 30 yard pin. so that would explain the miss. if i did, i hope i did now.

so im at a lost here I am going to go back and look for my arrow again it just seems like i would find blood although i have never had any of my deer run more than 75 yards and i have never gutshot an animal.

in hindsight i probably should have passed him cause it was a little too dark dont get me wrong it was still legal shooting hours but but it was a little too dark for the peepsight.

RE: HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HIT A DEER
 

it sounded like a thud not really a pop or a slap but i heard a definte thud i can really describe it and the wind was blowing about 25 mph too i didnt mention that so that might have cause me not to hear or too hear something.