Lost my first deer
 

Went out openingday ( 9/13 ), here in Jersey bow season.
Had a beatiful eight pointer in the morning at 20 yards, but Jersey law is a doe must be taken first.
I did take my doe opening day evening.
I went out yesterday ( 9/20 ) and shot a nice doe from 35 yards.
Arrow went right behind the shoulder.
I saw the arrow sticking out as the deer ran.
It crashed straight through some really thick under brush and I lost site of it.
I continued to listen to it crash through everything it ran past and it suddenly stopped.
I thought, great it's down. I had 45 minutes before dark, so I gave ten minutes before starting to look for it. I never heard another movement from the last place I heard it.
When I got down I went to the impact point and marked it, took a quick look to see if the arrow was laying in the thick brush but didn't see anything.
I went to the area where I last heard the crashing stop and started to look around. Nothing. I looked 15 more minutes and decided I had to get back and look for blood or a arrow.
I looked till dark, then called for help. Three of us looked for 2 1/2 more hours and nothing.
No blood, No hair, No arrow, No deer.
Temp went down to mid 40's last night.
The three of us went out first light for another 2 1/2 hours.
No arrow, blood, hair or deer.
I know where the hit was on the deerand she ran with the arrow in her side, but nothing found.
Temp went into the 80's today, so I am taking it as a lost deer.
I hate to take a life of a deer and have it go to waste.

**** Edit: This is not my first deer ever, this is just the first deer I havenot recovered. ****

RE: Lost my first deer
 

That is why I don't bow hunt anymore. I've shot one deer with a bow, finally found her about 1/2 mile away in a briar thicket and when I finally got her back to the truck I put the bow down and went back to my .270. You probably hit the deer further back than you thought or something. You are in for a number of people telling you that you should have waited an hour. Happens to most everybody, especially bow hunters.

RE: Lost my first deer
 

It's easy to say it now, but with 45min. til dark, cold dry temps overnight, morning with a few friends may have led to different ending. Like I say, easier said than done. Let it be a lesson learned.

RE: Lost my first deer
 

If it looked like a good hit and you thought you heard it die then I can't blame you for trying to track it before dark. Tracking at night is a whole different game and I always try to avoid it.

Last year I nailed a doe with my crossbow, and it ranabout amile. I gave it 20 minutes and began to trail it fairly slow. It's open land here and they can cover a lot of land fast. I found a thin, fairly conistant blood trail, with larger drops every 40 yards or so. She didn't bleed at all for the first 50 yards. I finally found the arrow in a dried creek bed about three quarters of a mile away from where I made the shot, and the trail seemed to dead end in the neighbor's bean field. I started making circles from there and finally found her after 4 hours of tracking. The reason I tell this story is because it was a perfect hit. The rage broadhead made a heck of a hole in her, and I totally lanced both lungs. Nothing is set in stone with hunting, sometimes the deer wins and sometimes you both lose.

RE: Lost my first deer
 

I have to give you credit where credit is due. You went out and looked! And went back out the next day. You made every attempt to recover the deer. I tip my hat to you! Some people would have looked for a couple hours and gave up, you didnt. Koodos to you. It happnes to alot of bowhunters, including myself once in a while, thats why its called hunting not killing.

RE: Lost my first deer
 

yep this happens to every hunter..but ive switched to fairly new broadhead..and ive nothin but success with this one..here is the website..check it out http://www.spintite.com/

RE: Lost my first deer
 

My buddy gut shot a doe last year and we knew it was a bad shot so we left and backed out overnight. We went back the next morning and I took one of my field trial pointer bitches with us and she found that deer. We had good blood up until a certain point. We turned that bitch out and she went on line down the the ditch about 100 yards and slammed on point. I told my buddy "there she is." Sure enough. I know this doesn't help you but maybe think about it next time if you know someone who has a birddog or a tracking hound it could save you a deer.

RE: Lost my first deer
 

every hunter no matter what the choice of weapon has lost a deer it is just the bad part of hunting

RE: Lost my first deer
 

I am never amazed at what these beast can do when the adrenaline kicks in.....some have a stronger will to survive than others...

RE: Lost my first deer
 

i almost everyone has had something like this happen even if they dont admit it my theory is $hit happens

RE: Lost my first deer
 

Bad break but it happens.

RE: Lost my first deer
 

Amen to that. Best we can do is whatever we can to minimize it's occurrence. Frankly, and I've done it, I would put my dog on a leash and have at it.

RE: Lost my first deer
 

Very depressing to not find a wounded deer .
I no of other huntersand had it happen myself ,
Realy bothered me , it was years ago and with a bow .
I,ve seen gun hunters loose deer also .
Deer are very strong and have alot of will power ,
Sometimes the way they run after a shot is as if you completly missed .
I have had neck shot ( gun) opportunities and when it connects the deer is down to stay .

RE: Lost my first deer
 

what kind of broadhead ?
Let me guess, a mechanical and you made a quartering away shot.

RE: Lost my first deer
 

Broadhead was a Rage three blade.
Shot was dead broadside @ 31 yards.
Good hit, looked to be right behind the shoulder.
Watched the arrow all the way to the target and saw the deer run with the arrow in it's side.
It is really bothering me about loosing it.
I was so confident about the shot and what I heard, I was thinking I need to get another freezer.
I waited for the shot. I had the deer there for 15 minutes and actually held at draw for about 3 minutes waiting for her to clear some branches.
I wouldn't change a thing about the shot that I took, just wish the after was different.

RE: Lost my first deer
 

what kind of penetration ? did the arrow come out the other side ?

RE: Lost my first deer
 

Looked to be half arrow penetration. ( 29" arrows ).
Never saw the other side of the deer.

RE: Lost my first deer
 

Its hard to say but you might have only got one lung, a deer can go very far with one good lung. I would like to tell you dont worry about it everyone looses one sooner or later but no, I want you to feel bad and I am glad that you do feel bad, shows you care. I have lost 3 deer and 1 hog with a bow, so I know how you feel, it absolutely sucks.
The only thing you did wrong was go look for the deer too early, you knew it was not that great of a shot, (iffy penetration) should have gave a her a few hours. But I am guilty of doing the exact same thing you did, exact same scenario too. Never found that deer either. I can tell you one thing, that deer is dead and is out there somewhere, probably expired within an hour or two.
learn from your mistake, iffy shot give them at least 2 hours, or more if it is a really bad shot, ( gut shot)
What kind speed does your bow shoot ? How much lbs are you drawing ?

RE: Lost my first deer
 

Golden Eagle Splitfire one.
315fps ( factory rating ).
70lb draw weight with 29" Easton XX75 2315 with 100gr Rage three blade.

RE: Lost my first deer
 

tough luck man..... it happens thats for sure. I do agree with zrexpilot you have you a dead deer somewhere. bummer

RE: Lost my first deer
 

the only thing i have ever killed with my bow is a doe, and to me its just like arrowing a 200 in. monster!! i bet u was heart broken!!! i know i would have been... exspecially it was my first... my uncle did the same thing to a buck last year... they looked and looked and could not find her, but about 2 weeks later we was walkin back to the stand and seen a glimpse of horns, and ran over there to c him standing there!!! it was only about 75 yards from the stand!!!! in a bunch of weeds

RE: Lost my first deer
 

It isn't my first deer ever, it is just the first deer that i have ever lost / haven't recovered.

Well, I feel some what better.
I took my second deer taken with a bow this morning.

Took my first deer with a bow opening day evening ( 9/13/08 ).
Lost the deer the next weekend ( 9/20/08 ).
Took my second deertaken with a bow this weekend ( 9/27/08 ).
At least I can say every outing I have shot and hit a deer.
Just wish it was three for three.

RE: Lost my first deer
 

Don't get hung up on your " at least....." statement. Just be glad your able to enjoy the outdoors. Lots of folks less fortunate!

RE: Lost my first deer
 

Post the proof to this.
Every gunhunter I know has lost one - many more then one.
I found 3 deer on my lease last year with gunshots - courtesy of the fine shooting of my neighbors.

Its nearly impossible for aperfect hit deer with a sharp broadheadto go a mile.
A perfect hit mbeing a low to mid double lung or heart shot.

Steve

RE: Lost my first deer
 

Atleast you looked. You didn't give up and sometimes it's just the way hunting goes

RE: Lost my first deer
 

Well, I took my second doe a month ago. Hardly any blood trail but was an easy recovery ( 50 -60 yards ).

Now that's two for the freezer, I have been passing on tons of does waiting for a nice buck.
Had a 10" spike on morning, which went a joined a nice rack out of range ( 80+ yards ).
Still swamped with does, I mean a tun of them.
Land owner says to take all that I can, but can only handle the two right now.
My regular give away people are still full from last years deer.
I want to give the land owner a deer, so I called my butcher and he said I will butcher the deer for free if you would take me two for my personal use.
That's cool, I can take three more does to reduce the heard and they will go to good use.
Just want to take them before the rut, I want to see what is tracting the does.
I have about four groups of 8 - 12 does that I have seen and I know there is more.
Sotaking thefive does won't hurt anything.
Well I took one this morning, and I am going back out this afternoon.
Bad weather though, 20 mph gust and maybe 1" of rain.
Was also windy as heck this morning.

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm158/2robinhood/deerpictures025.jpg?t=1225025585

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm158/2robinhood/deerpictures2018.jpg?t=1225025606




This was this morning doe, trail camera took this shoot.

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm158/2robinhood/deerpictures2054.jpg?t=1225024331

RE: Lost my first deer
 

RE: Lost my first deer
 

Well, I did go back out in the afternoon.
40 mph wind gust and man did it rain.
Didn't see a sigle deer( a first at this property ), but I did have a fox come in to where I shoot the doe in the morning.