hurley0816

i know it hurts to admit it but we all do it or will do it. i just did it. it was a small 8 point buck i held on the shoulder and pulled the trigger, boom deer limped a little and took off. i found very little blood and tracked for a few hundred yards. i am pretty sure that i ended up pulling my shot and getting a leg shot, buck fever i think as this would be my first rifle kill buck.so if anyone else can share their experiances i would appreciate it.

gmil6184

That stinks man, but it happens to everyone. Anyone who tells you any different (1) hasn't been hunting very long; (2) is a liar; or, (3) is one lucky SOB. On two separate occasions I've shot deer with bow and wasn't able to recover, and once with a shotgun. Its an awful feeling, and it should be. But try to use it for motivation to spend time at the range, only take good shots, try to get closer, work on your trigger squeeze, etc. Good luck with the rest of the season!

StruttinGobbler3

I agree with everything gmil said, thats just how it goes sometimes. Yes, it sucks, but chalk it up to experience and concentrate on the next one. Two years ago I shot a nice eight point, he was quartering away and I didn't hold back far enough. I fired and he took off. I found a spotty blood trail and chips of bone where he was standing. I never found that deer, obviously the bullet busted one shoulder and the rest was just a flesh wound. About two or three inches to the right and he'd have been a dead deer, but he lived to tell about it that day.

pick00l

When I was starting out bow hunting I stalked a small buck and got with in 30 yards, First shot I missed right under the vitals. The second shot I pulled and hit him right in the butt. Not a drop of blood and I heard what I thought was it hitting bone. Got 4 other folks to help me look around the area and no one found a thing.

Late season ML I shot and hit a doe. It bedded down twice and had a good blood trail with pools of blood two places where we kicked it up. Went to the neighbors prperty and my uncle said.. they are a pain in the butt and we are not tracking it any further.

I know two things now after hunting a lot since then and getting older.

1. Give the deer some time and you will likely get it. The first time it bedded it was only 50-60 yard away. Would have likely been dead in 30 minutes.
2. Call the commission or knock on the neighbors door. No need to give up the chase because the next property is a pain. Game commission would have likely been happy to help me.

Important thing for me is that I have thought alot about both of these deer and will try my hardest not to make the same mistakes.

Wall_Hanger

I've been lucky enough to only have it happen once to me. The only time I shot at a deer and did not recover it was about 3 or 4 years ago. I shot a doe and I thought I put a clean shot on it but apparently it wasn't clean enough because the blood trail was very sparse and we never found it. Had a sick feeling in my stomach for the entire night. It has happened to my step-dad and my uncle as well and I know they feel horrible about it but that is just the way it goes sometimes. I definitely learned from it and have not taken any shots that I was not completely confident in since, even if it means letting one go that you really want to shoot. Just remember, if it was a guarantee then we wouldn't have to pull the trigger.

TurkeyStalker

Yes I hate to admit it but the past two years I lost two does during archery season. This year I was walking with my treestand on my back and had some does come walking by. I donot practice shooting like this, but I will from now on. I pulled a little bit due to the extra weight on my back, and stomach shot her. I gave her four hours and ended up jumping her up and watched her bed down again. I gave her another four hours and went back and she was gone with no blood.

Nubby_Stalker

x2 Wall_Hanger

EnglishHope

Yep, I have lost deer. Just last year, I got to my hunting spot, about 5 minutes a doe shows up. She was looking at me, and she was about I'd say 100-150 yards away, I was trying to get a chest shot, I must have moved or something. I think it turned out to be a leg shot. It sucks but it happens.

teedub31

Call me lucky or a liar or what ever, but I have never wounded a deer that has ever gotten away from being tagged. I know it will happen, but in my 23 years of hunting I have been fortunate. In fact, I have only shot one deer that did not have a mortal wound. Luckily he traveld down the fence row1 mile with me in tow when my dad busted him.

Now straight up misses, I have had plenty of those.

KYDeerHunter03

I once shot at what I thought was a big doe (turned out to be a button buck[:@]) with my muzzleloader. I aimed right behind the shoulder and the deer was about 50 yards away. I was gently squeezing the trigger and right as I was pulling the deer moved from its feeding position and took one step and i ended hittin guts.

We tracked that deer for about a mile and took us from 9 oclock till 6 in the afternoon, but we found him. There were times where we couldnt find any blood at all, but we managed to find little pindoprs here and there. That was the only deer I didnt even bother taking pictures of cuz I was so ashamed of the shot I made.

like others said before, it happens to everyone. Just keep your chin up and get back out there. Just use it as a learning experience and improve after all we all learn from our mistakes. Good luck!