bigcountry

Do you need constructive critisism? Or are you beyond it?

bigcountry

I know I wouldn't post if I was him.

Jeff Ovington

I knew you where gonna post something like this B.C.
I knew it.LOL .I probably should have left it the way it was on page 4
cause Im just about at the Can US boarder and I have to shut my Iphone off cause of roaming charged and start using the company cell phone which just has texting. Than I'm off to China from Seattle till next Tuesday.I don't know how busy Im gonna be hopefully I have time to get on the computer. But as far as constructive critisism goes
yeah I need it at times.Give it to me. If it's for the better I'll give it a go. Anyways keep this thing at the top hopefully he finds his deer
good luck.

fastetti

Hey Guys, Sorry I haven't posted. I actually haven't even read through the thread yet. I've spent the last 2 days looking either before work or after (worked very short shifts) and all night long and haven't even had time to check my computer. I thought I owed it too the animal to check at every free moment I had. I gave it all the effort I could and have come up with nothing. Spent 2 days looking with 3 other guys. Grid searches, sitting on top of a valley and glassing, you name it. I even had 2 other guys come in, told them nothing except where it was shot at and let them try and track him without letting them know what we found. They made it exactly to where I did and lost him. Basically, after where I found the broken arrow I found nothing until 70 yards away where I cound two baseball size spots of blood. Its a weird spot right beyond that is a crushed white gravel road about 15 feet wide and found no blood on that but he had to have crossed it at some point but no blood. Beyond that is some waste high switch grass, searched that for hours and no blood. Grid searched in with some other people 8 feet apart for 500 yards back and forth for five hours. Nothing. Searched a fence line that is 8 feet high that has about 15 feet of trees before the a very short grass field starts. Nothing. I have to say I search for a good 800 yards in every conceivable direction that the deer could have gone. Nothing. The area is loaded with coyotes so I'd hope Id seen some deer hair even if they got him but nothing. Two days and about 40 combined hours of looking from 6 people and nothing more than a few spots of blood 70 yards from where he was shot at. Def. not Lung blood, but a little darker. Im thinking (as well as the other hunters that helped me search) that it was a shoulder hit.

I'm sick to my stomach now because I can't find him. Not that he was the biggest deer ive seen hunting but that I lost and animal. I am truly Hopefule he'll makes it. He was a huge deer so I'm hoping he's got the energy to make it. I'm going to head back out here in a few minutes to see if I can hear any coyotes yelping in any particular spot but that all I can think of now. Thanks to all who tried to help. I really appreciate it. I'm sorry I didn't get back and respond until now, but I've been searching for 2 days straight other than some time I had to go into work. I recruited a couple guys who are big bow hunters and used there expertise to help. Everytime I had some time to check my computer I thought it would be better to be in the woods. I Only got about 2 hours of sleep last night so really need to get some sleep now but again, thanks for all who gave their thoughts on what to do.

Good hunting to all, after this I now hope that everyones arrows (and bullets) find there spots and no one has to go what I went through. At least I now know what it feels like to have the biggest buck of your life walk out in front of you and feel that type of buck fever. Thanks again.

westtexducks

Being that close to a road it sounds to me like someone took your deer.

iSnipe

I should have asked the questions I wanted to at first, but then decided to let the post propagate a bit.

1.) What length and color of hair did you find at the impact scene?
2.) Was there any tallow on the shaft?

I don't think the arrow hit the opposite shoulder, because then we're talking organ damage... the serious kind where no way he can make it 800 yards. More like DRT or close to it.

I'm thinking you anchored him through the muscle of the fore leg and into the brisket area for a low shot, then his movement snapped the arrow off for a non-vital hit... that most likely can do him in, just not within that area.

iSnipe

uncle matt

Oughta bring a couple good dogs out there. Just about any dog stands a better chance at finding that deer than a person.

dpv

I've lost a deer before. Searched deep into the the night. Searched the next day. Used a dog, kept looking, watched for crows and vultures. Nothing. You aren't the first. It's been happening since we stopped cowering in the back of caves and decided to pick up a rock and eat something bigger than a bug.

dcbucki

That sucks that you can't find that Buck. I know the feeling. This is my first year of bow hunting, but during one of my first couple of years gun hunting I had a similar experience. I shot a 8pt and thought I got it pretty good, but was worried I had hit it too far back. I waited for a good 45 min - hour and before I started looking. As soon as I walked over the ridge the buck jumped up and ran off. I thought, "damm, I'll never see him again". Lucky for me he ran about 100yrds or so and dropped. The fact is, its a challenge. Some you win, some you lose. All we can do is improve our aim, or equipmeny and our technique. In the end it comes down to a lil bit of luck. You can have the prefect shot, but at the last second the wind kicks up or the deer flinches and your "perfect shot" its a little back or a little high and your tracking with you fingers crossed. I'd hate to have meat wasted or not to find a trophy, but sometimes it happens to the best of us. Good luck in the future and I hope you never have to go through that again.

I second what westtexducks said, it might be possible that someone stole the deer, especially if it was close to the road.

WI Bow Hunter

Man so sorry to hear that. But I think we've all been there, it happens and is part of hunting. Sometimes you don't make the best shots. I lost a deer earlier this year already. Thought I hit it great, just a little further back than what I wanted but still a good hit. Searched for quite a while, got into the worst swamp I've ever been in, with 5 people we were almost literally crawling through because it was so thick and lost the blood trail.

Went down to a tiny drop here and there then nothing. Made me sick.