Worst feeling ever
 

Well went out last night hoping for the big one ive been getting on my camera for the last week. Got settled in at around 400 pm and started to see deer around 500. First deer to show up was a 6 point then i later called in a little 3 point around 530. Well it was around 600 now and i heard crashing above me and it sounded like it was coming in my direction. Well wouldnt you know it WAS HIM! He was coming right at me then started to be line a little out he got to about 10 yards broadside for a perfect shot i let er fly. Well the hit looked pretty good but i was not 100% sure. I could see him at the top of the hill just standing there and thats when i got worried.. he slowly walked off and i could no longer see him. well i waited about 15 mins then went to find my arrow it was broke in half and the other half was still in him. So i got atleast 10 inches or more of arrow in him. So i just backed out and went to eat and told my mom. Well i waited for a good 2 hours to start tracking. And immeadlty started to find a good blood trail. He slowly went his way thorugh the feild and i was still finding good blood. When i got into the other side of the field thats when the blood started to decrease. Long story short, I ended up tracking blood here and there and sometimes it would get good then faint again for about 400 yards! And the last drop of blood i found was in the middle of the road that he crossed. When this happned i just couldnt believe it i looked beyond that blood for about a 100 yards more and could not find anything! He bled the whole way and then it just stops! I just didnt no what to do after this so i went home and just had the worst sleep ever and am going back out in a little bit because it would have to be pouring down rain today.... I really need some comfort right now this is the worst feeling in the world! So do you think he is dead or whats your input? All i know is im not giving up on this deer!

Is there blood on the arrow part you have? If so....smell it. If it smells bad, you probably hit him in the stomach. Based upon the information you gave....this may have happened. Did he tuck his tail and raise up some as he walked off? There are many scenarios that could have happened. I would definitely go back and look for him. He may have just needed some time to expire.

i definitely feel for ya i just shot a doe and couldnt find her. hopefully your situation turns out better than mine. do you have a dog that you could use? i live in kansas and it is illegal to use them to track a wounded deer otherwise i would have

I know the feeling dont give up.Maybe ask some friends to help with tracking.Good luck

If the blood is pooling up in his belly and you hit a lung that may be the blood your seeing and it will get down to nothing and down he will go I hope. The doe I had to track friday left no blood for 40 or 50 yards but I found her by going straight ahead and she was there. She went straight to a creek bed that alowed easy movement away from the spot she got nailed at. Don't give up get help.

Well a few tips if you can't find him or more blood depending on the land your hunting.

1.) A wounded deer is gonna take the path of least resistance
2.) He will look for water ( pond, creek river)
3.) He will travel down hill
4.) Look on the outskirts of a thick bedding area

Just because there was a drop of blood in the road does not mean he crossed. He may have back-tracked before crossing, or crossed back after crossing the road. Be persistent. I know the feeling you get when it starts to look like a deer is lost, but I've learned that it just takes more effort sometimes. Once all tracking is exhausted, work out a logical plan. I first check all logical places, like water, thickets, etc. Then I go to a grid approach. If it takes all day, that's just what it takes. A few friends are a great benefit if you can get them to help.

I agree. I shot a doe with my BP rifle a few years back and she ran slightly up hill and headed into a field. At the edge she decided to turn back into the woods and collapsed after a few steps back. It seems that when they are wounded like that, they run for cover so the buck may have decided not to cross the road.

This same thing happened to me a couple years back. I placed what I thought was a nice 30-30 shot into the sweet spot of a beautiful, thick six-pointer. He ran down into a gorge and then up the side of a mountain and over. I took 15-20 minutes to go back to the house and get a dog to help me track. Blood was all over the place and the dog found the scent immediately. We ended up going up and down almost two mountainsides before the trail went into a neighboring farm field and completely stopped and disappeared. Not even the dog seemed to know what the hell happened. I spent all day looking and back tracking to no avail.

Absolutely horrible feeling, but you learn from it and grow into a better hunter. It happens.

I have personally seen a wounded deer go up hill and bed down before it died. A blood trailing dog, if legal, is an amazing asset to have access to.