MZS

Well, you have a pretty darn good record if that is the only deer you have lost in all those years! That would be good even with a gun and no archery! There is a "zone" just behind the shoulders ahead of the lungs and high on the back but below the spine that seems to have no critical vitals.

SecondChance

I think I found it. I just make my shot count and if it is by no means a less than 50% chance of not being lethal, I pass it up. That means keeping my shot inside MY kill zone, and not what others CLAIM they can do it at. I hunt mainly with single shot weapons, pistol, bow and muzzleloader. So it makes me pick my shots.

nysmoker

Not sure where your at but in ny you can employ a leashed deer tracking dog . Not for profit group called Deer Search. We have a 34 percent recovery rate wich seems low but considering we are called as a last resort..... bad shots... mucked up trails from hard working hunters and weather , its not that bad .From the sounds of it ... you got a dead deer.. just my opinion.

stabnslab_WI

I would hunt with you any day!! I have nothing but respect for your type of person. Eight years ago I put in 4 days of tracking on a single buck that I shot. I would kick it up, it would run 50-60 yards and lay back down. I would return the next day and he would be gone. I would travel another 100 yards and he would be laying down again. I could never get a clear shot or approach this deer. He was hit hard and eventually I ended up finding the buck expired in our pond half mile away. At the time it was my biggest buck, and today is prolly my most awarding deer. After day 3 people were telling me to give up but I was too determind. Good luck and maybe she'll live or maybe you'll find her

SecondChance

Thank you. I was raised as such and have done nothing but to keep my beliefs and upbringings alive. I have a job that keeps me to higher standards than most and it is hard haveing such around you and not keep those standards in what you do.
I hear you on the long track job. I helped a buddy track a nice buck over the course of almost 1 mile to haveing found it by accident. We saw a car stop and look at something out in a field. They saw the deer begin to cross and fall over and not get back up. We would have never went that way for he went into a creek and then got back out. A REAL LUCKY day!!!! Thank you again for the compliment and wish you the best in your travels.

SecondChance

If we had one around here or I knew of one, I most surely would have called them in. You can never have too much help in a situation like this and it would have been worth it from the start, just because the trail was fresh and not stomped up. I feel the deer may have been pushed by its yearlings, for it never seemed like it layed down, or that we found its bed where had. I know for a fact it was not pushed for we did not return till over 15-1/2hrs later. I have a feeling it is dead, just because I know I hit the far shoulder, resutling in that loud crack I heard and the stumble she did in getting back up and leaving.

jerry d

I hit a nice 8 years ago like what you discribed.Mine dropped as soon as i hit him,i'm thinkin spine shot ! As soon as i reached for another arrow he got up and was off and running. I looked for him for 2 days,never found him,no blood nothing.It made me sick ! Wasn't into hunting the rest of the season.

SecondChance

Update. We found the doe the day after we looked in a neighbors pond, 1/4 mile away. She had layed in the end of it and was covered up to the arrow nock. Arrow entered just above/behind the shoulder, breaking 2 ribs going in and lodged in the shoulder joint on the far side, breaking her shoulder. Took out the left lung as she filled up inside and bled only through the high back wound. Wanted to try to save meat, but it was too warm during the day to have done so, even with laying in cold water for who knows how long. Atleast the coyotes didn't run her down to get her or she go on for who knows how long suffering longer. Sad end, but an end to a sad story.

stabnslab_WI

Sounds like my story! Through my 18 years of hunting I come to the conclusion that deer resort to water and feel the need to cool down after being shot because of the warm sensation that the pooling blood gives the animal. Yep, I think thats it.

SecondChance

Yeah, we have had this happen before on multiple occassions. Ponds, ditches, creeks, even a really big water puddle/small pond.

Funny thing is though, she ran within 50yds of one pond to lay up in another. Go figure!?!??! Guess she was not really feeling the affects of it at first, I suppose.